Anyone racing a ss1000ds for 2005 LRRS? Lets talk weight and setup.

Hi guys & Gals.

I am planning on putting my 2003 ss1000ds on the track at Loudin this summer after 2 more weekends with Penguins' 900ss bikes. I had a blast with their Duc, but I got eaten alive on the straight aways. There's nothing more frustrating than passing the same guys every lap just to have them pass me back on the straight on the way to the finish line. So I feel it is time to step up and track the 1000 which seems to have alot more power top end than the 900's.

I am planning on Sharkskins and a Dube rear cowl from BCM for weight reduction and a clean set of race plastics. From what I understand I am allowed to lighten my bike as low as 350 pounds. Starting at 415 pounds I have alot of room to shrink. I have put on Sil Motor carbon fiber cans which have shaved around 16 pound off right away. I am now trying to figure out the "best bang for the buck" in lightening and perfomance mods. I'm not too sure I want to spend $2,500+ on lighter wheels, or $1,600 on a carbon fiber gas tank, but what can you guys tell me about different clutch set ups, inexpensive carbon parts or what other things I can change that would help me make a reasonably competetive machine. Another consideration is that this bike will be changed over on Mondays to be road worthy until the next track day. At least for this season.

Any ideas on this topic would be greatly apreciated.

Thanks, Ted Duncan

If you're racing in a class that allows aftermarket wheels, you really should invest in lightweight rims. They will make a huge difference, not only in overall weight, but in unsprung weight as well. It will accelerate better, handle better, and stop better. There's virtually no drawback. All the carbon pieces you can find won't make as much of a difference, and it'll end up costing more than the wheels...

O.K. then what are the best options for lightweight wheels? Does anyone have a set for sale?

I'll be racing a 1000 at Loudon by the end of the season, but I'm staying supersport legal.

wheels, rotors and light sprocket. i put forged aluminum wheels, wave rotors and an alu rear sprocket and dumped 14lbs. go to: http://czusainc.com/ these wheels rule. go to the cool bikes section. mine is the red M944 with the black/red stripe wheels. the diff in weight was immediately noticable.

Major has a good point. To stay in my current classes I need to keep OEM wheels, brakes, rotors and swingarm.

It may be only a half pound or so, but the stock DID VL4 chain that comes on your bike is relatively heavy, and it's an "old tech" O-ring chain. A ERV4 or VM series chain is lighter and is the better X-ring chain. Not sure if the 1000DS comes with a 520 or a 525, but either way, if your looking for a little more weight loss, there's some in the chain and if you're planning on an aluminum sprocket, may as well do it.

Here's a link to the DID spec page for comparison

http://www.didchain.com/spec.html

Whoa there! First of all, check the rule book. There's no limit on weight for any classes in LRRS. They run the same classes as CCS. Both the 900 and 1000 classify as lightweight bikes. The different classes then allow different modifications, like stock or aftermarket wheels, forks, pistons, cams, etc, etc.

Now, as a first time racer, don't waste all that money losing a bit of weight. It's going to make almost no difference in your results. Trust me, you won't place any higher because you've saved 7 pounds by running a CF gas tank, but it will disqualify you from running more races because you won't qualify for as many classes.

I just wrote this in another forum. The trick for any new racer to get faster is track time, track time, and more track time. And with all that track time you'll need new tires and brake pads frequently, and more maintenance. Save your money for that. One thing I would spend money on is revalving the shock and forks for race track duty.

Anyway, I've been racing up at Loudon for 6-7 years, and will be racing my '03 1000 SS this year. I know how I felt my first race weekend, so feel free to drop me an email if you have any other questions.

Eric

Dito with cakake. I've only been going three years now to lrrs but my firt mistake was getting all amped tricking out my gsxr 750 only to pitch it after 3 weekends in the bowl and realizing its way too much bike to start with. I am race prepping my 800ss and suspension mods are numero uno priority. And track time. For what its worth different gearing may help in the straights and a lightened flywheel can ad a little power without too much $$$.