ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
General Category => Pics and Vids => Topic started by: Electric Cowboy on June 17, 2014, 08:38:12 AM
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Raced in Formula Electric and Ultra Lightweight Cup this weekend on my Stock Zero SR.
The only modifications made for the race were cutting my foot pegs down from the factory 4 inches to 2 inches.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10202188233048235.1073741836.1261517185&type=1&l=868a448a71 (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10202188233048235.1073741836.1261517185&type=1&l=868a448a71)
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Fantastic photos! Congrats on the race! How was the Zero received by the other riders? And, more importantly, how did it do around the track? I imagine not having to worry about finding the right gear for each corner allowed you to concentrate more on your lines. Is that true? Also, how pronounced is the engine braking and did that make it hard to dial in the right speed going into turns? So awesome. Thanks for posting!
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A black SR!!! :)
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Fantastic photos! Congrats on the race! How was the Zero received by the other riders? And, more importantly, how did it do around the track? I imagine not having to worry about finding the right gear for each corner allowed you to concentrate more on your lines. Is that true? Also, how pronounced is the engine braking and did that make it hard to dial in the right speed going into turns? So awesome. Thanks for posting!
I ran in sport mode so there was no engine breaking. If I want to slow the rear wheel I use the rear break. This gives me VERY fine grain control over the chassis balance and weight distribution on the suspension. I find the engine breaking to be too abrupt to be safe for me on the track at these speeds, it can upset the chassis in a corner.
The only difference between a gas bike and an electric when racing is I don't need to shift. Like a gas bike though, I do need to know where I am, they know gears I know throttle position. A gas bike segregates their throttle up between gears I only have one so fine grain throttle control is important and remembering where it was last time is required to improve the next lap.
Another thing that is extra important for me is lean angle per line. I learn a few lines in-case I need to pass in a corner. I need to know where my pegs hit the track on all of those lines so I can safely slam it down into the corners without lifting the rear (again my pegs are less than half the length of the stock pegs) I also scrape my break lever I am leaned over so far.
I and the Zero have been REALLY well received at all of the race organizations I have competed with. MWGP is especially awesome, right up there with CVMA.
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I would use the rear-brake at the handle bare like the old Zeros did. You will not scrape the brake pedal anymore.
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I ran in sport mode so there was no engine breaking. If I want to slow the rear wheel I use the rear break. This gives me VERY fine grain control over the chassis balance and weight distribution on the suspension. I find the engine breaking to be too abrupt to be safe for me on the track at these speeds, it can upset the chassis in a corner.
The only difference between a gas bike and an electric when racing is I don't need to shift. Like a gas bike though, I do need to know where I am, they know gears I know throttle position. A gas bike segregates their throttle up between gears I only have one so fine grain throttle control is important and remembering where it was last time is required to improve the next lap.
Another thing that is extra important for me is lean angle per line. I learn a few lines in-case I need to pass in a corner. I need to know where my pegs hit the track on all of those lines so I can safely slam it down into the corners without lifting the rear (again my pegs are less than half the length of the stock pegs) I also scrape my break lever I am leaned over so far.
I and the Zero have been REALLY well received at all of the race organizations I have competed with. MWGP is especially awesome, right up there with CVMA.
Sounds like an absolute blast! It seems like knowing/remembering the right gear for each particular corner would be easier than remembering throttle position for each. I imagine (precise) throttle position is more nuanced with a lot more room for differences. I have so much to learn! I didn't even realize the Zero had different modes!
The post suggesting you move the rear brake lever to the bars sounds like a great idea. Thanks for indulging my many questions. I only recently started looking into electrics and am excited at the possibilities and evolution of the technology. Great stuff.