Washington State Honda Sport Touring Association

Tentative 2005 Event Schedule

I'm looking for your input and suggestions.  This is YOUR club so please help me out with what you want to see next year..

I created an outline, with the 2005 dates inserted and some comments.  Feel free to print out the page, mark it up, and make your suggestions.  We'll discuss all the suggestions at the November 13th dinner and most likely finalize the schedule in time for the Christmas Party on December 18th.  All suggestions will be considered.  If you can't make it to the meetings, send me your ideas via e-mail and I'll make sure to share them with the group.

Also, be thinking about how you can get more involved with leading rides and suggesting new routes.  My time with the club is limited due to racing and teaching, and maybe even teaching racing so I could use all the help I can get.

Tentative 2005 Event Schedule

November 13 Banquet @ Winners

As a result of Olive Garden not taking reservations on Saturdays, I wanted to prevent us from having to stand around for close to 2 hours again.  The new location is Winners at Southcenter this year.  We will have a separate area for our group that I think will work much better for this event.

There is also a link on the schedule for Winners.  Dinner will be at 7pm and the website includes a map and directions, as well as a menu.  Please RSVP with me so that I know that we have enough space.

It should be great fun for all.  See you there!

RSVP NOW --> Dan Hytry

Chronicles of a Novice Racer (Episode 2)

Round 2, May 8-9, 2004 at PR:

My next outing was at the Adrenaline Freaks track day on May 7.  A lot of racers do the same, to test and tune their bikes for racing, especially at the beginning of the season.  My bike was running great and felt like it had more power than ever before.  As far as I was concerned, it was money well spent.  I was really looking forward to running my two Novice heats this weekend.

Saturday, I went out for my first practice session and was totally satisfied with all the work that had been done.  After my second session, elation turned to dismay!  I rode into the pits with a loud clicking sound coming from the motor.  You guessed it, the cam chain tensioner had failed and I was about to DNS (did not start) both of my heats.  My heart sank.  Frantically searching around the pits for another tensioner, I was told how to jury-rig mine to make it work.  Taking the tensioner apart, inserting a screw from the topside, and converting it to a manual tensioner worked for this emergency repair.  I have already shared this knowledge with one other rider who, hopefully, was able to make his work as well.

I was able to run my first heat and collect a finish.  Again, placing was not an issue because this time I was trying to save the motor from further damage.  The full extent of which wouldn’t be known until we got the bike home and took the valve cover off.

On Sunday, I was presented with another hurdle to overcome, as if I didn’t have enough of those already.  The weather Gods threw me a curveball in the form of rain.  I was riding on slicks (for durability reasons) meaning that there would be virtually no traction if I tried to ride at “race” pace.  I once heard that riding on slicks in the rain is like skating on ice.  Since the rain was fairly light at race time, I decided to ride my heat anyway.  I took it easy, and was able to get another coveted finish (now three).  The alternative would have been to buy rain tires ($400) but I didn’t exactly have the money to spend at the time.

My homework following weekend #2 was to correct the tensioner issue.  Upon returning home and tearing into the bike, it was discovered that when the tensioner had failed, there was enough lash in the cam chain to break a mounting hole for the cam sprocket off the exhaust cam.  The exhaust cam had to be replaced ($300) but, luckily, no valves were damaged.  It could’ve been a much more serious failure.

Round 3, May 29-30, 2004 at SRP (Spokane Raceway Park):

Mike Sullivan (WMRRA #1 plate-holder) offered a class on Thursday, May 27^th.  Having never ridden at Spokane, I took advantage of the opportunity to get instruction on the track specifics.  My bike was running tip-top again and I was excited to complete one more Novice heat.

During the instruction portion of Mike’s class, he talked about the importance of getting a good start.  If you get a good launch, chances are you will retain a good position in front of everyone else, placing the onus on them to pass you to gain position.  The last thing we did on that day was to actually practice some starts.  The technique of feeding in the clutch smoothly while applying throttle is the key to keep from looping the bike or bogging it down.  I ran a couple of practice starts and when I felt that I wasn’t committing either of the above two errors, I quit for the day.  Friday was a day off to play tourist in Spokane.

Saturday morning, in preparation for my first practice session, I headed onto the track.  As soon as my bike got up to about 30mph, the engine revved up and the tach needle shot into the red.  I shifted into second, and watched the needle do it again.  Dammit, there went the clutch!  If I had only run one more launch on Thursday, I would have found out in time to have sought parts and done the repair on Friday when I had plenty of time.  The sinking feeling was now setting in again.  The pressure was on to find a fix.  Would I end up DNSing this time?

I don’t know what pissed me off more: the fact that I hadn’t replaced the clutch when we had the bike apart in April, or that, once again, my weekend was about to end before it started.  I wasn’t really surprised about the clutch, due to the original clutch lasting as long as it did.  However, all the recent events have caused me to question the Honda reliability that I had become so accustomed to over the last 10 years.  In these last three months, I’ve had to replace everything except the crank and suspension (forks and shock upgrades were slated for next winter’s project).

My homework for weekend #3 (trackside) is to replace the clutch.  Another frantic repair job had to be performed.  With the assistance of another racer and parts bought trackside ($150), we were able to get my bike back together in about an hour and a half.  This left me just enough time to run one practice session for testing, prior to my heat.

Having learned the track only two days prior, I was able to run strong and bag my fourth heat finish (within the Top-5).  For once, I’d be going home with a bike that didn’t need any repairs.

Round 4, June 12-13, 2004 at PR:

It had only been two weeks since Spokane and I was really feeling great going into this weekend.  My practice sessions proved to be very educational, having just been shown the advantages of trail-braking by another buddy of mine.

This was totally contrary to what I teach as an MSF instructor.  I teach beginning riders to always use both brakes, use 4-finger braking, and get your braking done before turning.  Traction should never be lost.  Tell that to a racer and he’ll tell you that all those things will cost you TIME.

I had been personally struggling with my 1m40s plateau.  With a new clutch, I went into this weekend with a goal of achieving a 1:38.  My times came down dramatically and I turned a 1:37 during practice!  For my race, I set a new goal of 1:36 (continually pushing myself faster) since I would now be employing the trail-braking technique.  Unfortunately, I would not get the opportunity for Revelation #1 was about to rear its ugly head.  Keep reading…

This was also an all-important weekend, in that I would be meeting graduation requirements of completing my 5^th and 6^th Novice heats and moving up to “Graduated Novice” status.  I submitted my request for graduation prior to my 5^th heat and was granted graduation after only completing 5 of my 6 required heats.  The Referee has that power.  I was already pre-registered for my 6^th Novice heat and would still run it, regardless of my new status.

I had lined up to grid and was ready to conquer the rest of the field.  The light went green and we were off!  I was about 7^th or 8^th as we ended the back straight on the first lap and was rapidly approaching Turns 5, 6, and 7.  I had just exited T7 and was full-throttle in 3^rd, shifting to 4^th gear.  I was positioned slightly to the left and behind another rider when I glanced over at the other bike, just in time to see him turn sharply to the left (to enter T8) in front of me.  We were so close that his tailsection clipped my right handlebar, pulled it forward, and I was bucked off.  The violent turning motion sent my bike and me skyward.  I don’t know exactly what happened because I was knocked unconscious.  The incident was later described as a pretty spectacular high-side, rating a 9.5 from the cornerworkers.  My dismount was deeply discounted because I wasn’t able to stick the landing.  Tough crowd!

I underwent surgery to repair my right-hand pinky-finger, my ONLY serious injury.  My glove had burst at the seam between the 3^rd and 4^th fingers.  The finger was pretty well hamburgered, having most likely been pinned under the bike for a microsecond sometime during the crash.  The bones at the second knuckle were ground down, removing approximately 1/3 of the bone matter, according to the doctor.  The extender tendon had been severed, leaving my finger dangling like, well you know.  I had surgery to reattach the tendon, pin the finger, and stitch everything back together again.  Amputation was dismissed as an option due to my being right-handed and needing that finger for punctuation on the keyboard.

The homework assignment this time was to first HEAL, then rebuild the bike!  At least I had 3 months of recuperation to fix what was essentially totaled.  All but the left side bodywork was destroyed.  Both front fairing stays were folded, the gauges were crushed (so much for my 100,000-mile trophy), the rear subframe was no longer centered over the rear tire, begging the question, “It THAT normal?”  All levers, pegs, and cables needed to be replaced, along with some wiring.  Unbelievably, the forks did not get bent, although the seals leaked, while the motor, frame, swingarm, and wheels remained unscathed.  At least I had a platform to build upon.

Some would question why I rebuilt what was left.  Others might wonder why I started with the bike I did.  Had the bike not fit me so well, and had I not spent so much energy on the motor, I probably would’ve walked away from it.  Ebay turns out to be a racer’s best resource when putting a bike back together.  I would have to estimate (I’m glad that I actually lost track) that I spent about $2500 to put everything back together, including replacing/repairing all my safety gear.  Back to Revelation #3, should I have just bought a new race bike in the beginning?

My wife now fully understands what people mean when they say they have multiple bikes in various states of repair and why the garage looks like a salvage shop.

Stay tuned for the conclusion in Episode 3.

Not Waving - Top 40

TOP TEN REASONS HARLEY RIDERS MAY NOT WAVE BACK

10.  Afraid it will invalidate warranty.

9.   Leather and studs make it too hard to raise arm.

8.   Refuses to wave to anyone whose bike is already paid for.

7.   Afraid to let go of handlebars because they might vibrate off.

6.   Rushing wind would blow scabs off the new tattoos.

5.   Angry because just took out second mortgage to pay luxury tax on new Harley.

4.   Just discovered the fine print in owner’s manual and realized H-D is partially owned by those rice-burner manufacturers.

3.   Can’t tell if other riders are waving or just reaching to cover their ears like everyone else.

2.   Remembers the last time a Harley rider waved back, he impaled his hand on spiked helmet.

And the Number One reason Harley riders don’t wave back,

1.   They’re jealous that, after spending $30,000, they still don’t own a real motorcycle.

 TOP TEN REASONS GOLD WING RIDERS MAY NOT WAVE BACK

10.   Wasn’t sure whether other rider was waving or making an obscene gesture.

9.   Reflection from etched windshield momentarily blinded him.

8.   Afraid he might get frostbite if hand is removed from heated grip.

7.   Has arthritis, and the last 400 miles have it difficult to raise arm.

6.   The espresso machine just finished.

5.   Was actually asleep when the other rider waved.

4.   Was in a three-way conference call with stockbroker and accessories dealer.

3.   Couldn’t find the “auto-wave-back” button on dashboard.

2.   Was simultaneously adjusting the air suspension, seat height, programmable CD player, seat temperature and satellite navigation system.

And the Number One reason Gold Wing riders don’t wave back,

1.   They couldn’t see through the glare from the chromed dash accents.

TOP TEN REASONS BMW RIDERS MAY NOT WAVE BACK

10.   New Aerostich suit too stiff to raise arm.

9.   New owner trying to figure out how to cancel blinker from previous turn.

8.   Too sore from a 500-mile day on a stock seat.

7.   In the process of changing CDs on his K1200RT.

6.   He’s an Iron Butt rider and you’re not.

5.   Cramped up from riding K1200 for the past hour.

4.   He belongs to the “other” owners’ association.

3.   Trying to figure out how he’ll make his next payment.

2.   Has to hold on with both hands to withstand the surging.

And the Number One reason BMW riders don’t wave back,

1.   You’re not riding the “right kind” of BMW.

TOP TEN REASONS SPORT BIKE RIDERS MAY NOT WAVE BACK

10.   Need both hands to loft the front end.

9.   Trying to save the bike after crossing the double-yellow in a right-hand turn.

8.   T-shirt inflates with too much air.

7.   Eyes are glued to the radar detector.

6.   Hasn't installed a steering damper yet.

5.   Shield tinting is so dark that they didn't see you.

4.   Trying to remember if they finished their math homework.

3.   Wrists are tired from hand-filing knee pucks and chicken strips.

2.   Distracted by the flashing red and blue lights in the mirrors.

And the Number One reason sport bike riders don’t wave back,

1.   Waving at others is a waste of time because they're either looking for parts that have vibrated off, playing with their electronics, or looking for something in one of ten pockets on their 'Stich.