Prepping the Bike and Gear
First thing I did was haul the Suzuki outta the garage after last week’s oil change. Rolled it onto the driveway to check tire pressure with my cheapo gauge. Front was at 30 psi – a bit low – so I pumped it up to 33 like the manual says. Back tire looked fine at 36. Then I slapped on my armored jacket and that clunky helmet I’ve had since 2019. Grabbed the phone mount too.
Finding the Right Spot
Drove around for like 20 minutes hunting empty stretches. Main roads were packed with minivans, finally found this dead industrial zone behind old warehouses. Pavement was kinda cracked but straight enough. Set up my phone with a speedometer app – not fancy GPS gear, just what regular folks use. Made sure nobody was around. Felt my palms sweating before even starting the engine.
The First Few Attempts
Cranked her to life and lined up near a faded stop sign. First try? Total mess. Popped the clutch too fast when the revs hit 8k, front wheel hopped like a rabbit and I nearly fishtailed. Second run chickened out – shifted to second gear too early at 50 mph. Bike wobbled like jelly. Took deep breaths remembering that magazine trick about keeping your weight forward over the tank. Third attempt stayed in first till the tinker hit redline, that scream vibrated right through my boots.
Nailing It Down
Fourth run felt different. Clutch bite was smooth rolling on throttle. Engine roared hungry when I pinned it full open – like getting kicked in the chest. Hit 60 mph right when I banged second gear. Glanced down at my phone timer blinking 3.8 seconds. Couldn’t believe it! Tried three more times to confirm. Best was 3.7s, worst 3.9s when a plastic bag blew across the road and distracted me. Those stock Dunlops howled every single launch.
What I Figured Out
- Stock tires suck for hard launches. Need stickier rubber
- My clutch hand got shaky after multiple runs. Need grip exercises
- Phone apps work decent if you calibrate ’em properly beforehand
- Industrial zones at 2pm on Wednesday = zero traffic
Bike’s back in the garage now covered in dust and bugs. That rush when the front wheel finally stayed planted? Worth every minute.
