Lap Timer

XT... Mark has them at the track.. If you ever have any issues their support and service cant be beat..

 

+1 fot the XT and theya are always for sale used on the wera board[/url]

 

I agree on the service from XT...Top Notch. FWIW, there is no need to buy the beacon. There is always one at the track.

 

I've got the miniXT and it works great if you just simply want lap times.

It's the small all-in-one deal and they're sold trackside for a little over a hundred bucks.

 

another drone for the xt ultra.

 

i like the mini just because there is no cable to route and it has the slots in the bottom for a couple of zip ties so i just zip tie it to the upper triple clamp over the steering stem nut. i had some issues with it reading lap times if i had it zip tied off to the side of the steering stem because of the angle of the triple clamp.

 

The miniXT is a bit aggravating. I would recommend the Ultra model. On the mini, you have to wait until the second that you turned loose on pit road to start it. it only has a certain amount of time before it auto-off's so if you don't get to the beacon in that amount of time, than you just lost that session. i had my mini ziptied to the stock rear seat strap where it had a clear line of sight to the beacon. i would go out and run some good laps and come back in only to find that it had timed out or i forgot to start it. if you buy one, buy the ultra. XT has great service on all their products.

 

the ultra has an 'auto on' feature as well as the 'auto off'. when it sees the beacon...it turns on. i never worry about it.

does the mini not have the auto on feature?

 

Nope, you have to hit the 'start timer' button and it will stay active for 5 min. So, you've got 5 min. from the time you press the button to pass the beacon.

 

now that i think about it i have had a couple times where i forgot to set it on pit lane and have a session with no recorded lap times. i was sure they were record breaking laps to but now i cant prove it maybe i should of spent the extra money. [/quote]

 

I love my mini, it's the second one I have had. The 5 minute window has never been a problem for me, but I understand how it could be problematic for some.

I mount it on the tail as I don't trust myself not to start pushing with it on the dash. The stated benefits of no wire to route, compact size and cheap price sold me on it.

 

If you have the cash, i would spring for the XT GPS timer.

-You never have to worry about a beacon, it is GPS based.

-Not only does it give you an ultimate lap time, it gives you top speed, average speed etc.

-You can go back and review/compare every lap and see where you were faster or slower and how it affected your overall lap time.

-You can download the information to your computer and review it.

-You can wire it to the bike and it will track RPM's, throttle position, gear selection etc. Basically it will record EVERYTHING about a lap and you can learn from it.

-If you have a buddy that is faster, you can take of your bike and let him ride with it. Then compare his lap to yours and see why/where he is faster.

-You can set it up to either count the number of laps up as you go, or enter a total number of laps and it will count down as you go (that feature can be beneficial if you race).

I started using one last year and i love it. If you use it to its full potential, it is so much more than just a lap timer...it is a tool you can use to actually get faster because it shows you what is going on during every lap.

 

i love the idea of the diagnostic benefits of the gps unit and if the bells and whistles make it worth it, go for it ( and it sounds cool as hell...)

...but just realize that if the overall laptime is based on gps signal rather than ground based RF, it is not anywhere near as accurate as the beacon tripped laptimers.

 

Not to mention the Government will always be watching you....

 

My personal lap timer has always shown the same thing that WERA's timesheets posted.

With that being said, i never went past tenths. I mean, i would know that i ran a 1:20.1 for example and WERA's would be the same. It is possible that they aren't as accurate once you go past the tenths though.

Now you have me wondering, im going to have to pay attention to that next time.

You can either walk over to the wall by start/finish and "learn/set" the start/finish point, or you can just start riding and it will realize when you cross the same point twice and finish the lap there. You just have to make sure you realize that your start/finish may not be the same as the actual start/finish if you using it to count laps.

It really is a good tool. There were a couple of times when my top speed would be 3-4mph faster on a certain lap, but my overall lap time would be a little slower. So i would compare the virtual laps and recognize that while i got a better drive onto the front stretch in that particular lap, i didnt get a good of drive in a couple of other turns in the back section...so my ultimate lap time was slower.

So next time i go out, i keep that in mind and focus on getting good drive out of those turns in the back and get that same drive onto the front straight. Now i have the higher top speed, plus the same drive in the back...and bam, lower overall lap time.

With all of that being said. It is fairly expensive. It is really cool, but seat time means more than anything. If somebody is on a budget and has to make a choice between a track weekend or the lap timer, the choice is obvious.

But if you have the extra money, it is pretty cool.

 

Oh, and +1 to XT's customer service.

Mine was messed up in a wreck (smashed screen, wouldnt come on) and i didnt realize it until i started prepping the bike for the next race.

I sent it to XT for repair and told them I needed it back as quick as possible so i could use it the next weekend.

They got it back to me within 5 days, with a new screen (and something else that was broken, cant remember what) with a hand-written letter wishing me luck at the races and it was signed with the Tech's personal cell phone number so i could call him over the weekend if i had any issues with it.

 

Man I live right around the corner from them... I had a display issue and was going to drop mine off.. John grabbed it said hold on 1 minute.. Came back seriously in 1 Minute and said here.. Its fixed.. It was a contrast setting ect...No charge No questions nothing... You cant beat that with a stick..

 

The GPX is a great tool for someone looking to working on their lines and brake/throttle timing. it is however very expensive. great tool to have if you have the extra change laying around. the ultra is the best for the average person just wanting some time readings. I personally just purchased a GPX but have not installed it yet. looking forward to it. i have seen a few of them in action and they look good. just remember, if you set it up for any data, make sure you have time to read all the data it collects other wise its useless.

 

They are actually pretty accurate in my experience, there can be a slight variation and some of that could be caused by a different "start/finish" line setting in the GPX. I've always set mine by eye on the display instead of using the feature where you can stand on the start finish line and set it.

Example of how close they can be, yesterday at Tally GP WERA's AMB system recorded my best lap as a 1:05.595, the GPX showed 1:05.61, I can live with that.