Atlanta Motorcycle Schools Presents:

Megan’s Ravings:

April 5, 2004

As I posted last time, the frame cracked while mounting up the rear shock. Britt Lynn of ART Welding was able to make a repair that I am confident will outlast the rest of the motorcycle. Britt is also the father and crew chief of Matt Lynn, a first year expert racing in the WERA National Challenge Series. Britt was able to fit this repair in between his regular work, a few extra jobs, and making sure Matt was able to race. I dropped the bike off Thursday night late. I got a call Friday night around 8PM… “If you head this way now, I should have it finished by the time you get here.” So an hour later, driving to BallGround Georgia, I arrived at Nitro Acres to get the bike back. At this point, I knew the bike couldn’t be safely ready to be at the track Saturday. After talking to Megan we decided to just try and make it to the track Sunday morning and use the sprint races as a proving grounds. Not the best idea, but it was what we had to work with.

Saturday saw me in the garage getting the bike as finished as it would be for Sunday. At this time the bike has been resuspended (Ohlins rear shock and Race Tech front end components), and has had a complete top end rebuild. Front brakes have been rebuilt with Goodridge braided lines courtesy of Dan Keenan and Jurassic Bike, and Vesrah RJL pads. With the master cylinder pushing Motul R600 race grade brake fluid, this bike has the best braking power it can have. We are still running the stock street plastic tail section, stock exhaust and gearing, and stock peg mounts. Hopefully these can be replaced soon.

We rolled out of Atlanta around 6AM Sunday to head for the race track. Arrival at the track bright and early - 7AM Cental time. This gave us time to get setup, pull the wheels and get tires, and get registered for the
day’s races. Megan can give a much better accounting of the race performance of the bike than I. Suffice it to say, it runs pretty good. Megan was very happy with how it ran, and I was very happy with the fact that it didn’t blow up. This bike has been making me work for every little thing, and it finally made it all up to me Sunday.

So where are we now? In a little less than two weeks, we have our next outing at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. This is a beautiful but challenging course. I wish we were going in with some more
seat time and experience on this bike, but I think we’ll do well nonetheless. I still have some big items on my wish list, but those are dependent upon being able to afford it. I have a line on a set of race bodywork from the Plastic Dr, and an exhaust from a fellow racer (he no longer races an SV and this was a spare he had). We also still need rear sets and a new set of gearing. All this in good time I suppose.

The biggest part though is the running bike itself. So far it runs like a clock, and should only get better as the season goes on. If you have the chance, come on out and see us at the track.

Until the next time, stay safe and have fun.

Elmer

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March 25, 2004

The Talladega round is a Double Points round, so it would be very helpful in making up missed races to compete there. I like Talladega. It’s a small, flat road track with excellent visibility. I’ve raced there several times before, as well as done track days. I consider it my home track, since I’ve spent the most time on it and I know it like the back of my hand.

As an interesting aside, the Talladega Gran Prix Raceway (its proper name—it’s not the Nascar oval) was designed by Ed Bargy, the talented and patient man who taught me how to race. Ed likes to throw a few surprises at riders, like decreasing-radius turns and flat or off-camber turns. His track designs are very challenging without being pointlessly cruel. Talladega is also great for spectators; you can see the whole track from almost any vantage point.

Meanwhile, I’ve been working the mad-crazy hours at BMW Motorcycles of Atlanta, getting all the spring apparel, helmets, and accessories ready for our customers. I actually dreamed about tires last night - Metzelers to be specific. I knew you had to be crazy to work in the motorcycle industry, but I never dreamed it would make you crazy!

I hope that all my sponsors can make it to all the upcoming rounds. It can be hectic in the pits but there is some downtime, and I look forward to seeing some friendly faces around.

Megan

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March 17, 2004

On the upside, the bike was more than halfway ready. The top end of the motor has been rebuilt with new valves and rings. I should be able to, at a minimum, get the bike fired and broken in on the bench in the next day or so.

My hope right now is to find a replacement frame as cheaply as possible, and transfer all the components from this bike to the new frame. While this is a big obstacle, it is not an insurmountable one.

Elmer

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January 31, 2004

Pretty simple looking question. What work is involved with converting an everyday street bike into a track ready Superstock motorcycle? In the next few paragraphs, I hope to give you a basic idea of the changes that are made, and just what is involved in doing that for a 2001 Suzuki SV650S motorcycle as I am about to begin that process for the 2004 WERA Southeast Sportsman racing season.

Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, the first step has been taken care of. An SV650 has been obtained for Megan Draven, novice #493, to campaign over the next nine months in an effort to receive an invitation and compete at the Grand National Finals at Road Atlanta.

Now that we have a bike, it must be made ready to do battle. All of the street bodywork has been stripped away. While the stock bodywork looks good, it doesn't hold up to track rigors. It also encompasses a lot of parts that are just unnecessary. So off with the fairing, tailsection, lights and mirrors. Get rid of the stock brake lines and pads, to be replaced with braided stainless steel lines and race compound brakes. Stock suspension components will be replaced with a fully adjustable rear shock from Ohlins, and a reworked set of factory forks that will give us a full range of adjustment and control for the track. All these new components will be wrapped in a shiny skin of race fiberglass bodywork. This not only holds up well to abuse, but also provides a key safety feature required for competition - a fluid retaining belly pan. Just in case the bike springs a leak, something is in place to keep the track clean, and the riders safer.

Everything on the bike must be looked at, double checked for condition, replaced if worn, and safety wired into place once it's deemed ready to go. Parts that normally are no concern on a street motorcycle will suddenly receive attention that seems almost strange. Where the typical street bike owner will never give much though to their swingarm pivot, a race bike mechanic will tear that down three or four times in a season to make sure the bearings are still intact and the bolts aren't bent. Oil will be changed after every race weekend. While the racer may only put a hundred miles or less on a bike in a weekend, she will do every one of them pushing the motor to its limits. This is going to wear a motor quickly, and a frequent maintenance schedule is the only insurance that exists for that motor.

Parts wear faster, crashes happen more often, albeit in a more predictable manner than on the street, and the bike must be kept ready to go out every time. Missing one weekend and the points that go along with it can mean the difference between making top five for the year, and having your novice plates for another season.

So how much does it cost to prep and race a motorcycle? Just to give some comparison points: The rear shock for a race bike costs slightly more than having four struts replaced on the average American sedan. A set of race tires costs about the same as a good set of street motorcycle tires. However, the race tires last for one weekend only. You might get two if your suspension is set up really well, or the track surface is really easy on tires. Oil changes add up too. Consider the cost of three to four quarts of synthetic motor oil, then multiply that by your number of race weekends.

So now you’re really asking the question, “Why would anyone WANT to do this?”It is the simplest answer of them all, and it’s the same reason most people give for why they started riding a motorcycle in the first place. Because it is fun. Period. Some people love the competition, others like the adrenaline rush, but it all boils down to the fun you have going out and trying to get past the guy in front of you.

Meet Elmer

About the writer (and Megan’s mechanic):
For fun, Elmer Veith helps his friends pursue their dreams and goals of racing motorcycles on the track. This season he will again be building and maintaining the motorcycle being campaigned by Megan Draven in WERA competition in the Southeast region Sportsman Series. This will be the second season for this effort.

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