CandyStripes327
New Member
Hey everyone, I decided to take my NC to Chuckwalla Valley Raceway for the Femmewalla and SoCalTrackday weekend... because I binned my racebike two weeks ago. I wanted to share some pictures and my no BS Assessment of the NC at pace.
First let me say that the bike handles as well on the track as on the street. The lower center of gravity definitely makes the bike flick in fast transitions and the wheel base keeps it stable mid-corner. The only thing I noticed was that the plush suspension lead to something of a see-sawing motion in sustained turns under acceleration. Being that I couldn't adjust the suspension, I just rode through it. It wasn't so unnerving that it ruined any experience I had all weekend!
I left the feelers on the foot pegs for my own self control, which of course meant I dragged them in pretty much every corner on the track. I have the OEM Center Stand on there and didn't drag it at all, so it's definitely within the clearance set up by the peg feelers.
With the OEM foot pegs, there really isn't a whole lot of room to lean the bike through the turns and I found myself trying my best to get off the bike. Never the less I still found myself using up a LOT more track than I would have liked at the pace (middle 'B' group) I was able to maintain.
The OEM Metzeler tires actually worked really well out there too. I ran down the tire pressure to 30 psi in the front and 24 psi in the rear. The wear was as good as I could exect, but I did notice that there was some rebound wear. As previously mentioned there is no adjustability in the OEM shock to adjust it, so I just kept riding!
Over all, I had a blast! But honestly... the track isn't what the NC was designed for (nor the reason I bought it!) but it was certainly a great way to cross train in what would have other wise been a wasted weekend at the track. I was definitely the talk of the paddock as no one else on the track was as comfortable as me nor did they have a place to keep their helmet out of the sun!
First let me say that the bike handles as well on the track as on the street. The lower center of gravity definitely makes the bike flick in fast transitions and the wheel base keeps it stable mid-corner. The only thing I noticed was that the plush suspension lead to something of a see-sawing motion in sustained turns under acceleration. Being that I couldn't adjust the suspension, I just rode through it. It wasn't so unnerving that it ruined any experience I had all weekend!
I left the feelers on the foot pegs for my own self control, which of course meant I dragged them in pretty much every corner on the track. I have the OEM Center Stand on there and didn't drag it at all, so it's definitely within the clearance set up by the peg feelers.
With the OEM foot pegs, there really isn't a whole lot of room to lean the bike through the turns and I found myself trying my best to get off the bike. Never the less I still found myself using up a LOT more track than I would have liked at the pace (middle 'B' group) I was able to maintain.
The OEM Metzeler tires actually worked really well out there too. I ran down the tire pressure to 30 psi in the front and 24 psi in the rear. The wear was as good as I could exect, but I did notice that there was some rebound wear. As previously mentioned there is no adjustability in the OEM shock to adjust it, so I just kept riding!
Over all, I had a blast! But honestly... the track isn't what the NC was designed for (nor the reason I bought it!) but it was certainly a great way to cross train in what would have other wise been a wasted weekend at the track. I was definitely the talk of the paddock as no one else on the track was as comfortable as me nor did they have a place to keep their helmet out of the sun!