BMW S1000RR Sport

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alpha Racing Carbon Fibre Race Fairings

My race fairings are nearly done but there have been a few setbacks regarding sourcing paint and the fact that carbon fibre is somewhat difficult to work with. To date my race fairings have been professionally prepared, primed and had the base coat added. What remains is for the detail work to be completed to finish off the paint scheme and a layer of clear coat to be applied. This has been put on hold temporarily as I needed to refit my fairings for a trackday today which I had booked several months ago.
 
Trackday

Trackday report and pictures to follow...

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Trackday

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More time on track this week albeit in very changeable conditions. Track temperature was a warm 25?C however weather conditions were constantly changing from wet to dry, and vice versa, prompting numerous wheel changes throughout the day. My race fairings, albeit unfinished, were collected from my painter and rapidly fitted the night before. Fortunately all the mounting points are fitted with Dzus quick release fasteners. The only time consuming part was refitting the screen and tapping in the expanding plastic rivets. They have since been removed again and are now being finished off.

I started the day on full Metzeler wets which proved absolutely essential for the first session as whilst it wasn't raining heavily there was a constant drizzle which meant that track conditions remained wet. Given the conditions it also meant that many chose to return to the pits after the initial sightings laps which made for a relatively empty track.

I really enjoy riding in wet conditions on track and with the Metzeler Racetec Rain tyres you can quite happily push and achieve knee down lean angles in the wet. Rain mode and adjustable DTC really do help matters as they just temper heavy throttle input by lessening the effect of the rear tyre spinning up. Instead of going sideways you simply maintain traction and forward momentum. As you find more grip, and get the wets up to full operating temperature, you can simply dial back the DTC intervention and push on.

The second session was a little more problematic for tyre choice as despite the track drying out there were still significant wet patches on the racing line and pools of water around the circuit. Given that I was running a K1 soft compound wet front, and more importantly a harder K2 medium compound wet rear, it meant that I could still go out and not run the risk of overheating and destroying my rear Metzeler rain tyre in the drying, but still damp, conditions. By the third session track surface had clearly changed again with a distinct dry line appearing which could be taken advantage off. This necessitated a wheel change and I swopped my HP wheels over to my Metzeler Racetec RR shod BST wheels.

By the afternoon the conditions had changed yet again with light rain and I only managed a handful of laps after deciding not to change wheels for a third time. My decision not to change tyres again was rewarded as the next session was dry allowing the pace to finally increase. The rest of the day continued in a similar fashion and was simply a case of trying to make the most of the dry parts of the circuit. That said I only had one small moment in the damp conditions where I trail braked a little too far towards the apex of T12 momentarily losing the front forcing me to pick the bike up and run across the rumble strip. Having crashed there before in the past that was my signal to return to the paddock.

I find riding on a damp track much more challenging than riding in either full wet or dry conditions as you are constantly feeling for grip especially when using treaded race tyres. That and the psychological effect of seeing a watery mist appear on your screen and visor but knowing that your tyres are still warm enough to work properly. The signal to back off and consider a tyre change is generally when you can see water being picked up by another rider's tyres creating a damp line on the track and spray being thrown up. Snetterton can be a bit bizarre as it can rain at one end of the circuit but be completely dry at the other.

Tyre wear was once again consistent on both my Metzeler Racetec RR and Rain tyres especially given that I was continuously monitoring hot pressures to suit the conditions. As for electronic changes I didn't make any adjustments to the DDC as my previous RAIN and SLICK settings were already stored in the bike's memory and no changes were required. I did spend most of the day switching between SLICK and RAIN modes and frequently altering the DTC settings in each as grip either improved or reduced.

Constant wheel changes and varying conditions were generally the theme of the day but overall it wasn't a bad trackday.
 
Wow!! just read from start to finish, amazing bike mate and great to see it being used properly too, love the upgrades it sounds like a proper weapon. stunning!!
 
Thanks. It's taken a bit of time and effort to get it to its current Superstock specification but it now does everything I want it to do and more.
 
alpha Racing Switchgear Conversion Kit

As part of the conversion of my S1000RR from road to track only use I've recently fitted an alpha Racing Switchgear Conversion Kit. Made specially for alpha Racing by STM they feature seven buttons with two located on the reverse of the unit. The handlebar race switch conversion kit is 'plug and play' and connects directly to the standard wiring loom utilising the OEM plugs.

The kit is a WSBK specification unit and allows for the complete replacement of the standard handlebar switch units and are somewhat more robust. The standard left side switchgear is replaced by a black CNC machined billet aluminum 7-button racing unit whilst the right side switchgear is replaced with a starter button and kill-switch. The 'Mode' selection switch is relocated to the left side of the hand controls and all the switches for the lights, indicators, horn, cruise control and heated grips are removed as they are no longer required. The left race switch unit has the following functions:

ABS/DTC

TC+

Mode

TC-

Lap

Up (Trip)

Down (Set)



The right side switchgear simply retains the kill-switch and starter button but is more rugged with built in protection which prevends unintended switch off. They are relatively simple to fit given that they are 'plug and play' and alpha Racing's instructions are easy to follow. The kit is extremely well made and also features a rather nice laser engraved alpha Racing logo.

Having used them on track for the first time this week they are certainly far more ergonomic and easier to use; especially when changing modes and adjusting DTC on the fly when conditions change.
 
Re: alpha Racing Switchgear Conversion Kit

They look awesome! I hope you've replaced that missing bolt! :p
 
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ive got this alpha switch set up for my track bike, just havnt had time to fit it yet. ive had it for 2 years now.lol
 
Just caught up on this thread. Great write up. Damp conditions i find horrible. I did donny this yr back in march and was exactly the same. Only had the r1 with me with no tc so even scarier.

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alpha Racing Switchgear Conversion Kit

They look awesome! I hope you've replaced that missing bolt! :p

Thanks. I spotted the missing bolt after the first session and its since been replaced; but this time with added Loctite.

ive got this alpha switch set up for my track bike, just havnt had time to fit it yet. ive had it for 2 years now.lol

For race, or track only bikes, they are superb and are so well made. They certainly take no time at all to fit given that they are 'plug and play'.
 
Track Conditions

Just caught up on this thread. Great write up. Damp conditions i find horrible. I did donny this yr back in march and was exactly the same. Only had the r1 with me with no tc so even scarier.

I don't mind riding in any conditions on track but I do prefer it when it's either completely dry or fully wet and not a mixture of both. RAIN mode and adjustable traction control certainly makes riding in wet conditions easier.
 
Re: Track Conditions

I don't mind riding in any conditions on track but I do prefer it when it's either completely dry or fully wet and not a mixture of both. RAIN mode and adjustable traction control certainly makes riding in wet conditions easier.
Rain what's that lol. Done 36 trackday's in Spain without the slippery stuff.
 
Trackdays

There are some fantastic European circuits out there but equally we have some world class tracks here in the UK. Warm and dry weather is always preferable but I would never be put of riding on track in the UK simply because it's raining.
 
Metzeler Racetec

More Metzeler race tyres have arrived today...

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alpha Racing Carbon Fibre Race Fairings

My alpha Racing fairings are finally finished!
 
alpha Racing Carbon Fibre Race Fairings

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Following a lengthy five week wait my alpha Racing fairings are finally finished. After a bit of deliberation I opted to have them painted rather than vinyl wrapped as after some discussion with my finisher we both agreed the former would be far more durable in the long term.

The design is a replica of the OEM Motorsport paint scheme and the blue, white and red colours are an exact match as the BMW paint codes were used. There were a few other options discussed but it was decided to follow the corporate BMW race theme and replicate the OEM fairings as they are simple and understated.

There are a several small variations from the original OEM design which include a few subtle hints of exposed carbon fibre and changes to the colour blocks as the race fairing panels align differently to the OEM ones. The race bellypan has been left unpainted, rather than being finished matt black like the original. As for the race seat unit this has been airbrushed to replicate the OEM stickers and where the rear light would normally be it has been finished with a translucent red. Other finishing touches include a set of alpha Racing WSBK headlight decals and genuine BMW roundels for the side fairings and race tail. Prime Factors Racing also kindly supplied a set of BMW Motorrad Motorsport stickers for the bellypan which are normally found on BMW's Factory supported race bikes. Finally, I've added a few small screen decals to finish off the design. The whole carbon fibre race fairing set has then had several layers of clear coat applied to protect it from general wear and tear and to make cleaning easier.

Given how difficult it is to work with carbon fibre the quality of the paintwork is simply outstanding. Overall I'm really pleased with the result especially after the long delay and I can't wait to get everything fitted and get the BMW back out on track.
 
alpha Racing Carbon Fibre Race Fairings

Here are a few pictures of the finished race fairings before fitting them to my S1000RR...
 
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