Racing start - dead engine tips please

[stainlesscycle]

i warm the bike up till its very hot.. put it in second gear, slip clutch a bit to bit to gain traction, pull clutch in, kill it with kill switch. at 10 seconds i turn throttle wide open, i push the kicker through past tdc, hold throttle wide open. when i see flag begin to move, kick it and slip clutch to keep front on the ground.. my starts are usually very good - as long as there's not a giant long straightaway before the woods, i can usually get the holeshot into the woods. the starts are the easy part - everything else is hard!

depending on what line i start on, i can get a practice kick/start when the lines in front of me go..

i also watch the flagger when the first line goes so i can see if they have a pattern....

if there's a big long straightaway i usually get overtaken by a bigger bike or 2.. i gotta get over that 40-50mph fear barrier. i know there's another gear there, but i have a tendency to back off before i run outta speed....

if you practice starts for just 10 minutes once a week, you'll be so much faster outta the start....

[wyldman]

The key is keeping oil between the clutch plates. If you release the clutch, you squeeze out the oil,and it adds drag. A dragging clutch makes it hard to start.

Bike need to be warmed up, and jetted well. If you are waiting for other classes to start, fire it up and clean it out between each class leaving. Always do this in neutral, and not in gear. You don't want to heat the clutch up and add any drag.

When it's your turn,pull the clutch in,rev it once to clean it out,and shut the bike off with it in second gear, and keep the clutch held in. Use the kill switch to shut it off. Do NOT let the clutch out at all until the flag drops ! A few seconds before the start,slowly put weight on the kickstarter until you feel resistance (compression). Now let the kick start lever return to the top, and hold your foot there and don't move. When the flag drops,kick it HARD. Follow all the way thru,don't just jab at it. A good kick is important. If done right, it should fire right up,and you dump the clutch and go. By the time your foot has kicked all the way thru, you should be 15 feet ahead of everyone else.

Everybike is different, so you will need to practice and find what amount of throttle is needed to get it to start the best. I usually find on a properly jetted bike, kick it with the throttle closed, and as it first starts to fire,roll the throttle open and dump the clutch. You need to practice to see what you bike likes, so you are 100% consistant.

A lightweight trans oil can make all the difference too. A bike with 5W40 will start much easier in gear than a bike with 15W40. Make sure you clutch is in good shape,with no warped steels or a notched basket.

Also watch the starter. Focus on his elbow,not his hand or the flag. The second he twitches,you kick and go.

Once mastered, you should be able to get a good start 99% of the time. The next thing you need to do is learn to keep it to yourself. I made the mistake of telling a bunch of people I race with, and now they are starting as well as me !

[iancp5]

Originally Posted by wyldman

The next thing you need to do is learn to keep it to yourself. I made the mistake of telling a bunch of people I race with, and now they are starting as well as me !

You'll have the whole world doing it at this rate!