84 xvz1200 standard 1/4 mile tips

[PEIslander]

A buddy at work with a Harley wants to go against me at the local drag strip on amateur night. Neither of us has run the track before but it might prove interesting. $20 a bike and all the runs that can be fitted in.

 

I am wondering what rpm's would be most efficient to shift at. I expect 6500-7000 would work but looking for pointers. Not sure what model his bike is but I'll have to find out as it may be a sleeper!

 

Any other pointers are welcome as this is new to me. The track doesn't open for a few weeks yet so I may have to find a quiet road to practise. My bike is bone stock except for the new diagphrams, needle shim mod, carb sync, MAc mufflers and new paint. I have an E3 on the rear with about 50% tread left. I read somewhere that it helps to drop the air pressure in the rear tire as well as the rear suspension.

 

Fire away.

[craigatcsi]

You should be able to pull one plug wire and still win!

[Yammer Dan]

Another Hardley bites the dust!!

 

I think I shift about 6k when I'm in a hurry but I'm usually looking in the rear view to see where they are at!!

[oldgoat]

give him at least a good 4 second head start then pass him in first gear:rotfl:

[curtis]

A buddy at work with a Harley wants to go against me at the local drag strip on amateur night. Neither of us has run the track before but it might prove interesting. $20 a bike and all the runs that can be fitted in.

 

I am wondering what rpm's would be most efficient to shift at. I expect 6500-7000 would work but looking for pointers. Not sure what model his bike is but I'll have to find out as it may be a sleeper!

 

Any other pointers are welcome as this is new to me. The track doesn't open for a few weeks yet so I may have to find a quiet road to practise. My bike is bone stock except for the new diagphrams, needle shim mod, carb sync, MAc mufflers and new paint. I have an E3 on the rear with about 50% tread left. I read somewhere that it helps to drop the air pressure in the rear tire as well as the rear suspension.

 

Fire away.

 

I have own and ridden a HD for the last 10 years and now ride an 88 venture. Unless he as done some serious modifications to his bike or owns a Vrod it makes no difference when you shift as you will never have to leave 2nd gear. I love my HD's and will continue to own them; however, they are the slowest bike I have ever owned. Curtis

[Karl C.]

Nothing against a harley, I think they sound great and have known a few people that put some serious money into them to make them go very fast....

 

But I had one to pull up beside me at a red light here about 2 weeks ago... I was on my honda v65 sabre.... I wasnt even going to get into it but when the dude flipped me off for no reason...the crap was on.... anyone that knows the old v65 sabre knows pretty much what happened at that point...

 

If I can get the money up tho I found a site where I can take my 1100 sabre and put a 1240 kit in it...hmmmmm the possiblities...

[PEIslander]

Thanks for the support. I'll let you know how it went if it all comes together. It may be the end of June before I can make it happen. I am not so concerned about beating the Harley as seeing what this old Venture is capable of. Somewhere I read that it can do 12 sec 103mph in the 1/4. But I am a rookie and slightly overweight so That will affect my times.

[bongobobny]

Just remember when you launch you are shaft drive, so it will tend to kick sideways a tad rather than come up. You can pop a wheelie with a MK1...

[Marcarl]

Take soem time to watch: The Fastest Indian, and you'll have a preview of your workout. No need to concern yourself over the Harley,, he'll just be along for the ride.

[skydoc_17]

Hi Rick,

This is Jean, Earl's wife. I read your post to Earl this morning, his ears perked right up! Earl had his 87'VR to the 1/4 mile track this last fall, he said it was very exciting/scary at the same time! Here are a few things he mentioned, in no particular order of importance.

The biggest decision Earl had to make was, "am I going to "slip" the clutch off the line, avoid braking traction at take off, or "drop the hammer" smoke the back tire, and hang on!

He personally found that it was "almost" against his human nature to rev his bike to 3500 RPM's and let go of the clutch lever, so the first few runs he slipped the clutch, leaned somewhat forward to move his body weight over the front of the bike to reduce the chance of a "wheelie". His first three runs were high to mid 12's. Back at the pits, there were three "kids" in their early 20's, racing their Yamaha R1's, that took an interest in Earl and his bike. They thought it was "awsome" that an "old timer" with his full bagger scoot was out on a Sunday afternoon, burning up the track with the kids. If I hadn't seen this next thing with my own eyes, I would not have believed it. The three kids "swarmed" over Earl's bike and basically taught him how to "drop the hammer" at the start line, and not slip the clutch. One young man stood in front of Earl's bike with his hands on the front fork tubes, the other two young men stood on each side of Earl's 87'VR and held the passenger grab rails. Rear tire air pressure was increased to 45 PSI, (this is adjusted according to weight of rider) a small amount of regular water was placed under the back wheel, Earl braked the bike using the right front hand brake only, (no rear brake) the first two times Earl let the clutch go at 3500 RPM's his butt was off the seat and he was standing flat footed. This was to let him get used to the bike braking traction. Try number three was with him setting on the seat, both feet on the ground but NOT supporting his body weight, he let the clutch go, front end braked, (he has the de-linked R1 brake system on his 87'VR) and those three young men held the bike up so it would not fall over and Earl ran thru three gears with the back wheel smoking like crazy! He did this a few more times, working up to a launch RPM of 5000 RPM's, and by the end of the day, he ran an 11:86 ET! I was impressed, and Earl was acting like a school kid.

Here are some Tech details Earl wanted me to point out:

Make sure your air filter is clean!

The needle shim mod is great for an MPG increase, BUT starves the engine at wide open throttle (WOT) He suggests reinstalling the stock Main Jet Needle Shims for your trip to the drag strip. ( if you don't have the stock ones any more, we can help with that) Set the Idle Mixture Screws to 21/2 turns from bottom with the stock needle shims.

Because Earl changes items in the Carbs. depending on what he is doing, (riding two up, towing a trailer, snacking on the safety chrome of a HD, etc.) he uses this kit to make changing the items in the Carbs. a snap:

http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=1643&title=first-gen281983-1993-29-stainless-carberator-cap-screw-set-with-washers-21&cat=6

 

If you would like ONE Nylon replacement shim for each Carb. Diaphragm instead of a bunch of S.S. washers to adjust the height of the Main Jet Needle Shim Mod, Check out this link:

http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=2711&title=needle-shim-mod-nylon-spacers-21&cat=6

 

Earl shifts at "Red Line" regularly and has never had a valve float, or had the bike miss or sputter. The top end, Carbs., final drive and exhaust of Earl's bike are not stock, and he keeps his bike in first class condition. At the track, he ran ZERO air in the front shocks, and medium air in the rear shock. This allowed his feet to be flat on the ground. He ended up with 43 PSI in the rear tire for the "drop the hammer" method of take off. He ran 36 PSI in the front tire, any more then that and the front wheel/brakes locked up to easy on the decell. I am SURE I didn't explain this as well as Earl could have so if you have questions, please feel free to PM us and I will pass on your questions to Earl.

The last thing Earl wanted me to mention was to have fun, wear your safety equipment, know your limitations, and be sure to let us know how this turns out.

This was fun,

Jean

[SilvrT]

I have never drag raced on the track but I've had my share of street races. One thing I've found (thru experimentation) is shifting without the use of the clutch makes a big difference. Upward pressure on the shifter, a short, very small "back blip" on the throttle and you're in the next gear and pulling hard. It's much faster than using the clutch and if the "other guy" isn't using this method, it really gives you an advantage.

[MasterGuns]

The other day on a ride with a few other fellows, one on a 2d Edition decided to show how fast his Yammy was and challenged me to a running start (sort of) 1/4 mile showdown. I knew that his bike was much faster but went along with him anyway. There was a bunch of people at at a rode side snack joint that was just about at the finishing line. Of course he was way out in front of me when we passed the finish line. We both turned around and parked at this snack shack located along the service road of I 20 near Highway 281. Anyway after we both parked, even though he cleaned my clock all the spectators came over to my Harley Ultra and checked my ride out for a few minutes and asked a few questions about it. They then headed back inside never even approaching his sled. Too bad I wasn't on my first edition. And be really careful, there are some really fast HD's lurking around, not at all stock, but won't matter if he blows your 83 away. And if this guy is challenging your 83 he might be doing so for a reason. Might be embarrassing for you especially if you can't pull a hole shot with your 1200.

[Flyinfool]

Yes we will need a full report WITH VIDEO.

 

Sounds like fun.

 

I have never hit red line with my 88 yet. It always scares me before I get that far and my buddies hardly is always well behind me before then anyways.

 

I would not want to end up running against the Harley that is in the parking lot where I work, he has over $10K into just the engine and runs in the low 8's.

[Condor]

When I got into it with my '83 I didn't have time to be checking the tach. When it stops pulling strong hit second.... in a 1/4 you may not even need third...

[MasterGuns]

I would not want to end up running against the Harley that is in the parking lot where I work, he has over $10K into just the engine and runs in the low 8's.

 

 

And most "stock" VRods turn in low 11 second 1/4 miles. I believe a brand new stock VR first edition ran through the lights in the high 12's. The additional torque the Venture makes cannot make up the 35 or more hp deficit when run against a VRod. Also, there are some really quick other models of HD around. One had got to know his limitations. Don't let me mislead you, I love my Venture and I love my HD. I just get sick of some of the critics.

[tpalshadow]

I would not want to end up running against the Harley that is in the parking lot where I work, he has over $10K into just the engine and runs in the low 8's.

 

 

And most "stock" VRods turn in low 11 second 1/4 miles. I believe a brand new stock VR first edition ran through the lights in the high 12's. The additional torque the Venture makes cannot make up the 35 or more hp deficit when run against a VRod. Also, there are some really quick other models of HD around. One had got to know his limitations. Don't let me mislead you, I love my Venture and I love my HD. I just get sick of some of the critics.

 

The critics are there for a reason. If you want to spend $20,000 on a loud bike with no guts, I know a Harley dealer who would be happy to help you

 

You could put $10,000 into any bike and I wouldn't race it with a stock bike, that's silly!

 

Don't mean to come off negative, I just get sick of hearing them go by my house at 30 mph blaring over 100 dB when the kids are trying to sleep.

[MasterGuns]

The critics are there for a reason. If you want to spend $20,000 on a loud bike with no guts, I know a Harley dealer who would be happy to help you

 

You could put $10,000 into any bike and I wouldn't race it with a stock bike, that's silly!

 

Don't mean to come off negative, I just get sick of hearing them go by my house at 30 mph blaring over 100 dB when the kids are trying to sleep.

 

VRODs have a lot of guts and in a 1/4 mile will leave blisters on the paint of Ventures. And if you care to check things out the Venture V4 was first designed by Harley but they decided not go with it due to reasons unrelated to performane. Loud things don't bother me in the least, I served over thirty years in the Marine Corps and learned to acquaint noise with freedom. Don't take me the wrong way, I do own a Venture and have since 1986. I love the bike but I also own and will always own a Harley, preferably an Ultra. Couldn't live without either one. Most people, IMHO, would own Harleys if only they were a little bit more affordable.

[scottc]

If the guy's got a V-Rod why is he wanting to run a bagger of any make? Tell him to find a V-Max to run, 1st or 2nd gen. I don't think he'll want to run one again. If he has a Ultra, Electra, Etc I don't think you have any worries unless he's put a whole lot of money in it.

[PEIslander]

Thanks for the drag racing tips Jean, Don't think I'm ready to drop the clutch at 5000 rpm yet. Anyway When this little race happens I'll update you all. Didn't mean for this to be a Harley bash as we both enjoy getting our digs in a little bit. I think he rides a Dyna Wide Glide or something like that. He has a lot of fun putting down my 'antique' Venture.

 

By the way, Pass on my prayers for Earl's speedy recovery and keep him up to date on Venturerider happenings.

 

Rick

[Bummer]

... And if you care to check things out the Venture V4 was first designed by Harley but they decided not go with it due to reasons unrelated to performane. ...

Source, please. Thanks in advance.

[elag]

I have own and ridden a HD for the last 10 years and now ride an 88 venture. Unless he as done some serious modifications to his bike or owns a Vrod it makes no difference when you shift as you will never have to leave 2nd gear. I love my HD's and will continue to own them; however, they are the slowest bike I have ever owned. Curtis

 

He's in PEI. If he makes it to 3rd gear he'll run out of island.

[GigaWhiskey]

If you push your bike you will still win, lol.

[Kirby]

Originally Posted by MasterGuns

... And if you care to check things out the Venture V4 was first designed by Harley but they decided not go with it due to reasons unrelated to performane. ...

Source, please. Thanks in advance.

 

 

Source, please. Thanks in advance.

 

I own a 99 Vmax and I'd be interested in learning something new. I always read that the Venture V4 came from the Vmax. Maybe you can shed a new light on this?????

[cecdoo]

http://www.bikerenews.com/AntiqueBikes/CodeNameNova.htm

 

There ya go!!

[elag]

I always read that the Venture V4 came from the Vmax. Maybe you can shed a new light on this?????

 

Actually it would be the other way around. The first year for Vmax was 1985 and the Venture was using the 1200 V4 in 1983.