I'm Bored!!!!!

Currently sitting here slowly going crazy with boredom! So I thought I'd update my blog but was wondering what to write? Turns out I had more than I realised!

I'm keeping myself amused watching videos of the Dakar Rally for inspiration and wondering how long it's going to take me to get back on a bike. This is my favourite so far

The UK Rally season doesn't start until the new BBRC Sprint Rally at the Sweet Lamb Rally Centre near Llangurig in Wales on Sunday 22nd April, so I've got a bit of time yet!

I have reserved a place on a BBRC training course on the last weekend of March so that's currently my target. I suppose I'll know more after I've been back to the fracture clinic tomorrow!

I've been acquiring a few bits for the bike to get it ready for the new season, including a spare set of wheels (newer and in better condition that my existing ones), they also came with the correct sized 260mm off road front disc brake and the corresponding brake caliper mounting bracket required. Until now I have been running with a 320mm supermoto disc on my trail wheels which has made the brakes very grabby and to be honest over braked for racing,

I have also picked up a new silencer for the bike, the CCM runs best with the competition can fitted and it currently has the carburettor jetted for it but it's just too loud for race use (94db noise limit) so I have to run with the standard can in place. However when I last attempted to re-jet the carb for it, I managed to run the engine too lean and it overheated causing the piston to seize in the bore. This resulted in a second hand replacement engine! As a result when I rebuilt it I stuck with the bigger jets/needle settings so it doesn't run as cleanly as it should.

After a bit of research on the CCM Riders forum, I came up with the solution. Several owners are using the silencer from a 2001 Suzuki GSXR1000K1 with an adaptor to fit it to the CCM exhaust pipe. This is free flowing enough to allow the bike to run with the bigger jets and gain a useful power boost but being designed for a larger four cylinder and higher revving bike is sufficiently silenced. The other advantage is the silencer is made from Titanium so also represents a significant weight saving over the standard can.

The problem is that whilst you can pick these silencers up on eBay for not much money, the guy making the adaptors is no longer a member of the CCM forum.

One member of the forum was breaking his bike and selling off a GSXR silencer with adaptor, I contacted him only discover two other people had already expressed an interest but he mentioned his brother had sold his CCM so was sellng off various bits he had left, including a GSXR silencer.

So after contacting him, I discovered he also had the wheels for sale, including discs, sprocket, spacers, tyres and tubes so a deal was done for them and the GSXR can and he delivered last Friday evening.

Unfortunately I am in no position to even get out to the garage at the moment, so apart from a quick look when he turned up I can't even think about fitting them, so another job to go on the list for preparing the bike for the 2012 season.

Oh well back to my Dakar fantasies.... only five days to go to this years race!