Taff's racing season 2006

third event of the year yesterday. the other two i don't want to talk about...

the race was a strange one. it's a time card event but it's so short that instead of being the traditional 4 laps for clubmen it was 7. the time allowances were 40, 40, 22, 20, 18, 16, 15.

the first two laps you stop and queue for your special test after you've done about 2 miles and then as you go through the light at the other end and continue your lap. this is why the times are generous for the forst two.

the bike started first time and i was away! the bike ran well and i did the first lap with just one fall. the front wheel didn't want to hold and i kept having to save it.

on the second lap after queueing for the ST it stalled and would not restart! i did get it going and continued, however, after reapirs i had had little time to recover before i was off.

i would stop the bike and then it would be a pig to restart. once, the entire lot had gone and i only just beat the next minute off the line.

the difference yesterday was that it didn't stall as i rode it - bar the once. this happened on the sixth lap when i caught 101 and 103 up (i was on my favourite number by pure chance - 102) and 101 decided to take the rope and posts out and into his rear wheel! i locked everything up as it was at a VERY fast part of the course. the bike wouldn't restart for ages after this.

i had been doing 18 and 17 minute laps but now i was over the 16 by 3 because of this plus i needed fuel. on the last lap it stalled again when i pulled over to adjust a handguard and wouldn't start again for a few minutes.

the handling of the bike was the best it's ever been, awesome! on my third lap we had the experts start with us and although one overtook me i held station for the entire lap just 25 yards ahead of a gaggle of them.

there are little touches to keep trying on the suspension and this ignition/carb problem.

i like a low tickover and the bike will miss a beat every now and again. it has always been a bit like that if i recall but it is worse.

my mate chris is back on his '04 husaberg which he prefers because the '05 husky is too much for him. big jim was there on his '03 501 and this time it was his turn to pick up a stone and split his chain.

chris reported afterwards that i had come 19th in the ST out of about 70-100 in our class and those that know me know that it was only last season that i started to get to grips with STs. normally my MX is crap and i'm not a good 100% rider but i seem to be getting that right now. that combination of fast and no mistakes is hard to get right! only took me 6 years!!!!

the nissin brake gave more feel and the bike is is phenominal in a straight line powerwise. no need for my 450 conversion really but that is on the cards next.

regards

Taffy

if you lock absolutely everything up from a high speed so that you don't feed the brake, you can't even feed it off a little then yes you can stall these bikes.

if you go from go to no then they stall if you can brake hard but let that rear wheel turn then it'll idle. as said though, my problems are elsewhere and may be connected....

regards

Taffy

i carry nothing with me although everything awaits me back in the pits at every race. that was bad luck fella! i don't advise riding there because things go wrong with bikes in extreme conditions and then walking 5 miles home would be 50 wouldn't it!

jim took a rock anbd so did i so when that happens you've had it. one other thing....we both use those half steel half alloy sprockets and there is no give at all so the weak link (sorry about the pun) is the link...

regards

Taffy

great day today, really felt 'back' after kinda switching off for some time over my electrical issues. i've discussed my electrical woh's elsewhere as i have the suspension changes to the bike.

but today no probs with sussies or electrics.

did a two-man'er at hawkedon which is just 20-25 miles from me and the nearest i race all season. i got my old drinking bud 'cole' (or colin) out and let his start. this was the identical course to the one i did last season with american mark.

the torque of the 400 with the ignition turned to 'lo' was awesome with hribman style cranked over wheelies. do i need that LS 450?????? ssshhhiiiissshhh-it's getting hard to decide!

the .48 front springs are already a success and i'll prsevere to get the best from them. if not, i'll share a 48 with a 46 and see how a 47 'average' goes.

there is a rear spring to try-a PDS4 which is rated at 85-111/250 and i may go straight for it for next sunday rather than prat about at lunchtime.

the S12 front behaved with the 15 pounds PSI that viking recommended! the forks used all bar 10mm of travel.

i had one simple fluffy fall all day, great day had out and i'm back in the groove looking forward to continueing the taff lloyd R & D programme.

dunno where my partner and i came. tish, tish!!!

regards

Taffy

great day today, really felt 'back' after kinda switching off for some time over my electrical issues. i've discussed my electrical woh's elsewhere as i have the suspension changes to the bike.

but today no probs with sussies or electrics.

did a two-man'er at hawkedon which is just 20-25 miles from me and the nearest i race all season. i got my old drinking bud 'cole' (or colin) out and let his start. this was the identical course to the one i did last season with american mark.

the torque of the 400 with the ignition turned to 'lo' was awesome with hribman style cranked over wheelies. do i need that LS 450?????? ssshhhiiiissshhh-it's getting hard to decide!

the .48 front springs are already a success and i'll prsevere to get the best from them. if not, i'll share a 48 with a 46 and see how a 47 'average' goes.

there is a rear spring to try-a PDS4 which is rated at 85-111/250 and i may go straight for it for next sunday rather than prat about at lunchtime.

the S12 front behaved with the 15 pounds PSI that viking recommended! the forks used all bar 10mm of travel.

i had one simple fluffy fall all day, great day had out and i'm back in the groove looking forward to continueing the taff lloyd R & D programme.

dunno where my partner and i came. tish, tish!!!

regards

Taffy

great day today, really felt 'back' after kinda switching off for some time over my electrical issues. i've discussed my electrical woh's elsewhere as i have the suspension changes to the bike.

but today no probs with sussies or electrics.

did a two-man'er at hawkedon which is just 20-25 miles from me and the nearest i race all season. i got my old drinking bud 'cole' (or colin) out and let his start. this was the identical course to the one i did last season with american mark.

the torque of the 400 with the ignition turned to 'lo' was awesome with hribman style cranked over wheelies. do i need that LS 450?????? ssshhhiiiissshhh-it's getting hard to decide!

the .48 front springs are already a success and i'll prsevere to get the best from them. if not, i'll share a 48 with a 46 and see how a 47 'average' goes.

there is a rear spring to try-a PDS4 which is rated at 85-111/250 and i may go straight for it for next sunday rather than prat about at lunchtime.

the S12 front behaved with the 15 pounds PSI that viking recommended! the forks used all bar 10mm of travel.

i had one simple fluffy fall all day, great day had out and i'm back in the groove looking forward to continueing the taff lloyd R & D programme.

dunno where my partner and i came. tish, tish!!!

regards

Taffy

i don't know but if you believe in 'things were meant to happen' then you can hardly overlook DSDUCATI'S pair of 48s that he has for sale or exchange.

if we took the springs on their own then i would say you may not find it all candy. whatever else though i'd say that they are the springs for your weight and if you ride lots of 'chop', ruts, rollers - then even more so!

i went to K-talk and simply stated that i was there to improve my suspension and that if i had a belief before i started: it was that i would need heavier springs and softer shimming. that's the way i've gone and it's getting better and better.

i watched some enduro on friday night on 'motors' it's a french satellite channel and it had the domestic enduro championship of france on there. it was so obvious to me that the bikes run very high in the stroke and yet have very soft suspension. how else can you get a bike to sit high and yet be soft other than what i'm prescribing?

if i were you bob i'd have a go. you could try some of the shimstack i have and if we didn't get you spot on straight away-well it would only take two takes to get it i'm sure. no need to pay anybody, just follow the WP manual and the tips in 'the doc'.

what is medium suspension for my 205 would be soft and ideal for your trail riding.

regards

Taffy

went up to lincolnshire today and round 2 of the banovallum club's championship. having modded the valving on the front forks and put a heavier rear spring on it i was travelling through driving rain to see whether i'd survive never mind whether i'd improved the bike!

it rained that bad that everyone parked facing the exit gate and as usual i got my kicks out of the scrutineer not spotting that i had no right hand side rear footbrake pedal. once is funny but two seasons later he was doing his 'muttley' impersonation as his foot hit thin air (yet again and again and again !!!!!!!!). donchya just lurvvvvit!

anyway, there was no sighter lap this time and the 2 x 1.5 hours was now a straight 2.5 hours. suits me, i wanna get on and enjoy, get in and get out is the lloyd motto.

i kicked it off the trailer, and guess how many kicks? go on? how many? FIRST TIME cold, with choke no sheeyet!

on the grid with 40+ on my row i kicked and went and was third into the first bend, i didn't do anything silly knowing that i had the right tyre pressures and that 90% of the field didn't and sure enough i worked my way through! next thing i'm joining the row that started infront of us - the MX ers _ and i dunno why?, next thing i'm going back EXACTLY the way i came but in the opposite direction!!! turns out that the leader of my row had eneterd the tape area of the wrong wood and in the wrong direction!

my conclusion at the time was that someone has cut out a climb , muddy, unpassable, and so i continue and eventually i'm the first rider to be stopped!

have i made up that much ground (despite the cheating?) SO WE GO BACK TO THE GRID AND THE RACE TAKES 30 MINUTES TO START AGAIN. this time i 'prat' around and discover that what with the 'unstallable bike' i have lowered the RPM and the clutch free's up easily so i can find neutral. so i try second gear, stall it and then fire and go with the rekluse helping.

it works!

so at the restart we'll try that right/ and on the grid i leave in third and cut to the inside whereby i move to second. from now on i get vague, i never slipped up but i do get passed and i can't tell you who by?

so i race for 2.5 hours and get passed near the end by a coupla wankers who are oblivious to where the corners are-cheating B........ not to worry!

i keep putting off going in for fuel knowing that 2-hours so far is nowt! (are you reading this bossy?) so i start another lap and all of a sudden i stop, now i haven't had one stall all day! and i look down to see that the ignition barrel has snapped in half! i had had a fall on the aborted race start and eventually it had fallen apart!

so i sat there and checked it all out and decided to have the headlamp off and by using my teeth; to have a little bit of the orange wire cover off!

this i did but whilst i was there some BW went and thrashed shyte loads of muck onto my head and hair. i had layed the helmet down with the open part facing under the bike to the engine belly, that was OK but THIS WASN'T EXPECTED!!!!

I WAS COVERED IN IT!

anyway, got back and i'm sure i'm in the top 10. could have been the top 5 i think but there! that's life ain't it mate! things were so bad that they stopped the race on the lap i was on. 2-hours.

half the 'field' was in my hair and clothes, i have the other half on the bike or in my car. i needed towing out in the end by a JCB it was that rough. however i still look upon today with a big smile. i LOVE the wet and can't wait till the next time.

regards

Taffy

oye

lancs to lincs - you can make it! there are always about 5 huseys ata banovallum! C U at the next one! :wink:

regards

taffy

ok it's confirmed. i was 5th from 47 in class and if i'd finished that last lap i would have been 3rd. i would have been about 7th from 150 in total.

regards

Taffy