Sam,
Get the launch with a clutch confusion out of your mind! Not knowing what the bike will do when you let the clutch out can concern anyone. Your reactions that you posted shows just what I've been writing about! Reactions that varied. You got better at it. Probably the same thing will happen with the 'matic. Practice is to get you and Bill comfortable with what the bike is going to do. As you get more comfortable, your reactions get better. Your 60' times show that your clutch slippage wasn't consistent and/or the traction varied. Probably mostly your left hand controlling the clutch lever varied. 1.8 second 60' times aren't radical - you won't point at the sky - you won't break the rear tire loose. You just go forward. Hondamatics just go forward. See the last yellow light, release the rear brake, and go forward. You go wide open on the throttle when the first yellow comes on. The torque converter is the best rev limiter without electronics that you can find. Don't worry about the tach; don't worry about the revs. Tree starts - wide open throttle -last yellow -release brake -start going down the track. Revs slowly climb up into the powerband - the front wheel gets light - starts coming off of the pavement. Get your weight forward to limit the upward motion on the wheelie. In a second or less the front wheel is back on the ground. You can use the rear brake to limit the wheelie, but it will cause variations in et. At the 1/8th mile mark, if we get the gearing right, you do your only shift under full power. (At around 10 grand) Look for the finish line and shut down the throttle just after you cross the line. When you get out of the gas, the bike won't slow down much. The engine won't act as a brake. Use the brakes lightly to slow the bike down to a comfortable mph. Look for the turnoff and judge your speed accordingly. You will probably get back onto the gas to get to the turnoff. Slowly go down the return road, collect your time slip, and return it to your pit area. It will need the 15 minute cool down before running it again. The challenges are one at a time; Stage to the same depth every time. Apply the rear brake to keep the bike from creeping forward; First yellow - full throttle; last yellow - release the brake. Feel the front end getting light - shift your weight forward to keep the front end down. 1/8th mile mark (line across the track and or cones on the concrete barriers) shift it. Finish line- get off the gas and use a little brake. Just one thing at a time to worry about. The rear brake lever will act as an on/off switch. You don't affect your 60' times by how quickly you release it. About 3 runs down the track and you should be getting comfortable that it will do the same thing every time. After making a couple of "full" passes, you can compare the segment times from each run. That should be when you decide that you've made a really good decision to build a Hondamatic drag bike.
Bill may have the greater variations. Having a little experience riding wheelies helps with not shifting your weight around side to side and always keeping the front wheel pointed straight forward. Trusting what the bike will do is the biggest help to riding it. The lack of doing much going down the track is a little eerie to me. I'm used to having to look at the tach, hitting my shift points, and staying busy. A Hondamatic is a ride in the country in comparison. You just have to point it straight and hit your one shift point. Moving your head on the top end to look around will slightly slow you down. I find a spot where I can see the other lane and the finish line as it approaches, keeping the helmet in one position. Don't worry about your reaction times! Consistency is what you're trying to do. Yes, you always need to launch in the tire tracks that the cars make. Line up between the car tracks and you may find out what happens when you get antifreeze or tranny fluid under the rear tire. Quick views of the walls usually happen then.
You'll have a second test and tune time on the Friday before the event. I'll help work with you both on reaction times and bike placement. This is supposed to be fun. Don't fill your heads with doubt or too much information! This will give you a memory that will really last - until the next time that you do it again...
JW
