Thunderhill Race way Park May 28th
2012 Panigale Tricolor
Our rider was 185lbs, therefore sag wasn’t changed based on the Nola information posted in the last Panigale test. However riding style was very different indeed between the two riders as the bike is owned by a Keigwin’s at the Track instructor who is capable of race pace at will and rides bikes with traction control:- he also has an Aprilia Factory V4 APRC and Ductai 1198 Trcolor.
Ambient temps were in the mid 90′s track temps around 110F. Cold pressure was set at 25 rear and 27 front at 7am with ambient temps in the 60′s.
Session 1:
Scrub in tires over 2 laps and ride for the first session to get used to the bike on track and after 3 laps ride normally in style but run at 80% pace. Check hot pressure gain (5 rear and 6 front) to assess pressure for the rest of the day and we left it where it was.
Settings:
Fork compression 10, fork rebound 18, shock compression 17, shock rebound 12
Session 2:
Pick up the pace and assess chassis behavior with normal riding style. 100% focus on corner entry and apex points and mid corner speed to set throttle acceleration point coming off the corner.
Settings:
Fork compression 8, fork rebound 20, Shock compression 19, shock compression 10
Session 3:
Focus on corner exit, strictly on hard acceleration on exit corners. On this track, turns 1, 2, 6, 9, 15. See how the rear shock and tire are working together under full load. Consistent throttle on point and consistent amount of throttle roll on/timing.
Settings:
Fork compression 8, fork rebound 20, shock compression 17 shock rebound 10
Session 4:
Focus on corner entry and mid corner speed with particular attention to trail braking to see if the front end dives at all under aggressive trail braking. Also check on down hills if the rear shock has any topping out effect.
Settings:
Fork compression 8, fork rebound 20, shock compression 17, shock rebound 12