Snetterton again, in the dry.

For some reason I was really careful on the brakes, especially into
Oggies - can't think why.

Events of note: near the end of the first session, one of the gear
linkage came adrift. know I tightened it fully and checked it, so it
got a dollop of Loctite when I refitted it.

Next session the left footpeg worked loose - same fix and did it up
extra tight. Then I found that the gearshift was a little tight, which
caused me to miss a gear. It pivots on the footpeg, so taking it off,
I could see a shiny patch on one specific part of the peg. I think the
peg must have very slightly bent in the crash three weeks ago, so I
lightly took the high point down with a file. Fixed.

Other than that, I wasn't as fast as I'd hoped, but not quite the
slowest in the inters group. For the last couple of sessions, I found
I was going through the motions rather than trying to improve, so I
skipped the last session. Just as well because it started raining, and
I wouldn't have had time to change the wheels - I still take forever
on this bike.

--

-Pip

Pipl wrote:
> Snetterton again, in the dry.

I didn't. Tregrehan this time, in manky dry-but-also-damp-and-lots-of-sheep-shit conditions. Grabbed the front brake too hard before the last corner and tucked the front at god knows what speed. Can't really blame the surface, it was entirely down to me being cack-handed with the brake. But I did at least get it on video this time, and a week later the hole in my left knee (despite being in armoured leathers) is more than halfway healed.

> Events of note: near the end of the first session, one of the gear
> linkage came adrift. know I tightened it fully and checked it, so it
> got a dollop of Loctite when I refitted it.
>
> Next session the left footpeg worked loose - same fix and did it up
> extra tight.

I had that happen to me at Anglesey, except it didn't just work loose, it rotated enough to fold downwards while I had my knee on the deck through Church. Might have had to change my pants when I got back to the paddock, and learned a valuable lesson about checking the bike over between races.

> Other than that, I wasn't as fast as I'd hoped, but not quite the
> slowest in the inters group. For the last couple of sessions, I found
> I was going through the motions rather than trying to improve, so I
> skipped the last session. Just as well because it started raining, and
> I wouldn't have had time to change the wheels - I still take forever
> on this bike.

You'll get better at it. The R6 was a pain, not least because of the roller bearing on the sprocket carrier side of the rear - but I got to the point I could do both wheels in under 7 minutes. Still ended up going out with the wrong rubber half the time though.

On Tue, 28 Jun 2022 12:09:36 -0700 (PDT), ogden <eldaifo@gmail.com>
wrote:

>Pipl wrote:
>> Snetterton again, in the dry.
>
> the hole in my left knee (despite being in armoured leathers) is more than halfway healed.

Right through the leathers? I did badly graze the hollow in the back
of my right knee many, many years ago without even penetrating the
leathers - I think the bike fell on me after a highside and some
projecting part of the bike did the damage. The knee slider was
seriously chamfered and my ankles and knee ligaments sprained as well.

>> Other than that, I wasn't as fast as I'd hoped, but not quite the
>> slowest in the inters group. For the last couple of sessions, I found
>> I was going through the motions rather than trying to improve, so I
>> skipped the last session. Just as well because it started raining, and
>> I wouldn't have had time to change the wheels - I still take forever
>> on this bike.
>
>You'll get better at it. The R6 was a pain, not least because of the roller bearing on
> the sprocket carrier side of the rear - but I got to the point I could do both wheels in
> under 7 minutes. Still ended up going out with the wrong rubber half the time though.

The 10R's front is a pain because it has two spacers, unlike several
other bikes I've had. One always catches and falls out.

The rear is as bad if not worse: trying to get wheel, brake carrier
and swingarm lined up without catching and knocking out one of the
two spacers, or not hgetting the brake carrier lined up properly with
the anti-rotation lug is tricky. I did manage it quite well last time,
though that might have been luck.

I have often considered having a bit of tube the wdth of the wheel hub
plus spacers, maybe with a taper at one end, to push through the wheel
to hold it all together while I assemble it.

I did time swapping the wheels three weeks ago - admittedly, I
deliberately started with the bike on ist side stand and no tools or
wheels immediately to hand, and was trying to fit a front paddock
stand on gravel, but even so, over 40 minutes the pair.

--

-Pip

Pipl wrote:
> ogden wrote:
> > the hole in my left knee (despite being in armoured leathers) is more than halfway healed.
>
> Right through the leathers?

No. The leathers were OK. I guess it was the impact of my knee hitting (or abrading against) the inside of my leathers. Didn't seem so bad at the time - I did two more runs despite the pain - but two days after I was struggling to walk properly. Fortunately I've got three weeks between rounds, so two weekends at home to let it heal before I have to get back into my leathers. And now at least my knees match, because I did much the same in jeans when I was 17 and punched a deep enough in the right one that the kneecap was seeing daylight.

> >> I wouldn't have had time to change the wheels - I still take forever
> >> on this bike.
> >
> >You'll get better at it. The R6 was a pain, not least because of the roller bearing on
> > the sprocket carrier side of the rear - but I got to the point I could do both wheels in
> > under 7 minutes. Still ended up going out with the wrong rubber half the time though.

> The 10R's front is a pain because it has two spacers, unlike several
> other bikes I've had. One always catches and falls out.

You should be able to get a set of captive spacers for not much money. They have a lip that sits under the dust seal and holds them in place. Absolute godsend if you're changing wheels in a hurry on a regular basis.

> I have often considered having a bit of tube the wdth of the wheel hub
> plus spacers, maybe with a taper at one end, to push through the wheel
> to hold it all together while I assemble it.

I used a couple of bits of wood under the rear wheel to hold it at the right height. Bits of old sofa, iirc. Was like having a helper, except without the risk of them fucking things up.

ogden <eldaifo@gmail.com> wrote:

> I used a couple of bits of wood under the rear wheel to hold it at the
> right height. Bits of old sofa, iirc. Was like having a helper, except
> without the risk of them fucking things up.
>

<nods>

On Tue, 28 Jun 2022 19:55:12 -0000 (UTC), Higgins
<the.best.names.are.gone@gmail.com> wrote:

>ogden <eldaifo@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I used a couple of bits of wood under the rear wheel to hold it at the
>> right height. Bits of old sofa, iirc. Was like having a helper, except
>> without the risk of them fucking things up.

><nods>

Yep, this is my technique too - always a bit of wood the lift the
wheen to approx the right height
--
Champ
neal at champ dot org dot uk

I don't know, but I been told
You never slow down, you never grow old

Champ wrote:
> Higgins wrote:
> >ogden wrote:
> >> I used a couple of bits of wood under the rear wheel to hold it at the
> >> right height. Bits of old sofa, iirc. Was like having a helper, except
> >> without the risk of them fucking things up.
>
> ><nods>
>
> Yep, this is my technique too - always a bit of wood the lift the
> wheen to approx the right height

Heh. That's not the sentence he was nodding at.

On Tue, 28 Jun 2022 12:48:36 -0700 (PDT), ogden <eldaifo@gmail.com>
wrote:

>Pipl wrote:
>> ogden wrote:
>You should be able to get a set of captive spacers for not much money.

Ooh, didn't know about them. Actually, I could probably machine up my
own if I could be bothered.

>> I have often considered having a bit of tube the wdth of the wheel hub
>> plus spacers, maybe with a taper at one end, to push through the wheel
>> to hold it all together while I assemble it.
>
>I used a couple of bits of wood under the rear wheel to hold it at the right height.

I used to do that sometimes, but these days I'm often too lazy to find
suitable bits of wood, so just stick a foot under the tyre and lever
it up with my toes.

--

-Pip