SoCal Motor Bicycle Race Sat Oct 22nd 2011 Grange Race Track

[Evoforce]

Didn't escape this race event without flats. Had (two) on the borrowed trailer on my way back to Arizona. At least, I didn't have flats on the track this time. I stuggled in the race events with a chain that kept getting wedged between the chainring and the guard. Not good when you need your pedal up on the inside turn so you don't pole vault on your pedal. The day before, I had cobbled a forty something tooth and guard off a bike that I had modded for the kids years ago. It allowed me to provide some peddal up to about twenty. Need to buy an 80+ tooth. Had lots of fun racing. My other hinderance was a sensorless controller that would not start off the line. My sensored one is broken. In one race, I had a brief shutdown from what I think was a voltage spike, but was able to continued in the race. I think I can say that I have the most pimped out ride out on the track as far as the e-bikes go. I also finished respectably in all the races. Had lots of fun and it was good seeing everyone. Wish we had more time together. Tucson Undead Race is this Saturday. Not ready yet. Am going to try to have a controller that I bought from Lyen at this race 72v 24fet ready for Saturday It wont fit in my case and I don't have the proper connectors for it yet. Wish me luck. Good job to all of those that went, promoted, worked, raced, and ran this event. And a big thanks to JimmieD(Headway Headquarters) for overnighting me some batteries at the last minute. It would not have been possible without everyones help. I was wishing that I had the 5403(not 5303) motor from the group buy to race. When I got back home it looks like China(Kenny) baited and switched us to lessor motors. We will see where this shakes out!

[knoxie]

Awesome

Another amazing event! looks like you all had such great fun! Pauls bike is a damn efficient looking machine for sure just the right balance combined with a good rider very hard combo to beat, although it sounds without the controller hiccups Luke would have been close.

Those gas bikes were quick too and they do look amazing to boot, Aidans hub motor bike also looked the ticket, whats the full spec on that machine? battery, motor controller? sorry if I missed that in the thread.

Thanks for posting some quality pictures and videos from what looked like a great weekend and sorry that Thudster and Etard didnt get to play with you all, maybe next time?

Hats off to the gassers for organising the race and letting the electrics come play too

Knoxie

[Thud]

whats the full spec on that machine? battery, motor controller? sorry if I missed that in the thread.

Here you go Knoxie, Adin is the team farfle rider.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=31395

[Evoforce]

PaulD and Aiden are excellent riders. It is also harder for us heavier riders because of the suspension sag in the turns. My body could loose 30 lbs to get to fighting weight but they would still weigh a lot less. My bike is a pig too, built more for show than racing. Someday, maybe I can afford to have bike just designated to racing. In the meantime, I am fast but I could always be faster. My bike ran a stock 5303 crystalyte motor (no venting) and a 72v 45 amp sensorless controller(sensorless is crappy for racing. Other one was broke). 72 volts of Headway batteries at 20 amp hours. Bike frame is a Diamondback Coil modified with a Mongoose extended swingarm. The phase wiring was found to be a little melted together on the outer sheathing because of heat and being doubled back on itself because of the length. The motor and controller held up well under the stress and heat. I need a larger chainring. About blew out my legs from pedaling up to 20 mph, dukeing it out with Sosauty and Dan Hanebrink, can only imagine pedaling more! Motor was only getting me to mid to high 30's, I think. Main drag was uphill. I had to run offtrack once in the ultimate race to avoid a crash directly in front of me by one of the gassers. I also ran off track in one of the previous races when I misjuged a turn but I shot right back on the track. I have an E-Bike Grin on steroids!

[MotorBicycleRacing]

The photographer is having some problems getting all the pics online
but here are a few of liveforphysics.

[Farfle]

Heres the on-board footage from the first E bike heat, more to come:

[knoxie]

awesome! crikey that girly of yours was quick too! hats off awesome race footage

[liveforphysics]

That video is AWESOME!!!

If you watch from 4:35, you see PaulD make a brilliant pass on me exiting to the straight (he is a far better rider), he has at least 10mph on me and 10-20ft or so, and then you see my catapult ahead as I can finally roll-on harder than 1/4 throttle.

[AussieJester]

Fantastic video! Great riding from Paul D, and Aiden what a job she did
staying 'in touch' with the leaders! Dunno how i would feel about my
lady being quicker than me around the track though, Farfle LoL

Luke.. i dwasn't expecting to see your bike corner too fast, looks like
a truck getting around those tight bends LoL.. I can now see, though
why you need motorcycle brakes, there's ALOT of weight
to be pulled up big fella! You have stacked it on in the last couple years
Buddy! All that good Californ-i-a qui "cuisine" ain't helping i bet!

Keep the vids coming Farfle!

KiM

[liveforphysics]

If you look VERY carefully at the 8:48sec point, you can see me stealing the win from PaulD as I make the pass about 20ft before the finish line.


I really wish my bike wouldn't have broken. It would have been SOOOOOOO epic for electrics to take 1st, 2nd, 3rd in the event.

Still pretty epic to take 1st and 2nd though.

Great job riding Aiden!

[PaulD]

Awesome vid! Once again great riding, Aiden. I love how smooth and quiet that bike is too. I look totally out of control in the corner right after I pass her.
And for the record, I'm not a DH national champion (I wish). I probably stopped racing DH before Aiden was born (ok, maybe not quite that long ago)... I did race a lot of XC mtb, but nowhere near national champion level!
That heat race was such a blast trading places with Luke, can't wait for next time!

[HumboldtRc]

What is the YouTube link for that video? I want to go watch it in HD, stupid iPhone doesn't show the options when the video is embeded.

[TylerDurden]

What is the YouTube link for that video? I want to go watch it in HD, stupid iPhone doesn't show the options when the video is embeded.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDbcfz3XZdQ&hd=1

[Farfle]

Oops, sorry paul, I thought I had heard that in the pits somewhere. Ill edit that if you want. Ill start the second ebike heat uploading tonight, will probably be up around midnight west coast time.

[PaulD]

Oops, sorry paul, I thought I had heard that in the pits somewhere. Ill edit that if you want. Ill start the second ebike heat uploading tonight, will probably be up around midnight west coast time.

No worries, Farfle. I'll settle for national champ

[liveforphysics]

That heat race was such a blast trading places with Luke, can't wait for next time!

Me too buddy!

I'm sketching up something with just a bit of suspension. Perhaps 1.5"-2" front and rear, extremely tightly damped, dialed in with just the right amount of sag (kinda the opposite of most bicycle suspension, lol). On the slightly choppy asphalt that we tend to encounter on the critical turning areas of a kart track, I think it will give a bit higher cornering limits and added stability.

I was just thinking this evening about how I would do the suspension pivots to make them be wiggle-free enough to not bother me while riding. Normal bicycle full suspension feels like sloppy garbage to me.

[Arlo1]

That heat race was such a blast trading places with Luke, can't wait for next time!

Me too buddy!

I'm sketching up something with just a bit of suspension. Perhaps 1.5"-2" front and rear, extremely tightly damped, dialed in with just the right amount of sag (kinda the opposite of most bicycle suspension, lol). On the slightly choppy asphalt that we tend to encounter on the critical turning areas of a kart track, I think it will give a bit higher cornering limits and added stability.

I was just thinking this evening about how I would do the suspension pivots to make them be wiggle-free enough to not bother me while riding. Normal bicycle full suspension feels like sloppy garbage to me.

You should look at the seat post suspension your body is most the weight and all you realy need to save is your back! You should see the seatpost on the SRAC bike I have in my shop right now.

[Farfle]

That heat race was such a blast trading places with Luke, can't wait for next time!

Me too buddy!

I'm sketching up something with just a bit of suspension. Perhaps 1.5"-2" front and rear, extremely tightly damped, dialed in with just the right amount of sag (kinda the opposite of most bicycle suspension, lol). On the slightly choppy asphalt that we tend to encounter on the critical turning areas of a kart track, I think it will give a bit higher cornering limits and added stability.

I was just thinking this evening about how I would do the suspension pivots to make them be wiggle-free enough to not bother me while riding. Normal bicycle full suspension feels like sloppy garbage to me.

Our setup had some interesting handling on the kart track aswell, Aiden said the back end wouldn't really "stick" in the corners so we tried adjusting various things. What worked was increasing the compression resistance and decreasing the rebound, that and taking the tires down to 25 pounds instead of 35 helped a ton.

[liveforphysics]

I would have LOVED to decrease pressure to try to get some traction, BUT, I all ready had rolled the tires right off the rim 3 times on that bike, and running 85psi seemed to be the only thing that kept them on the rim.

Next bike will run wider rims, and glue the tires on. Once I find a tire that can last longer than 10mins of riding that is... lol

[johnrobholmes]

Seems that something besides typical bicycle tires would be a good idea.


Looks like it was an awesome time! Maybe one of these days I can pry enough time away and join a race.

[Jay64]

PaulD, that was quite a moment you had at about 4:03 of the video. Nice save!

[knoxie]

whats the full spec on that machine? battery, motor controller? sorry if I missed that in the thread.

Here you go Knoxie, Adin is the team farfle rider.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=31395

Thanks Thud and again sorry you didnt get to play

[Kurt]

Luke's bike hooked up well at the start of the race. That or a good reaction time from drag racing experience.

When you could get the power down on that bike it made the others look like they were stand still. Better luck next year.

Kurt

[MotorBicycleRacing]

[MotorBicycleRacing]