Well, I've all but decided to go to the drags next tuesday, and see what she'll do...never done this before...which is why I'm doin it...

Don't have a tach, but I'm just gonna trust myself for now...

Any suggestions? ;)

Give'em Hell Chuck!!!! :D

But, Don't blow it up!!!! :yikes

Good luck to ya, Chuck! Let us know what yer ET's & trap speeds are. BTW, post yer RT's too (don't be embarassed, I've cut some poor ones in the past!) :laugh:laugh:laugh

Give 'er hell, but it's gonna be a challenge shifting efficiently without a tach. I imagine it's gonna be tough to tell when yer creepin' up on the rev limiter without actually touchin' it. Anyhow, good luck! :tour

Good luck to ya, Chuck! Let us know what yer ET's & trap speeds are. BTW, post yer RT's too (don't be embarassed, I've cut some poor ones in the past!) :laugh:laugh:laugh

Give 'er hell, but it's gonna be a challenge shifting efficiently without a tach. I imagine it's gonna be tough to tell when yer creepin' up on the rev limiter without actually touchin' it. Anyhow, good luck! :tour

It'll be my first race, so there's absolutely no shame in whatever I do...lol..I'll be happy to post...

Will I get all of that info on my ticket?

I have been also wanting to get into drag racing , they have a run what ya brung wednsdays at the racetrack here.
Need to learn how to launch though.

It's gonna be fun, Chuck...you're going there with the right attitude, which will probably help your time...nothing like getting a teenage rush of adrenaline...you'll be hooked! But it's a good hook! :D

In my years of dragracing I have seen lots of rookie dumps. Most could have been avoided just by understanding the track setup. First, before you get the bike on the track, walk out to the start line. Pay attention to how your shoes stick to the surface. That is called VHT, a sort of glue that they spray on the first part of the track to help you hook up. If you dont know about the sticky surface and launch like you are in the school parking lot, the handlebars will be the first thing to land after the bike loops out from under you. :eek: It aint pretty.
Cars sometimes lose a bit of oil in between the car tire tracks on the starting line. If you line up between the tire tracks, expect lots of wheel spin and a sideways ride off the starting line, :yikes kinda gets the heart pumping. Always line up on one of the car rubber tracks, always!!!
First few passes, just take it easy leaving the starting line. Then give it hell. :clap Once you mess up, it is usually too late to get back right.

Burning the tire in the water box is not necessary. Avoid the water completely. Water on the tires is worse than the car oil in the middle of the tire tracks. Hot sticky tires are for wheelie bar equiped bikes or VERY EXPERIENCED racers without bars.
You might want to lower the rear tire pressure just a bit to widen your footprint, but not too low. Just a few lbs less than street pressure. I ran around 4 lbs in the rear with wheelie bars launching at almost 6000 rpm dumping the clutch. That was a serious launch. :D 1.5 second 60 ft times.
Most important is have fun. Respect your rookie status. Dont get hurt. Go back again and slowly get better. :tour :tour
Ted
btw, I never dumped the bike while dragracing. Someone told me all that I just told you and I respected his opinion and experience.
another btw, shift short, rather than bump the limiter, your times will be better..

Get a parachute to slow you down at the end :wonderlan

Gazza

FEEL the bike.... It'll tell you what it wants....

In my years of dragracing I have seen lots of rookie dumps. Most could have been avoided just by understanding the track setup. First, before you get the bike on the track, walk out to the start line. Pay attention to how your shoes stick to the surface. That is called VHT, a sort of glue that they spray on the first part of the track to help you hook up. If you dont know about the sticky surface and launch like you are in the school parking lot, the handlebars will be the first thing to land after the bike loops out from under you. :eek: It aint pretty.
Cars sometimes lose a bit of oil in between the car tire tracks on the starting line. If you line up between the tire tracks, expect lots of wheel spin and a sideways ride off the starting line, :yikes kinda gets the heart pumping. Always line up on one of the car rubber tracks, always!!!
First few passes, just take it easy leaving the starting line. Then give it hell. :clap Once you mess up, it is usually too late to get back right.

Burning the tire in the water box is not necessary. Avoid the water completely. Water on the tires is worse than the car oil in the middle of the tire tracks. Hot sticky tires are for wheelie bar equiped bikes or VERY EXPERIENCED racers without bars.
You might want to lower the rear tire pressure just a bit to widen your footprint, but not too low. Just a few lbs less than street pressure. I ran around 4 lbs in the rear with wheelie bars launching at almost 6000 rpm dumping the clutch. That was a serious launch. :D 1.5 second 60 ft times.
Most important is have fun. Respect your rookie status. Dont get hurt. Go back again and slowly get better. :tour :tour
Ted
btw, I never dumped the bike while dragracing. Someone told me all that I just told you and I respected his opinion and experience.
another btw, shift short, rather than bump the limiter, your times will be better..

THAT was some of the best info I could have asked for....thanx....

My plan is to short-shift to second and third....I do a lot of high-speed runs from that point, so I feel pretty comfortable about the limits above that...

I've only bumped the limiter once....in first...duh.... lol

I've got the same attitude Stevo mentioned...I FEEL her...I KNOW when she wants to shift...

Been practicing my clutchless shifts, too....what a difference THEY make...

One last question...as often as I've GONE to the drags for fun, it occurs to me I've never noticed WHAT tells you you're done...(hence, slow down now, idiot)...:) is it a light? a line on the track? The time display stand?

And will my ticket have all of the info Rob mentioned? ET, RT, etc...

There is 3 lines at the end of the track...

The first and 3rd ones are the MPH timers...ie: the time between those 2 calculates the MPH

The middle one is the finish line.....that's the IMPORTANT one


When ya stage, don't stage too shallow or you can fall out of the beam backwards and redlight....
Move in slowly....trip the first staging beam and the top white light on the tree will come on....move forward a bit more and the second one will come on...you're now in full stage as the second light comes on keep going forward another couple of inches...

Release the clutch on the last amber, NOT the green ...and you'll still be slow out of the gate

Release the clutch on the last amber, NOT the green ...and you'll still be slow out of the gate

Thanx...The staging info helps, too....

But what do you mean by THIS?? :) I plan on practicing the light in my head while I'm there....I want to get the amber light to green light cadence for a good shot out...

that's a PRO light...just ta really confuse ya :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

that's a PRO light...just ta really confuse ya :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Thanx .....and I already started practicing with it....lol

DUH

practice tree (http://www.racewindsor.com/Trees/sportsman.html)

try this one chuck , use your left hand so ya get your clutch hand in practice :) ;)

practice tree (http://www.racewindsor.com/Trees/sportsman.html)

try this one chuck , use your left hand so ya get your clutch hand in practice :) ;)

Thanx Flatty!!! That's AWESOME....

First 8 tries...2 redlights, 6 times just over .5

I should be so lucky...lol

I just tried it twice but I got a .5 both times

Watch it....it'll ingrain bad timing...ya need ta let the clutch go before the last amber on most street bikes

My first was a .657 last was a .515.

Different tracks mark the finish different. Usually there is a thick white line at the end. End of track mph timing varies too. Most tracks use an electric eye before the finish and at the finish. They used to do it after the finish, but it tempted racers to stay on the throttle too long and they got in trouble shutting down in time.
Best thing is get there plenty early and walk the track. Notice where there are electric eye timing devices. And pay particular attention to track condition. At the Texas Motorplex in Enis, just south of Dallas, there is a slight dropoff at the finish line due to a concrete track and asphalt shut down area. Concrete expands and contracts. My first pass there I shut down hit the inch or so drop and got a bit of a tank slapper @ near 120 :yikes . Gotta keep the throttle on till after that so the front wheel floats over it. Shutting down loads the front tire.
I have an old time slip in front of me now. Happens to be a class record set in Oct of 96 in Kentucky. It shows reaction time, 60 ft., 330 ft., 1/8 mile et, 1/8 mile mph, 3/16 mile et, 1/4 mile et and 1/4 mile mph. More info than you really need. :smoke
Usually there is a lane win spotlight way down after the finish on the guard rail. If you win you will see your spotlight go on, look about 500 ft. past the finish line.
Ted

Watch it....it'll ingrain bad timing...ya need ta let the clutch go before the last amber on most street bikes

I see what you mean now...because I won't be "dumping" the clutch, I'll naturally be that much slower off the line...

Thanx...

All these guy's have given you some great advice! I guess I'll throw my $0.2 in. When ya get to the track take a few minutes to watch what the other bike racer are doing and where they line up. May give ya the best clue as to where you should be cause you may not have a chance to walk the track before the race. Have fun and ride safe...

My first couple passes I didnt worry about "launching" at all...Your first time at the lights your heart will be going so fast and the adrenaline of what you are about to do can make ya really wanna get gone in a hurry..I forced myself to take it slow..Sometimes, when I have to line up next to a cage I will not even worry about the time and let him get a head start so I dont have that idiot chasing me down the track..Havent raced alot but, every time I have been I have seen at least one guy on a bike dump it..Usually the rice pilots.

good point, but thats a tough call. I prefer to be ahead of the other lane when its a car. If they have a problem...its safely behind me rather an obstacle in front of me. I guess your point was that if you the biker have a problem then you become an obstacle to them. Never thought of that. Guess it comes down to chances..... I will prefer to be ahead of them and trust all goes well for me.