A Super Bike Surprise in San Diego!

I had to travel a few weeks ago for work. I was down in North San Diego County by Oceanside. I grew up there for a little while and it was good to return. An impending military transfer has me looking at buying a house in the area. While on my way to the realtor, I came across North County's House of Motorcycles so I stopped by for a look.

Inside your typical all brands motorcycle dealership was a pretty big room full of bikes. All Japanese brands were represented along with Triumph. I checked out all the sport bikes, dreaming of turning each and every one of them into a track bike. On my way to look at helmets, I caught a glimpse of something different. These two beauties were parked under a canopy with big 'do not sit on this bike' signs. The sign also told me that they were AMA Superbikes. Consider my attention kept.

On the left we have a 2008 Honda CBR1000RR and on the right is a 2011 Kawasaki ZX1000J. Both of them were numbered 21 as you can see. 5 minutes of Google told me that many famous names had the #21 plate. John Hopkins and Eddie Lawson being the most notable. Being in the presence of Superbike royalty was pretty cool. I figured that I'd get as many shots of the bikes as I could for inspiration later when I worked on my little Ninja.

Here are a couple of ways to safety wire the front axle pinch bolts depending on if you have 'outies' like the Honda or 'innies' like theKawasaki. You can see that the Kawi is hard wired so that if you have to remove the front wheel & axle you are going to have to remove the safety wire. On the Honda they have used safety pin like clips to do the job making it less time consuming in the pits to remove a wheel.

Speaking of wheels and tires, this is what I have to look forward to learning how to do! These tires show just how much heat is generated out there on the track. My Ninja's tires look similar, but not as gnarly. Notice the smooth and even pattern of wear on the tire. That is a sign of a properly set-up bike. While I can't get slicks for my Ninja with its 16" wheel diameter, I can use pics like this to ensure I am setting my suspension and cold tire pressures correctly.

I took these shots to use when I modify my little Ninja. On the left is the Honda's shifter side rear-sets showing the adjustability available in a quality aftermarket set of pegs. I believe I can mount 2008-2012 Ninja 250 rear-sets to my pregen Ninja. The problem is, in order to try I'm going to have to spend over $150 and the experiment. Too much cash for my blood. On the right you can see the quick shifter strain gauge used for clutches upshifts. This is a mod I may do, but again it is a pricey option at this moment in my fledgling racing career..

Now here is something I really need, a lap timer. I currently use the Track Addict  app to time my laps. It has worked only so-so on the tight kart track, but worked very well on the Streets of Willow. I have to take my phone with me out on the track in a small chest pocket in my leathers. The free version only lets you record three sessions before I have to delete a session. I have found a cheap lap timer that I will be getting soon that uses a stationary beacon you have to plant somewhere on the side of the track. A display will mount to the bike and show me my lap times as I'm making my way around the circuit. There are plusses and minuses to either system of tracking times.

Anyway I was pleasantly surprised to find these bikes and to be able to get something to write about during a week of late nights and no Motorbikes. Hopefully you got something out of it as well. I was in the garage  last night working on another project and I have a bunch of posts queued up to release over the next few weeks. Ride on back by the blog for more content! As always, ride safe and see you again soon!

Blue