First step towards racing purification

💫A quick outline on this summary for readers with less time on their hands. TLDR; Parts arrival and install, a short chat about R3s first time on the track @ Chuckwalla along with initial impressions (it was fun and learned more in that one day than I did all previous times combined with the BMW), a surprise event resulting in new parts being purchased (rear sets) and a look forward (more parts, more track days). I do have to apologize about the lack of photos you're about to see in this update, it's hard to take a step back from the moment to grab a snapshot (I'm not a true millennial after all) but it's something I'll be working on as we continue; I've even dusted off my DSLR 📸

Yes! So the parts trickled in from BellissiMoto which really solidified the excitement of getting the R3 on the track but it also meant a day of light wrenching in the garage. Here I'll have to give a gracious THANK YOU to Rich for helping me who made things much easier and quicker than they would have been otherwise. Being able to share this experience with someone always makes it uniquely special, especially when they're both n00bs.

The visual of parts that were installed on the bike, not at all flashy but very important bits as far as protection and safety go.

L → R: Zero Gravity Corsa Windscreen | Spiegler SS Brake Lines | Oil Drain Plug | Spears Titanium Brake Caliper Bolts

EBC Brake Pads | GB Racing Case Savers

Install of everything went smoothly, along with putting parts on, other parts came off in preparation of the upcoming track day. It was slotted to be over 100 degrees at the track which isn't unusual at all for this time of year in Desert Center and having been out there a handful of times you learn that the heat is just part of the deal. Not to my surprise, this outing was physically less strenuous than taking the BMW out. I suppose this is where my weakness really shows but the difference between getting a litre bike in and out of corners versus a little 300? 🌚 & 🌞 So that heat, really didn't drain me as much as it has in the past; I was able to get around 30 laps in throughout the day without feeling the same amount of fatigue. Small win to that day.

Obviously the BIGGEST difference came in the form of numbers. Here's a basic roundup between the two bikes:

	2012 BMW S1000RR	2016 Yamaha R3
Displacement	999cc	321 cc
Engine Type	In-line 4, 4-stroke	Twin, 4-stroke
Power	193 hp @ 13,000 rpm	42 hp @ 10,750 rpm
Torque	83 ft lbs @ 9,750 rpm	21.8 ft lbs @ 9,000 rpm
Weight (wet)	451 lbs	368 lbs

It was like someone took the donuts off my bat; that's the most succinct way to explain what I felt. There were a couple other unknowns as well--Pirelli's I've never ridden on (RS10s) and the ultra laid back feel of the ergonomics. I was particularly aware of how low the rear-sets were, even if a couple degrees of additional lean was now allowed through the removal of the peg feelers. The bike wasn't very confident inspiring on the first session out but as the number of laps started to rack up I started to enjoy the bike more and more. Let me breakdown certain areas that stood out to me that day.

THROTTLE: There was a major period of adjustment with the application of throttle, the R3 asks for it much earlier and to a greater degree. My throttle control is my number 1 crash deterrent on the BMW so it was a bit tough to go against the mentality and give it the beans as early as I can remember to apply it. It will be a ongoing evolution in this new relationship as I try to rewire my own habits. Biggest hype in this category: shorter throttle tube. With the R3, you have to re-grip mid application to reach WOT a clear nuisance, not to mention the amount of time it takes to get there.

TRACK USAGE: One of Dale Kieffer's pointers when we reviewed my riding footage was that I didn't use enough of the track which reduced the amount of time under throttle. He made it to a point to lead me out to the edge of the track as we came out of corners using that time to get on the gas to help straighten out the bike. It's a fine line from where I stand skill wise on the BMW, the margin of error gets erased much faster on it. A bit too much throttle and you may find yourself in the dirt. Therein lies the beauty of the R3, everything came around much slower allowing me to feel specific stages for a longer period of time without the looming risk of enjoying a dirt sesh. Freeing myself of that fear allowed me to work it however, I can't say with any amount of confidence that I was able to consistently find the edge lap after lap as robotically as we see in seasoned riders. Having people to chase and follow during the race season will help ingrain that in my muscle memory.

TIRES: It's probably pretty easy being the rubber connecting a 300cc motorcycle to the road; light weight, and not much power to put down. The RS-10s performed very well, and predictably. No run-ins with lack of grip and was able to get to temperature easily. My recollection may be questionable since a bit of time has passed but I believe the PSI was set to 28/29.

I hate that this blog post is being published so late, there are some points that have been forgotten with the passing of time. But all in all it was a great outing to get to know the bike, sadly, it will be a while to the next track day. During this time away I've been doing my best to save up in preparation for the biggest mods--race plastics and suspension. In the time that this post was initially created, I somehow managed to break the OEM rear set, so the Sato Race rear sets came earlier than expected. Come the new year the bike will don a new get up, the design of which is still undecided but we're still keeping with B's Knees moniker. There was some late afternoon fun running with Rich playing follow the leader. This will be the last post for a while, with the next update coming on the next round of purchases.