Sitting up late.. Can't go to sleep. :( so i'm thinking about having a run when I get my engine done. Never raced before so can anyone give me some tips.
Remember, I have no idea about drag racing but i'd love to give it a try.
Stevo ??? Narley ???? Any tips

Tip #1 - Launching or holeshotting on the street is way different from launching in the stagging area. All the rubber in the stagging area will cause the rear tire to instantly hook up, which is a good thing. Practicing on the street could cause you to develop a technique that won't help you on the drag strip.

JB

Thanks Jesse.
Do you just dump the clutch or release it quickly or slowly or what?
What RPM? 2 3 4K?
I really have no idea.
Tyre pressures?
Will my clutch hold up?
I guess what i'm after is a 101 on drag racing basics.

at first you feather the clutch out as you are increasing the throttle.
You want to get goin quickly, but you dont want to wheelie ,nor do you want the tire to catch and bog the motor cause you are only at 2000 rpm. So you start with the rpm around three thou and you you release the clutch over a duration of about 1/3 to 1/2 a sec while increasing the throttle. The best result is to leave the line with both wheels on the ground but then have the front wheel come off the ground just a little as you gradually release clutch and add throttle. You dont want a "pop a wheelie" You want to release the clutch and increase throttle to ensure the rpms stay up tp prevent a bog. This will pull the front end up just a little after you roll forward ten feet. Practice right there where your stiing. The lights go and you you are at 3000 rpm.....relese the clutch fingers and roll the throttle back just slightly slower.. The clutch will grap and the motor will bog a little but you will be safe. Get the first 60 feet down to 2 seconds and you are doin great.
Thats a safe way to do it, but before that happens you have to react to the light!!!!!!!!!!
The lights go orange before they go green for go, but you actually leave when you see the orange, cause by the time you see the orange and react, realeasing the clutch and throttling, and the motor engages and the clutch grabs and the primary chain grabs and the belt tightens ,and the rear whell moves......so on, its been about a half a second or more. The oragne lights a half second before the green...so go on the orange!. If you go on the green light the best reaction will still only get you moving a full half second later.
Now you are good to go and have launcehd....the next key is shifting. Time is wasted letting off the throttle and pulling in the clutch to shift....tons of time, not to mention the dramatic change in airflow in the intake because you have close the throttle. The best shifting is done with out use of the clutch and small closing of the throttle. The small clsoing actually takes practice, and the clutchless shifting is not natural either ,but these techniques will be the time saving equivalent of adding 30-40 horsepower.
Aim to get into the 12's and keep the first few safe ,natural agression and competitiveness will take over after that...if it doesnt then keep it safe...this isnt your sport.

Tip #1 - Launching or holeshotting on the street is way different from launching in the stagging area. All the rubber in the stagging area will cause the rear tire to instantly hook up, which is a good thing. Practicing on the street could cause you to develop a technique that won't help you on the drag strip.
http://blacktownharleydavidsonandbuell.sitesuite.com.au/images/gary%20drags3BIG.jpg

As 'Narley' eloquently responded, sump'tin you want to avoid.

JB

Hello DPT,
I would advise a trip to the local drag strip to check their tech inspection routines and safety requirements before showing up to race. This seems to vary from area to area. For the most part you will be bracket racing which means you will have to dial in your time or basically determine how fast the bike will run. This is done in pre-race practice sessions.The slower of the two bikes will leave first and the lights will compensate the difference in ET(elapsed time) between the two bikes. The object of bracket racing is to come as close to your dial-in as possible without going too fast which is called breaking out. If you run faster than your dial-in you lose unless your competitor breaks out more than you. The holeshop or initial launch has been covered but you want to make sure you don't red light which is basically leaving before the light turns green. This results in immediate disqualification. As stated the launch is probably the most critical part of drag racing and where most races are won or lost. Know the bike and rear tire. Wheel spin will alter ET and consistency. Consistency means being able to run the same time everytime. This is what you want. This perfection is acomplished by practice.
Also, get to know the competition as good friends will be made and also a helpful hand may be offered in a time of need. Drag racers are for the most part a very freindly bunch and enjoy the friendship and competition. I usually dial my machines in at a local track where practice is determined on a first come first serve basis. This way I get there early and may make ten time runs apposed to some tracks where you may only get one time run. Once the bike is dialed in you can take it anywhere and race competively. Some tracks have Friday night practice sessions. I personally like a sticky tire when drag racing as I see races won and lost by tire slipage. This is revelant to power levels and track conditions. I hope I have been some help and there are good
books on bracket racing. Take an evening and go to the local book store as bracket racing is universal whether racing cars or bikes. Learn the rules and push them to the limit. Most importantly have fun. You don't have to have the fastest machine to win. Dial the bike in and race it. I love to line up beside people making changes all the time because they don't have a clue what the bike will run after changes. Some people just want a time slip with a fast time and don't care if they win or not. To win, take one round at a time. Be consistent and your confidence will grow until you finally win an event. From there it is no looking back as you will then feel you can win everytime out. There will be people who will try and upset your rythm. Block out who you are racing and run your own race. You are really only racing the clock. Although if we know who will win the race why race in the first place. I hope this helps. As stated most importantly have fun and if you decide it's not your bag then maybe another aspect of racing is, such as crew chief on a friends machine. See Ya!

Jesse, Narley, Lucifer.
Thanks for the replies. For some reason I didn't get the usual email when there's a reply to my threads. Oh well.
Awesome help here but now i'm wondering whether i've got the eggs for this.

I went to the local track last Friday and all I can say is HOLY SHIT. You guys, Stevo included, must be walking around with BIG brass ones.
There were 3 bikes there. Two 4cyl turbos and a 1300 japper of some sort. The best run was the 1300 at 10.8. The turbos were running around 11.4. Not bad for 7300' Watching those guys was scary. Light goes, dump the clutch and HANG ON. The bikes were all over the place wandering from one side of the lane to the other and the guys just kept it pegged :yikes Unbelievable. I don't think bike riders know what you guys are doing until they go and see it. The easiest way I can describe it?? It's like holding a very hungry tiger by its tail.
I'm still going to have a go though. (I think) I'd like to have run before I do the rebuild just to see what a stock 883 will do and then run it with the 88

What times are you guys seeing from an 88" sportster?? I'm guessing i'll get around mid 13's to low 14's at this altitude.

PS. You guys have got my respect

My 88 inch does 11.2 without nitrous.
that 10.8 on the 1300 (hyabusa) is a sign that they/he was fairly new. A stock busa can do a lot better than that. I hope the other aprreciation you got at the track was for tenths and even hundredths of a second.
A full second is a life time of difference between two bikes...To go a second faster is to kill a guy...to get your bike however to go a full second faster takes so much time and more power. Most races are won by tenths of a second and that can still leave leads of 10-20 feet.
I lost a race by 5 /100ths which appeared to be about 6 inches or less.