Post by Kareem on May 12, 2008 19:24:05 GMT -5
This is a small report by our member in Shanghai who raced in the first CBF150 Challenge one make race. He usually rides a Yamaha R1 and is a specialist at the Nurburgriing circuit in Germany.
“For the first few minutes as a season’s starter, I thought the 150cc Honda’s could be fine. Sitting on such a bike, it’s not really comparable with my usual R1 position. And the actuation of clutch, brake and gas was more feeling like some decades ago. At least, everyone would be on same bikes, so I was not feeling alone.
Getting on TianMa track was easy, but I needed to adapt my riding habits to get faster. Hanging off extremely in the curves would be honored with good exit speed while each straight-line was feeling like an eternity. My confidence in those slim tires also grew while making better apex speeds. Still no sliding? No way, just some chattering feedback from the fork and backwheel… Getting faster only by braking less.
As I practiced more laps, I got addicted by the clean and precise way of riding they demand. It is a real good exercise for everyone who wants to get started with the basics of motorcycle racing – and all that on a low risk vehicle!
Finally, I learned I shrugged off 2 seconds vs my qualifying time, and I still could have done 2 seconds better! I come back to fine-tune my skills soon!”
Best regards,
Peter
“For the first few minutes as a season’s starter, I thought the 150cc Honda’s could be fine. Sitting on such a bike, it’s not really comparable with my usual R1 position. And the actuation of clutch, brake and gas was more feeling like some decades ago. At least, everyone would be on same bikes, so I was not feeling alone.
Getting on TianMa track was easy, but I needed to adapt my riding habits to get faster. Hanging off extremely in the curves would be honored with good exit speed while each straight-line was feeling like an eternity. My confidence in those slim tires also grew while making better apex speeds. Still no sliding? No way, just some chattering feedback from the fork and backwheel… Getting faster only by braking less.
As I practiced more laps, I got addicted by the clean and precise way of riding they demand. It is a real good exercise for everyone who wants to get started with the basics of motorcycle racing – and all that on a low risk vehicle!
Finally, I learned I shrugged off 2 seconds vs my qualifying time, and I still could have done 2 seconds better! I come back to fine-tune my skills soon!”
Best regards,
Peter