Iraq Moto: Zagraniski’s F450 Blog, Part 9

March 2, 2010 by admin
Filed under Blog, Breaking News

By Ted Zagraniski

For part 8, go here.

Three laps in, I was totally hooked. On a 1.8-mile road course, that means I only had to travel about 5.4 miles before I knew I had invested wisely in my Formula 450 track bike. Harris Hill Road is an eleven-turn road course with a challenging and innovative blend of camber, radius, and elevation changes in a relatively small space. The original concept was to build a racetrack to make any driver or rider really have to think, regardless of his or her level of experience. It’s a track designed not just for fun, but for learning. Needless to say, at my first track day—thanks to Elite Trackdays—I felt a little like I’d impetuously cast aside my swim wings and taken a flying leap into the deep end of the pool.

Ted Zagraniski was pumped to finally get his Formula 450 project bike to the track. * Patrick Meredith photo

Luckily, this pool had a pair of expert lifeguards in Moira Zinn and Lars Remsen. Moira is the proprietress and lead instructor of Elite Trackdays. Lars is last year’s CCS Florida Expert Unlimited Supersport Champion, a University of Texas student, and a member of Moira’s team of exceptional instructors. Throughout the day, I spent most of my laps following or being followed by Moira and Lars. Their expert advice was critical to my learning process and level of enjoyment on the track.

I’m proud to say that although I definitely needed plenty of coaching, I did keep the rubber side down all day and only let my right wrist outfox my brain once. Not a bad start to a track-day hobby, eh?

The 15th of February was a day of firsts for me. It was my first track day; my first time riding the Formula 450 more than 200 yards; my first time riding a motorcycle in one-piece leathers; my first time riding at Harris Hill Road; my first time using a slipper clutch; and my first time riding with slick tires. Clearly, I came into the day with a great deal to learn. To be honest, I barely had any more applicable experience than how to start the bike and shift it into gear. Despite all those new experiences rolled into a single day on the track, I do feel qualified to make a few observations about my new chariot:

1) This bike is versatile, agile, and fast!

Although Paul and Dustin told me simply, “it goes, it stops, and it turns,” the reality is that my Formula 450 does all of those things better than any other bike I’ve ever ridden. To put a balanced, capable bike on Harris Hill Road is to immediately challenge yourself to develop everything you thought you knew about motorcycling. While I was being coached and led about the course, my Formula 450 seamlessly integrated my inputs and the track’s condition. Sometimes it even felt like the bike was working too well; I honestly never knew I could make a motorcycle do what the Formula 450 did when I relaxed and got a little heat in the tires. Don’t let the horsepower, torque, and displacement numbers fool you, by the way; my Formula 450 offered enough performance to delight its pilot without the ragged-edge feeling of a bigger bike, which in my experience can sometimes overwhelm the senses.

2) The mechanical elements of the bike worked precisely as advertised.

The author was new to trackday riding, but he came away impressed with his new ride. * Patrick Meredith photo

One of the few specific requests made by Killeen Power Sports before I took this bike to Harris Hill Road was to use as many of its components as much as I could. In other words, I was on strict orders to shift, brake, accelerate, turn, and change positions often. After my three sessions I was able to report back to the Killeen Power Sports team that everything from the Brembo front brake kit to the slipper clutch to the fairing brackets worked exactly in the way they were described to me during the Formula 450’s design process. I should add that even my Dunlop slicks became incredibly sticky and provided great feel and feedback when I learned a little about how to use them the right way.

3) I’m confident that a few minor changes will significantly improve the bike.

Having ridden only cruisers and naked bikes on the street, I had never learned to appreciate just how slippery motorcycle bodywork can be. Every time I applied moderate or heavy brakes, I would slide forward on the seat. Actually, the only thing that seemed to have less grip than the gas tank cover were the slicks before Moira taught me how to heat them up. Even though I was gripping the tank with my knees as Lars had instructed, my leathers were not gaining any purchase on the body and frame of the bike. The Lars/Killeen Power Sports solution to my problem has already been ordered: Stomp Grip tank ovals (universal pattern). John at Killeen Power Sports also recommended Tank Tredz, which will eventually find their way onto the second set of bodywork for comparison’s sake. The other change I plan to make now is a rearset adjustment. Paul started me out on a centered position, but there are twenty-some ways to position each peg. I’m thinking one notch backward will do the trick for now.

4) We need to make some suspension adjustments next time I visit the track.

Zagraniski is looking forward to making a few minor adjustments prior to the bike's next outing. * Patrick Meredith photo

Most of the time, my Race Tech forks and shock had my absolute confidence and were practically transparent in operation. Unfortunately, Harris Hill Road has a couple of warbles around the quickest lines, going both clockwise and counterclockwise. I thought at first that the problem was my lack of experience with performance riding, but then Lars came in after session 3 with the same observations about the pavement. In order to steady the bike across those spots, I’ll need some expert suspension advice. Good thing Elite Trackdays is going to have a suspension tech at Harris Hill Road for their event in March.

5) Finally, my Formula 450 motorcycle was a real thrill, right out of the garage.

I am living proof that even a novice trackday rider can climb onto a Formula 450 with no prior experience and have a great time. After just twenty laps, I came to the conclusion that I was smitten with my track mule. I knew I had found a motorcycle that perfectly blends high-performance potential with a level of control suitable for the rookie rider. Now that I’ve spent a day with my new ride, I would recommend a Formula 450 to any novice rider on a budget who wanted to learn on a true race-spec motorcycle.

What can I say? When it comes to Formula 450 trackdays, I’m totally hooked.

I am eternally grateful and indebted to the folks who made my Formula 450 dreams come true:

• Dustin, John, Paul, Bill, Randy, and the Service Department at Killeen Power Sports in Killeen, TX
• Jon Elliott at TotalRider.com in Austin, TX
• Moira and Lars at Elite Trackdays, San Marcos in TX
• Patrick Meredith of Austin, TX, who took all the shots accompanying this track report
• Everyone at Harris Hill Road in San Marcos, TX
• And last but not least, CJ and the whole crew at Road Racer X