I hope to get my bike on the track sometime this year, I never have drag raced on a bike but have been 7.50's at 177 in a car. Need a new helmet first.
It's a 70 with a K3 motor, mildly ported, 836 kit, KH/K cam, APE springs and retainers, Yamiya 4-4 repro no number pipes, I'd drill the baffles or remove them but won't cut them off. 70 carbs with stock jets. I have a 17" Shinko on an A rim that could bolt on in place of the 18" Lester/Dunlop. 17/48 sprockets.
Any advise on launching, setup or other tips from guys that have done it on a mostly stock frame? I feel the need to get a time slip. Because, I ain't getting any younger.
I knew a guy that had pegs on the swingarm, laid over the tank and shifted with his left hand. I'm not that adventurous but I do own his bike from which I'll borrow the seat and gas tank.
I've had more fun with a short wheelbase bike with a stock engine than some of my faster/quicker full tilt dragbikes. Prior to building my long wheelbase F3, i used to race my stock K8 in street ET. I learned quickly that you have to develop smooth clutch/throttle skills if you want to lower your 60' while also keeping the front wheel on the ground. I can't remember the gearing I put on it but it was pretty stout, because i mainly used the bike to commute around the city of Houston and wasn't concerned about freeway speeds so in reality, it already had drag race gearing.
Because i knew the bike had a lot of low end torque, I knew the bike had to be set up so my riding position was conducive to a hard launch. I lowered the bike by sliding the fork tubes up in the triples, i replaced the stock exhaust with a used sidewinder from a CB1100F to get more ground clearance. I made a set of short, adjustable struts and located a spare seat and had it cut down to lower my body into the frame more and lock my body forward and in place. I also added a set of dragbars to allow my body to lean forward. getting as far forward on the bike as possible to put more weight on the frontend to help combat wheelies. Put your feet as far forward as you can when rolling in the beam. Your legs will naturally swing backwards to the pegs so you can be ready to foot shift the bike. The rest of the pass is easy once you launch the bike. Like the car, just hit the shift points and tuck in for the ride.
I would suggest you buy a set of short shocks and not use struts. I only used them at the time because i didn't know any better. You want the suspension to work properly. Be certain your front forks are not spongy. If they are leaking, put new seals in and heavy weight oil to stiffen them up. Ideally, Lowering them internally with a spacer and stiffening them up would be best. You want the center of gravity of the bike as low as practical without bottoming it out. A sidewinder exhaust helps to get the clearance you really need. It might be best to preserve those nice 4-4 pipes and not drill them out.
At the track, My method was to bring the rpms up at the line and then finesse the clutch lever to get the bike moving. The key is not to throw the lever away, but slide it out as much as possible to get the bike moving as quickly as you can and not cause it to wheelie. YOu don't want to drag the clutch too long but you also want to lock the throttle wide open as fast as practical.
The key for me was to practice my launches on the country road near my home. My goal was to learn to launch the bike as hard as possible without spinning the tire on the unprepped street. Once i felt i had perfected that feat, I was ready for the dragstrip and it really paid off. Just keep one thing in mid, do not over ride your skill level- just like racing the car.
