Track bike (636) upgrade thread

[Beefmaster_Mark]

I talked to the Race Tech guys today and got a quote for about $460 plus tax for the rebuild of my stock 2002 Ninja ZX-6R (636) shock.

She quoted me on the labor, Gold Valve, springs, and various seals and bits.  She said they'd do the sag for an extra $20.

Two things:  they are a M-F, 8-5 shop and they are in Chino.  So I'd have to take part of two days off, one each to drop off and pick up.  So that kind of sucks obviously.

However, I want to get this puppy fixed up and I know the shock rebuild will go a long way towards this.

I asked her if she thought it would be worth picking up a newer model, used shock and she said to not bother - she said the rebuild would take care of any performance or handling deficiencies in the older model.

What do you guys think?  Is there a more local (to Long Beach/L.A.) option that would be comparably priced and of similar quality?

[aprilmaybe]

Take the shock out, ship it to them and get the sag done at the track. If not the track, I know Pro Italia will do suspension set ups occasionally. I'm sure some other shops will do the same. Also try calling Tige at cyclemall, Ray seemed to be happy with his work.

[rwalterk]

The only other reasonably priced local option is Catalyst (Tige).  He'll probably do it cheaper and at least he's in Tustin, which is a little closer to you.  West Coast GP Cycles was pretty expensive from what I remember when I called, but maybe you can call and see if they'll do it for a decent price.  April's suggestion is good if you have a way to suspend your bike's ass end while the shock's out, that way you don't have to take time off work.  You can at least take a shot at setting sag yourself (http://sportbikewrench.com/howtovideos.aspx), then have someone at the track adjust it.  You probably remember Dave Moss, the guy in the video, who is awesome.  Actually those how-to videos are all awesome.   

I wanted to have Racetech do mine, but Tige did a sweet job rebuilding my stuff for a better price.  Of course I have no way to compare to a Racetech rebuild but my stuff is better than when the bike was new, partially thanks to a shock spring that's actually correct for my weight.  Also mine was just a re-valve as opposed to new valves (had to keep the price down since it was shock and forks).

So maybe call Tige, West Coast GP and see how they compare.  Or take April's suggestion about shipping the shock. 

[rwalterk]

This guy's name just came up on socalmoto:

Eric Haeselich
http://www.motoradservice.com

If I read correctly, he was a Honda tech on the AMA factory team (Corona) before it shut down.  I'm guessing he knows a thing or two about race bikes.  He's in Redondo Beach and is probably worth contacting to see how much he'll charge you for a shock rebuild.

Edit: note from Eric:

Turn around times are quick right now. I work for Pat Clark Racing in the AMA and my workload is lite at the moment. Next chance you get call me and we can chat about what kind of work you are looking for. Feel free to pass my number along.
Eric Haeselich
619.200.4325

Pat Clark's team is the Yamaha (satellite?) team with Ben Bostrom.  Nice!

[Beefmaster_Mark]

Wow - nice find there Ray!  I will DEF. call him!  Thank you!

[Beefmaster_Mark]

I finally emailed Eric about getting my track bike shock rebuilt.  Need to get this done so the track days can commence!

Does anyone know of anyone who is looking to sell their Trailer in a Bag? 

[rwalterk]

Nice!  Did Eric give you a decent quote?  As far as trailer in a bag goes, I only know one person who has one - Nukleon (Dan) on socalsvriders.org.  I sent him a PM asking if he'd sell it.   

[Beefmaster_Mark]

He did - he's supposed to call me tomorrow

[rwalterk]

No go on the trailer... he sold it already.   

[Beefmaster_Mark]

Bummer! 

What do you guys think about the Trailer in a Bag (TiaB), in general?  Here are my thoughts and concerns in no particular order:

1) it would be great to not have to rent a cargo van every time I want to go out for a track day.  The main issue with this is money; it's quite expensive.  The second issue is the timing - because of work, and leaving super early for track days, plus the late time we generally get home, means I usually end up renting a van for three days (for a single day of track time).  The third issue is safety:  I do worry about having all that equipment in the back of a van, if we were to be in a serious wreck, particularly a rollover or rear-end situation.

2) I could store the TiaB very easily, and the hitches I've read that will fit on my Civic would allow for towing the TiaB, but not a full-on trailer like a small Harbor Freight trailer (due to the max tongue weight load)

3) I am concerned, if I were to sufficiently bin my track bike, that I would have difficulty transporting a wrecked bike home since the bike sits on its wheels on the TiaB.  If the forks and front end were seriously messed up, I might have to ask someone else to bring my bike home.

4) Finally, I am concerned that perhaps if I were to roll out on my own, I might have to make provisions for someone to drive my rig home if I were injured to the point of not being able to drive.  I consider this to be a longshot (same with item #3 above, hopefully), but I suppose it's a consideration.

Any thoughts are welcome!

[rwalterk]

Off the top of my head.

Trailer (specifically tiab) pros:

• easily stored
• easy to load/unload bike
• no more renting vans
• track days become much easier to plan for logistically

Trailer cons:

• have to put a hitch on your car
• 55 MPH speed limit
• possible you could bin your bike bad enough that it's not trailer safe

Personally I still may get a used truck... can't bring myself to put a hitch on the Infiniti. 

[Beefmaster_Mark]

Yeah, I hear you on the 55 MPH and especially putting a hitch on the car - but I have an '04 Civic, so a hitch ... meh.  S'OK with me.   

I would NOT put a hitch on that beautiful Infinity either, Ray. 

I might look around for other trailer options - perhaps there is a very lightweight trailer that could still "stand up" on end for storage, and still have a deck (which a binned bike could be laid upon) rather than a "rail" type trailer like TiaB.  The main consideration with that is the tongue weight - hitches/tow packages that are able to fit on a Civic just can't bear that much tongue weight.

[wlk12]

Mark - when I used to trailer my dual sport, I used a lightweight utility trailer frame such as this one (mine might have been a little larger):

www.harborfreight.com/870-lb-capacity-40-inch-x-49-inch-heavy-duty-utility-trailer-with-8-inch-wheels-and-tires-42708.html

and bolted on a motorcycle rail. It was easy to assemble and about as lightweight as you can get. Only required a Class 1 hitch (think I used a Class 2 on my Olds Intrique - that's what U-Haul recommended and they installed it).

Don't know about standing it up, I had room in my garage (barely) for the trailer and the bikes. They make one that folds up but I don't know anything about it.

It was REALLY easy to tow. After a while, you forget it's back there. And I wouldn't worry too much about the 55 mph - I just ran at about 65 and of course other vehicles towing boats and trailers just whizzed by me . Anyway, I didn't find it to be a problem.

As far as crashing bike and/or injuring yourself, I wouldn't worry about it (I didn't ) - if it happens, you'll have bigger problems to be concerned with. Friends or a towing service can always get your stuff home or to the shop.

Good Luck,

Bill K.

By the way, the hitch on the Intrique was clever - it was a "stealth" hitch where the receiver was mounted under the car out of the way and slanted down. Then the ball mount (which fits in the receiver) had a big kink in it which went under the bumper and then up to where it should be for the ball. Neat. Really neat since it was Sheila's car (I told her they didn't have a hitch for my Camaro - wonder if that was true ).

[rwalterk]

Really neat since it was Sheila's car (I told her they didn't have a hitch for my Camaro - wonder if that was true ).

  

[pshaw118]

Personally I still may get a used truck... can't bring myself to put a hitch on the Infiniti.

I'm personally thinking the opposite.  I can only have one car.  I'm thinking of getting something more fun and adding a trailer hitch to it.  If anyone here is interested in a truck that smells like cigarette smoke, I'll sell it at a nice homey discount.  BTW, I've been thinking of getting a trailer in a bag for years now.  That actually seems like the best solution for me.