Prepping a bike for Maxton

[Gwillard]

I'm looking for some advice on preparing my 1982 Suzuki GS1100GL for racing at Maxton. In particular, what tires? Suspension settings (soft, firm, etc.)? How to add a "dead man switch"? Safety modifications?
The bike has less than 20,000 original miles and runs great. Should I invest in a jet kit or leave the carbs as they are?
All input welcome and greatly appreciated!

[sabat]

Sounds like fun. What size are the wheels?

[MiltonP]

Welcome to the party.  Try to get a rule book from ECTA asap.  Should be a fun ride.  Pingel and MPS both have kill tether switches that are pretty easy to wire inline in existing kill switch circuits.  A steel or aluminum chain guard running the full length of the chain is usually the most challenging item for rarer bikes.  Check Tiger Racing to see what they are making for for the popular big bikes for some inspiration.  A steering stabilizer will also be needed in classes with records 130 and up.  You will need tires rated for the record in the class you are running even if your bike isn't capable of challenging the record.  I am fairly certain that means Z rated in your case but I am not positive.  It may be possible to get tech'd for, and run, at a lower speeds such as 130 but I can't remember if they are still doing that for bikes or if that is just for the four wheelers.

[wobblywalrus]

Life can get interesting if the deadman kill switch opens while at full throttle.  That can happen with the cheaper switches.  We use one of Pingel's best quality switches ordered from Tiger Racing. 

[Gwillard]

Tiger Racing...good deal! I will be happy to support a shop that supports landracing.com.
I have a 2010 ECTA rule book.
Bike is shaft drive. Tops speed at redline should be ~140-ish. It should be fun to find out. 

[LSR Mike]

Guys,  George was a member of the Buckeye Bullet Team  from OSU where he got his Welding Engineering Degree. He can also lay a pretty good bead down. Good to see you getting behind the wheel er..bars!

[relaxedphit]

The folks in tech really like the Pingle kill switch. Pingels work no matter which direction they are pulled. There was an instance last year that the switch failed and the bike went way past the rider. Suspension--firm as you can get it and tires inflated to the max. I don't remember if last years rule book said that Snell 2005 or 2010 helmets are required this year  -- nothing over 10 years old. You're gonna have some fun and about anybody will help you in any way they can. My belly defeated the zipper in my leathers my first or second meet and next thing I know, a set was loaned to me by someone I'd never met.

[Gwillard]

Guys,  George was a member of the Buckeye Bullet Team  from OSU where he got his Welding Engineering Degree. He can also lay a pretty good bead down. Good to see you getting behind the wheel er..bars!

Hi Mike! If you get up to Cleveland let me know. I work at Lincoln Electric (the welding equipment company) now and would be happy to give you a tour.

[Gwillard]

Ok guys, tire sizes.
Front is 100/90-19
Rear is 130/90-16

If I read and interpreted the rule book and records correctly, the record for the class my bike falls in is over 200 mph so a ZR rated tire is required even though I don't expect to get anywhere near that.
I would like to outfit the girl with tires I can still use on the street including in the rain. (I LOVE riding in the rain! I find it very relaxing.) Any recommendations?

[suprf1y]

Move to Vancouver. 

[wobblywalrus]

George, we have a seven month long rainy season and this gives a lot of wet weather riding fun.  The Metzeler Roadtec radials have been working very well for me.  One good feature is they grip in the wet from the start.  It does not take any riding to warm them up so they grip.

The tire retailers on the net and in catalogs rarely list all of the Metzeler sizes.  I go to Metzeler's web site to find a tire they make in the the size and speed rating I need.  Then I ask my local shop to get me that tire.

[MiltonP]

I have both Pingel and MPS kill switches on different bikes.  Both are solid builds of different designs and both are used throughout the racing community.  The MPS has a connector that can wear over time if it is pulled out a lot but it is easily replaced if that is a concern down the road.  I might give Pingel an edge for their design but MPS has a huge following in drag racing with some solid products so I feel safe with them as well.  Sorry for rambling but I just didn't want the thread leaving the impression to group MPS with the cheap products you find with some online mega-vendors.  In any case, the most important thing is to mount the kill switch at an angle where it will logically disconnect versus a 90 degree angle of pull which some folks initially mount them with.  My mounting preference is the left bar tethered to a D ring a few inches below my chin.  Keeps the tether away from my hands.  I mount the kill for a 45 degree pull release angle though I am not sure there are any statistics on departure angles from the bike it seems to be the best option and the techs seem agreeable to it..

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Okay -- my $0.15 worth on tether switches:

I like the Pingel - but have the MPS on the bikes, mostly 'cause they were installed before I knew of Pingel.  I like the Pingel 'cause it is easier for the switch to activate in case of a get-off -- from more angles than would (probably) be the case for the MPS.  Both do their job fine.  I've inspected bikes, though, that had the switch pointing straight up, for instance, and when the owner promised me that it would work in case of the potential get-off -- I asked him to start the motor, which he did, and then yank straight back on the tether cord -- simulating what is likely to be the motion when rider and bike are in the process of going their separate ways.  So - he yanked the tether, the switch broke, and the engine kept running.  End of demonstration, and an hour or so later he returned to inspection with a switch pointing to the back.

As for where to attach the tether to the rider -- I've got D-rings sewn onto the back of the hand part of my gloves.  Since one bike might have the tether switch on the right bar, another on the left -- get D-rings on both gloves.  I prefer the glove location to, say, the main zipper pull on the chest of the leathers -- because it's easier for me to see as I'm trying to hook it up to me - in the instance when crew isn't right there, right then, and it's time for me to get to the line.  Do what you like -- I'm giving my reasoning as examples.

Back to snow shoveling -- about a foot since suppertime last night. 

[Gwillard]

George, we have a seven month long rainy season and this gives a lot of wet weather riding fun.  The Metzeler Roadtec radials have been working very well for me.  One good feature is they grip in the wet from the start.  It does not take any riding to warm them up so they grip.

The tire retailers on the net and in catalogs rarely list all of the Metzeler sizes.  I go to Metzeler's web site to find a tire they make in the the size and speed rating I need.  Then I ask my local shop to get me that tire.

I looked at Metzeler's web site but, unfortunately, they don't make the Roadtec in the sizes I need.
What other tires come to mind?

[Gwillard]

Okay -- my $0.15 worth on tether switches:

I like the Pingel - but have the MPS on the bikes, mostly 'cause they were installed before I knew of Pingel.  I like the Pingel 'cause it is easier for the switch to activate in case of a get-off -- from more angles than would (probably) be the case for the MPS.  Both do their job fine.  I've inspected bikes, though, that had the switch pointing straight up, for instance, and when the owner promised me that it would work in case of the potential get-off -- I asked him to start the motor, which he did, and then yank straight back on the tether cord -- simulating what is likely to be the motion when rider and bike are in the process of going their separate ways.  So - he yanked the tether, the switch broke, and the engine kept running.  End of demonstration, and an hour or so later he returned to inspection with a switch pointing to the back.

As for where to attach the tether to the rider -- I've got D-rings sewn onto the back of the hand part of my gloves.  Since one bike might have the tether switch on the right bar, another on the left -- get D-rings on both gloves.  I prefer the glove location to, say, the main zipper pull on the chest of the leathers -- because it's easier for me to see as I'm trying to hook it up to me - in the instance when crew isn't right there, right then, and it's time for me to get to the line.  Do what you like -- I'm giving my reasoning as examples.

Back to snow shoveling -- about a foot since suppertime last night. 

Thanks Jon. I checked out the MPS and the Pingel online and agree the Pingel is the one for me. I tried but couldn't visualize any angle of pull that would not result in activation.