2017 R6 Tips and Tricks to Building Bike for Endurance

I am putting together a 2017 R6 for endurance racing next year. I am new the R6 and was wondering if anyone has any good tips and tricks to race prepping the bike.

I have not done it yet but I hear rear shock is a bitch to remove on the R6. Also I really do not like how the harness and regulator are mounted on the left side of the bike.

 

setup on the 17 R6 or any 08+ R6 is my autism.. here's some quick tips I'd give after building a 2016, 2017 and keeping the 2017 for a couple years now.

Clutch mod is totally worth the 20 min time it takes and the 2hrs to put the clutch cover back on your first time. Lots of how to's on the internet for that.

leave the rectifier mounted where its at unless you want some electronic issues, also you can plug the abs ports and save from buying the $250 ftecu abs delete plug

if you drill a hole in the subframe for the top shock bolt and weld the nut onto the backside of the mount you can then flip a bolt on bottom and make the rear shock "quick change" the first time you remove the shock you'll be throwing wrenches at the wall about 2hrs in lol.

translogic autoblip is like $485, you can use the ecu for qs and translogic for autoblip and it works great and saves you from buying the translogic qs module..

as far as geometry, 292-298mm shock length, forks roughly flush with the triples is a good baseline, if you do Ktech 25mm have your guy extend the forks 10mm, if you go gas you need a damper rod i believe to extend them and i think ohlins can be extended 10mm just as easily.

buddy of mine has a captinve rear caliper bracket and im not sure its really much benefit, bevel the brake pads and get FF spacers and you can swap a wheel pretty easily.

15/43-45 is a good gearing range to have, 15/45 is popular for most guys to start with. i've only ever used 15/45 and 46 and hated the 46, its too short imo. i might try 44t rear next season at some larger tracks we visit and see how that works out..

 

drill holes in the plastic tank side covers to allow access to the bolts to make tank removal easier. ride-height changes with a shim are fast this way.

the Graves front damper mount is nice, and keeps tank removal fast.

putting the clutch cover on isn't bad if you block-off the water hose that goes across it. burping the cooling system is harder but do-able without that hose.

change the top shock bolt to a SHCS and buy a long hex socket to go through your new hole in the subframe. this plus the captive nut makes shock changes as fast as it can get. IIRC, the Graves top shock mount is not the same length as stock.

making the caliper bracket captive works great, especially with the wheel support plates. if you have a dremel and can tap something, you can do it yourself.

 

Hello reading this thread I seen forks level with triples mentioned and wanted to know are you referring to with a different rear shock? I’ve just picked up a bone stock 16R6 and the forks are a good way from the clamps in the stock position. In my case level with the clamps would be a substantial raise of the front end. This bike is for the wife and to tall already so I’m looking for the best way to get it a bit lower without sacrificing to much in performance. Not that it would matter for her but I want to ride it some too. I was thinking of raising the forks a tad more plus my research im reading there is a spacer I can remove to drop the rear a bit?? The only other thing I can think would be to also switch the 180/55 rear to a 180/50 as well.

 

This thread is about setting up a bike for racing. None of it applies to a street bike. If your wife’s bike will be for her to use on track, do not sacrifice any performance for a lower seat height.

 

There is no such thing as a 180/50 tire so don't mess with tire sizes to try to accomplish your goal because it won't work

True dat! You should look at getting her a new bike more suited to her inseam, a thinner seat, or thicker soles on her shoes lol

 

It’s for the street, so performance is not a big deal. I just wanted to keep it as best as possible so I can ride it some to. Looks like I’ll just be setting it up for her to ride.

 

Thanks for the reply ,She has a r3 and it’s great for her but just trying to take her to the next level.
Couldn’t believe the seat height on the r6. It’s definitely higher than my R1.
Sorry op I will get my own thread started for this when the time comes. I was just hoping to get a couple tips.

 

Learning to ride an R3 on the track and passing people on R6's is a great "next level" to try

The stock R6 ride-heights are pretty good for the street. Get the sag and damping within range and just ride.

 

Thanks for the input!

For suspension I have K-Tech DDS carts going in forks (130mm Travel) and DDS pro rear shock.
Has anyone played around with triple clamp offset? I am considering going aftermarket clamps and linkage but it will probably be a lot of trial and error because majority of people run superstock.

I have a swingarm and rear wheel sitting at EVOL right now. Steve is finalizing his quick change setup and needed some parts to do some test fitting. His R6 quick change stuff is going to be bad ass!
I also managed to come up with four sets of wheels. One set for rains and three sets for slicks. You can't have enough tires mounted and ready to go.

 

IMO, you already Have great suspension and a bike with known good settings. The money you spend on linkage and offset triples would probably be better spent on great training like YCRS.

Plus you will have less confusing options to get lost with. Between oil level, springs, rebound, compression, preload, shim stacks, fork height and shock length, you will have plenty of things to already play with.

 

Joe, can you elaborate on this? I just removed the ABS and put standard braided lines on. I havent bought a ABS delete plug for $250 f-ing dollars. Sounds like you kept the ABS block on the bike?

 

None of the electronics like QS, blip, or TC will work without an ABS delete plug or at least the electronic side of the pump plugged in.

 

Well shit. Glad I know that now. Just finishing the build. Thanks Mike.

 

kept the abs module on the bike but i blocked the ports with m10 plugs off ebay. ABS is deleted and i saved $250 for the plug

 

So, Can someone post a pick of the hole in your subframe? I have a DB Holders subframe and have access to the top bolt, but I am thinking you guys are talking about putting a hole in the side wall of the subframe?

 

IMO, on a list of 100 things to be concerned with, an aftermarket link and triple clamps are at about 97......

Ken

 

For sure. The link has been covered very well and I wouldnt put triple clamps unless I had a full time suspension guy. I am going to try and put a shock on before next weekends races as I just bought this R6 and finishing things up. The 2015 R1 shock was pretty easy, everyone on here keeps saying the R6 is a PIA so wondering what this hole in the subframe is it looks like Rob changes the side mount screw to a maybe an allen head so the hole is smaller to come in from the side I am guessing here thats why I asked for a pic.

 

I’m going to drill my subframe in a week or so but yes, with a stock subframe you drill a hole so the new bolt (Allen head) can pass thru a smaller hole. You weld the nut to the backside of the shock mount.

 

Take your bolt out and go match one up at the hardware store. Set aside a couple hours to remove the shock your first time.