Phil Nicoletti is mere days away from his coming out (of retirement) party, but that didn’t prevent him from answering your questions in his weekly column here on Racer X. This week Filthy Phil talks about his upcoming foray up North, bike setup, and horrific gearing.
And as always, if you want to get your questions answered by a man who has no patience for improper gearing, send them to phil@racerxonline.com.
Perpetual Phil,
I’ve always been aware, vaguely, of what’s happening up in the Canadian Nationals, but I’ve never really followed it every week, or however long between races it is for those flannel-wearing log choppers. But with you heading up there this summer I think I’m going to start paying attention. So, my question is, can you help me understand what the tracks are like up there? Do any of them remind you of any American national tracks? When you’re winning I want to be able to explain to my bench racing buds why you’re good at that particular track, and when you’re getting lapped I want to be able to explain why this just isn’t a great track for The Great Filth. I sure hope one of those tracks is like Unadilla!
-Deadbeat Derek
Derek,
Catch it on RydeTV.com. I feel like I should get a cut of this revenue they are getting! But it’s just not Canadian moto on there either. It has WSX and other racing as well. So I think it’s kind of worth it for $6.99 a month. As far as the tracks, I don’t know. They are pretty cool. They are all different in their own way. Walton Raceway is a smaller Unadilla in my opinion, just with the way the ruts and dirt are. Gopher Dunes is Southwick on steroids. Moncton/Riverglade is my least favorite one, and Motocross Deschambault is my favorite track in Canada. Well, it was in 2019, I’m not sure now. Two of the tracks I have never been to, because one is brand new in Cold Lake and the other wasn’t on the circuit the years I race there at Ste-Julie in Montreal. Sand Del Lee has similar dirt to the ClubMX front track, but is much smaller and tighter. I don’t know how to really explain them. Some of the tracks are small, and some of them are big and open. They don’t get “as rough” but they are still tricky.
-Phil
Phil,
I know proper bike setup is crucial at the pro level, but do you think it makes all that much of a difference at the amateur level? And when I say amateur, I’m talking local track, weekend warrior type dudes. I have a riding buddy who is always talking about mapping, etc., and when we go to the track it seems like he spends as much time fiddling with his suspension as he does actually riding. It never seems to make a difference in his speed, either. Whether he’s happy or complaining about the two clicks of adjustment he just made to his forks, we’re always about the same in speed. How do I tell him to stop tweaking and just get out and ride? Or should I just shut up and realize making all these stupid adjustments is just part of the fun for him? Please don’t say the second option is the way to go, you’ll be siding with my wife.
-Annoyed in Auburn
Annoyed,
Think about this. Imagine if he wasn’t doing all these clicks and screwing around. How much slower he would be than you then? Imagine if you did some screwing around and clicking around, and you actually found some extra speed with comfort? You sound like some team guys who never rode at an elite level, or even an amateur-level speed guy telling an elite level guy to just ride it. I always love hearing that from team guys. It’s my favorite. “Just ride it”. How about YOU, “Just work on it”. With comfort comes speed, I don’t care what age or skill level you are. That’s just facts. Whether your eight years old or 58 years old or a pro. You can only go as fast as you are comfortable. Yes, there is a difference between an “amateur suspension” and a “pro suspension” setup. But back to your question. Maybe you should mess around, either way, with some clicks or testing some stuff. Maybe you could go faster than what you know because you're stuck in a box?
-Phil
Phil,
You’re awesome at starts and I was hoping you might be able to help me improve mine. I’m not great on a motorcycle and will probably never win a race, but man, if I could one day lead the pack coming out of turn one my life would be complete. There’s even a perfect spot where my girlfriend stands to capture a potential holeshot on camera, but but so far no dice. In fact the only result is what seems like an excessive and suspicious number of photos of #633 on a KTM on her phone. Currently I sit about 20 inches back of the gate and when the 30-second board goes sideways I start letting the clutch out, just enough so the bike starts creeping forward and I’m already rolling a little when the gate drops. Trouble is, I never seem to time it right and I always end up buried. Do I just need to twist grip a little harder? For informational purposes, I’m on an KX450, I’m starting in second gear, and there’s a 47-tooth rear sprocket on it. I think stock is 48. Will I ever get a holeshot, or do I need to resort to buying a KTM and photoshopping my number on all those annoying pictures of #633?
-Emasculated in Marysville
Emasculated,
OMG Weege does not pay me enough to answer these f@&$!?% questions. Holy shit. Alright here we go. The gear box in the new Kawi is super long. Well, second gear is. I cannot run stock gearing on the Kawi, which is I believe, 13-50. So I haven’t got a clue why in the hell you’re running a 13-47?!! Where in God's name did you come up with that? No wonder you're rolling around the first corner mid-pack! You’re geared for the Daytona 500 dude. Get that off your bike and throw a 13-51 on there. Stock is not 48. Again, no idea where you go that from. I don’t think you need a different bike, just proper gearing! Let’s start with that and then check back with me. Or maybe don't because Weege isn't paying me enough to do this.
-Phil
