2010 Phillip Island MotoGP

Bluey

Bluey

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I am heading down to PI in October for the Aussie MotoGP. Unfortunately none of my travelling buddies have the good taste to ride the mighty FZ1, but what the heck, they're still good company. Is anyone else planning on going? Might be a good opportunity to say Hi!!

He's already pulled off a hat trick at Phillip Island so here's hoping Casey can make it 4 in a row. :party0011: :party0011:

:australia:
 
Hi Bluey,
Iv'e been in Oz 4 years now and still not done P.I. criminal i know and i should be horse whipped by the Minogue sisters wearing nothing but (gees where am i going with this, you get the idea) but i do plan to ride down from Brisbane next year on my FZ1 once all the mods are finished.

It would be great to have some company so i will throw it out there once this years GP has passed.

Might be a good time then to maybe organise a meet & greet with fellow members of the Forum

Any thoughts??

Cheers
Gazza
 
Gazza you should get down if you can, you'll love it.

I can't believe it's less than two weeks to go. All I have to do is get a new rear tyre and I'm good to go. I'll post some pics when I get back.
 
The new tyre is on and the bike is packed. I hit the road tomorrow and just hope the weather holds out (the last 3 weeks have been wet, wet, wet). PI here I come.

How good was Sepang!! Congrats to Lorenzo on wraping up the World Championship. I must confess I was hoping the championship would be decided at PI but well done Lorenzo. Bummer that Casey crashed out but here's hoping for a great result at PI.

But how good is Rossi!! The guy is amazing. After a bad start, he just made mince meat of the field. When he passed Lorenzo and Dovizioso to take the lead he made it look like childs play. And all that with a dicky shoulder and recently broken leg. :bowdown:

I heard that Rossi may pull out of this years MotoGP early so he can have surgery on his shoulder and be ready for next years contest. While this make perfect sense I will be dissappointed if I don't get to see him race at PI.

Whatever it's going to be awesome!!
 
AussieFZ1S sorry but I didn't get to see your post until I got back home. Did you ride the Reeffton on Friday? The weather at PI on Friday was terrible, very cold and wet. Anyway I had a great trip and put another 2768km on the FZ1. Here are some pics as promised.

Day one and the weather was good. the FZ1 is packed and ready to go.

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The first day (Tuesday) I rode to Windsor and meet some of the boys. From there over the Blue Mountains via Bells Line of Road. On the way we passed 5 police bikes heading the other way. Yikes! Must have been coming back from the V8 race at Bathurst. We passed another 4 police cars between Goulburn and Crookwell, again must have been on the way home from Bathurst. First night was in Harden.

The next day (Wednesday) we headed south and the weather turned. It started raining at Gundagai and didn't stop for the rest of the day, if fact it pissed down. We tracked via the Murray River Hwy and the Granya Gap but alas they were waiting. :eek5:

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Bummer, 2 of us copped speeding fines but the rest, including me, were let off. We made Bright in the beautiful Victorian Alps that night.

The next day (Thursday) the weather had improved but was still damp. So it was off to Omeo via Mt Hotham. As we climbed into Mt Hotham the visibility dropped and a light mizziling rain fell. I was super impressed with the Michelin Pilots performance in the wet but even they were starting to squirm when pushed in the deteriorating conditions. Then soon the lead CBR1000RR is down, he put the gas on a bit hard and lost the rear end (he didn't have Michelins, idiot). Here's where it happened.

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The rider is ok and only minor damage to the bike. The Oggy Knobs did a brilliant job and not a mark on the tank or fairing but the rearset was damaged. Is there nothing that cable ties, duct tape and fencing wire cannot fix? I don't think so.

Once we got over Mt Hotham (which still had snow either side of the road I might add) the weather cleared. After Omeo the road was dry and the sun came out, heaven. The run into Bruthen follows the river with a series of 45km and 55km corners, heaven. Here is what my pegs look like now after the Bruthen bruising. Not sure how to get whats left of the hero knob out.

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The rest of the ride to PI was fairly relaxed and, of course, we didn't want anymore attention from Mr Plod.

The weekend at PI was fantastic. We booked a corporate tent deal, which wasn't cheap but worth every penny. Great location on the track with grandstand seating right along Gardner Straight, covered accomodation for meals etc (the food was superb) and all the beer, wine and spirits you want. The weather over the weekend was marginal but cleared for the main race. It was just fantastic to see Casey win his fourth PI GP in a row. The expo was interesting. Here's me explaining to some of the Honda staff what an asset Casey will be for them next year.

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Most of the guys delayed their trip back to Sydney so the return journey on Monday was just two of us. This time we went from Omeo through Mitta Mitta. This meant about 25km of dirt but it was worth it. What a great road. After that my travelling companion had to keep going as he was on a deadline. I spent the night in Tumut by myself and made my own way home the next day. Going out of Tumut it was freezing cold but beautiful and I thought of the photos Oldschool has provided for us to enjoy, so here's one for you Oldschool. Just outside Tumut at 6:30am.

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Sorry to take so long to tell the tale but I hope you enjoyed it. The FZ1 didn't miss a beat over the 7 days and 2768km. The best investment I have made to the bike so far was to upgrade the suspension. I replaced the rear shock and upgraded the front fork springs and valves. The difference is well worth the money spent.
 
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Great photos, sounds like a fun trip. The weather looked cold on TV, that was the first race I've seen where the umbrella girls were allowed to wear jackets.

And who the heck was in the pink tutu??? LOL!
 
Great photos, Thanks! The tutu thing was funny, I thought that was punishment for getting tagged by the cops first.:embarrased:

Nice job on the pegs, who says older guys can't ride.
 
The pink tutu of shame

Hellgate said:
And who the heck was in the pink tutu??? LOL!
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OK I wasn't going to mention that but I don't want you to get the wrong ideas. It's the pink tutu of shame and had to be worn by anyone who did something stupid. The guy in the photo didn't get a ticket. I think the cop was laughing so hard he couldn't fill the infingement notice out. The guy in the photo is also the one who dropped his CBR1000RR on the way up to Hotham. So not only did he get to scratch his bike but also he got the ignominy of wearing the pink tutu of shame (again).
 
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Bluey said:
Hellgate said:


OK I wasn't going to mention that but I don't want you to get the wrong ideas. It's the pink tutu of shame and had to be worn by anyone who did something stupid. The guy in the photo didn't get a ticket. I think the cop was laughing so hard he couldn't fill the infingement notice out. The guy in the photo is also the one who dropped his CBR1000RR on the way up to Hotham. So not only did he get to scratch his bike but also he got the ignominy of wearing the pink tutu of shame (again).
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Nice try but we already have other ideas :poke:

Now about that foot peg, how the hell did you do that?
Is your bike lowered or do you just ride that far over?
Don't know if I have ever seen a peg that chowed. Must have been fun,eh?
Great pic of the girls!
 
OneSizeFitsAll said:
Now about that foot peg, how the hell did you do that?
Is your bike lowered or do you just ride that far over?
Don't know if I have ever seen a peg that chowed. Must have been fun,eh?
Great pic of the girls!
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Thanks OneSizeFitsAll. With all my riding gear on I weigh just over 100kg (220lbs) and at that weight I think the stock rear shock is a little soft. I found the pegs on the stock FZ1 touched down fairly early and a couple of times I'd hit a bump half way through a corner and the side stand, centre stand or exhaust would contact the road as the shock compressed. This is not desirable. So I went to a suspension specialist that had been recommended to me by a number of friends. They are also an Ohlins dealer and that was what I was going to do (hang the expense) but they convinced me they could get just as good a result using European components they also supply at a better price.

So I had a completely new rear shock installed and sprung to my weight.

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They also upgraded the front fork springs and valves. The result was well worth the expense. The ride is a lot firmer but still comfortable. The pegs still touch but I haven't had anything more soild hit the tarmac since the upgrade. I have thought of installing rear sets but feel that:

1. I'm 180cm (5'11") and the standard pegs are comfortable for me. After the ride to Phillip Island I could have jumped on the bike the next day and done it all again.

2. When the stock pegs touch it is telling you where you are and, as the pegs fold, you still have a bit more up your sleeve. This would not necessarily be the case with rearsets. The trouble being if you hit solid stuff first and lean further you will unload the tyres and that could end in tears.

I was thinking of doing the FZ6 foot peg rubbers mod but thats about it.

Did I have fun grinding the pegs? You bet. :D
 
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Thanks for the info, that rear shock looks real nice.

I have not had a problem grinding the foot pegs on my FZ1 (feelers were removed by the previous owner) which is ok as I'm packing 200#'s of personal ballast.

I did upgrade my upgraded FJR forks and shocks this summer and wow- really helps keep the grinding to a minimum. Suspension upgrades are well worth the $$
 
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Hi Bluey, thanks for a great post, I was dissapointed I couldnt make it this yeat but you've really wet my appetite for next year.

I cant believe much crap weather you had, is that typical each year?

cheers gazza
 
R1Gazza said:
I cant believe much crap weather you had, is that typical each year?

cheers gazza
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The weather was definitely more crap than usual. But, hey, to have 4 seasons in one day at Phillip Island is not uncommon. Besides it all adds to the adventure. I've got to say it did make the decision to spend the extra $$$$ on the corporate tent all the more worthwhile. I went for a walk around the circut on the Saturday and the conditions outside were diabolical, it was just a quagmire.

It did take its toll on the bike too. After sitting out in the shit weather for a week and four of those days in Cowes not far from the shore of Great Southern Ocean here's what it did to the drive chain.

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The bike is coming up for it's 30k service and is due for new chain and sprokets anyway.
 
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Bluey said:
Thanks OneSizeFitsAll. With all my riding gear on I weigh just over 100kg (220lbs) and at that weight I think the stock rear shock is a little soft. I found the pegs on the stock FZ1 touched down fairly early and a couple of times I'd hit a bump half way through a corner and the side stand, centre stand or exhaust would contact the road as the shock compressed. This is not desirable. So I went to a suspension specialist that had been recommended to me by a number of friends. They are also an Ohlins dealer and that was what I was going to do (hang the expense) but they convinced me they could get just as good a result using European components they also supply at a better price.

So I had a completely new rear shock installed and sprung to my weight.

attachment.php



They also upgraded the front fork springs and valves. The result was well worth the expense. The ride is a lot firmer but still comfortable. The pegs still touch but I haven't had anything more soild hit the tarmac since the upgrade. I have thought of installing rear sets but feel that:

1. I'm 180cm (5'11") and the standard pegs are comfortable for me. After the ride to Phillip Island I could have jumped on the bike the next day and done it all again.

2. When the stock pegs touch it is telling you where you are and, as the pegs fold, you still have a bit more up your sleeve. This would not necessarily be the case with rearsets. The trouble being if you hit solid stuff first and lean further you will unload the tyres and that could end in tears.

I was thinking of doing the FZ6 foot peg rubbers mod but thats about it.

Did I have fun grinding the pegs? You bet. :D
Click to expand...

Great pics and a nice little write up too mate. Looks like you and the boys had a great time.
That ground up peg is a bit of a worry. It might help you a bit to hang off the bike some and get the bike more upright through corners. Less lean angle and more tyre contact patch is a good thing, especially on the road.
 
Bluey said:
The weather was definitely more crap than usual. But, hey, to have 4 seasons in one day at Phillip Island is not uncommon. Besides it all adds to the adventure. I've got to say it did make the decision to spend the extra $$$$ on the corporate tent all the more worthwhile. I went for a walk around the circut on the Saturday and the conditions outside were diabolical, it was just a quagmire.

It did take its toll on the bike too. After sitting out in the shit weather for a week and four of those days in Cowes not far from the shore of Great Southern Ocean here's what it did to the drive chain.

attachment.php


The bike is coming up for it's 30k service and is due for new chain and sprokets anyway.
Click to expand...

Nothing a good clean with Kerosene and a lube won't fix.:icon_beer:
 
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