The 2020 race season will be my rookie season! While I have ridden the bike before in testing and practice, this will be my first time riding in competition. That means some changes are needed to adjust the fit of the The Red Baron to me — a little lighter and a little taller than Smitty 🙂
Foot Pegs & Shift Lever
Getting my feet on the pegs easily and quickly is one of the most crucial moments of the entire race. Until now, Smitty’s riding position has been okay, but a little cramped for me. We spent a lot of time fiddling with the foot peg position using an adjustment plate that Smitty made, moving it lower and further back. There was a bit of restriction since the exhaust pipe is very close to my foot. This new position also means that the shifter lever will also be extended nearly two inches to reach my new foot position.
Seat Position & Aerodynamics
We also found that raising the seat by 3″ gave two benefits: (1) It is a lot easier for me to reach the pegs in the leather suit, and (2) my back is flatter, which is generally good to maintain smooth airflow over the top to reduce drag.
My helmet and aero-hump flowed nicely together in a full tuck, providing a clean line to follow when designing the next iteration of the tail.
The fairing is mounted using adjustable braces which were changed to ensure that my feet don’t stick out into the airflow given the new foot peg position too.
The sides of the fairing will also be extended to match with my leg profile more closely without restricting my ability to put my legs down and walk the bike around.
Helmet & Visibility
The regulations require that no part of the rider’s helmet can be obscured by the motorcycle when viewed from the side or top. This wasn’t an issue thankfully because the wheelbase was extended by 51-mm two years ago (after the dyno disaster) which also meant the seat position was moved back by that much.
The throttle cables will need to be rerouted slightly — the black ones right in front of my face — since they are currently right in my line of sight.
I am a lucky lady to have a custom-fit racing motorcycle, and I can’t wait to see how we do in May!
3 thoughts on “Getting the fit just right for the new rider”