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My Paul Smart is worn out!

1215 Views 4 Replies 3 Participants Last post by twistedracer, Sep 3, 2012

twistedracer

Discussion Starter · Sep 1, 2012

I normally only do short 67 mile rides on nice days. I ride to Eatonville for coffee, up through the twisties to Elbe then double back towards home. Just nice easy rides to enjoy Jewel and put a smile on my face. Recently I did a 300 and a 269 mile ride. Jewel now has 2360 miles on her, WORE OUT!!!

What to do now? I had GP suspension set my my bike up. She now sits higher with more pre-load and the damping has been stiffened up. Would you believe its a smoother ride with the suspension higher in the stroke? Next up were some Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsas. It now feels like power steering on the street, they steer so much lighter.

I've always babied this bike to make sure nothing bad happens to her but when I mentioned to my pops how I always worry about her he said to just ride her hard and when the crash truck hauls her away to go and buy another bike. Life's to short, so Jewel and I are headed to the Ridge Sunday for the WMRRA races and doing the taste of racing for her intro to the track. I haven't been on a track since '07 so it should be fun knocking off the cobwebs on a brand new track.

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twistedracer

Discussion Starter · #4 · Sep 1, 2012

Thanks.

I haven't raced or track dayed since '07. My old sponsor had forbidden me from ever taking her on the track or I would have lost any or all help. Needless to say she's led an easy and pampered life. Well those days are long gone and I've got an itch to scratch. The Ridge looks like a fun track so here comes a vintage rider ( 48 ) and a young vintage bike. I'll try to take it easy on her unless I have a flashback.

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twistedracer

Discussion Starter · #5 · Sep 3, 2012

Well riding at the Ridge today was a lot off fun. I decided to start last right behind the last control rider so I could follow and learn the lines without being mixed in withe the mob up ahead. The next few laps I rode around following a Triumph Bonneville that was set up pretty nice. As I followed him around the track, I kept thinking " this is what the early seventies must have been like ".
Once I got more comfortable on the track I picked up the pace, left the Bonnie behind and caught the group up ahead. It was good to catch my buddy who started at the front of the pack and pass him coming out of the last corner to beat him to the checkered. That made friend who was watching very happy.

A couple of things kept going through my head while on the track. #1 was I really wish I had a slipper clutch, this bike has alot of backtorque. #2 was don't ride her to hard, you can't replace her if anything happens.
She's also a total attention whore. There was always someone poring over her the whole time we were at the track. One person told me " sometimes it's really hard to define cool, but you know it when you see it. And that bike is just cool". Another older gent came up and touched the fairing with a bit of reverence. He then turns to me and says " I've touched the real bike and now I've touched them both. It was a good, fun and very interesting day. What an ATTENTION WHORE!!!

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