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I'm drag racing this saturday my new 250r and want some input on how you guys are launching. I had a 400ex before and couldn't hardly keep it down, but revs weren't really a concern.
My sig shows what i have to work with plus 13/38 gears, but I'm working on technique. The drags are 300ft hard packed. When you launch are you guys reving it to the moon then dropping the clutch on hard packed or slipping the clutch? and are you lauching in 2nd or 1st than rattling through 2-5th really fast?
(This is in sand)
I usually take off as close to the front of the bike as possible. I usually start to slip the clutch until I feel where it is disengaging and pull back a bit from there. I rev it a couple time to see how it is responding, and pick up the rpms as it is about to launch. Right before launch I bring the rpms up and go about 1/2-3/4 throttle and drop the clutch when it's a go. As soon as I'm into 3rd (taking off in 2nd) I will lean back off the tank and put my weight backwards, once I hit 4th gear I am hanging as far off the back end as possible.
i have raced alot of grass drags with my 250r, i used to start in first but switched to launching in 2nd, much better.
Depending on how the night is going, as in track tackyness or dryness, it depends on where I sit. I am running a -3 swingarm so no matter what I am on the tank till 3rd. A trick to cutting a good light is to leave at the third amber. If you spin then you have to much air, if you wheeley then dont have enough, I run my holeshots at like 3lbs
Well, i race tomorrow night and just got a 13t front sprocket in so I hope I do well. I'm going to video tape it and hopefully get some video up for viewing. So you can see me ride a wheelie for 40yds then play catch up for the next 180ft! :D
Yea my gearing is 14/40, I usually raise up if I am on the back of the seat but, I sit all the way on the front of the seat. Let us know how it goes.
question for you guys, i have an 87 250r with stock gearing. if i want more low end for the drags what size rear sprocket would i get (larger or smaller)
you want larger rear and smaller front. 13/39 is stock for you so you want to go to 13/40 or higher rear sprocket.
Well, the drags were alot of fun Saturday. It was nice for two of my races than it started just down pooring for the third and the starting gate turned into a mud pit. When it was nice out i was taking off in first gear and sitting up by my gas tank, but when the rain came I was taking off in second and sitting all the way back on my rear grab bar. Even then i couldn't get enough traction. Everyone was shooting gobs of mud everywhere off the start and sliding back and fourth all the way down to the finish.
1st class was 250cc 2stroke modified and 400cc 4stroke mod. The drags started off a little ruff as I had to race my engine builder first! But, I was excited to race him nun the less just to see how close I could come. It wasn't much of a race, he pulled on me from the start and kept pulling away down the stretch. I think he beat me by about 5 quad lengths! Then the second race in that class I raced a kid on a lt250r that got the jump on my and we stayed about half a quad spread out the hole way down. So two losses and I was out of that class.
2nd class was 250cc mod and banshee's with no engine mod
This class went a little better as I won my first race against a girl on a white 250r. I got the jump and pulled all the way down. Second race I raced my engine builder again and this time I WON! He red lighted so I coasted to victory. Then I lost to a banshee and then lost to the same girl on the white 250r due to a momentary laps when I saw the yellows :o oh well, it happens. The funny thing is that she went on to win the class.
3rd class was 350 - 450cc 2stroke mod. I stepped up to this class just to have fun. This is where the rain just came down like a pool broke in half above us. My first drag was against a banshee and I tried taking off in first gear, but just spun the tires and never really got moving. next race was against the same kid on the lt250r and I started in second with my but over the rear grab bar. We took off and I got the holeshot, then pulled away. :D paypack! Finally, to cap off the night the same way it started, i lost to my engine builder Gary again. This time it was a little closer. The wet ground let me get a little closer, but still lost.
The 400-500cc 4 stroke class is a blast to watch if you get a chance. There were tons of yfz's and 450r's and every other quad you could think of. One race after another of every quad and aftermarket setup you could think of racing down the strip. In my mind I was thinking well a predator just beat a z400, guess that settles that. And a white yfz beat a blue one so I guess white is faster. A 450r beat a yfz, so yep the 450r is faster. But, then a 400ex beat everyone, except one girl on a yfz that was shifting perfectly everytime. so a 400ex won second place amongst all the "better and newer" quads. It's a blast if you ever get a chance to go compete or watch! Oh and i'll get the video up soon as i get a firewire cable.
All in all, the night was very fun and I learned one thing. How fast a quad is has very little, if anything to do with how much horsepower it has. The person on the quad is everything!