Dry Lakes Racers Australia

New to lsr and just sorting out the safety requirements of the bike. GenII Busa. So far my list is;

-Lock Wire: sump bolt, oil filter, radiator cap, axles, fork pinch bolts, front brake caliper pad pins + mount bolts (engine casings??)
-Metal Chain Guard: from frame to outer edge of rear sprocket, 1.5x chain width.
-Polycarb / Lexan screen - does tinted matter?..clear is no better... too scared to look above 200mph
-Metal Battery retainer bracket - GenII Busa battery under seat and seat bolted on...is this a req?
-Kill switch + lanyard
Tires: hard compound ZR rated (w) - any recommendations? looking at Bridgestone BT023

What am I missing?

Hey BB I think that the battery box has to be metal and you need metal valve stems on the wheels.

I have a Bridgestone BT023 on my road bike and wouldnt call them a hard compound. The centre is harder than the sides but still softer than a touring tire.

Thanks RGV.
Metal valve stems...forgot to mention that one. I've got them on the bike already.

I think you're right on the battery box too. I was thinking just had to be a bracket but the rule says - framework too;
All batteries shall be properly secured with metal hold-downs, framework and fasteners. Plastic tie-downs are not allowed. OEM battery holddowns
may not be adequate.

Tyre choice seems to be quite the interesting topic for a motorcycle in lsr. I've spent hours trauling through multiple forums and found countless threads
with novels worth of discussion which have no mention of any particular tyre's - except for hard compound and shave 2/3 of the tread for best results.
Seems odd that I can't find any real info from riders mentioning particular tyres they've tried with a review toward how they lasted or didn't.

BikerBoy wrote:Thanks RGV.
Metal valve stems...forgot to mention that one. I've got them on the bike already.

I think you're right on the battery box too. I was thinking just had to be a bracket but the rule says - framework too;
All batteries shall be properly secured with metal hold-downs, framework and fasteners. Plastic tie-downs are not allowed. OEM battery holddowns
may not be adequate.

Tyre choice seems to be quite the interesting topic for a motorcycle in lsr. I've spent hours trauling through multiple forums and found countless threads
with novels worth of discussion which have no mention of any particular tyre's - except for hard compound and shave 2/3 of the tread for best results.
Seems odd that I can't find any real info from riders mentioning particular tyres they've tried with a review toward how they lasted or didn't.

I might be wrong but there was a bit of cageyness a few years back about tyre ratings, "for racing purposes" and there weren't many guys prepared to put their name to a make and type. Had somethin to do with car guys and bike rules and ....I dunno.

I would send a PM to Messers Greg Watters and Grumm441, one will give you a good idea of what people are running the other will tell you what gets knocked back.

Dr Goggles wrote:

BikerBoy wrote:Thanks RGV.
Metal valve stems...forgot to mention that one. I've got them on the bike already.

I think you're right on the battery box too. I was thinking just had to be a bracket but the rule says - framework too;
All batteries shall be properly secured with metal hold-downs, framework and fasteners. Plastic tie-downs are not allowed. OEM battery holddowns
may not be adequate.

Tyre choice seems to be quite the interesting topic for a motorcycle in lsr. I've spent hours trauling through multiple forums and found countless threads
with novels worth of discussion which have no mention of any particular tyre's - except for hard compound and shave 2/3 of the tread for best results.
Seems odd that I can't find any real info from riders mentioning particular tyres they've tried with a review toward how they lasted or didn't.

I might be wrong but there was a bit of cageyness a few years back about tyre ratings, "for racing purposes" and there weren't many guys prepared to put their name to a make and type. Had somethin to do with car guys and bike rules and ....I dunno.

I would send a PM to Messers Greg Watters and Grumm441, one will give you a good idea of what people are running the other will tell you what gets knocked back.

With the US rules is seems that they wont allow ZR rated anymore and require "race tyres"....whatever that is....the slicks off Stoners cbr?
There is few that make an LSR tyre but nothing to suit a motorcycle on stock rim sizing.

I chat to Greg a bit through the Busa club and he's been great in helping me get set up for lsr...definately owe him a beer or two for his help.

At the moment I'm waiting to hear back from a guy I know that works in the tyre shop at Phillip Island circuit. Might be able to score some rubber that
has had some track time and suitable to use. Hopefuly he'll get back to me in the next few days on what he's got lying around. I've got a few sets in the shed
from my track days but the compounds are too soft to run on a dry lake.

mate, do not run a soft compound tyre, this is what 204mph and being overgeared dose to them,
(IMG)

yeah i saw that pic the other day while searching info....and another where the tread had completely split and ripped from the carcass.

and another

I did this to a tire every run and from what i can figure out its cold tearing

Greg, what do you mean by "cold tearing"

i also notice that yours have chunked adjacent to the leading edge of the groove, similar to mine,

there was a Hayabusa at BUB`s last year that chuncked a frount tyre, ,

race rubber is like licorice when warm, very flexable ,but cold is more brittle, pretty sure as were not using tire warmers, and the salt surface is cold we are tearing the rubber off the carcase where it can move more like near the tread bars

That was Howard Mitchell that chunked the front
The cross wind helped, probably should not have been running but the tire chunked off centre he must have been countersteering with a big slip angle all the way down to chunk like that

It was interesting at Bonneville Speedweek in 2010
That was when they brought in the racing tyre rule and the tyre inspection sticker
Anyone who did a 200mph+ run had to come back to tech to have their tyres inspected
we saw some people consistently chunking tyres and it usually started at the tread
However, there were a couple of people who ran all week on the same tyre
there was a tyre guy there who was selling and fitting racing tyres but he only had soft and mediums which didn't last

Speedweek Bonneville 2011 was a different story.
we saw very little tyre failure at all which may have been because people had worked out that the hard tyres didn't shred
or they were being more careful with the throttle

there were two bikes running 15" goodyear land speed tyres and they had no problems
And yes, I was in motorcycle tech all week

G

Problem i had with the LSR tire was the more square section made it unworkable in any crosswind , even though i have the edges shaved to try and improve the shape
this was before shaving


G how does the new no car tire rule apply in this case , have not got the book in front of me to check the exact wording, somewhere buried in this seasons paperwork

that's a good question. I don't have th book in front of me either. although I would have a better idea after I talk to Matt Schuss.
G

Taken from the 2012 DLRA downloadable rule book.

7.B.8 Tire Requirements:
All production tires rated V, Z or ZR shall have been produced within the last ten years as of the date of the current event. Sidewall date coding
will be checked.
Tubeless, bias ply type tires may be run with tubes. Tires designed for use on the drive wheel in drag racing will not be allowed. It is the
responsibility of the entrant to check inflation pressures and tire and wheel condition immediately before and after every run.
All motorcycle entries, including streamliners and sidecars, shall use tires with an appropriate speed rating. The required speed rating is governed
by the record speed in the class entered. Tires rated H CANNOT be used beyond the speed rating. Any run in excess of 195 MPH requires that
the contestant return to technical inspection area where the tires shall be examined for apparent deterioration or damage before further runs are
permitted.
0 to 70 MPH Any tire designed for motorcycle use is permitted.
71 to 130 MPH Production tires with a speed rating of H or higher.
131 to 150 MPH Production tires with a speed rating of V or higher.
151 MPH+ Production tires with a speed rating of ZR or special tires for racing as designated by the manufacturer.
Production tires with a speed rating of V, if shaved, can be used up to 200 MPH.
200 MPH + Experience has shown that using tires with hard rubber compounds and reducing the tread thickness by 2/3 by carefully shaving the tread provides
the best results.
265 MPH+ Contestants shall use LSR or other racing tires rated for speeds higher than the class record.

Any tire deviation shall be submitted to the Contest Board, with sufficient supporting data to justify a deviation, in writing at least 45 days prior
to the meet.

There's a need to be met here. Might be time for one of the LSR tyre companies to make LSR specific motorcycle tyres that were good for 300mph. It might look like a skinny deal at first, but they'd get all the over 200mph business.

Cheers