1st Session:
Mods: All stock
Lap times: 1:37s
The bike hit the track as it came out of the crate. Aside from adjusting the tire pressures and adding frame sliders, the R1 was bone stock.
"The suspension felt very vague and the rear was sliding all over the place under braking.
The engine tone was imperceptible. I couldn't hear a thing besides wind noise, which made it very awkward shifting through gears. I didn't expect it to make so much difference, but it was almost impossible to find the right gear and stay off the rev limiter. It was really annoying
The engine performance feels really weak in the upper midrange - where it should feel the strongest. This was all a little confusing."
2nd Session:
Mods: Full Graves exhaust, Power Commander V and AutoTune
Lap times: 1:35s
What would one of the most popular modifications do to an otherwise stock bike? Alongside the full exhaust system a Power Commander V and AutoTune were installed to assure that fueling was spot-on.
"Not only did the bike immediately feel faster and rev quicker, but now I could hear what was happening beneath me. If the rear tire began to lose grip I would hear the engine spin before I felt the movement. Also I could focus on the track instead of watching the tach, because now I could hear the engine and shift accordingly to stay in the power.
I really didn't think that an exhaust would make much, if any, difference to the actual times. I knew it felt faster, but when I saw that it actually was considerably quicker I was surprised."
3rd Session:
Mods: Stock suspension adjusted, Graves rearsets, fresh stock tires
Lap times: 1:34s
Stock suspension is adjustable, but only to a point. For heavier riders the stock forks and shocks are generally inadequate.
"We were able to get the suspension firmed up a bit so it wouldn't bounce and squat so much, but I was decking out through one of the fast right hand corners. By simply installing the rearsets and adjusting the foot position it eliminated that issue and allowed for a little more speed.
The rearsets were another part that I didn't expect to make such a difference both on paper as well as mentally.
The stock front end still felt too vague to push much harder, and the front and rear tires were losing grip pretty much everywhere."