Day 2 of my MotoGP trip. Today was to be the first practice session for MotoGP. R1 Buddy and I courageously meet the biting cold of a dewy Indiana dawn, fighting harsh winds and struggling with fatigue. So it should come as little surprise that I lead us astray a bit.
Sure I got us lost but surely its nothing but a stroke of bad luck with a dash of morning grogginess. Besides, lighting never strikes twice and all that right? Wrong again, Bob.
We bravely turn around and retrace our steps to the highway where once again I lead us astray; 10 miles off course no less, lost in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere.
Far off in the distance there is the speedway. Can you see it? No you can't because its 10 fucking miles away.
R1 Boddy: "Dude where the fuck have you lead us? Google doesn't even know where we are"
Somewhere along the way, R1 Buddy ran over some breed of alien.
Eventually after fighting through construction and a massive traffic jam we arrive at the brickyard.
Not so fast, Sally. Gotta pay the parking man first.
Pictures simply don't do this view any justice (although they never do, do they?)
The grand stands opposite the gazebo arn't shabby either
Getting lost all over Indianapolis was annoying, but getting lost within the race track was exhausting. R1 Buddy and I probably walked the length of the race track no less than five times. After an extraordinary amount of bumbling about, we finally manage to stumble into grandstand A which is parallel to the main straight, starting grid and paddock.
The earsplitting roar of 600cc Honda's greet our arrival at grand stand A
Desperate measures were taken to obtain a better angle for picture-taking. R1 Buddy war cry: "FUCK DA POLICE"
Due to getting lost a ridiculous number of times in a variety of colorful locations, we missed the morning 125 and MotoGP qualifying rounds. We'd have to wait till the afternoon to see those. By the time we found a nice seat, the Moto2 practice session was wrapping up:
Mr. Takahashi (72) clearly not giving a crap
Following Moto2 were a handful of fighting .... Harleys? The XR1200's were.... different. The soothing sound of those lumpy v-twins put people to sleep.
Once the Harleys were done hogging about on the track, there was a brief intermission.
I want one of these for the house
Sup
It's a commonly known fact that loud engines and aggressive riding attract hot female photographers .... that, and fat guys
Silly girl with your redundant SLR. Let me know you how pros do this ... now if I can just get the bikes to stay still for a few seconds
After lunch the 125s were back again with a distinctive 2-stroke buzz in a cloud of distinctive 2-stroke smoke... smells like chicken.
The new 'Team Paris Hilton' charges out of pit lane
After an hour of buzzing, the 125s packed it in for the day and then the big boys came out to play. The 800cc MotoGP class were FINALLY doing their practice session. The roar of the 800cc engines actually creates some variety of sonic vacuum which threatens to suck one's brains out of one's ears.
The Doctor's bike being preped
Colin Edwards grinding a knee down
Rossi in front
Rossi returns to the pit
Having our ear drums thoroughly obliterated by the 800cc bluster, we weakly staggered towards the exit. On any ordinary day we would have been outta there in short order. However, this was a MotoGP race weekend and, there were several things to distract us from our flight:
... boobies ...
... lube ...
... and I suppose there were a few bikes scattered around too
With our senses saturated with manly content, R1 Buddy and I set out to hunt for some fine food.
A quick bite later and it was time to call it a day
R1 Buddy and I actually took alot of pictures. However thanks to the crappy internet connection at the Four Points, they won't be uploaded until MUCH later. Bah.
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)
