This are STT regulations: http://www.sportbiketracktime.com/track-day-regulations.html If he runs Engine Ice he is alright. Also as you can see the Novice riders are NOT required to change the glycol coolant! Most guys up here that do not run any of the race events (WERA and co.) run with Engine Ice including myself. As nice as it is to try to educate people here there is no need to assume that every guy in Novice has no idea about nothing. The fact that he is asking shows that he did read about the necessary modifications and he is taking care of them. I dont see whats wrong with that and luckily he got the answers he was looking for. I personally go thru all the important bolts before every track day if they dont have a safety wire or if I cut the wire to work on something before wiring again. I know all of the guys I know from the STT track days do that as well! Bolts dont just come loose within a couple miles if they are tightened correctly! There are a lot more dangerous things then engine ice that can harm others big time! You named already one yourself with the lost brake lever screw! Im sorry for your buddy and who knows what the circumstance have been. But no brake is also dangerous for all the surrounding riders. you can go on there with not tightened caliper bolts, worn out pads as the weekend goes on to too low of a brake fluid level as the pads wear down. Im sure the guys racing every season can add a million more things that can go wrong and put others at risk! There is always a risk that something goes wrong at a track day. Prost!
While words can be mis understood thru these forums I believe his point is that sometimes rules are just enough to achieve a minimum amount of safety. I can tell you that when I showed up for my FIRST novice day I had the coolant changed to engine ice because that was what I was told to get but my oil fill, oil dip stick, oil filter and oil drain plug were safety wired. I have full intentions of going further after see what my bike is subjected to. As far as STT is concerned, I like the org, but some of the safety SPEACH is just that. Nobody ever asked to look at my leathers, helmet, gloves. Heck Labor Day weekend they had someone on track in a modular helmet, people passing in the morning sessions of Novice within the group even though they knew better and all they got was a slap on the wrist. Sometimes crap happens and sometimes people just don't care like the guys that were passing me. Like I told them the only reason I was not passing was because The rules said I should not, but they were more than happy to pass me in the afternoon if they could. I think we all just need to read what he has to say and take out the important parts concerning overall safety and trash the rest of his crap. Just like you will have to with mine. Hopefully you first time in I goes we'll be safe out there.
For the record...I think all of you are full of **** and this is some weird hazing ritual. Either I have the drain bolt from hell or there is a step missing to the "get drill bits, drill" part of all of this. This thing is literally just eating bits with only a tiny crater of a hole present. I'm not snapping them (ok well one) but otherwise titanium coated bits are being worn down to nothing. Update: So I got it - 5 bits later and it required hammering a finishing nail between my top "hole"and side "hole". Seriously, you guys doing this on a drill press with diamond bits or something!?
A drill press is a huge help. Good drill bits are a big help also, and spray some type of lubricating oil. You just have to be patient. There are kits that have bolts pre-drilled. You using 1/16 drill bits?
I was using 1/16 until I ground the first two down to a nub and broke the next two. Finished with a 5/64 I also broke then I got out the hammer and nail. I am VERY glad I bought the K&N filter because there is no way I was drilling two bolts tonight without losing my sanity.
LOL!:lmao: Yes a drill press is ur best friend drilling bolt heads thats for sure!:thumb: However a GOOD drill bit makes a hell of a difference as well. But with a regular hand drill its always a bitch since you can't push as hard as a drill press will. Also this small drills need rpm to work!
I safety wired the oil filter, drain bolt and exhaust can but after watching the STG bike prep video something just occurred to me...anything wrong with using rtv on other areas for now? Fork pinch bolts, oil fill cap, etc.
No there is nothing wrong with that. I would wire the oil fill cap since that can cause a big mess! If you check all the bolts to be tight (or if you have the time torque them all) and your good to go. Safety wiring most bolts is required for WERA and other race series. STT doesnt require it. For any STT event you have to safety wire the oil filler cap, drain plug and oil filter to ride in the Advanced group. Any other bolt is for your piece of mind!
They were wanting the dipstick wired of RTV'd this weekend too. It's not a bad thing to add to the list if you are wanting to be safety minded.
The only sportbike I've owned that actually had a dipstick is my 675, so he might be able to cross that one off the list automatically.
Hey TClark, is your muffler insert safety wired? Saw a guy lose one infront of me at Barber, wish his had been wired.
Baffle, diffuser, etc.. The piece inside the muffler with all the tiny holes in it. Some manufactures, like M4, have different inserts depending on desired sound level.
I think I will be echoing Clark here... Been doing this for almost 20 years. Yes... I am old. But, that being said, I have seen why race orgs require a certain coolant additive and why they do not allow others. Glycol is slippery. Whether propolene or what you get out of your car... It is hard to clean up and it is tough to ride over. I think that any person doing track days that rides in a club that requires to remove coolant, they need to run what race orgs require or accept. Why? The same reasons the race orgs say it is legal or is not... As for wiring, it can be tough to drill that new $20k sportbike that you just bought. No problem... Buy a pre-drilled oil fill cap ($20) and a pre-drilled drain bolt ($40). The results will be a bike that when selling, can have the OEM stuff put back and nobody will be the wiser. Use the band clamp on the oil filter and bingo. Done. I would also echo Clark in that if you do a lot of track days, wire like a racebike. Why? The trackdays are not as rigorous as a race weekend. But, the course of events you run, shit can vibrate loose. Wiring bolts like caliper bolts, pinch bolts, etc are a good idea if you are a regular runner... Not required and yes, you may never have a reason to do it, but that ONE TIME that the brake lever bolt as described falls out and you are running a straight somewhere and you pull the trigger and have nada, you'll see what I mean. Safety is safety. This sport is a VERY dangerous sport. Protect yourself.
:thumb: :thumb: seems only those that have been doing this a LONG time are the ones that "get it". We've seen "shit happen", and unfortunately, too many times, its not JUST the guy that didnt do the basic crap to make his shit safer be the only one that's impacted by his "laziness". As for wiring my exhaust difuser? seriously? Thats a first! Ive been doing this 15 years, racing 18 weekends a year for 7 years, and for the last 8, racing/trackdays combined doing roughly 12-15 weekends a year. CRing since 2005 including being an instructor with Bargy racing school, and i can count on 2 fingers the number of times ive seen the insides come out of an exhaust can, and its nothing safety wire would have prevented, it was the packing that came out. Can count on one finger the number of times ive seen an entire exhaust can actually come flying off, and in that case, had the rider done what, at the time, was required by WERA, it would have never happened, as we are supposed to wire the springs that hold the can on to the mid pipe. Oh, and for the record, yes, my can is wired thru the springs to prevent that from happening.