ARA meeting 18/7/21

Andy J

Hero member
Location
Isle of Man
One of those 'curate's egg' type of experience this weekend - good in parts.
The good bits: fine and dry weather, but not too hot; the bike passed scrutineering without much hassle; it started when needed to, I didn't crash and finished both races.
The not so good bits were: too many missed gears; a couple of excursions onto the run-off area at the bottom bend (the meeting running effing clockwise again); failing to catch and pass a young lad on a modernish 125 Aprilia single (2stroke). In both races I was quicker than him in several parts of the circuit but I kept cocking it up when I was within striking distance.
Also I was a bit bemused to see in the results I hadn't gone quicker in race 2 when I was convinced whilst I was out there I was carrying more corner speed through a few sections, particularly through the kink at the end of the back straight. Shows how much I know...
Oh, and I forgot to mention, in the background is Dave Moly's latest sidecar creation with the 890 KTM motor fitted. Nice colour.....
 

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I was going through a spate of missed gears, now fixed with a tiny down adjustment to the lever, seems I was at max ankle flex and hadn't noticed. I was also at maximum pedal adjustment on the rearsets and it took lots of work to get that 3 or 4mm. I always thought seeing really acquit angles of gear levers was odd, I now know why. I was missing up changes
 
By Iacute angle I mean seeing the gear lever hang down to my eye really low, some look virtually vertical, it had that right-angle geometry already Q, just too high at the tip. And lowering it was a job, I needed to shorten the adjusting threaded rod and once shortened the internally threaded hole in that rod was too short as well and it was made out of bloody hard steel. Luckily I know a very tall bloke with a Lath. I can now exert full upward foot pressure and even hold that pressure when it doest engage on the rare occasion. Almost did the last big 2-day ride with no missed gearchanges, well until late in the last day when I was tied and got a bit lazy. Way better than before.
 
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Maybe you answer yourself, Andy. Missed gears and running off the track, when you are "sure" you are going faster. Fairly common signs of being a bit too wound up and not, as Barry Sheene used to say "slow down if you want to go faster". Fantastic that you didn't have to get your hands dirty and stress over a bike that is playing up. Well done, keep it up.
 
There is quite a bit of movement in the gear shift linkage and I think the rose joint has a habit of hitting the engine cover on up changes, which is where I was having the problem.
I remember Barry's quote, plus Joey always said riding smoothly was the way to a quick lap at the TT so yes, I need to relax a bit more perhaps.
 

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Nice pic, getting into it. A Helite inflator vest?They are fantastic, can save a lot of grief. I have one but as my suit doesn't have a hump it rides up and pushes on the back of my helmet, tilting the front down obscuring my vision so I can't use it.
 
Yep, it’s one of their ‘Airvests’. Having bust a rib or two last year I’m hoping it will provide a bit more protection than just a back and chest protector if I have a spill. As I have a ‘bump’ on my leathers it doesn’t ride up and doesn’t particularly interfere with moving around on the bike. Expensive, but what price do you put on avoiding pain, especially alt our age.
 
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