Back from the drags

[Kerry]

Back from the drag races. the canadian motorcycle drag race association. two days of good fun and a little competition mixed in. saw a couple bikes do 204+ mph in the 1/4. wild!!
So what did i learn....
That I need a wheelie bar. i was the fastest harley there without a wheelie bar. And i was nearly as fast as most of the fx and xl class with wheelie bars!. But those fees were too high.($165) so i chose the trophy class. I got in 3 test and tunes and 3 runs in qualifying. The next day 2 more test and tunes then 1 run in elimintaions( which meant I got eliminated) It was bracket style and i was doing mostly 12.5;s the day before, but I didnt want to set a 12.5 time for my bracket because i knew the competition would get me going. I set my time at what i wanted to see my self do. i set a 12.2 time . In the first round i went up against a crotch rocket and with my headstart i was doing well till i hit the rev limiter in 3rd and then the hesitations lasted too long and I was passed.
I was steaming because the run felt like a perfect one. it was a .662 reaction with a 1.907 60 foot and a nice 7.894 at 91.7 mph. then a real good 10.4 at 1000 ft then it hit the rev limiter and my 1/4 time was 12.486 at 108.72mph. Great for a run that wasted too much time coughing at the rev limit. And I was eliminated. But i really wanted to pull a final run with all the components....a good start and 60 foot and good shifting. so the schedule allowed for some time only runs. I got two good ones in.
firstly a run where i shifted into 5th just before the end because i was afraid to push the rev limit. That shift slowed me down a bit. a .741 reaction with a great 1.88 60 foot and an 1/8th at 7.853 at 91.02 mph. 12.247 et at 110.33 mph for the 1/4.
So the final run i wanted to hold 4th gear till the traps.
It was my best run.
a good start with a .674 reaction and a 1.89 60 foot. a 7.87 1/8th at 89.91 mph. (these numbers were worse than the previous run , but it goes to show that if i can put the better start of the previous run together with holding 4th till the traps i can do a little better still........) this run ended at my best top speed of 112.3 mph at a time of 12.232 .
so this will bring me back next time hoping to pull a good start and sixty foot ,then remain free from the rev limiter and hold fourth till the traps. I may even raise the limiter to 7500 to be sure i dont hit it, but I chose not to do that this race, for the sake of reliability.
the nightrider 1/4 mile calculator is very accurate. did one good run with out the nitrous. a poor start with a .84reaction and a 2.054 60 foot and 8.296 1/8 th @ 87.42 mph. the 1/4 eneded at 12.945 at 104.62 mph. it showed i could hold fourth till the traps and it said the bike could do a 12.97 at 102.77 mph.

[SIN]

Sounds like a lot of fun. How about some more details on your scoot .
Be careful spraying man.. That NOS is like drugs . I blew up a couple hot rod engines with the stuff well one.. the other was in my garage ,I was setting it up and forgot to clear the engine and cranked it up lucky the hood was open only cracked the intake, never tried it on a bike.

[SIN]

I just found your other post. I thought something sounded familiar. Sorry bout that I'm up to speed now.

[Kerry]

but i hope/think i am okay. those in the know say the motor could actually handle a 50hp shot. And i am only doin a 30 hp shot.....BUT(grinning) that may change.........mwahahaha

[Jacobi]

Okay, let me clear up some stuff about "nitrous"! First of all, don't ever ever ever call it NOS...not only will you embaress yourself, any knowledgeable person will immediantly assume you're a "slow and ridiculous" racer! Always refer to it as nitrous, spray, or gas (the last must be used with good judgement obviously). Also, too many people are afraid of nitrous. It's actually one of the best power adders available. Not only is it silent (ever hear a huge turbo spool up, and I don't even need to mention supercharger whine), but it's "good" for your engine. Okay, maybe not good...but here's what I'm getting at. Turbos and superchargers force higher pressures into the cylindars...however, these higher pressures increase temperatures and that is detrimental to engine life. Nitrous, however, is below freezing, so not only do you get more power from the added oxygen molecule (N20...the two parts nitrogen slows down the oxygen combustion) you also get the colder (denser) air which contains more oxygen. And here's the best reason of all...especially on a bike. Unlike supercharges and turbos, nitrous is used when needed. It's not a continuous strain on the engine. The one thing I must suggest is check your air fuel ratio...this is the only thing people f up the most! Also, to be safe get an rpm switch (only allows it to be sprayed between certain rpms) and a fuel pressure switch (not sure if this is available for bikes)! Have fun, and happy spraying.

P.S. Get the medical grade for sniffing...commercial grade n2o contains sulfer so that you can smell it if it leaks!

[Kags]

Personaly I like "all motor". I like the pro stock class in both bike & cars. I will addmit in the right setting it is nice to hit the "gas" and let-em smell your exhaust....

[Kerry]

7 hours of driving, for what ???huge grins. thats
what.
So my goal , or challenge from a few here was to squeeze an 11.? out
of my ride. 12.24 was my best yet.
So on my first run a great 11.88 meant i could go home happy!
followed it with an 11.81 at 119mph. 7.698 1/8th witha 1.915 60 foot
on a .166 reaction. 40 minutes later in the competetive spirit that
ELIMINATIONS brings, I pull a .124 reaction and 11.882 1/4 at 120.92
et. Then another 40 minutes later on a fresh bottle I get a good
one....an 11.683 !!! at 121.05 mph!. off a just okay reaction of .255
with a 1.845 60 foot and a 7.644 1/8th.
These string of good runs saw my making it to the finals in a class
with 16 entries. In the finals I puuled a great run and felt i was
gonna break out of my 11.7 dial in ( I set that dial in cause if i
broke out and lost i would still be too happy to break an 11.7!)I had
a good start and shifting had gone well and a strange thing had
happened . I hit 6800 rpm in 3rd and it was time to shift....i
did...and in 4th the rpms didnt change at all!!! instantly at 6800
rpm in 4th now...so i think SHIFT...now I am in 5th early and again
it maintained 6800 rpm and this is why I am thinking....I must be
flying....I am gonna breakout. so at the first trap i let of
completely. lets look at the results and maybe you all can offer an
opinion. I let off completely at the first trap and still pulled an
11.9...however the slow up got me an et of 106(whereas a previous
11.88 got me an et of 119.37. So i am left wondering WHAT WOULD IT
HAVE BEEN??? IS THERE AN 11.5? IN THERE???)
BUt even with the drama the run with its good .165 reaction and great
1.832 60 foot and 7.63 1/8th was good enough for the win and I had
done it....I took home the trophy!!!! great end to the season...my
first season of drag racing..........damn bug...I have caught
it....how do you know...the symptoms of course...primarly the sick
feeling of what could have been...is there an 11.5? in there????