[sponge]

me at the track with my ttr125 mini-tard riding with a bunch of sport bikes. it rained most of the day (which i liked cause the track became an open session for who ever wanted to go out (did a lot of laps, for some funny reason, sport bikes don't like riding in the rain)). when the track was dry, i got thrown into the novice group cause my engine is so small. the problem with the novice class is there is no passing in the corners (i did sign up for the intermediate group, but organizers thought everyone would be happier if i dropped down a class). so i'd ride up everyones butt in the corners, then they'd blast away on the straights, and then i'd reel them in again.

 

[Dan-Olson]

Very cool. What track is that? What is the track like? What kinds of bikes were in your class?

 

[sponge]

we were tracking the nelson circuit at shannonville motorsport park. i was the only 'tard' out (and a mini tard at that). the other bikes were many 600 sport bikes, a couple sv's, and a few 750 and litre bikes (oh, and a rs125 showed up). the nelson circuit is mostly turns so the sport bikes mainly rode around in 2nd and 3rd gear. i was using 3rd, 4th, and 5th gear. i more then held my own in the corners (did i mention that this is the first time i've ever rode on a not for super moto track?). the fact that the track was almost always wet or it was raining probably worked in my advantage too (although i'm think i would be even faster in the dry kicking my foot out around the corners too). it was the straights that killed me. a 11.75 rwhp bike just can't accellerate like a 100rwhp sport bike.

 

[Dan-Olson]

I notice in the pic that the track is pretty wet. What types of tires are you running?

 

[sponge]

i think over half my ride time was in the rain. traction was a real issue for the sport bikes. there were two low sides and a crash (we're not sure if the bike low sided or high sided, but the front end sustained a fair amount of damage). someone told me that the trick to riding in the rain is to lean the body and keep the bike upright as possible. a bit opposite of what i'm use to doing.

for tires, i'm running cheng shin hi-max 110/70-17 front and rear. they cost me about $110 cnd for the pair. i run them around 17-21 psi. if it was dry, i'd switch over to the set a gp125 tires.

 

[Dan-Olson]

When I learned to ride motocross in the late seventies, we were taught to corner by sliding to the front of the seat, keeping the torso vertical, cranking the bike over, and keeping the inside arm and leg straight. Oh yeah... and point your toe at the front axle bolt! Thank god for long travel, disc brakes, flat seats, and water cooling, and Bob Hannah!