Thinking about doint the LSR thing.

[Bawls]

How's it going guys, I'm stationed in San diego and have been drag racing my entire life. I'm not really into turning, but i'm all about going as fast as possible so LSR seems to be the thing that I'm missing out on lol. Just thought that I would drop in and start to get familiarized on the Ins and outs of El Mirage before possibly trying to make it out in the next year or so. I'm not expecting anything huge, but would eventually like to see 200 MPH whether it be on a lake or on asphault. Right now I'm riding a stock zx14, but in the next year have plans for quite a few mods that might help me come closer to eventually reaching my goal. Thanks for letting me hang around and scope out what's going on.

Chad

[DavidinDurango]

Bwahahahaha, never heard of anyone so casually getting involved.

There is a thread "Introduce yourself" - you may want to post there. LOts of WAY quick bike guys here - welcome and BE SAFE.

[fredvance]

Welcome Chad always good to see another bike guy. If you are thinking seriously about running at El Mirage next year,(2009), I would suggest you join SCTA and as soon as the 2009 rule book is released you will get a copy.
Fred

[Bawls]

I'm going to be deployed for 5 months starting in may, so i'm not sure how realistic my goal to run mirage next year is... but I'll get signed up soon anyway. As for casually getting involved, LSR would definitely be taking a back seat to dragracing. I Hold my own at the dragstrip (Bone stock ZX-14, 6.50's@111 with a 1.5-1.6 60ft at Barona 1/8th mile that has a DA of around 4,000 most of the year), so it's going to be weird jumping into something new. I'm sure that I'll have a lot of questions for you other bike guys lol.

[836dstr]

Bawls,

Since you are in the area I would suggest that you look into the San Diego Roadster Club. You need to be in a SCTA Club to run at El Mirage, other than a couple of times as a guest, and pay more for entry fees.

Don't let the name fool you. As much as I hate to admit, we have as many 2 wheel guys as 4 wheel guys. Thanks to them we have won the SCTA Club title 3 years in a row. Have the top 2 bikes and cars, all 4 "Busa povered, but let's not dig up that issue.

Except for January 2009, we meet the first Thursday of each month 7:00 @ JBA Performance n Convoy in the Claremont area just off the 52. In January the meeting will be on the 8th. Drop on by if you can.

Tom

[SPARKY]

BAWLS---thanks for your service--wishing for a safe return.

[Bawls]

Thanks for the support. I might not be able to make it to the January 8th meeting since that's the night of the National championship and my Sooners are playing in it but I'll definitely do my best to Make it to one soon. It'll be good to talk to some new people and hear some stories.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Chad:

Our stock 2008 ZX14R ran a best mile of 188 at SpeedWeek this past summer.  Well, not BONE stock -- had a "speedo-healer" so the top speed was what the engine would push the bike -- not what the manufacturer and the government decreed.  We had lots of runs in the 185-187 range -- so that's what you can look forward to seeing.  Add a little, perhaps, once the engine is fully broken-in -- ours had 210 miles when it arrived at the Salt.

Thanks for getting to our website -- and we all hope you'll stick around to learn that it'll be a challenge for you to keep LSR in the background.  Don't forget that no metter where you're deployed -- the internet is probably available so you can keep up with us -- and keep us up to date about you.

Best wishes...

[Stan Back]

Be nice to this guy -- apparently he owns a major sports team!

[1212FBGS]

really.!.....    So.!......
kent

[Bawls]

My bike is probably broken in... I've put just under 10,000 miles on it in the past year . I should have internet while I'm deployed. I know on the last deployment that I did I had internet the whole time even though it was only connecting at about 14.4kb/s lol. I'll be going down off the coast of south america doing the counter Narcotics thing again so it shouldn't change any. How does your ZX14 handle the salt or dirt? I can't imagine how bad it's going to spin considering the traction problems that I have on the street. You said Best mile of 188... Was that with stock gearing?What kind of speeds are you posting in the 1.3 at El Mirage?

[John Noonan]

Bawls,

Jon has not run his ZX-14 on the dirt however he has run there several years ago on his ZX-12 

I will let him articulate his experience ...

[V8Pinto]

Hey Bawls,

First time I met Noonan he asked me "well what do you want to do with the bike?".  I didn't quite know   I knew I wanted to get familiar with how things went in LSR and let me tell you....the first time a crosswind hits you when you're full in the gas on the dirt hahahaha well after I got back to the pits for fresh leathers, I was hooked.

If you just want to go 200, skip all the doo-dads and put some juice on it and have fun (that's what Noonan told me and it's still good advice). 

If you're looking for a record over 200, time to get out the rule book and see what the best path is.

Any way you do it, be safe and have fun - you'll go fast  

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Briefly put, the one time I ran at EM was in November '03 and I got in three runs that (two-day) event -- all from the rookie line.  I was running as a guest.  I wasn't trying for top speed, although I sure would have liked to do so -- but rather just getting some experience driving that fast on a dirt road.  My fastest run was a 175 or so, but it might have been faster if wind hadn't stirred up dust and dropped visibility to about 50 during part of the ride.  I didn't have handling issues, though -- just seeing issues.  I remember thinking, as the dust dropped back down, that I was headed right towards a timing light and that Glen (the timer) would be really cranky with me if I hit the light, so I backed out a bit and turned right and then got back into full pin.

At Bonneville on the ZX14R this past year we were running just about bone stock, with as much as 250 miles on the bike.  About the only "performance" modification was to put a data logger on the bike -- but I don't think we ever got around to juggling with the mixture before we called it quits for the week.  Top speed was Todd's run of 188+.  I made a few runs and they were in the 182-185 range, and Nancy's best was a 187+.  During my runs - a good bunch of which were on the long course -- the bike had plenty of room to run -- there just wasn't anything more to get out of the motor.  I was running stock gearing and the motor couldn't pull 6th past about 10,700.  Knowing that I might get a bit more if I spun it faster I made a run where I stayed in 5th for the first mile and worked on my tuck during the mile -- then hit 6th for the last mile.  Fifth was indeed, slower than sixth -- but still not in the rev limiter.  There you have it -- bone stock ZX14R, 2008 model, wouldn't go over 188 at Bonneville.  Four riders rode the bike -- none of us could get the speed over that.

We'll be back in '09 with a properly-broken in engine.  Maybe with the little 250 turbo, too, and even the 12R nitrous bike -- if all goes as hoped-for.

Best of luck with the narco-guys.  Be careful.

[V8Pinto]

Jon that was a great read!

El Mirage folks are (in my experience) a rare and different breed and I say that with the utmost respect.  One example stands out in my mind.

During my rookie season I was befriended by Big Mike Hutton, of the High Desert Racers.  He's on a ZX12 and has a goatee about a foot long.  He walked up to me and my Busa (jokingly) talking trash (friendly Kawi-Busa rivalry).  At the time, I was struggling with learning the crosswinds and dirt that the High Desert routinely throws at you (it's quite different than Bonneville).  I just couldn't "get it" and would roll off everytime.

So I'm watching from the spectator side and I hear Mike's number on the CB - I park my chair, grab a water and watch.  Just as Mike takes off, a HUGE (and I mean huge) tornado/dust/sandstorm monstrosity whips up from the North end of the lakebed and makes it's way towards the track.  I am watching Big Mike, now running full tilt boogie at about 160+ hitting 5th gear hard and realize that he and this sandstorm tornado thing are on an intercept course.  I see that he realizes this too and I can tell what he's going to do.  What does Big Mike do?  Right about the time I would have rolled off, I see him duck his head into the tank hard and crank the throttle with all he's got.  He punched a hole the size of Texas right through the middle of that tornado and rode out the other side at the better part of 170 with his goatee streaming behind him in the wind.  The back of his leathers are a huge white skull and I have this picture of that skull with a goatee fluttering in it as he's high-tailing it for the lights burned in my mind.

What a rider - mad respect to Big Mike and the other El Mirage folks that get dirty all summer.  mad respect and much love.