Dear Friends, I'm trying to set up my '00 F4 for serious track use but I have some problems and maybe someone who has raced it before can help.

-I need urgently to improve the braking. After a few hard laps, breaking goes worst and worst...What does people who race F4's do? Do they change the master cylinder for a Brembo Radial one? Do they change the whole braking system? I need a real racing brake system that can resist a 30-40 lap track series without fading.

-I need better midrange to get out of the corners faster. I need harder acceleration. What can I do? Install a Power Commander? Change Exhausts + Eprom?

- Original Rear Sprocket is 41 and Front Sprocket is 15. That's ok for obtaining top speeds at motorway but I need less top speed and more acceleration. Does anyone has changed it? Which is the right combination?

I would be VERY grateful if somebody can help me!!!! Thank you in advance from Barcelona (Spain).

-- Leo Font (f4s@ohime.com), July 28, 2002

Answers

Leo, go to www.dm8.com

-- Jim (pitbull006@aol.com), July 28, 2002.

http://www.mazzaliracing.org

-- enrico (xrossini@tin.it), July 29, 2002.

I'll answer the best I can.

1. Have you bled the brakes? Immediately after bleeding and working the pads back into the caliper, I think you will notice that they work a lot better. Have you had the brake update yet?

2. Wrong bike. If you need to have more power, buy something else. You can get a little with the pipe, and I know that Casoli moto in the UK has a big bore kit, but why go to all the trouble to get more power out of this bike?

3. Are you going to be riding at Catalunya? That place has a very long straight. The proper way to gear a bike (the easiest way anyway) is to just hit redline in 6th gear on the fastest part of the track. There is no "right" gearing for all situations.

-- Andy Ruhl (quadreverb@yahoo.com), July 29, 2002.

Leo,

I have not raced my F4 but I have done a lot of track days and would say the following: -

Get either the RG3 factory exhaust and the chip or get a good aftermarket exhaust, I have the Silmoto titanium cans and chip and this improves power a little.

Change the gearing, I have 42 teeth on the rear and 13 on the front, this will improve acceleration a lot.

My F4 is an Oro so it has the uprated brakes, get yours uprated by your dealer and use DOT 5 brake fluid for racing, also replace the pads with something like Bendix.

The Oro has aluminium disc carriers which you could try, QB Carbon has used these for endurance racing and they noticed a big improvement.

Hope this helps,

Mark Bridger

-- Mark Bridger (f4owners@genie.co.uk), July 29, 2002.