We got the opportunity to test the racer at High Plains Raceway on March 30th. It handled extremely well! No chassis or suspension adjustments were required. It has lots of steering feel. It is dead stable yet very responsive. I had absolutely no problem either maintaining or changing a line. Only 7 laps were done. Poor carburetion made the engine very difficult to control. And neck strain made life at higher speeds very difficult. A Dynojet carburetor kit is on the way to fix the former. A headrest will fix the latter.
While we went a lot faster and cornered a lot harder than I expected the first time out, we still have a long way to go towards generating respectable lap times. But I'm approaching the next time out with a lot more confidence. Is the development of a new racing motorcycle concept with unproven geometry on a racetrack by a 50 year old novice racer a good idea? Can't think of many other things I'd rather do.
The next track date: MRA racing school, April 13th (April 21st, in case of bad weather).
