In Part 2 of Start Racing we get to spend money on a race bike. We have a choice whether to buy a second bike or convert a road bike. Think about it carefully otherwise your hard-earned folding will be wasted. There's no hurry. I personally spent a whole year looking at all the various options of which bike and class to go for.

For everyone's safety on circuit, there are some basic preps that are required for all race bikes. These aspects will be thoroughly checked during scrutineering at a race meeting. For further details refer to the ACU handbook. For all machines (apart from most 2 strokes) a belly pan is required to hold a certain amount of fluid should a gasket give up or an engine blow completely. On a road bike, the water system, crank case breather and the fuel tank are all free to drain to the road surface. But we don't want any fluid on the racetrack. All engine breather tubes should terminate at a catch bottle. Strictly, the fuel breather should be to a separate catch bottle in case of a blow-back. All drain bolts and stops in front of engine fluids should be drilled and lock-wired to a secure point like the engine casing or chassis. These include the oil sump drain plug, oil filler cap, radiator cap and the oil filter itself. Something working loose is not what we require on our race bike.


Second hand race bikes

There are plenty of second hand race bikes on the market, especially at the end of the season in autumn. Some guys (including yours truly) may run out of money and could be forced to sell up anytime during the year. Check in the MCN adverts, club internet sites/forums and at race meetings were you can regularly find race bikes for sale.

One thing we have to stop straightaway is looking at things through showroom-tinted-glasses. A race bike is not about pure looks but function and performance. A well prepared machine may not look much to the layman. Obviously a benefit is having all the preparation already sorted for you plus the bike may come with spares. If the engine is tuned then bring a notebook with you to record the details of any engine tuning work that has been carried out and who did it. Ask when engine was last serviced. If you can't spot lock-wiring or catch bottles you're not looking at a proper race bike, simple as that. An alternative is to buy a bike converted for trackday use. These bikes may not be fully prepared but comparative bargains to the same bike in showroom condition.


Converting a road bike

You may not be convinced about the history of a second hand race bike or enjoy the challenge of fettling yourself. You will get to know your bike intimately by doing a conversion yourself. A road bike can be customised exactly the way you want it and get the engine prepared to your requirements and pocket. There will frustrations, especially when tinkering with the electrical systems. But most of us naturally gravitate to projects that we can handle.


Suspension

First thing on the tuning list is suspension. Suspension doesn't matter much down at the drag strip of Santa Pod. Pure power is their language. However, for short circuit bike racing, getting the corners right is the challenge. Our race bike must handle before we can add the firepower. To illustrate my point, I quote you the MRO Brands Indy lap records for 125GP of 49.78s and SS600 of 48.49s. Outright engine power doesn't count for much at Brands Indy. So if you are converting a road bike then you'll need a fully adjustable rear shock and fork internals. You won't get much change from £1,000. Sure, stock suspension maybe okay to race with. But we must remember that the designers of stock units have a keep all punters happy from the fat bastard down to the skinny teenager. The road surfaces they ride on vary a lot as well and this must be taken account of in stock design. For racing purposes, the spring rates generally need to be stiffer and must be matched to your particular weight. A suspension expert will have to be hired for this. If you are going the second hand route then chances are you'll have to replace the front and rear springs for your own weight and riding style.


Engine tuning

Whether you are arranging a conversion or buying a second hand race bike, you will get to know the engine tuners and suspension experts. Your local dealership may be able to help but ideally speak to the tuning houses directly. These guys prep race engines and sort suspension, day in, day out. Their expertise is invaluable and they can often be found offering support at the club paddock.

We can think of tuning an engine in stages. These modifications can be done in one hit, or as and when your finances allow. The basic fuelling tune is the first job to do. This involves changing the engine setup for fuel efficiency and emission restrictions. Fitting a full race exhaust system and re-mapping the fuelling (or re-jetting if carbureted) will yield surprising power gains. Not much change from £1,000 for a full system, power commander and someone's time to find a good fuel map on a Dyno. There's been plenty of podium finishes from guys who run this basic modification.

Next, the engine timing can be adjusted such as advancing the ignition and degreeing the camshafts. Fitting thinner gaskets or skimming the cylinder head will raise the compression ratio. Then there's the cylinder head work that is allowed within the regulations for your particular class. We can go onto blueprinting, gas-flowing, race spec radiators and ignition systems. I'm no expert. I'm just dropping names here as we sound out the depths of our pockets. Your engine tuner will advise you on all of this stuff, as they have done this work many times before. In one way or another, a good engine tuner should point out to you the law of diminishing returns.

Most tuning houses will offer tuning packages for popular bikes such as the Supersport classes and 2 stroke machines. For example, if you have a 2003 R6, then a tuner will rattle off the best options for this particular engine based upon their experience and quote you a price straightway. If you can't afford their package then ask them to make suggestions.

Another point to remember is the engine service or refresh. To keep your engine singing throughout the season it will need to be stripped, components checked for tolerance/wear and rebuilt regularly then put on the dyno. The refresh interval will depend upon the level of engine tune but we are talking something like 10 - 20 hours track time but check with a tuner. You may have to do a couple per season, plus parts. Potentially we are talking of another £1,000 to think about.

Once you've sorted your bike you'll need track time to get a feel for things. The more the better in my opinion. There will be opportunities to start tinkering with your bike and getting to know it. Adjusting the clip-ons, rearsets etc in the less pressurised trackday environment may be a good idea. You're a racer now. Someone told me that to do well in club racing your riding skills should make you as one of the fastest guys in the fast group.

In Part 3 we look at what to expect from a season's racing and what else to bring with you to the race paddock. Below are details of the engine/suspension tuners that I know of based in the South East.





SDC Performance

Unit 5

Bowman Trading Estate

Bessemer Drive

Stevenage

SG1 2DL

Tel: 01438 357777



Phil Seton

Supersport 600 specialist

Essex

Tel: 01206 729476



Bob Farnham

Unit 4

Gasoline Alley

Tunbridge Wells

TN15 7RR

Tel: 01732 887455



Steve Jordan Motorcycles

1 New Parade

Leatherhead Road

Great Bookham

Surrey

KT23 4RQ

www.stevejordanmotorcycles.co.uk

Tel: 01372 453322



HM Racing

81 High Street

Green Street Green

Orpington

Kent

BR6 6BJ

www.hmracing.co.uk

Tel: 01689 862398



Performance Techniques

1 Focal Point

Lacerta Court

Letchworth

Herts

SG6 1FD

www.performancetechniques.co.uk

Tel: 01462 673030



Stan Stephens

2 Stroke specialist

Near Brands Hatch

Kent

www.stanstephens.com

Tel: 01732 760337


Matt Goswell