My mate/Amageza team member Dirk/Scooterbike drew up a little roadbook around Grabouw in Rally Navigator, and invited me to come and run it with him on Saturday. He knew the track, so I'd be up front making all the (in)decisions. It was to be my first proper run on my new bike, and great to try out the nav gear, which I'd just finished bolting on. Here's the bike, if you haven't followed the build thread:
http://www.wilddog.za.net/forum/index.php?topic=156398.0
Rally navigation should be a piece of cake: watch the ICO, match the distance to the roadbook turns, and follow the course. Of course, on a tar road, restricted to 80kph it would be fine. On a deeply rutted, loose track that winds through forestry, to put it politely, less so. There's a mantra to it, I suppose: constantly keep loading the next three turns to memory, know whether you've got 100m or 1km plus to the next turn so you can know whether to focus on riding or navigation. I'm sure it's all zen if you're a rally pro, and even they get lost. But it's surpassingly difficult to do at any speed with confidence. And more importantly, to do so consistently.
Dirk's track was probably 'busier' than the average section of Amageza. Either that, or we're in for a
very long five days. All in all, job well done, and I've got more of an idea of what is to be expected. More training needed!! Shot Scooterbike!
I need a CAP repeater or an iPhone with Rally Blitz. Paying attention to the CAP heading is a key added piece of info to tell you if you've taken the right turn or not. My GPS is in the wrong position to see the heading easily - I could stick it up top, but I'm more concerned to keep it vibe-free and protected from a crash at the centre of the bars, because my event is 100% reliant on the track it records.
Didn't stop for peetchers, unfortunately, so you'll have to be happy with these:
The bike is a cracking ride. It needs a re-gear. I think I've got 13/50 at the moment, and that's not right for the open sections. I'm going one up on the front and then let's see. Didn't have time to get Tubliss in, but that's this week's project, and then some setup on the suspension. I adjusted the sag Friday night, but think I may have ended up a little hard. The stock spring may not be quite right for my weight, but I want to ride it a bit more before I make that call.
The Seat Concepts certainly was a winner, although it makes the bike noticeably taller. If I'd remembered some ear plugs, I would have had a
super comfortable ride. Oh, and the wheels need balancing, but I'll deal with that when I stick Tubliss in this week.
Here's the highly scientific fuel consumption test after about 200km (155 'special' plus a bit of 'liaison'). I think the required 270km is going to be easy. Dirk has the same fuel capacity and a carbed WR, so he's going to run out of fuel before I do!
Topic: Racing Panda's AWESOME AMAGEZA 2014: START TO about halfway. (Read 51849 times)