Iraq Moto: Zagraniski’s 450 Blog, Part 2

By Ted Zagraniski

Ted Zagriniski is a soldier based in Iraq while his Formula 450 project is being built back in the U.S. See the previous blog right here.

July has been a special month for me, not just in terms of the Formula 450 project (more on that in a second), but also because of two separate milestones. First, I was very fortunate to be on vacation from Iraq and present at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the MotoGP and AMA races at this year’s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix. Second, at the beginning of July, I crossed the halfway mark in my twelve-month Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment. You might say that when AMA Pro showed crossed green-and-white flags at Laguna, they were waving for me as well as the men on the track!

I would be remiss if I did not point out, by the way, that all of you who are lucky enough to have freedom of travel later on this summer have a unique opportunity in the USA that I will be forced to forgo. So I urge you: pack your bags and take a trip to the Red Bull Indianapolis GP at the end of next month. Not only will you too have the chance to snap your very own photo of MotoGP star, RRX contributor, and all-around good guy Colin Edwards operating a compressed-air T-shirt gun. You will also be making the quintessential American motorsports pilgrimage, and have the opportunity—as I did at Laguna Seca—to meet some of the great people who make Road Racer X a reality for all of us race fans. I did not regret my trip halfway around the world to Central California (quite the opposite!).

While I was off soaking up as much Pacific sunshine as my skin could handle, the men at Killeen Power Sports were hard at work on the next phase of the Formula 450 project. As you can see from this month’s snapshot, the promised Dunlop slicks have materialized! For the first time since last December, the bike is now able to move about the shop floor on its own wheels. I’m sure if nothing else, the guys in Killeen are very grateful for that. Finding just the right tires took some serious digging. In the end, a company called Motostrano provided the KR106 rubber: the front fitment is a 125/80R17, while the rear is a slightly larger and rounder 155/60R17. I gather from Dustin and the rest of the team that putting rubber to the garage floor was a bit of a team effort. I hope more out of in interest in the project then difficulty with the build!

Five days after the F450 posed on its HandyStand for the camera, Dustin sent me another email. The next phase of the project is already on order. We move now to the fairing mounting kit, where both Dustin and I expect a few modifications and adjustments to the AD Motorsports-sourced items when they arrive. Hopefully no modifications to the rest of the bike will be necessary, but I will save that story for the next installment.