Dry ride #1, £25 bargain day!

So after the ride in the wet on 5th Feb, i stripped the bike and did a nut and bolt front to back. With everything good, it was just a case of waiting until Tuesday 8th for the next ride out.

Like i said in the last blog, I'd spent the first day in the horrible wet, setting up the controls on the bike to be comfortable. Levers, rearsets, bars etc. In between rides i fitted thicker seat foam, and a bumstop, so i could ease up on the bars when i was exiting corners.

Someone told me my shock needed servicing as it had 'dropped it's gas'. I had my doubts, but followed it up with a call to Pete Clifford at http://www.actiforceracing.co.uk we arranged to look at the bike at Oulton on the Tuesday.

Early start then in the morning, not my strong point... Several snoozes later i pulled myself out of bed and headed to Oulton park. It was dry, but dewy and cold. Hottrax had dropped their price to £25, and it was turning out to possibly be the bargain day of the year.

Set up in the garage with Ash Rothwell (Ashspider) from http://www.throttlemonkey.co.uk, we were in garage 6 (closer to the toilets that garage 12 like the previous ride;- i learnt a lesson there!)

With the sun beginning to shine and dry up the dew, Actiforce Suspension went over my bike and confirmed the shock was spot on. Pete changed the springs to suit my weight more, altered the shock length and adjusted the air gap too.

Immediately on the first session of the day i could feel the improvements. The bike was more balanced, not backing in like it had, and i had grip at the back, which was nice. I got used to the bike and made a few small changes and kept going. Eventually, it felt almost as natural to get on and go ride, as the last bike, which was nice.

In one of the last sessions of the day, i inadvertently stumbled across Ian Courts, someone I've previously raced against when he was a part of ETA racing in the HMRC Endurance series. We had a great few laps, one of those sessions when you forget about everything and just ride, it was fun, and pulled me on to my quickest times of the day. I realised i was comfortable on the bike and not far off where i want to be.

One thing i have noticed, that will take some getting used to, is the size of the tank. It feels so narrow compared to the Honda... So in summary, the day both good fun, and a success as far as getting the bike set up and getting used to a Yamaha again. It was good to see so many people from http://www.trackdayriders.co.uk

i need to thank Mexico Paul for his help yet again, Seb Bulpin and Si Gardner, Pete @ Actiforce suspension, and last but certainly not least, Chris from http://www.the-ironing-shop.co.uk

I'm now toying with the idea of going somewhere a little warmer to ride before we race... Watch this space!

Bongo