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@ the dragstrip.

2371 Views 19 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  LuMpY
I'm strongly considering going to the dragstrip tonight. I was wondering what RPM some of you have success launching at. This'll be my 1st time draggin the bike. I was gonna start at about 3500-4000rpm and go from there. Any other suggestions will be appreciated. Also I only weigh 145lbs so I got that going for me too. Lol
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you need to practice and learn what you can handle . the higher the rpm you can safely handle without flippin the bike or losing tracktion is your best bet and that will be different for everyone.
I launch at about 6k. Not one of my best launches here, I let the clutch out a bit too fast. If I nail it just right, the front wheel is an inch off the ground all the way through first gear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke2lVqQ1Cn8
Best time was 12.67 @ 105mph

Alright. I just got home from the drag strip and I wanna go again.. Ended up making five passes before it was time to go. First pass I ran a [email protected] The fourth run was my best of the five with a [email protected] The other three passes were 12.7's. The first couple passes I reved to about 4-4200 and dumped it, the last few I tried more revs up to about 6k and slippin' the clutch more at the last run. Traction was not an issue for my little 650, but she did get that front tire off the ground through first(and a bit of 2nd on a couple passes). I did about as good as I expected and I had a BLAST. I definitely like taking the bike down the track as opposed to my old car. I think with more practice gettin' her off the line it should be low 12's. Awsome night!! :woot:

(Run 4)
R/T- .510
60'- 2.067
330- 5.342
1/8- 8.111
MPH- 87.74
1000- 10.553
1/4- 12.676
MPH- 105.36
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Sounds fun! I have never taken the bike to the track but have been there hundreds of times with various cars. Gotta try the bike soon. You only picked up 18 MPH after the eighth. That's a testament to our bikes having a lack of top end.
(Run 4)
R/T- .510
60'- 2.067
330- 5.342
1/8- 8.111
MPH- 87.74
1000- 10.553
1/4- 12.676
MPH- 105.36
Nice job. At your low weight, you should be able to get into the low 12's easily. I'm pulling just south of 200 lbs myself, the best I'll be able to do is mid 12's. It's been documented that an expert 136 lb rider got the bike into the high 11's.

Be sure you only have a half gallon or less of gas in your tank too, big difference there.
Definitely not a top end bike.. I remember also from looking at a few dyno charts that the power drops off a lil bit after 7k. I will definitely get out more next season. Motorcyclistonline.com claims 12.06 @ 108.79mph(good info Zaph, didn't see that one) so I've got a goal. ;)
Power drops off after 7k? On my bike that's where the powerband begins! Well, in first gear it's more like 5k but in the other gears 7k is where the bike really comes alive.. In 1st gear though I notice that it seems to lose power at about 9k instead of 10k like in the other gears.. I'm running PC-V, tune, and AM exhaust though so it might be different..

I can get quite strong acceleration at freeway speeds too though - If im on the freeway and willing to drop it down into 4th or 5th gear to get back to 7-8k the bike will respond very well..
Power drops off after 7k? ..
May have been a bit higher, I'd have to look some more.

I uploaded a vid of the 2nd run to YouTube>>>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RKvxhts90c
I think torque peaks at about 7k and hp around 9k.
I think your rpms could have been higher (and steadier) at takeoff, but I only know bike drags from watching the NHRA ones on TV.

Burnout looked great.
Thanks Green. I didn't wanna fry the tires, just knock the dirt off the pilot road 2. I didn't bother with tire pressure(36psi) and it hooked great. haha yea, I grabbed a bit much at 1st then had to hold it steady at the light(I was a little excited for multitasking lol). I wanna practice more. I know @ 5-6k rpm launches are smoother. I just need to work the clutch release(smoother/more consistent with the throttle). I was going to record all of the runs, but I wanted my focus to be on the bike and the track not if I was recording or not. I had to get at least one though. ;)
I'm going back to the dragstrip tomorrow(Friday night) since it's the last Test&Tune of the season. It's gonna be chilly ride for sure, but should be a good time. At least it's only an hour away. I'll definitely record more this time and try to make more than five pases. I really wanna practice my launches(as well as go faster). I think for now I'll just focus on beating that 12.67 so I can update my sig. :swink:
Just read some of the earlier posts... I had my bike dyno'd at an official dynojet rated place. If your looking for max power, your shifts should be between 9-9.5k; no point in redlining this bike. I'm interested at what you found your best launching rpm to be? I have yet to toy with off the line acceleration like that for fear of flippin' it.
I only shift at 10k or so RPM so it doesn't drop too far in between shifts. Def not tryin' to redline it. As far as the sweet spot goes, Nick, I'll be able to tell ya better Saturday. It's fun rippin' on it out of the hole, but the track is soo amazingly sticky the front end comes up even w/me slid all the way up over the tank. It's alright, I don't even know it 'till the tire touches back down. lol
I only shift at 10k or so RPM so it doesn't drop too far in between shifts. Def not tryin' to redline it. As far as the sweet spot goes, Nick, I'll be able to tell ya better Saturday. It's fun rippin' on it out of the hole, but the track is soo amazingly sticky the front end comes up even w/me slid all the way up over the tank. It's alright, I don't even know it 'till the tire touches back down. lol
Sounds good, incase your not already doing it...in alot of the drag videos I've seen, most guys keep there feet off the pegs for the first 50 feet or so, to balance themselves; maybe that could improve your launch.
Clutchless upshifts can shave off some time. I didn't see if you mentioned whether of not you aren't already doing that, but I may have overlooked it.
Well, I beat the old time of 12.67 JUST barely with a 12.65. lol It's definitely tricky. 6k rpm is just a bit much. when I'd try it at six the front end came up too much and I had to back out. Stupid wheelies made me run two 13sec passes. Seems for me the best rpm to launch is ~4.5-5k. I know I said I was gonna record more, but I think I only got two or three of the passes. The camera was bugging me so I didn't bother. There was also a guy there takin' pictures(posted it in the pic thread) so I had to order me one to frame up! :)
6k rpm is just a bit much. when I'd try it at six the front end came up too much and I had to back out. Stupid wheelies made me run two 13sec passes. Seems for me the best rpm to launch is ~4.5-5k.
Hmmm, when I mentioned that 6k seems good for me, maybe it's because I'm 190 lbs. I would indeed suspect a little lower might work better for smaller guys.
^ That could be. I'm wonderin' if I should get a Versys swingarm and have my fabricator friend stretch it a few inches and see what that does for me.. I guess that depends on how much I'm gonna be draggin' it next year. lol I bet an extended swingarm and a turbo would make for fun times. I emailed a guy with a turbo ER6-N asking where he got his oil feed source for the turbo from and he hasn't replied yet. That would be a fun winter project. I suppose I could ask around and see where other people are getting their oil feed from(on different bikes).
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