Indianapolis GP Day 0

The big day has come: MotoGP Race 12 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Weeks (okay, days) of preparation has gone into steeling my nerves for the longest land journey I've ever undertaken. What's more, the distance will be traversed by two wheels instead of four with wind in my helmet and bugs plastered on my visor. Of course measures were undertaken to make the daunting 1000km trek to the great state of Indiana more manageable.

The mystery box contains the answers...

Its Christmas!!

I didn't manage to get everything installed on the bike but some of the most crucial things were:

Rearset adjuster plates - adjusts the rear set one inch up and one inch back help create a more natural riding position. $10 bucks well spent.

2004 ZX10 throttle tube - The larger diameter of the ZX10 throttle tube makes it so a gentler tug will create a greater throttle opening. This makes it easier on your wrists over the 8 hour trip. Another $10 well spent. For fellow ZX7 owners out there, no you do NOT need to modify your throttle housing in any way nor do you need to modify your throttle cables (although you may need to extend them all the way). The ZX10 throttle is more or less plug and play.

Since the ride to Indianapolis was going to be made up almost entirely of highway riding, I decided it might be a good idea to play with some different jetting settings. 1000kms is a lot of road to experiment with different throttle actions.

Swapped the stock needle jet for the Factory Pro item

Swapped stock jets for smaller Factory Pro ones. 170 - 168 for the outside carbs and 180 - 178 for the inside carbs. Yes the ZX7 has MASSIVE main jets

I swapped the original slide springs for Factory Pro ones too but I forgot to take a picture of it. So instead here's a picture of Rolocat ruining an otherwise perfect photo.

With my bike preped as best as time would allow, and an entire tank bag full of skivvies I was all set to rock and roll. On Thursday August 25th, 2001 06:00 hours R1 buddy and I head for the border.

Stopped for sustenance

As we approached the Ambassador Bridge, R1 buddy couldn't resist the urge to pull over and perform a VERY gay dance

Having successfully crossed the boarder without being arrested, we ponder how to slither through the alleys of Detroit without being shot

We're all gonna die...

... but first, lunch.

Unhappily, we immediately proceeded to get lost... in Toledo, where you won't be shot, but stabbed. R1 buddy desperately searches for implements of self defense. A mallet perhaps.

Having escaped Michigan and Ohio, we take take a breather

Before we knew it, we had arrived at the Indiana border.... where we immediately saw some very queer things...

... Large bits of roadkill ...

... (a lot of it actually) ...

... wild animals in the grass ...

... and generally sketchy people running amok.

This image really sums up biking for me. Loitering with bikes in a McDonalds parking lot with a large soda.

Well fed and well equipped, we pressed on.

The last 150km were by far the longest the the journey but we made it! Yay! Here, we see R1 buddy giving the universal  signal for 'job well done'

We settle into our den of luxury ...

... grab some grub (along with 7 dollar pitchers of gourmet beer)...

... and call it a night.

Tomorrow, day 2 of our epic trip (but technically day 1 of the Indianapolis GP)

More pics of day 1 here.