Lance, a new LE customer bought a used shock for his Ducati Multistrada and had it shipped to me to rebuild. A fair number of people do this so they end up with a spare shock. The used shock has a LE sticker but it came from a shop that parts out bikes so we did not know who sent the shock to me the first time. I’m pleased with my note keeping, I was able to find the build sheet by looking at the valving and new spring rate. I called Mark, the OC (Original Customer). Mike sold his bike to someone who ran it low on oil and damaged the engine. So the bike ended up being parted out and now the shock will live again. Also, Mike and Lance are the same weight so the spring rate is already correct.

Friday & Saturday were hard work. Getting use to the acceleration and top speed were a big part of the adjustment. Cookie is still pulling hard at the top of 6th gear. She is catching all the other bikes there. Sunday morning turned it all around. The new master cylinder gave me good feel on the brakes. I was on the 2nd row for F-40 wheelied through 2nd & 3rd gear and was second into T1, the Ed Starts are so much fun! 1.17.03 from a standing start. Then four 1.12’s while running 3rd. With the bars too low and far away it was hard to keep my head up and look far enough around T-4 and my vision was getting blurry from wind inside my helmet, I need to close the front vent when going Ludicrous Speed. So I cruised home from there. I have a new list of changes to make Cookie fit me and will work on the next phase of this EDventure. You can visit us at Lindemann Engineering inside Gray Area KTM

The Morning Grumpies are no match for Power Wheelies. Cookie now has brakes with feel. F-40 is good but how about F-60? Kids…

Any bike is just a collection of cool parts till you work out how to fit them together. When I worked out the spring rates I need for Cookie I forgot that she weights a lot less than a normal GSXR1000. The gearing at Portland is 2 rear teeth taller than Willow. Moving the pegs down means you need to move the levers too. Better not forget to turn the steering damper up. My right boot was hanging up on the boot guard and now it rubs on the swing arm. The pegs are to narrow for my liking. The list goes on, just keep fixing and adjusting stuff. I made another Ed start but the wheelies were too big. That got me into the mid pack with a bunch of people who are faster then we are right now. The master cylinder was doing the thing where the lever is a little farther out on the 2nd pump but it was consistent till the 3rd lap into T7 when it came back farther before it started working and then got soft. I pulled in. New master cylinder installed. By the way, you have to hold onto this bike even on the straights. I named her will, she is both a cookie and a monster. I have not been terrified on a motorcycle for a long time. F-40 tomorrow.

I wanted to get into PIR early to set up so I entered the Thursday Nite MX races.

I’m 63 years old. Cookie is 17 years old. My SV is 12 years old. I just signed up to race at Portland with OMRRA. Four races on Sat and only three races on Sunday. When I race the SV our combined age will be 76. On board Cookie, our combined age will be 80. Lindemann Engineering and Gray Area KTM.

Here’s a peek under the cover. Cookie has a muffler for the 101 db limit at Portland and she is re-stickered. Sadly the white background stuff I have turned sticky since the last time I did this so I’m not happy with that but I plan to go fast enough so you can’t tell.

See the tiny muffler on the lift? I asked Kyle at M4 Exhaust if it would pass the PIR 101 db sound limit. Kyle said he made that muffler for Moto GP and it would not pass any sound test. This is the muffler from my SV. Tomorrow, I’ll be welding the mount I made onto the sub frame. It’s currently perched on the back edge of the exhaust bracket.

I’m older and wiser than I once was so I’ve decided to call this a good race and go home early. I’m still tired from last weekends Cookie/Moto America Laguna event, I rode fantastically yesterday, I have a back log of shop work and I bent one of my front rotors yesterday. While driving home today, I’m going to feel like I wimped out but by then it will be too late. I’m looking forward to getting Cookie ready to race at PIR in 2 weeks. Remember, her full name is “Cookie, as in Monster.”

I raced today at The Ridge. I was too busy racing to take photo’s so here is one from a track day with my friend Peter Hively in T4. I raced here for the first time a few weeks ago and my PB was 1.58.33. Today I Q’ed 6th with a 1.57.76. In my first race I did 56.20, for two new PB’s is two sessions. Not bad. I was surrounded by RS660’s in all 3 races today. I did not even skim my knee on the 56.2 lap but I did drag my knee and toe a few times on other laps. Good starts with two nice two gear wheelies. I bent another front rotor braking too hard, I need some 4 piston calipers, these floating twin piston calipers are not up to the job. At the end of the day I thanked the guy who was emptying the trash cans and he said he noticed that I was the first person working this morning and the last tonight. True and thank you for noticing. Three more races tomorrow and the rear Bridgestone will be on it’s 5th day.