Race Riot .........................................
Tim and Farmer Brod have been flying the Fast Bikes flag
The Yoshimura exhaust system that’s on order for my ‘busa hasn’t arrived yet, so sadly there’s no update this month on the weight saving and power gains it promises to bring. Fingers crossed that by next month I’ll have all the answers.
In the meantime, I took the Hayabusa for a 500(ish)-mile road trip to Wiltshire for a day at the Avon tyre factory for an upcoming feature and took a long detour home via R&G Racing for a poke around there, too.
The Gen3 Hayabusa has got some much-publicised new bodywork that has typically divided opinion among people, but more so it has caused the folk at R&G to cook up a new crash protection set-up for it. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what process R&G would use to measure up a bike for crash protection, but I don’t know why I was so surprised to see just how high-tech it is.
No measuring tapes, hammers, hacksaws, or trial and error prototypes here – instead it’s a 3D scan of the bike’s side, with and without the side panel, on which the designers then create CAD drawings of some brackets that can be fixed to the chassis and present nylon crash bungs to the outside world without any interference with the bodywork.
Prototype brackets are then 3D-printed to check for fit before the metal brackets are finally put into production. The whole process takes place mostly from behind a computer screen, and it is more a reflection of my age than any low expectations of R&G’s expertise that I found the whole design process to be so advanced and precise.
However, as clever as the design process might be, the final product still needs a human with some tools to fit the crash protection. That is a fair task – specifically getting the Hayabusa’s side panels off. There are 21 screws, bolts and push pins fixing EACH side panel to the bike, which must be some kind of record for over-engineering
something that doesn’t even weigh that much. Nevertheless, as with all these things, so long as you’re patient, follow the detailed instructions carefully and aren’t easily distracted, then you should be okay. Or in my case, you get someone else to do it for you, specifically the very same bloke who designed the kit and wrote the fitting instructions.
The two brackets (one each side) are different designs due to the subtly different profile of the two engine
mounting plates, but they line up perfectly and, as well as being fixed to the chassis via an engine mounting bolt, they are also fixed to each other via a rod that runs the full width of the engine for even greater strength and support.
It is worth noting that R&G only market its crash protection as “get you home” level. It would be impossible and foolish to suggest its crash protection will prevent any damage to the bodywork, as each crash is different.
The primary purpose of the kit is to protect the essentials like levers, pegs and handlebars, so if you do drop it in the middle of nowhere or a long way from home, your chances of getting to help or home are massively increased.
Of course, it’s entirely possible that they might protect the really expensive stuff like bodywork, but drop your bike on some gravel, for example, and there’s nothing the crash bungs can do to stop your side panels getting a nice dose of gravel rash.
While R&G had the bodywork off, it also fitted a radiator and oil cooler protector, and after some not-verysubtle hints by me, some paddock stand bobbins, which I’ve been keen to get for the ‘Busa to help with the basic stuff like cleaning and lubing the chain. Then, in a stroke of genius, a couple of sheets of R&G’s Tank Traction kit were applied to the sides of the fuel tank. It’s the sort of stuff that’s increasingly popular with racers who want to hang off the bike loads and drag their elbows. It gives them loads of grip on their outside leg to help with their body position, but in my case it has helped partially solve my comfort issue with the ‘Busa. Now there’s enough grip on each side of the tank to engage cruise control, grip each side with my legs, and stand up for a stretch without the need to stop. Result!
Now the ‘Busa is kitted out with some accessories I have already made use of, some I know I will use, and some I hope I never do. It’s good to know there is at least a fighting chance of getting home if do chuck the bike up the road, and my legs are already grateful for the benefits of the paddock stand bobbins and Tank Traction kit.
Now I’m just waiting for the postman…