Bike Preparation - A Novices Guide to Starting Racing

So you've read about getting a license and you want to know the next step towards getting on that start line for your first race, this guide will take you through everything you'll need to fit to your bike to pass scrutineering and where you can get it!
If you've not got a license yet and want to know how to get one; read the first guide in the series to understand exactly what you'll need to do.  Click here for the link to 'Getting your License'

Now I've just mentioned one of the scariest words in motorcycling racing... Scrutineering! (Otherwise known as Technical Control) Other than the start of your first race, this will be the most nerve-racking activity of the weekend. Why you ask? Well, one of the first things you'll have to do when you turn up at a race weekend is take your bike to Hell, sorry, Technical Control. Before you can get on the grid it's an ACU requirement for you to have your kit and your bike checked over by scrutineers to ensure it meets ACU regulations. What I will guide you through first is what additional items you'll need to do to your bike to ensure you pass. It's not really that scary, it just causes unnecessary hassle and stress if you fail.
Please note: This guide covers the ACU General Technical Specifications for Road Racing, found here, different clubs often have additional requirements for different championships. Make sure you check the Supplementary Regulations for the specific club and championship you are racing in.

In preparation for 2018 I will be converting a relatively standard 2009 Kawasaki ZX-6R Road bike into a race worthy one. This bike is what I will be using to guide you through the process of 'prepping' your bike for racing.  So lets get going.

The first thing to say is that all bikes are required to have engine and frame numbers that have obviously not been tampered with or deleted, new unstamped components like frames are allowed. If you suspect your bikes numbers have been tampered with then contact the relevant authorities, if you're going to see a bike with tampered numbers... Walk away, no matter how cheap!

Step 1 - Fairings
Really the first step in preparing any motorcycle for track, racing or trackdays. Mainly to stop you damaging those precious road kits, you'll need a set of track fairings for 1 main reason; under section OIL CONTAINMENT in the handbook, it states that the lower fairing must be able to hold 50% of the machines total oil/coolant, should a major failure happen. It also allows you to get rid of the headlamps, brake light and indicators which are not required for racing and will save you serious weight. If you've already got a set of fairings, new or used, move onto the next step, but remember, fitted track fairings should be secure and handlebars MUST turn lock to lock without contacting any part of the fairing or screen.
Remember: When you remove any electrical item, make sure you sufficiently tape up all the connectors to prevent water ingress and rust/ shorting connectors.

Tip: If you buy new fairings then make sure you trial fit before painting them. Quite often youll need to drill holes and cut out sections to make a better fit. You don't want to be doing that with freshly painted fairings!

Step 2 - Numbers
Once you've got those fairings on, you'll need numbers. You can find these on ebay or a variety of suppliers, I use a really good guy called Roger Clements of Simply Signs & Graphics (roger596@gmail.com ), just send the font and size you need, he will send you a mock up of what you want and then do the rest.
So what do you need?
You need 1 main number which must be clearly visible from the front of the bike, this is usually applied to the front screen or front fairing. 2 side numbers, usually applied to the lower belly pan fairing, 1 on the left and 1 on the right.
Sizing... of much contention in the Road Racing world, some clubs are very strict, some a little more lenient. Regardless of how pretty you want them, you're best off sticking to the guidelines than being told to change them on the day of your first race
Minimum Dimensions for front numbers are a Height of 140mm and Width of 80mm per digit on a Background 285mm by 235mm.
Minimum Dimensions for side numbers are a Height of 140mm and Width of 80mm per digit on a Background 285mm by 235mm.
Colours depend on your class so make sure you know before you buy them but they tend to be:
600cc motorcycles - White Background with Blue Numbers
1000cc motorcycles - White Background Black Numbers

Step 3 - Lockwiring
This is an important part of preparing your bike for racing, the regulations state that any oil drain plugs or filters must be securely fastened and the most convenient way of doing this is lockwiring. For this you'll want to get yourself a pair of lock wire pliers, you can do it with mole grips but it's much more fiddly. I'd recommend a pair of Clarke pliers as well as some lock wire, both can be bought quite easily on ebay or amazon (see links below). The idea is to stop the bolt undoing so make sure you always fix it to something that pulls it tight.
What to wire?
Oil Filler Cap - Mandatory 
Oil Drain Plug - Mandatory 
Oil Filter - Mandatory 
Oil dip stick (where applicable) - Mandatory 
Grips - Optional
Brake Caliper Bolts - Optional
Brake Pad Pins - Optional

To lockwire these things, you'll need holes in them. The easiest way is to head over to the Pro Bolt website and pick up a full set of Race Drilled bolts, perhaps the easiest but also the most expensive. You can of course drill your own holes, but it's not an easy feat without a pillar drill.
Tips
- The one bolt I suggest you do buy pre-drilled is the oil sump/drain bolt. That's a big bolt to drill a  small hole in
- Check your oil filler cap, usually it's plastic/nylon which you can easily drill and save yourself £15
- Buy an oil filter with a nut on the end, they already have holes in to put the wire through and are usually priced similar to the OEM filters. I use K&N but I believe HiFlo do them as well

Pliers - Clarke Lockwiring Pliers
Wire - Lock wire
Sump Bolt - Pro Bolt race drilled sump bolt

Step 4 - Coolant
Simple one this... You can't run it or water wetter. Only water is allowed in the radiator.
Empty it out, flush with fresh water and refill with distilled / de-ionised water. Cheap from Halfords

Step 5 - Brakes
Specifically brake lines. For bikes with 2 front discs, which is most modern machines, you will need to fit brake lines which split at or above the lower yoke. That's either a race line (2 lines from the master cylinder) or a T line (1 line from MC which splits into 2 at the yoke)
Note - Although most never use it, you must have a functioning rear brake, they will check it's working during scrutineering. I'd recommend Goodridge lines, UK based manufacturer for pretty much every bike, a nice touch is they make them to order and are available in loads of colours.

Step 6 - Chain Guards
These are commonly known as sharks fins, think you can work out why! They are a mandatory item on race bikes for the purpose of preventing a riders fingers or other limbs getting trapped between the chain and the sprocket, should the rider become detached from their machine. You'll most likely need to drill and tap your swing arm so make sure you have the tools to do it. Chain Guards are readily available from GB Racing or R&G, or you could always make your own. Here are some pictures of the GB Racing one I fitted to the ZX6R.

Step 7 - Rear Red Warning Light
All bikes must have a functioning red light fitted facing rearward on the machine to be used in wet races or as instructed by Race Control. Ideally it should be mounted under the rear seat unit approximately on the machine centre line. These are easily available from ebay and can be battery powered, for solo racing the on switch can be on the unit. (Endurance racing it must be on the handlebar) I purchased one from Parkitt Racing, really easy to fit with just 3 bolts in a nice neat unit.
Rear Rain Light Link

Step 8 - Levers, Bars & Rearsets
Although not mandatory, I'd strongly recommend you buy a set of fixed peg adjustable rearsets and handlebar clipons. The rearsets will give you the ability to adjust footpeg position as well as the ability to replace parts in the event of an accident. Clipons in the same manner, a set of maxon or SES clip ons give you the ability to change the handlebar tubes which are usually the first things to bend on impact.
Remember - ACU regulation means that levers, footpegs and bar ends must have a rounded end to prevent an apple coring type affect if they land on your fleshy parts!

Step 9 - Side Stand
This must be removed mainly for safety, it's a relatively simple task but there is something you MUST remember to do. On most if not all of the bikes you choose to race there will be a side stand switch, this is to stop you moving away with the stand still down. Obviously when you remove this switch, the bike will always think the stand is down, this is what you need to do.

1. Cut the plug off from the main harness
2. Remove the wire insulation to reveal the copper
3. Solder (if you don't have solder simply twist together) the two wires together
4. Wrap with insulation tape or heat shrink to protect from the elements and zip tie out the way

This will trick the bike into thinking the stand is always up, just make sure you do remove it and keep it off as I've seen some nasty accidents in the pit lane with people forgetting

Step 10 - Wheels
Although it's not strictly in the regulations it is common practise to fit metal dust caps and tape over your wheel weights (to stop them flinging off if they come unstuck!) Again this is more common practise rather than mandatory but it could cause you to fail as many Scrutineers like it so it's worth doing.

Step 11 - Supplementary Regulations
There may also be supplementary regulations outlined by your club, it is your responsibility to check these regulations prior to attending a race meeting however there are two main items that are mandatory in many clubs and if not, are well worth your investment

1. Front brake level guard: This is to protect the brake lever from being pulled accidentally in case of a bit of elbow rubbing or fairing bashing! There's a link below to the Tracktanium guard, this is what I have fitted and it's decent value for money.
2. Secondary engine cases: These are usually plastic based covers which are fitted to the engine to prevent the cases from breaking during a crash and spilling oil over the circuit. They are well worth the money and are much cheaper and readily available than replacement cases. R&G and GB Racing are the main suppliers, both of which I've personally crash tested!

Lever Guard - https://parkitt-performance-motorcycle-racing.myshopify.com/products/tracktanium-brake-lever-guard

GB Racing Engine Cover
*these were bought used hence the missing letter paint

Well that's it, simples right! Thanks for reading, I hope this guide has been useful in helping you to prep your bike ready for racing. If you have any questions then please drop me a message.

Look out for the next blog... What to expect at your first race

Big Thanks to Parkitt Racing who have done a lot of the tuning and suspension work and supplied some of the items I've mentioned above. If you need advice these are the guys to ask!

ECU Re-flashing - To Flash or Not to Flash

As you will see in some of my other blog posts I'm preparing a ZX6R to race in the 2018 No Limits Newcomers Championship. As part of these preparations I wanted to remove the Power Commander 5 that came with the bike in favour of an ECU reflash courtesy of Woolich and Parkitt Racing.

So what is an ECU reflash?
ECU re-flashing allows you to tune the various maps and settings available in the stock ECU. You're probably thinking well how is this beneficial, well; The system eliminates the need for other boxes and modules such as Power Commanders and ignition modules which merely modify the signals coming from the ECU, with ECU re-flashing you can directly modify the ECU for things like Fuel Maps, Ignition Maps, Secondary Throttle Maps and RPM Limiters. It opens up several options that aren't available using the other boxes whilst also getting a finer degree of tuning. So what does this really mean? It varies from bike to bike but this is what you can do on the ZX6R's:
The simple stuff...

• Disabling the pair valve
• Disabling the exhaust servo (this will remove the FI light if you have a race system or prevent the need to trick the bike into thinking it has one)
• Disabling the Immobiliser (Allows you to go keyless)
• Disable Stock O2 Sensor
• Disable Tip Over Sensor (TOS)
• Adjust RPM Limiters
• Adjust Fan Temperature

The technical stuff...

• IAP Fuel Maps
• TPS Fuel Maps
• Ignition Timing Maps
• Secondary Throttle Plate (STP) Opening Maps
• Injector Balance Maps
• Ram Air Maps

I'm a big advocate of ECU re-flashing, I've used Power Commanders and Bazzaz units before but the freedom it gives you to disable sensors and systems only really required for road along with the finer tuning of maps results in better throttle response, smoother power curves and in the case of my ZX6R, bigger power gains.

How do you go about doing it?
Once you've decided you want to go for a re-flash there are two options to choose from:

1. Buying the full kit
This option includes the full package you will require to flash your ECU and inherently the most expensive (~ £375 Plus £150 for a dyno re-map)
The package includes:
- USB (Denso or Mitsubishi) v3 (Used to to connect your computer to your ECU)
- USB Cable
- Manufacturer specific harness
- Bin File Definition in the Woolich Racing Tuned software

This option will allow you to flash your ECU on the bike at any time using your computer. It's very useful if you're constantly re-mapping your machine and want the ease of just being able to plug straight in at the circuit or at home. Most of the time this isn't the case so for many of you, option 2 is the best.

2. Woolich Dealer re-flash

This is the option I went down, mainly due to the lower cost and I didn't have the desire to do my own re-mapping. Firstly, you'll need to find yourself a tuner which owns the flashing equipment for your bike. I used Parkitt Racing in Tuxford for my 2009 ZX6R, they've been around since 2000 and have extensive experience in both road and racing machines, double check with them that they have what you need but they do stock equipment for most modern machines. It's as simple as dropping off your bike and leaving it with them. (There is a postage option where you can send in your ECU, they will flash it with a generic map and post it back, it's £150 for this service but it's not recommended as every bike is different and you'll never have a perfect map)

So what do they do while they have it?
To start with they will hook up your ecu and flash in a known good map, this will give a base for the dyno tune. The guys will do a run on the dyno and identify improvements to be made, this will be repeated until they're done, it's really that simple.

Add ons

Race Tools
Race tools is the real highlight of the Woolich products. The Race Tools package allows you to enable Quickshifter, Launch Control and Pit Speed Limiter in the Stock ECU.
It includes:

• High quality strain gauge Quickshifter with digitally controlled pressure sensing that can be used in regular or race shift pattern. Quickshifter Kill times are configurable per gear and kills both fuel and ignition directly from the ECU. These are Cordona quickshifters and rebranded for Woolich, having tried the dynojet QS and a few others I can honestly say this is the best quickshifter I've used, it's incredibly smooth and the ability to control pressure sensitivity means you get a real positive gear change.
• Race Tools ECU Key to enable Launch Control and Pit Limiter.
• Launch Control allows you to modify Delay, Launch RPM, Ramp Time and Ramp RPM
• Pit Speed Limiter allows you to set the RPM to limit the speed while riding through the pits
• Auto blipper for clutchless downshifts is available on some models as well

The cost of the Race tools package is around £370, this may seem steep but you get a quality quickshifter with the added benefits of Launch Control and Pit Limiter. Stand alone QS such as the HM SS come in at £350+ so you're getting much more for your money. Parkitt can also add a 2 button switch which will give you the pit limiter button and an on/off switch for rain lights.