Been And Gone And Done It, Haven't I

[bermudabob]

All this new car talk is making me really frustrated!!

 

Must... hang... on... til... January...

[Scott_Mac]

 

Expecting a full report ASAP please Graeme!!!!

[malbon]

I bet its really rubbish. Leaks. Poor Idle. Poor Power Delivery. Unreliable. Scuffed Wheels. Floor Rot. Knackered Ball Joints. Squeeky ARB bushes/ Rusting exhaust. Condensation in the light covers.

 

I'm not jealous or bitter of course.

[Scott_Mac]

No no, of course not... not exactly the best weather to be collecting it though

[GCCK]

Weather not great but it's mine.

 

Don is a really top chap - everything ready for when I arrived, including things I didn't know about like hardtop bag, dust cover, Janspeed exhaust (mild steel), Workshop manual, Ally throttle body (48mm) and plastic one.

 

Trod carefully in the soaking wet but still managed a little play. Loads of power and completely progressive, everything feels like new, so tight and tied down. Have to say though I noticed the S1 LSS feels a little wooden after S2 stuff. The S2 stuff stays in touch with the road much better over the bumps, much more supple. But the LSS is better than std S1, no doubt about it. I think I can "make do".

 

Happy days!

 

Graeme

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S. And a 135 head

[Scott_Mac]

 

Yes i was thinking you'd say that about the suspension... is certainly what i noticed most about mine, gets a bit skittish over bumps.

 

Glad you have it... hope you get some time to enjoy it over the weekend

[Ladders]

 

No one will be safe on runs again!

 

Think you should start from the back of the slow group from now on Graeme, by the end of the run you will have about made your way to the front of the fast group

[Scott_Mac]

Good plan!

[GCCK]

Ladders

But we do that already, when the "slow" group decides to leave first like on a couple of runs recently...

 

Graeme

[Steve J]

Well being in the Fast Group means you have to be fast out the carpark too, otherwise be prepared to get left behind

[Scott_Mac]

Ladders

But we do that already, when the "slow" group decides to leave first like on a couple of runs recently...

 

Graeme

he he... they'll get the hang of it soon enough!

[GCCK]

Been out in the new car in the dry today and am well happy with life, the universe & everything.

 

With the standard car, immense speeds were possible through the corners if you could just get up to the entry speed you wanted, but the proposition is always about making best use of the available power and carrying as much speed as possible through the bends. When dry, with warm tyres, there is more adhesion than power.

 

With all the extra gubbins out back and 45% more power, the equation has been re-written! So much extra power 5000-7300 rpm and smooth & torquey getting there, there's real thought required for entry speed and when/how much power to apply on exit. With a surfeit of power, dancing on the limit with the throttle is MUCH more of a possibility. The close ratio box takes some getting used to - on familiar bends you can't drive just to revs because they'll be diffrent to the std box!

 

Still prefer the S2 (Bilstein) suspension upgrade on my std car to the S1 LSS (Koni) on the new one. It's so much more supple. However turn in is better in the new one, although the difference is probably in the geo. Both cars have Advan tyres with 2-3,000 miles on them (Std car on std 5-spoke alloys, new one on S160 Victory's). Brakes are better on the std car too - pads probably fresher but benefitting from stainless steel hoses and fresh dot 5.1 fluid too. New car got some initial mush in the pedal but things improve when warm, although never as good as my std car.

 

Thought the new one was the perfect, best prepared S1 out there. It probably is, but the car I've been honing over the last couple of years still manages to beat it in a couple of areas. Insurance assessor comes to look at it tomorrow (Monday) so can then set about getting its rear end patched up. It will be even better when it comes back with fresh clam, fresh paint, fresh exhaust (still on std 5 yr old system) and with any luck, fresh rear toe links as well. While the new clam's getting painted, they can give the front & sills a blowing over and it will look as good as new.

 

Looking forward to next week's run even more now!

 

Graeme

[Zircon450]

Hi Graeme, new vehicular hits the spot then

 

So a slow into, power out of the bend is on the cards for a week or two then ?

 

BS!- you'll be top of the pile with that little baby I'm sure on the run.

Wish we were able to make it.

[Steve G]

Graeme - is it worth swapping the suspension on your two cars over so you can get the best of both worlds?

 

Steve.

[JohnnyM]

yeah, i would transplant the good bits from the old car onto the new, save some cash, and keep you out of trouble for a few hours...