How has it been racing and tracking the FZ

[gogokawi]

What's your experience taking the FZ-07 on the track?  How about racing?
 
My experience so far has been mainly throwing any preconceived notions I had about the bike out the window.  It's totally different than I thought it would be.  The engine, flickability (if that's even a word), ergos, sounds...  All not what I expected from the bike.
 
@twf  and @pattonme said it best in my build thread:

You need to keep speed up and not downshift so much. Use higher gear and more corner speed, that is what this bikes are all about. If you have to downshift 2 or 3 times than you should have time to do it as well.
We are at class record pace with our bike and no issues with downshifts or clutch. We do run different set up than you or other AP bikes.
In fact all slipper clutches we had in sv's were taken out and riders went faster without them. You need to learn how to ride it instead putting slipper in.

there's a lot of back-torque and it's a parallel twin in name only - the crank makes it act like a v-twin. Personally I would ride it into corner entry by braking and braking and braking and only once the RPMs are getting ~5K do the multiple downshifts. the "pro" way to do it (IMO) is to wait till <7K and pull in enough clutch so it's not quite freewheeling and bang a couple down shifts and since the clutch is barely engaged the wheel won't hop but it will spin the motor up. IMO you want to be tipped in at 5-6K rpm and getting hard on the gas. Not trying to add gas with the engine already at 8K+. If you're frantically rowing the gearbox IMO you're doing it wrong. 
The ninja 300 *does* let you ride it more like an I4.

This bike is nothing like what I'm used to riding (more to come on this).  It's a totally different animal and has to be ridden differently than those other bikes.  I'm digging the challenge.  
 
If there is one thing that I can take away from my experience so far, it's that I will never race a bike without getting to know it first.  That means either it will go to many track days or be ridden on the street prior to racing duties.  All of the hang-ups I'm having now probably could have been avoided if I'd taken the bike out on a couple of dates before going straight to 3rd base.  Though it has been fun, as well as making some good discussion points in the forums.
 

[tvp]

I only had a few laps on a barrowed one, but I agree with what was said above about running it into the corners in a higher gear. That seems to be what the bike wants. Having said that, I failed at it miserably. I do not agree with not having a slipper, but to each his own.
 
I would enjoy learning this bike because it is light, agile and under powered (compared to my R6) I was not afraid of it spitting me off so much. I know this bike can be ridden as quickly as an SV650 because there are (nearly) stock motored FZ-07's at my home track beating fully built SV's by massive corner speed.
 
 
 
I would be interested in specifics of your experiences.

[sorkyah]

I too am interested
when i attended the yrs champstreet course, one of the coaches recommended just that to me
3rd gear for corners to reduce the engine braking and to allow the torque this monster produces to do its job, with a bit of proper trail braking, it was a blast

[twf]

I know this bike can be ridden as quickly as an SV650 because there are (nearly) stock motored FZ-07's at my home track beating fully built SV's by massive corner speed.  

I bet you it has nothing to do with bike

[pgeldz]

I find myself not having to shift a whole lot on this bike either...the torque just pulls you through. In general, tuned, not tuned, etc, this bike makes its torque in the middle of the power band, and there's not a whole lot to be gained in wringing it out to redline all the time. Using a higher gear has its advantages with it's torque delivery, and also minimizes engine braking a little since it's not so revved out.
 
In my limited experience anyway...
 

 
- Paulie

[gogokawi]

Right now, this bike is an enigma to me. And this is pretty cool! I suspect it's going to take quite a bit of time to figure out how to get the most out of it. In some cases, running a higher gear works, especially on fast corners. It's the slower corners that I'm struggling with. Higher gear, there is no pull coming out of the turns and the SVs are eating me up. Lower gear and you are (or at least I am right now) spinning the rear tire or lifting the front wheel, which is more of a suspension issue for me more than anything. But I can see this happening with a well setup suspension too. Hopefully I'm wrong.
 
Gearing is something else I want to tackle. Right now, I'm running stock gearing. I can't redline 5th or 6th gear at the 2 tracks I've gone to, NJMP or CMP. So, I'm going to go up 2 in the rear. I'm sure that's going to change the characteristics of shifting. I can't imagine what the acceleration will be like. And it won't help my wheelie and tire spinning woes either. But it's a necessary change for this bike to get the most out of it.

[sorkyah]

Right now, this bike is an enigma to me. And this is pretty cool! I suspect it's going to take quite a bit of time to figure out how to get the most out of it. In some cases, running a higher gear works, especially on fast corners. It's the slower corners that I'm struggling with. Higher gear, there is no pull coming out of the turns and the SVs are eating me up. Lower gear and you are (or at least I am right now) spinning the rear tire or lifting the front wheel, which is more of a suspension issue for me more than anything. But I can see this happening with a well setup suspension too. Hopefully I'm wrong. 
Gearing is something else I want to tackle. Right now, I'm running stock gearing. I can't redline 5th or 6th gear at the 2 tracks I've gone to, NJMP or CMP. So, I'm going to go up 2 in the rear. I'm sure that's going to change the characteristics of shifting. I can't imagine what the acceleration will be like. And it won't help my wheelie and tire spinning woes either. But it's a necessary change for this bike to get the most out of it.

taking a look @pgeldz build thread, he went 2up in rear as well
wonder if 1 down in front might work for ya

[pgeldz]

Yes, I went +2 in the rear...and I think if you do that and stay in a higher gear, you'll have the best of both worlds.  Torque right where it's strong in the rev range, and less engine braking.
 
- Paulie

[pgeldz]

@gogokawi I forgot to mention, if you go +2 in the rear, get a new chain and add 1 more link than stock. It'll put your rear axle at the end of the adjustment range, and lengthen your wheelbase, canceling out the tendency to wheelie.
 
If you leave the chain at stock length, you will have a shorter wheelbase, making the bike very wheelie prone when combined with the sprocket change...
 

 
- Paulie

[gogokawi]

@gogokawi I forgot to mention, if you go +2 in the rear, get a new chain and add 1 more link than stock. It'll put your rear axle at the end of the adjustment range, and lengthen your wheelbase, canceling out the tendency to wheelie. 
If you leave the chain at stock length, you will have a shorter wheelbase, making the bike very wheelie prone when combined with the sprocket change...
 

 
- Paulie

Thanks!  I changed the chain and sprockets a few weeks ago before my first race weekend.  But I'll get an extra link and pop it in when I get the new sprocket.  +2 feels like it's going to be the sweet spot.

[pgeldz]

No worries! Let me know how you like it once you make the change. For what it's worth, I went to a 520 chain
 
- Paulie

[gogokawi]

No worries! Let me know how you like it once you make the change. For what it's worth, I went to a 520 chain  
- Paulie

 
 
I decided to go -1 up front. I just bought a new chain and the folks at sprocket center don't recommend adding just one link to the chain. I also got a +1 rear to see how that feels.
 
My forks decided they didn't like the oil that was in them and started to piss it out. So the bike is out of commission for a while, until Summit Point races on Memorial Day.
 

[pgeldz]

No worries! Let me know how you like it once you make the change. For what it's worth, I went to a 520 chain  
- Paulie

I decided to go -1 up front. I just bought a new chain and the folks at sprocket center don't recommend adding just one link to the chain. I also got a +1 rear to see how that feels.
 
My forks decided they didn't like the oil that was in them and started to piss it out. So the bike is out of commission for a while, until Summit Point races on Memorial Day.

-1 up front is the equivalent of going +2.68 up in the rear, so with the addition of +1 in the rear, your effectively at +3.68 in in the rear so to speak. I think that gearing is way to short, but you'll have to let us know how it goes. Not sure where your rear axle will end up in the swingarm with that combo, so maybe the -1 up front with the +1 in the rear will make the wheelbase same as stock and if so, I wouldn't add a link either.
 
 
But if you find that gearing is too short and decide to go just +2 in the rear, I'd absolutely add a link, or else your front end will be pointed towards the sky on just about every low speed corner exit and you'll most likely have to back off the gas to get the power down.
 

 
- Paulie
 
 

[gogokawi]

I decided to go -1 up front. I just bought a new chain and the folks at sprocket center don't recommend adding just one link to the chain. I also got a +1 rear to see how that feels. 
My forks decided they didn't like the oil that was in them and started to piss it out. So the bike is out of commission for a while, until Summit Point races on Memorial Day.

-1 up front is the equivalent of going +2.68 up in the rear, so with the addition of +1 in the rear, your effectively at +3.68 in in the rear so to speak. I think that gearing is way to short, but you'll have to let us know how it goes. Not sure where your rear axle will end up in the swingarm with that combo, so maybe the -1 up front with the +1 in the rear will make the wheelbase same as stock and if so, I wouldn't add a link either. 
 
 
 
 
But if you find that gearing is too short and decide to go just +2 in the rear, I'd absolutely add a link, or else your front end will be pointed towards the sky on just about every low speed corner exit and you'll most likely have to back off the gas to get the power down.
 

 
- Paulie
 

Nah, I'm not that brave.     I'm going to try the 44 rear with the stock front sprocket to see how that works out first.  For Summit Point, it might be perfect since you come out of the last turn at 100+ mph onto a .5 mile straight.  If there's still more I can get from the bike, I'll switch to the 15 front and go back to the 43 rear.  I don't need the front wheel coming off the ground any more than the last race weekend.  It became really frustrating after a while.

[sorkyah]

-1 up front is the equivalent of going +2.68 up in the rear, so with the addition of +1 in the rear, your effectively at +3.68 in in the rear so to speak. I think that gearing is way to short, but you'll have to let us know how it goes. Not sure where your rear axle will end up in the swingarm with that combo, so maybe the -1 up front with the +1 in the rear will make the wheelbase same as stock and if so, I wouldn't add a link either. 
 
 
 
 
But if you find that gearing is too short and decide to go just +2 in the rear, I'd absolutely add a link, or else your front end will be pointed towards the sky on just about every low speed corner exit and you'll most likely have to back off the gas to get the power down.
 

 
- Paulie
 

Nah, I'm not that brave.     I'm going to try the 44 rear with the stock front sprocket to see how that works out first.  For Summit Point, it might be perfect since you come out of the last turn at 100+ mph onto a .5 mile straight.  If there's still more I can get from the bike, I'll switch to the 15 front and go back to the 43 rear.  I don't need the front wheel coming off the ground any more than the last race weekend.  It became really frustrating after a while.

Would just adding a link or two be an option?
 

[pgeldz]

Nah, I'm not that brave.     I'm going to try the 44 rear with the stock front sprocket to see how that works out first.  For Summit Point, it might be perfect since you come out of the last turn at 100+ mph onto a .5 mile straight.  If there's still more I can get from the bike, I'll switch to the 15 front and go back to the 43 rear.  I don't need the front wheel coming off the ground any more than the last race weekend.  It became really frustrating after a while.

Would just adding a link or two be an option?

If you just add a link with the stock gearing, I think your axle will be out of the swingarm, lol.  Mine is at the very end of the adjustment range and that's with +2 in the rear and one link added, so I'd say no, it's not an option  
- Paulie

[sorkyah]

Would just adding a link or two be an option?

If you just add a link with the stock gearing, I think your axle will be out of the swingarm, lol.  Mine is at the very end of the adjustment range and that's with +2 in the rear and one link added, so I'd say no, it's not an option  
- Paulie

Then just weld more adjustment onto the swingarm... duh
or
different/ shorter adjusters? The stockers are pretty massive

[pgeldz]

If you just add a link with the stock gearing, I think your axle will be out of the swingarm, lol.  Mine is at the very end of the adjustment range and that's with +2 in the rear and one link added, so I'd say no, it's not an option  
- Paulie

Then just weld more adjustment onto the swingarm... duh or
different/ shorter adjusters? The stockers are pretty massive

Weld more?  Lol! 
- Paulie

[maygoddess]

Just took my new bike out on track for first time this past Sunday. What a FREAKING HELLA FUN bike on the track. I think my GSXR 600 track bike will be sold shortly! I was a bit nervous riding a new bike after 4 years on the gsxr on the track..but it was fun! I am still getting used to the clutch, throttle, braking nuances compared to the gsxr. Also the more upright style was new. My instructor buddy pitted next to me had wanted to test ride this bike so I let him take it out a few times in A and B group. He said it was a wheelie monster out there..he was dragging knee in no time and now he wants one. This trackday provider is Yamaha sponsored so most of them are familiar with this bike and the other FZ's. It was just so easy and fun from lap one until I was done. I could not wait to get out there each session to see what I could do with it. Unfortunately my left knee issues flared up and had to wear a knee sleeve. I was in alot of pain so it was hard to scoot left or right and lean and get knee out. Surprised I did as much as I did when I saw pics. I was in agony but was worth the fun! 
 
Glad we removed the peg feelers beforehand. My friend would have been grinding or standing the bike up if the feelers hit..I was quite surprised the pegs were fine. I was able to place bottom of my foot on outer edge of peg with no problem. Never felt the stock pegs were a problem. I had the suspension adjusted there..just made it less soft..noticed a difference. I know there is not much we can do on stock. For now it is fine. I didn't get my Pazzo levers in time to change out, but just need to adjust the clutch lever a bit once I do change them out. I probably won't do too much to track mod it since it will primarily be street bike for now with a few track days per year. 
 
Hoping to take this gal out to Laguna Seca for my next track day. I love the track and tearing this one down the corkscrew should be awesome!!
 
And..yes..I am wearing a tutu on the track..it was the annual women's vip day and the only day tutus are worn out there!!
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
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[pgeldz]

Just took my new bike out on track for first time this past Sunday. What a FREAKING HELLA FUN bike on the track.  
And..yes..I am wearing a tutu on the track..it was the annual women's vip day and the only day tutus are worn out there!!
 
 

 
 
[/img]

 
 
 
 
 
AWESOME!
 
 
- Paulie

[Guest ChicagoAJ]

Just took my new bike out on track for first time this past Sunday. What a FREAKING HELLA FUN bike on the track. I think my GSXR 600 track bike will be sold shortly! I was a bit nervous riding a new bike after 4 years on the gsxr on the track..but it was fun! I am still getting used to the clutch, throttle, braking nuances compared to the gsxr. Also the more upright style was new. My instructor buddy pitted next to me had wanted to test ride this bike so I let him take it out a few times in A and B group. He said it was a wheelie monster out there..he was dragging knee in no time and now he wants one. This trackday provider is Yamaha sponsored so most of them are familiar with this bike and the other FZ's. It was just so easy and fun from lap one until I was done. I could not wait to get out there each session to see what I could do with it. Unfortunately my left knee issues flared up and had to wear a knee sleeve. I was in alot of pain so it was hard to scoot left or right and lean and get knee out. Surprised I did as much as I did when I saw pics. I was in agony but was worth the fun!  
Glad we removed the peg feelers beforehand. My friend would have been grinding or standing the bike up if the feelers hit..I was quite surprised the pegs were fine. I was able to place bottom of my foot on outer edge of peg with no problem. Never felt the stock pegs were a problem. I had the suspension adjusted there..just made it less soft..noticed a difference. I know there is not much we can do on stock. For now it is fine. I didn't get my Pazzo levers in time to change out, but just need to adjust the clutch lever a bit once I do change them out. I probably won't do too much to track mod it since it will primarily be street bike for now with a few track days per year. 
 
Hoping to take this gal out to Laguna Seca for my next track day. I love the track and tearing this one down the corkscrew should be awesome!!
 
And..yes..I am wearing a tutu on the track..it was the annual women's vip day and the only day tutus are worn out there!!
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
[/img]

Finally muscled those feelers off, huh? Haha, good to hear. 

[blackout]

Awesome, thanks for sharing!

[maygoddess]

[/img]

Finally muscled those feelers off, huh? Haha, good to hear. 

Yes!! Thank you!! My guy was able to get those suckers off for me! So glad we didn't have to saw them off!!

[sorkyah]

Im going to add a shameless plug here for @bellissimoto and myself
 
Worldwide bearings has offered up a ceramic wheel bearing kit for our bikes, belissimoto is running a group buy http://fz07.org/thread/5635/
 
figured i'd let you guys know if you didnt already...
 
 
Also, really digging the tutu @maygoddess
might have to get one to wear with my kilt

[gregjet]

If you think the 07 is flickable now, just wait til you get the suspension sorted.
BTW I don't know if the photo is typical, but you can get a bit more corner feel , and not scrape up your boots if you put the ball of your foot on the pegs when you are cornering. Helps with stability feel ( though the rubber peg mounts don't help) and loading the peg with a bit more track feedback.