first trackday on the Mille went to Oulton on tuesday and managed to low side twice, im used to a 600 lots of lean and loading the front, felt a ****:angry after second off anybody come from a 600 and had to learn the hard way
Joined Oct 2009
3K Posts | 1+
have you set the suspension up ? how much experience have you with the mille? is it a track bike only..as i'd suggest going over and over your favourite twisty till you are happy with it
any chance you were pushing too hard trying to beat your mates? just a thought
any chance you were pushing too hard trying to beat your mates? just a thought
Track only bike ,so no experience except one track day on this bike have done some 30+ track days on 600s ,no suspension man at oulton (was going to be first job) set up as in manual (track use) has RSVr Ohlins rear. was pushing but thats normal no pressure ,some of my thoughts are I dont use tyre warmers never have and with extra weight and power i should ,tyres are racetecs c1/c2 32 /30psi and my riding style needs to change as i have been used too a friendly 600 ?
Joined Oct 2009
3K Posts | 1+
if its any help on the road it took me 18months to get used to the mille ..before i could ride it and felt comfortable pushing it
Joined Mar 2008
3K Posts | 0+
Lincolnshire
you can run loads of corner speed with these bikes and they can really get some lean on. Griffer set my sussy up and it works really well with great feedback, i have loads of confidence in the tyre its just my ability lets me down. 2 lowsides is a bit concerning though.
I assume your not hanging around with 30+ trackdays
I assume your not hanging around with 30+ trackdays
Something doesn't sound quite right with the bike here, if you've fallen off twice on the same day, then I wouldn't get on it again until I knew why.
Theres no one way to ride these bikes, sure you cant ring them like a 600 but adapting your style to work with it, if it feels uncomfortable to control a v-twin thumper then maybe its not for you.
Im the opposite I couldn't get on with a 600 on track because I felt I didn't have enough feel, where as with the RSV when it comes to cornering, you always have to square the corners off, so slower in and faster through the corner and on the way out, that keeps the front unloaded and the rear planted.
Theres no one way to ride these bikes, sure you cant ring them like a 600 but adapting your style to work with it, if it feels uncomfortable to control a v-twin thumper then maybe its not for you.
Im the opposite I couldn't get on with a 600 on track because I felt I didn't have enough feel, where as with the RSV when it comes to cornering, you always have to square the corners off, so slower in and faster through the corner and on the way out, that keeps the front unloaded and the rear planted.
Im going to give the suspension a service ,and check for anything bent as the previous owner (a mate) fell off twice, not low sides though , we did have to sort the forks as they where twisted. after his second crash. I did have a ZRX1200, sounds the same techique slow in fast out
Which group do you ride in? (Just trying to get an idea of your ability).
I went from a 600 to a Mille, kept it for 2 years and now ride a GSXR1000 K5, which I honestly think is better at everything compared to the Aprilia, except for pillion comfort!
Anyway, with the Mille you have a lot of engine braking, so first thoughts are that you can never coast through a corner- you must always, always be on a neutral throttle or accelerating.
And without teaching Grandama to suck eggs, i went riding on Sunday for about an hour with a 'friend' of mine who is a new rider. He is very fast already but his technique is shocking- no body movement, doesn't weight the pegs etc etc...
Can you post a photo of your cornering technique? Be good to see how you look on the bike.
PS I'm not that fast myself (fast group but not quick enough to race), so this could be a case of do as I say, not as I do!
I went from a 600 to a Mille, kept it for 2 years and now ride a GSXR1000 K5, which I honestly think is better at everything compared to the Aprilia, except for pillion comfort!
Anyway, with the Mille you have a lot of engine braking, so first thoughts are that you can never coast through a corner- you must always, always be on a neutral throttle or accelerating.
And without teaching Grandama to suck eggs, i went riding on Sunday for about an hour with a 'friend' of mine who is a new rider. He is very fast already but his technique is shocking- no body movement, doesn't weight the pegs etc etc...
Can you post a photo of your cornering technique? Be good to see how you look on the bike.
PS I'm not that fast myself (fast group but not quick enough to race), so this could be a case of do as I say, not as I do!
Fast group which I should have changed on the day to interm. have a look on ,NO Limits photography Aug16 fast group, yellow bikes, bike has cheqered flag over light and a lanky git riding it. I wont be offended by any remarks, cheers
mostly dry ,it rained mid day, which gave me time for repairs .grass stuffed in between tyre and wheel ,bent exhaust R&G bungs where bloody good ,bent front engine bung on second crash
Rear shock is getting serviced and ill service front with new springs etc from Revs suspension ,and next outing will use tyre warmers ,if I come off then it's my crap riding
Joined Aug 2011
901 Posts | 0+
West Sussex
Check the headstock bearings thoroughly for play. I had it on my R1. feel fine from the wheel, but if you held the headstock, rocked the bike forwards and put the front brake on there was a knock. Never actually crashed because of it, but had to nurse the front end everywhere. If you werent used to the bike could do it. Also check swing arm and alignment
The forks are off at the moment ,but will check the frontend off ground with a helper ,any tips on checking swingarm/frame alignment
Joined Aug 2011
901 Posts | 0+
West Sussex
The play I had, you couldnt really feel with the wheel off the floor, only when you did what I described above. Check it both ways. But the front actually felt untrustworthy. You havent said how the front felt before it happened. To check alignment you can use the old string technique, but its infinitely easier to use a straight edge. Lets us know how you get on.
The front felt good ,going in and mid corner felt good, coming out of the corner lacked feel hence low sides , will be a week when I get around to checking ,cheers
Joined Aug 2011
901 Posts | 0+
West Sussex
The front went coming out the corner?? how low were you? could it be the back low sided first as you tapped on the gas? pretty unsual to lose the front after the apex when all the load should be on the back. Its possible if your very low, to low side from the rear. If it was the front though its strange, but would be worth checking and maybe adding some front rebound damping to hold the front down in the stroke for longer or check you dont have too much front preload. If your lighter than who the bike was set up for it could be set to stiff and not be using all its travel which can make it feel wooden. So get a mate to help check your static sag too :thumbup
