WTF was that scraping sound?

It was a beautiful day in the PNW. I don't usually take lunch but today I told my helper he was in charge and hopped on the 700. I am so effing lucky because just a half mile from the shop are some of the nicest, twistiest back roads in the state. I could have ridden all day but instead of making a loop, I turned around and road back the way I came.

On the last stretch along the Pilchuck river I got on it pretty good. It was a rush, my helmet could barely contain my grin. On right-handers I brushed bushes like a skier slamming slalom gates. The lefties were just as tasty but on the third from the last, there was a scraping noise and I thought I had hit something. Not sure but I think it was the footpeg. LMAO.

I'm not trying to brag. If you read my posts when I first got here, you'd remember how nervous I was riding the Interceptor after I got it. It was big, heavy and I felt awkward. I wasn't sure if I would ever feel confident on it. When I took the river road for the first time, 40 mph made me nervous. Today, I didn't look, but I guarantee it was more than 40.

So for any other old farts just getting back into riding, If you think you lost your mojo, stick with it- you'll be throwing the bones again in no time.

 

Haha... awesome story, man!!!

The other day, my buddy (the current Canadian National Power Toboggan champion, and previous World Champion) was following me on his R1. He couldn't believe that I was pulling away from him on a clover leaf that he was already doing 95 kph on ... he said I had that bike leaned over really far ... he was impressed.

 

draggin' pegs huh? psssh, you're not leanin' until your dragging interceptor mufflers, engine covers and bar ends. :whistle:

 

I remember riding on a Skidoo when the big fucking ugly round front end was made with plywood. Looked like a goddam pregnant caterpillar moving along. Think top speed on that boa was about 10 MPH. You could legally ride them on the front street then back when I lived in Brandon. Those old Husky machines were neat where the track was on a machine in front of you and you basically sat on a sled pulled bhind. Fuck I am really letting my age secret out.

I scraped on of my feeler pegs right off the bike. Quite by accident. I shit my pants too. The other one I broke off during one of my drops. No exaduration that Washington and Oregon have orgasmic back roads to ride.

 

They can do so much! http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/80443-i-did-my-first-trackday/

Raise your forks and shim your shock, it will transform your bike like you can't believe. Scraped pegs will become common. I wish I did it before the track!

 

Randy, I'll need to pop out west on the bike one day - I have family in Kelowna so it would make for a good trip.

My buddy races in the top vintage open class ... he produces stupid power compared to the newer machines with older tech engines, but the handling isn't as good.

 

That's a good plan. Zoom-zoom lives in Kelowna and VFRFLY is not far away in Kamloops if he is not fighting fires.

 

Great write up on your track day Lint. Thanks

 

How does one shim the rear shock? I've just started tuning the suspension on my 5th gen and this sounds like an interesting mod.

 

Go to a car alignment shop and ask for a couple used alignment shims. Take off your seat and loosen the nut on top of the shock. Don't remove it, but get it nice and loose. Then, using a lot of patience and a bunch of different attempts, slide the alignment shim into place between the top of the shock and the bracket the shock pin slides into. My shim was 4mm thick, which equates to 12mm adjustment due to the linkage. You will be holding the shim between your fingertips, so be patient. It will probably drop a few times.
If you also raise your forks in the triple clamps, you will completely transform your bike. It is night and day and I can't imagine ever going back. My bike feels about 100 lbs lighter and it no longer feels like it is trying to push the front tire through the turn. It has raised my cornering speed considerably due to the ease of flicking it over and into turns. I've had it over 100mph this way and it is completely stable. My toe slicers and pegs attest to the bettered cornering ability of the bike and I am still running the stock suspension, for which I am too heavy for.

I now return this thread to its original owner...

ETA: I only used one shim and I don't know if two would fit or even be necessary.

 

Thanks for the info Lint. By how much did you raise the forks? 10mm?