The motard and the Carolinas
 

Since Brians crash.....I've decided that I won't be railing 421, 89, 66, 129 etc the way I had.

While the motard has allowed me to almost double my speed thru the tight stuff since the days of my TLR out with Clay and the boys at shady.....the wake up call came last weekend with a hard slap.


My question is 2 fold.

• Where are the tighter tracks near me? (Winston Salem, NC)
  
  Both VIR and CMP are great tracks...but they both have straights that would devour me on any given track day event
  
• Are there organizations that cater to motards?
  
  I know there are MINI-motard groups like SEMRA, but wasn't sure if there was a NESBA for motards
  

Supermotojunkie had more on/off road type true AMA style motard info...I'm not looking for anything dirt or jumps, just tight corners to haul ass thru

Thanks in advance

Troy, I don't have any specific info on racing, only mini-racing as a concept.

I used to import and race pocket bikes. Not the shitty Asian things - real mini GP racing bikes (think 2-wheel analog to shifter kart racing). These things were carbon fiber, billet aluminum, trellis framed hand made works of miniaturized motor art, made by private Italian racing families, aftermarket parts manufacturers, and racing teams...some costing upwards of $3800.

I learned something messing with these little evil two-strokes from hell. Actually, I learned a lot of shit. Throttle control, for one. Nothing will loop faster than an open class pocket. Balance, for another.

Remember: You have effectively a shorter lever with a smaller bike. The balance point is close, and the bike is many times more reactive. You can balance a broom on your hand, right? How about a pencil? No. Why? Shorter lever, goes over center faster, and thus "telegraphs" its motion less, thus you have less time to compensate with balance.

When you get back on the big bike, it feels like slow motion - the bike can do no wrong, can't surprise you...it's totally slow-mo.

What I'm saying is; There is no shame in racing minis. Yes, they may look a little dorky, but the costs are far less than full-sized racing, placing it more in the budget of the average person being able to really afford it over time, when one can really improve their skills...and the thrills and challenges aren't any less, they're actually more.

I presume mini-motard is no different, and is a fucking scream.

Keeping the more extreme riding to just the track is always just good sense.

Hey Troy,

VIR Patriot course is a motard's wet dream. Also, North has ONE long straight but the rest is great riding for Motard's too. If I can't pass a motard early in the straight, I'll just hang back and let them have their fun in the twisties. No sense late braking them just to park it in front of them in their playground.

CMP has no long straight, but it fairly high speed in general. Summit Point Shenandoah is the only track I've ridden where liter bikes have a ~1 second handicap to 600's. And motards rule the day there.

Those are the best local track options, IMO. It doesn't sound like much, but VIR North and Patriot alone will keep you happy for a long time!

Let me know when you want to head to any of them, I'd be more than happy to meet you there (or pick you up if we head to Summit Point or something far away).

You've got an EXCELENT point, and Clay has tried to talk me into that...but at 6'-2", me on a mini-ANYTHING is like a monkey humping a football

I'm not at all concerned what others think, but, comfort and getting the bike set-up for my big ass may be difficult.

Still...not something I'll write off totally

Thanks for the imput!


yeah I've been on North with the TLR....the straight along the pits was wicked!!!

But you're right, the OTHER 90% is awesome.

I've been on the south in a prep'd GTI, and done BOTH in a RX7 endurance a few years ago.

I need to check out patriot....is that somewhere else on the campus?

Well except that section after the carousel...goes into a deep dip, then a SUPER hard right. I'd be passed by everything :whosr: till that hard 90, then it's those technical short switch-backs which I could molest everyone on :lol: but then I'd get waxed again after turn 4(I think it is)

Patriot course is nestled right in the middle of North and South, using bits of each course:
http://www.virnow.com/images/stories...cility_map.jpg


:lol: True, I forget about that one (I ran VIR full before going there so any straight <4000' felt like a quick sprint :)). You'd definitely be dicing it up with the same people all day... you'd see them before the high speed right, then roll by in the switchbacks.

Check this strack out too. I wish there were a 3D map of it so you could see the 13% grading on some of it... still my favorite track of all time:

ETA: The pair of underwear in the middle is pit road, pit in, and pit out. The rest is up to the org how they want to configure the track. LOTS of options, and the long straight on the left I only get to wind out 3rd gear on my bike, so it's not that long. (read: those areas that look tight are INSANE)

Look for shifter kart tracks. Most of them do double-duty as motard tracks.

Also, just because a track has jumps and a dirt section doesn't mean you have to take it. It's usually optional. Most people just skip the dirt, it's just idiots like me that go get our street bikes all dirty.

if you want to get into Mini Motards. Planetminis.com is the place to start. That is where I got my mini motard and the knowledge base and area riding opportunities will be found there. There is more open in North Carolina than East Tenn, so your options my open there. I think they are more about dirt over there though. We have a mini motard/shifter kart track opening not too far from my place sometime soon though. I am totally going to crank my racing up once that place opens.

I have always wanted to ride a good Italian pocket bike. The blatas and polinis I have ridden were pure shit next to our 88/108cc honda fiddys. The ones on youtube that do the mini gp look a shitload better than the crap we have around here. The blatas/polinis I have seen cost the owner around 3k, so they werent cheap, but they just sucked for some reason. We had to ban them from our mini races because they were in the way more than they were racing. Maybe it was cause of the elevation changes we run, I have never seen a good pocketbike mini gp race with elevation changes.

Hmmm as many tiems as I've been there, I've never seen that run (they were always running north and south at the same time)


HOLY CRAP!!

Is that the one they're trying to put near Salisbury?

I have a 2006 CRF50 laying around an now I want to make it a mini-motard after looking at that forum! I wonder if anyone makes a kit to do the conversion.

You don't need a kit.

Spoon on some 10 inch TT91's and you've got a Motard.

Take it to the local kart track and get your butt handed to you. That's when the mods start. :lol:

They either run North and South at the same time, or Full and Patriot. Pretty clever configuration, lets them run 2 tracks at any given time.

Shenandoah is at Summit Point, WV (4 tracks there: Shenandoah, Main, Jefferson (another good motard tarck) and a kart track). It's about 5.5 hours from here but worth the drive up a couple three times a year. :)

Here's a few laps there, pretty tame until lap 3 or 4: http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...5783613976890#

Yeah, I am going to stay basic. I found fast50s.com and they have a ton of crap. I'll start with the tires and the bars and go from there. They have nice brake kits, levers, pegs, etc, etc......

There is a another company thumpstar that builds spec bikes for 1600 bucks. I should sell my 50 and send that guy the dough.

As for the track, it may be my drive way and back yard!

Looks like a fun track!

Quit using your clutch on upshifts. ;)

tbparts.com is a good place to buy upgrade kits. Their 88 kit with race head is a good reliable kit that is a decent price that gives you plenty of bang for the buck. And the 107 stroker kit is just f**kin awesome if you want a lot of power and not lose that much reliability.

It definitely is! My lap times there are 10 seconds faster this year than from when I took that video, but I still use my clutch on upshifts :P. The gear box on this bike just doesn't like clutchless shifting above 5k. It's really clunky about 99% of the time, so I never kept with it.

Whats your schedule for the rest of the season? I may decide to tag along on one or 2 trips and get a feel again if you're not opposed to it

Sounds like a good idea to me! I'll shoot you a PM later with my planned track days and we'll take it from there :)

Troy, you really should give mini racing a consideration. Remember, minis and pocket bikes are 2 different things. I have more room on our CR85 than I do on any sport bike, and I'm only an inch shorter than you. You'll have just as much fun, if not more, at a mini track day or race than you will on a big bike. You can push the limits to their extreme and not worry about shredding the bike up or yourself. If you want, you can come along with me next time we go. If we do a SEMRA event, you can ride our bike in the adult novice class. Ask Kaneman, as soon as you get on one you'll contemplate selling your other bikes. LOL Our current setup has 17" wheels, uses the same slicks as the 125GP bikes do. Though, I'm getting ready to sell/trade them off for a set of 12s. The 17s will make you feel just like you're on a "big" bike...but with the flickability of a 180lb bike. :p Our bike is fully setup by Traxxion Dynamics and I've done a lot of work on getting the geometry setup to perfection. All you need though is an 85 and the wheels. Total investment would start at around 2k, and you can get a lot more conservative than that! I think there are a few WELL SETUP bikes out there now for about 2500. Heck, right here is one of the best bikes around...2200 dollars. http://www.supermotojunkie.com/showthread.php?t=83310

All I can say is...try it! I think we might be doing a mini race/trackday coming up Oct 3&4th.

WHERE?

I'm taking you up on that offer!

Well, there's 2 going on. One is at the "usual" track we go to down in Elgin, SC. That's actually a race weekend run locally by the track. It's not exactly the best track out there, but still fun none-the-less. Then, there's a 2 day trackday at the Herrin's in middle GA. That's the new track owned by Josh Herrin's father. And yes...Josh will probably be there riding. :p If you seriously wanted to come, we'd figure out which one we're going to do and end up going down Sat, camping the night and coming back Sun. If the GA track...we'd be getting back late! The one in SC is about a 3 hour drive from us. The GA track is around 8.

Let me clear it up with the wife.....to be sure the kitchen pass can be extended till LATE sunday and I'll get back to you ;-)


2piece zip together leathers
back protector
Gauntlet gloves
Boots
Helmet

Is that all?

I have a flip-up thats NOT snell and then that ROOF, which is french and not snell either....problem?

Ok...I missed something. Last I knew, you were a free man!!!! WTH HAPPENED?! My deepest condolences... LOL

Divorced in 06, then met the perfect woman a year later....married her not too long ago and living the "ever after" ;)

But you still gotta look in her purse for your balls.:lol

GO make your bed Karl....you know your momma don't like you playin on the internet when you have a messy room! Oh, and she told me to tell you to get you "wizard" hat out of the bathroom...she doesn't even WANT to know what THATS all about