Drag straps?

[Bullit]

I was just wondering if any of you had experience drag racing bikes?

What I really wanted to know about was "strapping down" the suspension. I undestand why, but was wondering how it is done and what kind of straps would be required? Just in case I get an opportunity to turn my Silver Bullit loose this summer.

Also what kind of times could I hope for?

 

[jwilly]

Come On Bro, Your not serious are you? :drag:

 

[Bike Effects]

If you run one of the very light Super Sports bikes, you may need to strap the front end to keep from looping it at the start but it should not be a problem with the FJR, IMHO.

 

[ionbeam]

Your 2004 should run 11.0 to 11.2 seconds @ 121 mph, uncorrected, without killing your clutch. On a cold day, with a light rider at sea level you may do fractionally better. Feejer hooks up good enough that you will normally wheelie before you spin the tire so burn-outs to heat the tire won’t help much. You will probably want to slightly lower the rear tire pressure and slightly raise front tire pressure. Run the rear suspension soft and add preload to the front for weight transfer on launch. I have a hard time getting my foot on the shifter in time for the 1-2 shift. Aim to shift ~8,500 rpm, time slips show that this produces quicker times than 9k rpm or higher shifts. Remember to tuck, windshield all the way down and just to make yourself feel like you are doing good – fold in the mirrors to reduce even more drag The way a stock FJR runs I wouldn’t worry about the volume of gas, just have sufficient so that it won’t uncover the fuel pick-up. I’m old school and run 87 octane, some of the younger whipper-snappers run uber fuels which takes 10 to 15 seconds off their 11 second runs

Check with your local track for their interpretation of rules. On Street Nights you must have a registered bike with a current inspection sticker, run DOT tires and have a full exhaust. My local track requires leathers (or Kevlar, must have Kevlar tags), gloves, boots over the ankle and Schnell/DOT helmet ratings. The speed that Feejer can run puts it over a magic number, therefore it requires a kill lanyard. My track does not allow tie-downs for safety reasons – no arguing. While Open Racing isn’t nearly as fun, most tracks will allow tie-downs in this class. The various tracks with assorted sanctioning bodies will have different rules about strap types, hooks, locations, number of straps and strap material. IMO, you will have to murder the clutch to take advantage of what the tie-downs can do. Even when Chernobyl measures are used, what you will gain in ET and speed vs what it does to the bike isn’t worth it. Work on the tree, work on the launch and have fun. If you really have to go that much faster I would suggest that you pick up a salvage bike and make it a track rat.

FWIW, a stock FJR will stun the guy lined up next to you with its dazzling launches. Feejer launches easily, consistently and very hard. I own the tree, Feejer owns the first 60', we've done what we can, after that it is up to the other guy to run us down before the end of the track :assassin:

 

[vectervp1]

Your 2004 should run 11.0 to 11.2 seconds @ 121 mph, uncorrected, without killing your clutch.

Is that with or without bags?

 

[Bullit]

Your 2004 should run 11.0 to 11.2 seconds @ 121 mph, uncorrected, without killing your clutch. On a cold day, with a light rider at sea level you may do fractionally better. Feejer hooks up good enough that you will normally wheelie before you spin the tire so burn-outs to heat the tire won’t help much. You will probably want to slightly lower the rear tire pressure and slightly raise front tire pressure. Run the rear suspension soft and add preload to the front for weight transfer on launch. I have a hard time getting my foot on the shifter in time for the 1-2 shift. Aim to shift ~8,500 rpm, time slips show that this produces quicker times than 9k rpm or higher shifts. Remember to tuck, windshield all the way down and just to make yourself feel like you are doing good – fold in the mirrors to reduce even more drag The way a stock FJR runs I wouldn’t worry about the volume of gas, just have sufficient so that it won’t uncover the fuel pick-up. I’m old school and run 87 octane, some of the younger whipper-snappers run uber fuels which takes 10 to 15 seconds off their 11 second runs
Check with your local track for their interpretation of rules. On Street Nights you must have a registered bike with a current inspection sticker, run DOT tires and have a full exhaust. My local track requires leathers (or Kevlar, must have Kevlar tags), gloves, boots over the ankle and Schnell/DOT helmet ratings. The speed that Feejer can run puts it over a magic number, therefore it requires a kill lanyard. My track does not allow tie-downs for safety reasons – no arguing. While Open Racing isn’t nearly as fun, most tracks will allow tie-downs in this class. The various tracks with assorted sanctioning bodies will have different rules about strap types, hooks, locations, number of straps and strap material. IMO, you will have to murder the clutch to take advantage of what the tie-downs can do. Even when Chernobyl measures are used, what you will gain in ET and speed vs what it does to the bike isn’t worth it. Work on the tree, work on the launch and have fun. If you really have to go that much faster I would suggest that you pick up a salvage bike and make it a track rat.

FWIW, a stock FJR will stun the guy lined up next to you with its dazzling launches. Feejer launches easily, consistently and very hard. I own the tree, Feejer owns the first 60', we've done what we can, after that it is up to the other guy to run us down before the end of the track :assassin:

Thanks alot Ion, that was ecactly the type of information that I was hoping for. I am not planning to do this on a regular basis, just might try it if the opportunity shows itself. I wouldn't even consider doing a full rpm launch, aside from smoking the clutch, I'd be a bit nervous of excessive front wheel elevation! :nuke:

 

[Bike Effects]

<snip>The speed that Feejer can run puts it over a magic number, therefore it requires a kill lanyard.

What is an easy and inexpensive way to get one of these? What kind of installation are we looking at?

 

[ionbeam]

I…might try it if the opportunity shows itself. I wouldn't even consider doing a full rpm launch, aside from smoking the clutch, I'd be a bit nervous of excessive front wheel elevation!

I'd forget about launching at any particular rpm. As you point out, leaving at 8.5k rpm will require you to slip the clutch in a wicked way to prevent flipping over backwards or smoking the rear tire. Dedicated racing machines are setup so that you can run your tach up to a particular rpm then dump the clutch allowing the clutch, gear, tire setup to launch you properly. Not happening with a street machine. I don't watch my tach, I focus on the tree. I'm guessing that I leave ~4.5k to 6.5k rpm depending on the track conditions on that day. For me, this produces the best combination of power to the ground while minimizing clutch abuse. I find that a good, on time launch is better than fishing for the right rpm/clutch rate for the perfect launch.
Run timing doesn't start until you move in your lane. You can sit there for a full minute after the green light comes on and still receive a time slip for an 11 second pass. In this time your opponent will have crossed the finish line, picked up their timing slip and will be back in line again. This is how a slower motorcycle can beat a faster motorcycle. On duffer nights many, many cars have reaction times (inexcusably) over 1 second and many motorcycle riders have reactions times well in excess of .75 seconds. Essentially they are handing you a quarter second or more advantage – right off the line so to speak.

What is an easy and inexpensive way to get one of these? What kind of installation are we looking at?

Lanyards, also called Breakaway Switches and Tether Kill Switches can be found at any motorcycle shop that has a Parts America catalog (virtually 100% of the shops) Dennis Kirk, Summit Racing and many other online stores carry the tether switches. Prices are in the $25 to $35 range. Tether switches commonly find uses in personal water craft and off road racing so you may have to look in those places to find the kill switch.

The tether kill switch has two parts – a wrist strap with ~30" of coiled wire, similar to a small phone cord and the switch part that is activated by a pin that is connected to the tether cord. Upon a woopsie the tether strap pulls the pin out, killing the ignition.

Kill switches can be installed in many places such as the ignition circuit, coil circuit and run/stop switch. I find that the FJR works best using a Normally Closed switch attached in parallel with the run/stop switch on the right handlebar. A small fabricated plate painted black, attached using the front brake reservoir hardware is a fairly clean, unobtrusive install. When wired in parallel with the normally closed run/stop switch, you will put the pin in the switch then shut off the run/stop switch at the track. Now the motorcycle can only run when the pin is in place. When you are ready to leave the track turn the run/stop switch back on and pull the pin out. Wiring the switch in series with the run/stop switch will force you to have the pin in all the time. You may come out of the convenience store and find some joker :clown2: has pulled your pin and now your day is done without some roadside rewiring :grrr:

 

[Randy]

1st and only time I ran my bike on the 1/4 mile, I did a 11.41 at 118 mph. With bags on, 1/2 tank of gas, tank bag on, without mirrors tucked in, and with my IPOD playing the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. I made no modifications to the suspension or air pressure. I embarrassed some guys on 600cc sportbikes.

Regarding not being able to get your foot on the shifter in time for the 1-2 shift, a habit I picked up back in my roadracing days would be to always start with my left foot on the peg and only the right foot on the ground.

For a cheap/quick tether kill switch, you could run a short wood screw into the top half of the kill switch on the bike, then, tie a piece of string to the screw and attach the other end of the string to your jacket zipper. If you come off the bike, it pulls the string which pulls the kill switch to the off position. This is only cheap if you don't plan on replacing the kill switch that now has a hole in it from the screw (try explaining that to the potential buyer).

 

[Motard98]

Thanks for the info - I was thinking about trying to hit the dragstrip sometime this year

 

[Orient_Express]

Thanks for the info - I was thinking about trying to hit the dragstrip sometime this year

...and will you have a paddock girl to shade you from the sun? :yahoo:

 

[Bullit]

Your 2004 should run 11.0 to 11.2 seconds @ 121 mph, uncorrected, without killing your clutch. On a cold day, with a light rider at sea level you may do fractionally better. Feejer hooks up good enough that you will normally wheelie before you spin the tire so burn-outs to heat the tire won’t help much. You will probably want to slightly lower the rear tire pressure and slightly raise front tire pressure. Run the rear suspension soft and add preload to the front for weight transfer on launch. I have a hard time getting my foot on the shifter in time for the 1-2 shift. Aim to shift ~8,500 rpm, time slips show that this produces quicker times than 9k rpm or higher shifts. Remember to tuck, windshield all the way down and just to make yourself feel like you are doing good – fold in the mirrors to reduce even more drag The way a stock FJR runs I wouldn’t worry about the volume of gas, just have sufficient so that it won’t uncover the fuel pick-up. I’m old school and run 87 octane, some of the younger whipper-snappers run uber fuels which takes 10 to 15 seconds off their 11 second runs
Check with your local track for their interpretation of rules. On Street Nights you must have a registered bike with a current inspection sticker, run DOT tires and have a full exhaust. My local track requires leathers (or Kevlar, must have Kevlar tags), gloves, boots over the ankle and Schnell/DOT helmet ratings. The speed that Feejer can run puts it over a magic number, therefore it requires a kill lanyard. My track does not allow tie-downs for safety reasons – no arguing. While Open Racing isn’t nearly as fun, most tracks will allow tie-downs in this class. The various tracks with assorted sanctioning bodies will have different rules about strap types, hooks, locations, number of straps and strap material. IMO, you will have to murder the clutch to take advantage of what the tie-downs can do. Even when Chernobyl measures are used, what you will gain in ET and speed vs what it does to the bike isn’t worth it. Work on the tree, work on the launch and have fun. If you really have to go that much faster I would suggest that you pick up a salvage bike and make it a track rat.

FWIW, a stock FJR will stun the guy lined up next to you with its dazzling launches. Feejer launches easily, consistently and very hard. I own the tree, Feejer owns the first 60', we've done what we can, after that it is up to the other guy to run us down before the end of the track :assassin:

Bit of an update here Ion, I ran the dragstrip yesterday, what a rush! My best time of the day was 11.17 @ 122 mph, not bad for a rookie I guess. First couple of runs, I ran with my buddy on his V-Max, he couldn't touch me, even with a piss poor reaction time (at first). I also ran against a 130lb guy on a CBR1100XX Blackbird (10.4 @ 138mph), he beat me first run, but I got the holeshot on him the second time and held him off to the end. I beat a guy on a ZRX1200, and he was not impressed, wouldn't run me again, that was fun. Towards the end of the day, not many people would go against me, I ended up having to go against a GSXR1000, which was the fastest bike that day, consistently cutting 10.2 with good reaction times. Anyway, your advice helped a lot and I wanted to thank you again.

One more thing, for working the tree, I had to leave on the last amber light, waiting for green made shitty reaction times. The tree there was set up for a 500 reaction time, my best was 612. (when I beat the Blackbird)

 

[ionbeam]

Bullit, sounds like you had a good time! Your time and speed were very good. Indeed, always go on the last amber light. It's always fun to stun the competition with Feejer's unexpected performance, especially the launch.

Now the questions (recognizing that you were running at a track outside of the US) -- Did you use straps? Were you required to have a kill lanyard? Were you required to have leather or prove your riding gear was Kevlar? And finally, when are you going back to do it again? :lol:

 

[Bullit]

"Now the questions (recognizing that you were running at a track outside of the US) -- Did you use straps? Were you required to have a kill lanyard? Were you required to have leather or prove your riding gear was Kevlar? And finally, when are you going back to do it again?"

Well, as advised, I didn't opt for straps, and they weren't legal anyway. Kill lanyards were supposed to be on any bike under 10.99, but it wasn't enforced. I had my Joe Rocket pants with me, but they didn't need them and it was too hot for them anyway, heavy jeans were enough. Do it again? You're goddamn right I'm going to do it again, I want to break 10 seconds, time to get the power commander custom mapped!!

BTW, my wife and I rode the bike 3+ hours to the track, removed the bags, backrest and went racing. The conversion process gained quite a bit of attention after seeing my races. What doesn't this bike do well anyway??

 

[Bullit]

Check out my video on Youtube, a little distant but you'll get the idea!

 

[FJR1300Jeff]

11.0 to 11.2 seconds @ 121 mph, uncorrected, without killing your clutch. On a cold day, with a light rider at sea level you may do fractionally better. Feejer hooks up good enough that you will normally wheelie before you spin the tire so burn-outs to heat the tire won’t help much. That is exactly what I ran 11.2sec @ 121mph....felt good to hear that FJR sing....no worries about flahing lights behind me...

 

[2WheelTiger]

What doesn't this bike do well anyway??

Wait, I'm thinking... gimme a minute......

 

[ionbeam]

felt good to hear that FJR sing.

No point in keeping a herd of horses on tap unless you can let them all run every now and again :lol:

 

[Kiki]

Bit of an update here Ion, I ran the dragstrip yesterday, what a rush!

where'd you race ? Maitland? or Miramichi?

I ran straps on my old dragger a couple years ago and found that maitland was too ripply at the end, causing for some "tense" moments on decel.

And yes, regarding the tree; if you're not moving off the last amber, your dead in the hole.

If you ever get the chance to run a delay-box, you'll see how your nerves affect your reaction time. I can get a 509 off the light on the box (in a car).