NESBA's intermediate day on the 28th was a perfect time for me to find out if the Gixxer works and what the SV is really like.  I got a slightly later start to the day than I intended and had to pick up a couple of friends, so I got to the track about 45 minutes later than I intended.  As a result, preparations, like dealing with tires, got rushed.  I had just enough time to start pulling the SV's wheels before the rider's meeting.  After the meeting, there was a track walk.  I thought about skipping it and continuing to get the bikes set up with new tires, but decided the track walk was more important.  NESBA did a great job of explaining how the fast lines work, why they work, where the bumps are, and what happens if you hit them.  The walk was worth the rush for tires.  When we got back, I finished pulling the SV's tires and got them over to Rick's trailer for new Super Corsa Pros.  The Gixxer still had shagged tires, but at least it had wheels on it, so I took it for the warmup session.  Because I was rushed, I had forgotten I didn't tighten everything up after putting the brakes and everything back together.  The bike behaved much, much better, but a pinch bolt and a caliper bolt backed out and fell off.  I could hear the rattle, but it wasn't until pulling in that I figured out what had happened.  A CR found the caliper bolt, and I managed to scrounge a pinch bolt.  It was enough, of a warning to pay closer attention, and the SV got full safety wire when the tires went back on.

The new tires were invitation enough for me to take the SV out.  I didn't feel like spending the entire morning wrestling with wheels.  The SV was so much fun I ran it all day.  It is a completely intuitive bike to ride.  It is narrow enough the pegs could be just a bit lower without clearance issues, and the ergos are just enough different it is easier for me to tuck in and still see where the bike is headed.  Somehow, the Gixxer allows a tuck or vision, but not both.  The tach is mounted with a hose clamp on top of the fairing stay, making the bike look a bit like a cafe racer when the fairing is off.  It is right in the middle of the windscreen with the fairing on.  Although it seems like it could be a problem to see around, it turned out to be the perfect place for it.  The bike's narrowness and lightness make is a joy to ride quickly.  The engine note told me exactly when to shift by ear in a way the Gixxer never does.  I only hit the rev limiter a few times all day,  The transmission felt good, although it took a few adjustments to get the shft lever in the right place.  At first, I thought it might be too short for the length of my feet, but it was only an adjustment issue.

As the day went on, I found it very easy to go much more quickly in a number of areas than I had been going on the Gixxer.  I got to within about a second and a half of the best time I ever recorded on the Gixxer.  Considering it was the fist time I had ever ridden the bike, I was very happy with the results.  I was able to have some pretty good dices with a rider on an RC51.  He got me in the straights, and I could close the gap on the brakes.  I could get around him in the more technical parts of the track.  Depending on where I passed him, he sometimes couldn't catch back up again on the straight.  Another rider I had a lot of fun with was a friend on his R6.  During the last round, JD passed me in the second heat, although I held him off during the first heat.  This time, I was on an SV650 instead of a Gixxer, but I had brakes and a halfway decent suspension.  He had 30% to 40% more power, but I was getting my confidence back and had figured out how to deal with one of my worst bugbear corners, turn four.  The bus stop was a problem in the morning until one of the CRs talked to me about it.  That alone was worth a couple seconds a lap.  With those improvements in my riding, catching JD was possible in spite of the power difference.  I followed him for a few laps before diving past him between turns eight and nine.  I also took the RC51 into nine, giving myself a bit of a cushion so he couldn't reel me back in down the front straight.  I gapped him pretty well and then worked around some other riders.  He wasn't going to take it lying down, and managed to reel me back in slowly but surely.  He repassed me going ito turn five, a place I didn't expect to see him at all.  Then, he threw up his hand and pulled off before I could repass him.  He has bragging rights.  For now.

The SV has a little weeping in the right side fork seal, but it is a bit damp, and doesn't look like a big problem.  I will revalve and rebuild the forks after the season, but I don't plan to worry about it much for the time being.  The bike felt so good I don't want to mess with it.  The next trip to the track will be on August 8 for an Adrenaline Freaks day, then the next WMRRA round on the 9th and 10th.  There are two WMRRA rounds in August, and my intention is to race the SV during one heat and the Gixxer during the other in both rounds.  I will petition to graduate to the expert ranks in the second August round, and then ride the SV during the last round in October.  There will be two or more track days in September to keep from getting rusty.

It has been a while since I got to the track.  I needed the time between rounds 3 and 4 to catch up on a lot of things normal people do, and also get the bike ready again.  I rebuilt the front brakes completely, and although I am not sure they will not fade again, they should be a lot better.  I also got the whole suspension rebult.  The fork oil was still foamy almost a month after the last time I rode the bike.  Riding with a suspension full of Kool Whip that also smells like a cat box explains why the bike was such an adventure to ride.  Everything is back together now, and I will be at the track on July 28th to see how it all works.

The other update is an SV650.  I bought a second race bike since the grids are smaller in the SV650 classes, and a lot of my friends are racing in the class.  The bike is a 1999 Canadian import with a long WMRRA racing history and no other known paperwork.  I assume it was imported legally, but who knows.  It may have never turned a wheel on a public road.  It is a much nicer looking bike than the Gixxer, but I haven't ridden it yet.  It will be going to the track on the 28th as well, and I will make a decision regarding which bike to race for the rest this season.  Next season, I plan to use the SV unless it is somehow not much fun to ride.