Always Have a Spare Handy

I went to the NESBA track day last Saturday. It turned out to be a gorgeous day. According to the gauge in my car on the way back it was 81 degrees. (So the 7-day forecast was only off by 35 degrees. Thanks guys.)

I had a few goals for the day. (I find it's helpful to have goals for the day so I don't just get caught up in "Hey, that guy just passed me! I better speed up!". When I do that I usually just end up scaring myself and not making any real progress.)

1. Figure out if the trailer works. Do the bikes fit? Do they stay put? Is the weight distributed correctly? How much other crap can I stuff in there? How kind of gas mileage does the Nitro get pulling it? I needed to sort these things out before the trip to Miller in a couple weeks.
2. Lean angles. Ignore lap times, braking points, and especially other riders. Focus on getting the bike leaned further. Especially to the right.
3. Relax. Trust the bike. It knows how to get around the track. The more I relax the more the bike takes over and the more likely things will go well.

The trailer worked 98% perfect. The bikes stayed put for the 40-minute drive. Everything except my safety gear fit in the trailer (bikes, gas, shade, chairs, tools, spare tires) without a problem. The Nitro did well pulling it. It didn't have a problem getting to 70mph and it got about 14.5 mpg on the trip. I should get a spare tire for the trailer but other than that everything is all set.

Because it was the first track day of the season I decided to ride the 955i instead of the Ducati. Too many people (including me) that might be rusty after the winter. I also figured riding the cheaper bike would help me with goal #3. Things were going pretty well in the morning. I was feeling comfortable and I'd managed to drag a knee in turn 3 (one of the few right hand turns at Pacific Raceways.) But in the 3rd session the check engine light came on so I cut the session short.

I wasn't able to figure out what the problem was, I didn't want to risk major damage to the motor, but I didn't want to pack up and call it a day. So I decided I'd ride the Ducati in the afternoon. (It was mighty convenient having a second bike handy.)

Riding the two bikes back to back was surprising:
1. The Ducati can really fly. It was much easier to tip into the corners and would pull out of them in a huge rush.
2. The 955i is considerably louder. I shift by ear and a few times on the 1098 I had the red "Hey bozo, your shift point was 1000rpm ago." light come on because I just wasn't used to the Ducati sound.

By the second session on the Ducati I was dragging a knee in turns 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 9. (3 and 6 are rights.) It's just so much easier to toss around.

I still intend to start on the 955i when I get to Miller. If for no other reason than it's a good bike for recon at a track I've never ridden. But I suspect the 1098 is going to get the lions share of my 3 days in Tooele.