Drag Bike - Plan B

[Off Road]

The last time I raced the RZ was in September 2022.
Over the winter, I checked the clutch fibers, replaced the steel clutch plates, lowered the rear ride height 20 mm (about 3/4”), and cleaned and re-oiled the K&N air filter.
As far as I’m concerned, the bike is all tuned up and ready to go.
And that’s a good thing, because the Race Season starts next weekend. Whoop. Whoop.

This year, the Canadian Motorcycle Drag Race Association (CMDRA) will be running 6 races.
In addition to the CMDRA races, one of the local race tracks in Rimby, Alberta, will also be running a bike class this year.
The Rimby track is only an 1/8 mile track, but it’s as smooth as glass, the track prep is awesome, and the track personnel are fantastic.
In the past, the CMDRA has always run 1 or 2 races in Rimby every year.
But, they run car/truck race in Rimby every weekend during the summer.

One of the CMDRA members is a personal friend of the track operator and asked if they would run a bike class, and he said, sure, no problem.
So, they’re running 6 race bike series in Rimby, and they scheduled the races on weekends when there are no CMDRA events.
There is only 1 class for the bikes, so it will be a bracket class where everyone picks their own dial in time.
In order to qualify for the season point’s championship and the year end trophy/cash, you have to pay your $200.00 and buy a membership.
But, anybody who wins any of the races, membership or not, still gets the trophy and cash for that race.
So far, there are 18 people who have paid up and plan on running the whole 6 races.
Most of the people who signed up to race in Rimby, are riding bikes with slicks and wheelie bars, and run the quarter mile in 8.5 or 9.5 seconds.
They’ll cover the 1/8 mile in 5 or 6 seconds. (The RZ’s 1/8 mile time, in Rimby, is 7.9 to 8.1 seconds).

I don’t plan on running all 6 of the Rimby races for several reasons:
- Can’t afford to
- The guy who hauls my bike to the track won’t be going to all the races
- Between Rimby and the CMDRA, there are 12 races over a 15 week time period, and my wife would lose her shit if I went racing on 80% of the weekends over the summer.

However, I’m definitely going to the 1st Rimby race next weekend, because it’s the week before the 1st CMDRA race in Mission, BC.
I haven’t been on a bike in 7 months, so I really want to make a few passes down the track before I drive 600 miles (1000 km) to Mission, BC, for the CMDRA race on June 4/23.

[Off Road]

In the last 4 years of racing in the Street Class, I finished 3rd, in the seasons points total, 3 times.
In the last 4 years of racing in the Hot Twin Class, I finished 3rd, in the seasons points total, 2 times, and I finished in 2nd place 1 year.
But, everybody knows that the person who finishes in 2nd place is really just the 1st loser.
And I’m tired of being that person.

Over the years, I made a number of changes to the RZ so that it would be a better drag bike.
The big modifications were the 2” shorter forks, lower rear ride height, 6” longer swing-arm, and a 16” front wheel.
These mods made the bike faster, and my times are more consistent, but I have a problem.
I still want to go faster.
Unfortunately, the simple, easy, inexpensive modifications have already been done.
In order to make the bike significantly faster, it’s going to take a serious amount of time and money.
Frame modifications and big-bore, stroker motors don’t come cheap.

Normally, this is part of my post where I tell you I have this marvelous new Plan B, that’s going to make the RZ faster, and me a winner.
Sadly, I don’t have one.
So, in the absence of a Plan B, I’m going to start this year’s race season with a completely different approach, a totally different attitude, and a brand new objective.

The RZ is ready to race, and I will be making Zero, Nada, No changes to the bike all season.
I’m Not going to adjust the ride height, alter the carb tuning, change the ignition settings or launch rpm, just to try and lower my 1/4 mile time by few fractions of a second.

Every time I modify the bike, it changes the handling (launch), and I waste precious track time learning how to adapt to the changes.
So, this year, I’m going to run what I brung.
At some tracks, the bike will be faster, and at other tracks it will be slower.
I don’t care. It is what it is.
I’m not concerned about setting any new speed records this year.

This year, I’m going to put my efforts into learning how to ride what I’ve got.
Make consistent passes down the track, so I can pick accurate Dial-in times.
Work on improving my reaction times.
And aim for the top step on the podium.

[kpke]

Sounds like a smart move. I'm looking forward to your race updates. Good luck to you this season.

[JonW]

I agree with Ken, this sounds like a good approach. They used to say back in the day that the best money spent to make a bike faster was on the rider, this is the same thing.

Also keen to hear what this brings Steve :)

[Off Road]

The RZ is ready to race

In theory.
The race was on Sunday, and Friday night it occurred to me that I haven’t started the RZ since last September, and I’ve had the clutch apart since then.
So, Saturday, before loading it on the trailer, I pushed it outside to see if the engine would run, and then check that the clutch was working OK.
The bike fired up on the fifth kick, and it moved forward when I let out the clutch.
Good enough. The RZ was ready to race.

Sunday, May 28/23 – Central Alberta Raceway (CAR) Race #1

A great day to be at the track. Warm, sunny and nothing but blue sky.
However, at the drivers meeting, they said that the weather forecast called for a severe thunder storm around 4:00 PM.
They were close. The storm blew in at 4:30 PM.

The race organizers wanted to make sure that we had time to complete all the races, so they decided that there would be no test and tune session.
We would start the day with two Qualifying runs and then go right into the Elimination rounds.
Not an ideal situation for me, because I haven’t been on a motorcycle in over 7 months.

I got the RZ out of the trailer, fired it up and rode it up the return-lane to the far end of the track.
Turned around and drove it back to the staging lanes and got in line to make a Qualifying run.

The Qualifying runs have 2 purposes.
The first is to establish each racers Qualifying position, which then determines who races who, in the Elimination rounds.
In Bracket racing, your Qualifying position is determined by your reaction time.
The person with the fastest reaction time qualifies 1st, second fastest reaction qualifies 2nd, and so on.
The other purpose of the Qualifying runs is to let each racer see how fast their bike is, so that they can pick an accurate dial-in time for the Elimination rounds.

When it was my turn to make a pass, I did the burn-out, staged the bike and opened up the throttle to bring the rpm’s up until they hit the launch rev limit.
The engine was screaming, and I thought the rpm’s should be high enough, but I couldn’t feel, or hear, the rev limiter.
I started to give it more throttle just as the light turned green.
I dumped the clutch, the bike stumble and bobbled, before clearing up and taking off.
As a result, I had a horrible 60’ time, a terrible 330’ time and a dismal 1/8 mile time.

60 Foot . – 2.45 sec
330 Foot. – 5.98 sec
1/8 mile. – 8.83 sec @ 87.23 mph

However, the run wasn’t a complete disaster, because I did manage to get a reaction time of 0.024 seconds.

FYI. Professional drag racers think that a reaction time of 0.02 sec is a pretty good time.
For me, that kind of time is freaking amazing.
But it was still only good enough to Qualify in 2nd place.
The number 1 Qualifier had a reaction time of 0.0007 seconds.

My 2nd Qualifying run was a bit better, but still not great.
I did the burn-out and as I was inching the bike into the staging lights, I had one of those eureka moments.
The launch rev limiter is not automatic, I have to push the button to turn it on, and I didn’t do that on the first run.
I pushed the button, had a better launch, and dropped my 1/8 mile time by over 1/2 a second.

60 Foot . – 2.09 sec
330 Foot. – 5.45 sec
1/8 mile. – 8.27 sec @ 86.64 mph

[Off Road]

Using the vast amount of data that I got from the Qualifying runs, I now had to pick a dial-in time.
My best time of the day was 8.27 seconds.
Last year at this track, my average time over 10 runs, was 8.28 sec @ 86.89 mph.
But, last year, the bike also made several runs that were between 7.99 and 8.06 seconds.
I thought that the bike was capable of going quicker than 8.27, but I wasn’t feeling an 8.0 run, so I picked a dial-in time of 8.15 seconds and went racing.

Round 1 of Eliminations.
I won. My opponent left too early and got a red light.
60 Foot . – 2.33 sec
330 Foot. – 5.76 sec
1/8 mile. – 8.57 sec @ 86.64 mph

Round 2 of Eliminations.
I won. My opponent went to fast and broke out.
60 Foot . – 2.07 sec
330 Foot. – 5.47 sec
1/8 mile. – 8.31 sec @ 86.64 mph

Round 2 of Eliminations.
I lost. My opponent made no mistakes and kicked my ass.
60 Foot . – 2.08 sec
330 Foot. – 5.46 sec
1/8 mile. – 8.30 sec @ 86.64 mph

After looking at my last 2 runs, I really should have used my fastest Qualifying time (8.27 sec) as my dial-in time.

Still, I was happy. I got a few runs in. I made it to the semi-finals.
And the guy who beat me was the 2022 Super Bike champion.

[JonW]

Great write up (as ever). Love reading these Steve.

Yep, with that data... I'd go a 8.30 dial-in time i think.

[Off Road]

After the Rimby race, we just left the bikes in the trailer, so that it would save some time when we headed out to the CMDRA races in Mission, BC.
The first thing that I had to do when we got to Mission, was re-jet the carbs for the lower elevation (50’ above sea level).
At the other race tracks (3200' to 3400’ above sea level), I’m running 430 main jets in the TM28 carbs, and the exhaust gas temps run between 640 and 650*C.
Last year, I ran 450 main jets in Mission and my max. EGT’s were 684 (L) and 686 (R), which is a bit higher than I am comfortable with.
(I made a dozen runs on my last engine where the EGT’s ranged from 690*C up to 710*C.
It didn’t seize or scuff a piston, but when I pulled it apart the pistons, pins and bearings had got really, really hot.)
So, this year, I went up 3 jets sizes and installed 460 main jets.
After 10 runs down the track in Mission this year, the maximum EGT’s were 641 (L) and 624 (R).
Maybe a wee bit low, but better than being too hot.

I will be making Zero, Nada, No changes to the bike all season. I’m going to run what I brung.
At some tracks, the bike will be faster, and at other tracks it will be slower.
I don’t care. It is what it is.
I’m not concerned about setting any new speed records this year.

Well, Umm, Sort of.
The track in Mission BC is just a few feet above sea level, the air is good, and most bikes run their fastest times at this track.
If I have a good run, I might be able to get a new record time.
So far, my best time on the RZ is 12.41 seconds.

... but I want more.
- ¼ mile ET’s in the Low 12’s. Ok, that’s a lie; I really want to get it into the 11 second range.

What is a low 12 second run?
Well, you could say that any time over 12.50 seconds is a High 12 second run and any time below 12.50 seconds is a Low 12 second run.
So, my best time of 12.41 seconds should be a low 12 second run. Right?
Well, maybe, maybe not.
Most people at the track refer times of 12.4, 12.5 and 12.6 seconds, as mid 12 second runs.
Times of 12.7, 12.8 and 12.9 would be high 12 second runs
And times of 12.1, 12.2 and 12.3 would be low 12 second runs.

It would be really nice to get a time slip that says 12.3 seconds.
And my best chance of that happening is in Mission.

[Off Road]

Saturday, June 3/23 – CMDRA Race #1 – Mission, BC

A great day to be at the track. Hot, sunny and nothing but blue sky.
As an added bonus for the weekend, Jack Carpella from Cycle Drag came up from the US to broadcast the show.

Between the cars and bikes, there were about 300 people racing in Mission on the weekend, so it took a while before we got on the track.
My first test and tune run was at 2:00 pm. And it sucked.
I dumped the clutch too fast and the bike stumbled and coughed before clearing up and taking off.
60 Foot . – 2.25 sec
330 Foot. – 5.60 sec
1/8 mile. – 8.38 sec @ 87.21 mph
1/4 mile – 12.98 sec @ 103.71 mph


It was around 5:00 pm when we went out for our 1st round of Qualifying for Street, and by that time the temperature was 28*C (82*F).
Even in the heat, the RZ ran awesome and I had a good run.
My 60’ time was really good.
My 1/8 mile time was 0.4 seconds faster than any of my runs in Rimby the week before.
And my 1/4 mile time was only 0.03 seconds slower than my record time.

And best of all, it was a great heads up race against my friend Bruce.
It was really close, which make it more exciting.
I ended up winning by 0.03 seconds.
(I posted a link to a video of this run in Yamerhowling)
60 Foot . – 1.92 sec
330 Foot. – 5.14 sec
1/8 mile. – 7.87 sec @ 88.37 mph
1/4 mile – 12.44 sec @ 105.58 mph

In the 1st round of Qualifying for Hot Twin, I had a poor launch.
And the whole run depends on the launch.
My 60’ time was 1/10 of a second slower.
My 330’ time was 2/10 of a second slower.
My 1/8 mile time was 3/10 of a second slower.
And my 1/4 mile time was 3/10 of a second slower.
60 Foot . – 2.03 sec
330 Foot. – 5.37 sec
1/8 mile. – 8.15 sec @ 88.37 mph
1/4 mile – 12.73 sec @ 105.39 mph


Around 6:00 pm, the wind changed direction and the temperature started to drop pretty quickly.
It was around after 7:00 pm when we got out for the 2nd round of Qualifying for Street, and by that time, the temperature was 18*C (65*F).

In the Hot twin class, I got a red light and no time was recorded for the run.

In the Street class, I had a much better run.
I had a great 60’ time of 7.88 seconds. Not a record, but only 2/100 of a sec. off my best time.
I did set a new fastest 330’ time of 5.105 sec. (Previous best was 5.145 sec.).
I set a new fastest 1/8 mile time of 7.882 sec. (Previous best was 7.912 sec.).
I also set a new mph record for the 1/8 mile of 89.80 mph (Previous best was 89.20 mph).

And I set a new record for my fastest 1/4 mile. However, I did not get a time slip that read 12.3xx seconds.
The best that the little RZ would do was 12.294 seconds @ 105.93 mph. Whoop. Whoop.

[Off Road]

It was well after 9:00 pm when we went out of the 3rd round of Qualifying.
The sun was just above the horizon and the temperature had dropped to a chilly 15*C (59*F).

I will be making Zero, Nada, No changes to the bike all season. I’m going to run what I brung.
At some tracks, the bike will be faster, and at other tracks it will be slower.
I don’t care. It is what it is.
I’m not concerned about setting any new speed records this year.

So, I didn’t make any changes to the bike.
At this track the bike’s definitely faster.
As it turns out, I really do care.
And, as I sat in the staging lanes for the 3rd round of Qualifying, all I could think about was setting a new speed record.
The air was great, the RZ should be a rocket, and I had 2 more Qualifying runs to make it happen.
I wanted to see a time of 12.1 anything. A 12.1999 would be awesome.

All the bikes were in the staging lanes, and we were all paired up and ready to go, when the Race Director came up and told us that they wouldn’t be running any more bikes that night.
We’d have to do our 3rd round of Qualifying in the morning.

A bit disappointing that I didn’t get to run in the good air.
But, it was good to have Qualifying runs Sunday morning because it gave me a better idea of how the bike was running on Race day.

[Off Road]

Sunday, June 4/23 – CMDRA Race #1 – Mission, BC

A great day to be at the track. Hot, sunny and nothing but blue sky.
It was around noon when we went down for the 3rd round of Qualifying and the temperature was already 21*C (70*F).

My Hot Twin run was OK. But not great.
60 Foot . – 1.98 sec
330 Foot. – 5.27 sec
1/8 mile. – 8.03 sec @ 87.87 mph
1/4 mile – 12.58 sec @ 105.96 mph

My Street run was a waste of time and gas.
I got a red light, popped up the front end, and then stumbled a few times before taking off.
It wasn’t pretty
60 Foot . – 2.14 sec
330 Foot. – 5.47 sec
1/8 mile. – 8.25 sec @ 87.48 mph
1/4 mile – 12.86 sec @ 104.05 mph


I ran 12.44 sec. on Saturday afternoon and 12.58 sec. Sunday morning.
I thought the bike would easily run 12.50 sec., so I picked a dial in time of 12.45 seconds and went racing.

In Round 1 of the Hot Twin Eliminations, I had a decent launch and a pretty good 60’ time.
Then I blew the shift from 1st to 2nd gear.
The time slip numbers tell the rest of the story.
60 Foot . – 2.04 sec
330 Foot. – 5.68 sec
1/8 mile. – 8.49 sec @ 87.48 mph
1/4 mile – 13.12 sec @ 103.88 mph



In Round 1 of the Street Eliminations. I dumped the clutch and the front end shot up.
And on top of that, I moved 0.0066 seconds before the light turned green and got a Red light.
The time slip numbers tell the rest of the story.
60 Foot . – 2.17 sec
330 Foot. – 5.47 sec
1/8 mile. – 8.24 sec @ 87.72 mph
1/4 mile – 12.83 sec @ 104.83 mph


As usual, the RZ ran great and the rider needs a tune up.
But, like I’ve said before, even a bad day at the track is better than a good day at work.

[kpke]

Saturday, June 3/23 – CMDRA Race #1 – Mission, BC

And I set a new record for my fastest 1/4 mile. However, I did not get a time slip that read 12.3xx seconds.
The best that the little RZ would do was 12.294 seconds @ 105.93 mph. Whoop. Whoop.

What a great run. Congratulations. Thanks again for the write up and sharing your experiences. Always a great read.

[Off Road]

Thanks Ken. I was pretty happy when I saw that time slip.
My friend has video of that race on facebook, but I don’t know who can, or cannot, view it.
And it’s a 2 hour video of all the races, and that RZ race is only a 20 second blur in the middle.
But, it shows the time and mph on the timing board, so I’m going to talk to my friend about getting a copy.
I’ll keep you posted.
For now, here’s a picture of the RZ in action at Mission, on the CMDRA facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=13 ... 7347471506

In the Street class, I had a much better run....
I did set a new fastest 330’ time of 5.105 sec. (Previous best was 5.145 sec.).
I set a new fastest 1/8 mile time of 7.882 sec. (Previous best was 7.912 sec.).

Actually, the time of 5.145 was my best time from last year.
I ran a new fast 330’ time of 5.137 seconds, in the 1st round of Street Qualifying, but beat that later in the day when I ran the 5.105.

And No, the 7.882 is not my fastest 1/8 mile time.
I set a new fast time of 7.869 seconds, in the 1st round of Street Qualifying.

[Off Road]

The 2nd round of the CMDRA series was held at the 1/8 mile track in Rimby, Alberta.
I was at this track at the end of May, and made 5 runs that day.
One was a total disaster, 8.83 sec.
One was a partial disaster, 8.57 sec
The other 3 were pretty constant. 8.27 sec, 8.30 sec, and 8.31 sec.

Looking at the last couple of years, my daily, average 1/8 mile time, at this track, ranges from 8.25 to 8.30 seconds.
In previous years, at this track, I’ve made 6 passes that were 8.1x seconds, and 2 passes that were 8.0x seconds.
I’ve only had one 7 second run in Rimby. That was last year when I ran 7.999 sec. @ 87.76 mph.


Saturday, June 24/23 – CMDRA Race #2 – Rimby, AB

A great day to be at the track. Hot, sunny and nothing but blue sky.

At 1:00 pm I had a Test and Tune run and it wasn’t great.
I dropped the clutch; the bike took off, and instantly coughed and sputtered as it left the line.
60’ time of 2.20 sec and 1/8 mile time of 8.47 sec. @ 87.8 mph.


Round 1 of Street Qualifying was at 3:43 pm and it was a better run, but still not great.
The bike took off good, but still had a small stutter just off the line.
60’ time of 2.05 sec and 1/8 mile time of 8.28 sec. @ 87.5 mph.

Round 1 of Hot Twin Qualifying was at 3:51 pm.
The bike launched hard, but still stumbled before clearing up and taking off.
60’ time of 2.00 sec and 1/8 mile time of 8.23 sec. @ 86.7 mph.

5:09 pm, Round 2 of Street Qualifying.
The bike had a big stumble, just off the line, before clearing up.
60’ time of 2.24 sec and 1/8 mile time of 8.45 sec. @ 87.8 mph.

5:18 pm, Round 2 of Hot Twin Qualifying.
The bike launched fine and I had a pretty good run.
60’ time of 2.00 sec and 1/8 mile time of 8.21 sec. @ 87.2 mph.

[Off Road]

It was 6:35 pm when I made my 3rd qualifying run in Street class, and it was my best run of the day.
I had a great 60’ time of 1.95 sec. and pretty decent 1/8 mile time of 8.11 sec. @ 88.3 mph.

11 minutes and 12 seconds later, the light turned green for the 3rd round of Hot Twin qualifying,
and I had my worst run of the weekend.
I dumped the clutch and the front wheel went straight up.
And the instant that the front tire left the pavement, the bike leaned to the left and headed for the centerline.
I kept it on my side of the track and when I was pointing straight, I wacked the throttle and finished the run.
60’ time of 2.32 sec and 1/8 mile time of 8.86 sec. @ 87.0 mph.

I can hear people thinking, I want a picture, or it never happened.
Personally, I think it would have been better if I was tucked in more, and had at least 1 foot on a peg.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=13 ... 7347471506


In this picture from Rimby, I almost look like I know what I’m doing.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=13 ... 7347471506


Another picture from Rimby that my buddy posted on facebook.
All I can say is that it was a hot day, it was much cooler in the shade, and I had a really late night.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=13 ... 7347471506