Drag Racing Skills

[figmotoday]

Hi All,

I'm looking for assistance/comments/tips for machine set up and rider skills used for drag racing spyders. Below is my basic machine and steps but I'm open to any edits or suggestions to my procedure or machine. Please feel free to list anything & then I'll compile and organize our comments & present our results. Thank you in advance for your help.

1) Machine. 2012 RS SE5 with: cold air intake piped in from left and right (see pics below); JT Air Filter (see pics; spyder 1 attitude exhaust (see pic below); BAJARON NGK Iridium spark plugs and wires; BAJARON swar bar; and Spyderpops laser alignment & missing belt guard.
2) Armor: full face HJC - CL-16, fully armored leather spidi jacket and pants with Under Armour for wicking, alpinestars armored gloves, and river road leather boots.
3) After paying fee & getting track inspection, I siphon out fuel & leave very little in tank & front tires go to 10psi & rear goes to 15psi.
4) I pull everything out of frunk & take off tank bag & nothing bungeed to can am.
5) For first run, I ride around the trackbite as I pull up to stage, I become mindful of the differences between both lanes, ie. small cracks, oil drip, spills, dry, wet, dips, slippage, smells, smoke thickness, etc.
6) I crouch & tuck & chin on tank. I smootly & quickly twist the throttle on the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] yellow light of xmas tree.
7) First 60' seem crucial to avoid spin and get out of shoot evenly. Once I pass the xmas tree with front tires, I finish twisting the throttle all the way open.
8) I shift to 2nd when I pass 9000rpm & continue shifting each gear when I pass 9000rpm.
9) If I spin on my first run, then on my second run I will ride through trackbite and do a burnout to prep tires.
10) Adjust psi in tires if needed. Check time slips for sections of run to improve. Figure out best lane and best sections of lanes.
11) Practice & have a blast…

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

RACING IT

:yikes:....10 psi in the front tires ????....is that a typo ???...if not, if you have Kenda's go to 40 psi..........if you have car tires go to 65 psi.....You want the lowest rolling resistance possible on the front tires....Ever notice the front tires on those Dragsters !!!!.......and be careful about how low you go on the rear....unless you are using RIMLOCKS , you don't want to spin the RIM inside the TIRE.......Good Luck...:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:......Mike

 

[Chupaca]

So..!!

Is this all the plan or have you already done some runs...?? If you have what were the results..?? If not...opcorn:opcorn:'ing to see and pictures for sure...:thumbup:
Have similar set up with JT' air w/K&N, iridim plugs and high tension wires, Yoshimura R77 pipe and ram air...never been to the track.

like Mike said..watch your tire pressure and good luck....:2thumbs:

 

[figmotoday]

Hi Chupaca,

In response to your "Is this all the plan or have you already done some runs...?? If you have what were the results..??"

Below is my best slip. 1/4 mile in 13.862 & top 1/4 speed is 96.54 with some of my best reaction times. I've been racing for the last 2 race seasons & still working on changes & reaction skills. I typically run 10-15x weekly during race season. It is a great dragaway. $20-30 per day for all day/evening racing. Price depends on day & specials.

 

[Highwayman2013]

:yikes:....10 psi in the front tires ????....is that a typo ???...if not, if you have Kenda's go to 40 psi..........if you have car tires go to 65 psi.....You want the lowest rolling resistance possible on the front tires....Ever notice the front tires on those Dragsters !!!!.......and be careful about how low you go on the rear....unless you are using RIMLOCKS , you don't want to spin the RIM inside the TIRE.......Good Luck...:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:......Mike

I agree more air in the fronts.

 

[figmotoday]

Hi Mike,

Thanx much for your feedback. I'm logging all comments to develop a can am spyder drag list.

On your comment ".10 psi in the front tires ????....is that a typo ???" No typo, yip @ 10psi, sometimes higher, depends on track conditions, yes it weird because at first I went higher on fronts (40psi) but front too jumpy at the take off & I found low psi in front helps keep the front sticky & on the ground & helps keep the rear tire from spinning & improves stickiness of rear tire, the toughest part is at the start & getting rear tire sticky and turn throttle quick enough to move fast without over spinning & spinning out & low psi in front seems to help but maybe just in my head...........


And thanx for sharing your experience while dragging your spyder -
...if not, if you have Kenda's go to 40 psi..........if you have car tires go to 65 psi.....You want the lowest rolling resistance possible on the front tires....Ever notice the front tires on those Dragsters !!!!.......and be careful about how low you go on the rear....unless you are using RIMLOCKS , you don't want to spin the RIM inside the TIRE.......Good Luck.

 

[DrewNJ]

Very respectable times for basically a stock machine with some bolt ons. Nice work!
Are you running toward the inside or outside of the lane? Especially at launch.
Also, It's amazing how much better the rear hooks up with a better tire. A local is running a Toyo RA1 and it flat out hooks!
Ride safe!

 

[NSPYTE]

I was just going to say...line up the rear tire with either the left or right side over the "car" tracks. From my times with cars at the track, power brake the machine as much as you can and leave on the last yellow light...by the time you get moving you should be right on time with the green! Have you tried any VP or sunoco race gas? Not sure if the Can Am computer can adjust on the fly to higher octane...Ive never had mine out (yet) and dont know how much can ams spin or when the T/C kicks on so just some of my thoughts. Sounds like fun!

 

[figmotoday]

Very respectable times for basically a stock machine with some bolt ons. Nice work!
Are you running toward the inside or outside of the lane? Especially at launch.
Also, It's amazing how much better the rear hooks up with a better tire. A local is running a Toyo RA1 and it flat out hooks!
Ride safe!

Most times, I run inside of the lane but a few times on the outside, depending on how the lane looks/runs. What are your thoughts on inside vs outside?

Hmmmmmm, interesting point on Toyo RA1, I'm ready for a new tire & I'll look into it.

 

[figmotoday]

I was just going to say...line up the rear tire with either the left or right side over the "car" tracks. From my times with cars at the track, power brake the machine as much as you can and leave on the last yellow light...by the time you get moving you should be right on time with the green! Have you tried any VP or sunoco race gas? Not sure if the Can Am computer can adjust on the fly to higher octane...Ive never had mine out (yet) and dont know how much can ams spin or when the T/C kicks on so just some of my thoughts. Sounds like fun!

Excellent points on lining up rear tire, I'll give it a go. I haven't tried VP or sunoco race gas; however, I can get it right next to track & might give it a go. Yip, hammer on last yellow light. Yip, spin is the big culprit, so typically I run a burnout to get sticky & hot & I sit as far back on the seat as I can (weight over the back tire). Once I'm staged, I run 3000rpm with brake on, once 3rd yellow, I smoothly twist throttle (I don't snap it) & then let off brake. While smoothly but quickly twisting the throttle, I feel for the rear tire to have full grip & then quickly up to 9500rpm & shift to 2nd & run to 9500rpm & shift to 3rd & on so..........

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

RACE GAS

Excellent points on lining up rear tire, I'll give it a go. I haven't tried VP or sunoco race gas; however, I can get it right next to track & might give it a go. Yip, hammer on last yellow light. Yip, spin is the big culprit, so typically I run a burnout to get sticky & hot & I sit as far back on the seat as I can (weight over the back tire). Once I'm staged, I run 3000rpm with brake on, once 3rd yellow, I smoothly twist throttle (I don't snap it) & then let off brake. While smoothly but quickly twisting the throttle, I feel for the rear tire to have full grip & then quickly up to 9500rpm & shift to 2nd & run to 9500rpm & shift to 3rd & on so..........

IMHO...anything over 91 octane isn't going to make a difference. The computers will over rule almost all attempts with this type of thing.....Except try PURE Gas without any ETHYL......but this isn't going be any miracle juice..................I dis-agree on your theory about rear tire spinning caused / assisted by HIGH front tire pressure.........that's akin to this theory ...if you are spinning you rear tire " JUST ADD 500 LBS "....:roflblack:....You might stop spinning rear tire but you sure aren't going to be winning any time slips....JMHO...................Also at those RPM's I think you are out of the prime power band for that Spyder........Good Luck.....Mike :thumbup:...................PS I'll try and find my slips from Spyderfest 2014 my RSS ( stock ) won 1 st place.......I helped :roflblack:

 

[figmotoday]

IMHO...anything over 91 octane isn't going to make a difference. The computers will over rule almost all attempts with this type of thing.....Except try PURE Gas without any ETHYL......but this isn't going be any miracle juice..................I dis-agree on your theory about rear tire spinning caused / assisted by HIGH front tire pressure.........that's akin to this theory ...if you are spinning you rear tire " JUST ADD 500 LBS "....:roflblack:....You might stop spinning rear tire but you sure aren't going to be winning any time slips....JMHO...................Also at those RPM's I think you are out of the prime power band for that Spyder........Good Luck.....Mike :thumbup:...................PS I'll try and find my slips from Spyderfest 2014 my RSS ( stock ) won 1 st place.......I helped :roflblack:

Good points Mike. Tomorrow nite, I'll try 40+psi in front & stick with it. With each run, I change only 1 variable @ a time to see if the 1 variable makes a difference. I've been used to running low psi in the fronts for a year or so & I haven't changed or thought about front end psi. I'll stick with my 93 octane with no ETHYL.

What do you think would the best shift RPM to in order to hit the best spot of the 2012 RS power band? I've tried shifting @ RPMs from 5 to 9+. I get to 9000 very quick between each gear & it seemed I had faster times @ 9000 vs slower RPMs but I haven't actually compared each time slip.

It'd be cool & helpful to see your slips, to see where & how to improve. And to find out your preferred shift RPM.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

POWER BAND

Good points Mike. Tomorrow nite, I'll try 40+psi in front & stick with it. With each run, I change only 1 variable @ a time to see if the 1 variable makes a difference. I've been used to running low psi in the fronts for a year or so & I haven't changed or thought about front end psi. I'll stick with my 93 octane with no ETHYL.

What do you think would the best shift RPM to in order to hit the best spot of the 2012 RS power band? I've tried shifting @ RPMs from 5 to 9+. I get to 9000 very quick between each gear & it seemed I had faster times @ 9000 vs slower RPMs but I haven't actually compared each time slip.

It'd be cool & helpful to see your slips, to see where & how to improve. And to find out your preferred shift RPM.

" fig ", this is asking a lot for my 68 yr old memory ...it's more than a year ago, and I was really doing a " more of a feel / hear thing....as opposed to looking at the Tach..........plus at that speed I'm watching where I'm going :yikes: :roflblack:.......Check the specs for the V-twin ....where the HP and torque curves cross and go from there.........I'm no EXPERT on this by any stretch of the mind .....Not even close ......In 14 I was pretty good with the timing lights and that's most of the advantage ... IMHO.....................This year I had done some things to my 2014 RT , but I never got to do ANY testing prior to the DRAGS.........Before Spyderfest I had to work to Chirp the tire.....at Spyderfest all I could do was spin un-controllably............So the MODS I did to the Air Intake system worked .....I was getting much better OFF the line power.....way too much for the tire I had that day.............Live and learn..................just keep working at :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:.......Mike

 

[figmotoday]

very helpful Mike, thanx

 

[rush00]

Hello there its good to see another sypder in the area, here is my best time on the track at great lakes drag away. This was my first time i've even been on the drag strip so it was a learning curve for me and it was fun.

 

[Bob Denman]

:clap: For a first-time run! :thumbup: :congrats:

 

[AMTJIM]

Wow...what was next to you that did 333 mph?

 

[PMK]

Hi All,

I'm looking for assistance/comments/tips for machine set up and rider skills used for drag racing spyders. Below is my basic machine and steps but I'm open to any edits or suggestions to my procedure or machine. Please feel free to list anything & then I'll compile and organize our comments & present our results. Thank you in advance for your help.

1) Machine. 2012 RS SE5 with: cold air intake piped in from left and right (see pics below); JT Air Filter (see pics; spyder 1 attitude exhaust (see pic below); BAJARON NGK Iridium spark plugs and wires; BAJARON swar bar; and Spyderpops laser alignment & missing belt guard.
2) Armor: full face HJC - CL-16, fully armored leather spidi jacket and pants with Under Armour for wicking, alpinestars armored gloves, and river road leather boots.
3) After paying fee & getting track inspection, I siphon out fuel & leave very little in tank & front tires go to 10psi & rear goes to 15psi.
4) I pull everything out of frunk & take off tank bag & nothing bungeed to can am.
5) For first run, I ride around the trackbite as I pull up to stage, I become mindful of the differences between both lanes, ie. small cracks, oil drip, spills, dry, wet, dips, slippage, smells, smoke thickness, etc.
6) I crouch & tuck & chin on tank. I smootly & quickly twist the throttle on the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] yellow light of xmas tree.
7) First 60' seem crucial to avoid spin and get out of shoot evenly. Once I pass the xmas tree with front tires, I finish twisting the throttle all the way open.
8) I shift to 2nd when I pass 9000rpm & continue shifting each gear when I pass 9000rpm.
9) If I spin on my first run, then on my second run I will ride through trackbite and do a burnout to prep tires.
10) Adjust psi in tires if needed. Check time slips for sections of run to improve. Figure out best lane and best sections of lanes.
11) Practice & have a blast…

I was giving this some thought over the past few days. Have you ever done a pass, on the same night, basically same conditions, where you removed the air inlet grates shown in the photos. At speed the flat grille maybe bouncing the airflow and not flowing an optimum amount. The open hose has no appreciable restriction.

Check with Drew on this and see if he has any input, but I would suspect if you can get the air temp sensor the engine management into a better position to accurately read true inlet temp it may add fuel and timing.

Outside of tire pressures being mentioned, are you doing anything with front shock preload to lower the bike and also lower the rear so the full weight shift is onto the tire, not compressing the spring?

Efficient or not, the belts consume power. Run the lowest belt tension you feel comfortable with. If you squat the rear, or similar, you should be able to use a krikit gage and find a good tension for that alignment of the countershaft, swingarm and rear axle alignment. The gates website should have some guidelines on tension vs HP. With little suspension movement, the tension will change very little.

PK

 

[Bob Denman]

What do you think would the best shift RPM to in order to hit the best spot of the 2012 RS power band? I've tried shifting @ RPMs from 5 to 9+. I get to 9000 very quick between each gear & it seemed I had faster times @ 9000 vs slower RPMs but I haven't actually compared each time slip.

Your 2012 RS hits it's 106 hp peak at 8500 rpm, and peak torque of 77lb/ft is hit at 6250...
Ideally; (I think) you want your upshift to occur at the point that drops you back to your torque peak. That gives you the best start back up the rpm ladder...:thumbup:

(For comparison: the RTs make 100 hp at 7500 rpm, and 80 lb/ft of torque at 5500...)