Damn! You felt the clutch spin when you nailed 3rd, then again in 4th. It had been slipping steadily the past two races, but out there in in the toolies you're never gonna get race bike relief in time for the main event Sunday. RS 125 clutch packs aren't exactly regular stocking items at Cornfield Intersection, Oregon. Sound familiar? Chances are your race effort has ground to a standstill on some occasion too, so you can probably relate to the plight of our heroine, here. How do you avoid those embarrassing hiccups in race bike continuity without plumbing the not-too-deep depths of your scuderia finances? What do you take to the racetrack in the form of spares?

Well, you obviously can’t just buy two race bikes at the start of the season and begin cannibalizing one to keep the other in pristine performance. This is going to require some careful consideration, an educated estimation of what you (and your bike) will require to safely and competitively complete a season. Major race teams demand a ready supply of production and after market parts to maintain their machines, so that when the green flag drops their riders are on the line. How can the average privateer hone his racing effort without breaking the bank?

BUY WHAT YOU NEED
You will quickly observe that racing focuses wear on particular components, so to begin with purchase only what you definitely NEED to continue racing on a competitive level. Tires, brake pads, brake discs, bearings and seals, clutch packs, control cables, handlebar clip-ons, grips, fork seals are all top-of-the-list items that you simply cannot do without. Learn to keep a running parts list, with corresponding part numbers, that preserves your traveling parts department. When an item is depleted, jot down the part number so that you can re-order same said part number when you return home. Higher usage part numbers will demand more prompt replacement, but having a regular system will insure that you don’t find yourself muttering, “My kingdom for a valve system” come race day.

Drive chain components are a biggie here, chains, master links, clutch plates, chain adjusters and wheel-to-axle spacers are all must - have items that you can’t do without. As the season progresses you may find yourself expanding the stuff that you stock due to design flaws or bike characteristics that reveal themselves the more hours you race bike acquires.

Tires are something that nearly everyone is aware of at the racetrack: it seems like sometimes you can’t star at the motorcycle up without needing new tires, but even though there are tracked facilities to accommodate you , it doesn’t hurt to squirrel a few away for the silly season. Weather conditions can often send everyone scurrying for the tire tents so you can expect to find a limited selection of what you may require for the day, after the smoke clears. Stash a set of your favorites away in a dim, dark corner of your van/trailer to give you peace of mind when the action ratchets up. Change them on occasion to keep your spare set fresh and sticky!

MURPHY’S LAW
Storing away mandatory parts won’t always prepare you for life’s little tragedies, so you have to be ready for Mr. Murphy. Radiators, gas tanks, forks, seats and failings are goodies that can be damaged in a crash. These are structure and cosmetic elements that you wouldn’t ordinarily use up unless your motorcycle suddenly acquired a horizontal posture. With some special racing shop radiators costing upwards of four thousand dollars, (that’s the subcontractors’ price too!) this is definitely for the not so faint of heart and wallet. Your affinity for crashing should govern your parts list on those matters. Crashing not only sucks, it generally soaks up a lot of racer bucks as well. Got a lot gita, high energy race team? Race tight and don’t crash!

ROADRACE KIT
Tool chemicals like WD-40 are the first things that most everyone thinks of when you mention the random totes of sprays, creams and jellies that you carry around from track to track; but the bitter truth is that these contribute to a successful racing career as much as anything else. Silicone, for example, can be sprayed on a soft flannel cloth to make pre-race clean up a snap. Florida love bugs slide right off with a second application after the event. Brake fluid, racing antifreeze, oil, contact cleaner, and hand cleaner get gobbled up like nobody’s business in a crisis, so it’s best to have ample supplies of these on hand. While they don’t actually keep the motorcycle from running, then do keep your machine running BETTER. Stock up!

THE KITCHEN SINK
While my buddy Ron Foster at Vance and Hines assembles his race bikes with Poggipolini Titanium© fasteners, there are teams that don’t have the Southern California high end budgets. The solution for the average warrior is to bring more than you may actually need in an effort to plan for an contingency. A diverse assortment of metric nuts and bolts (or American SAE stuff if you race a Harley-Davidson product) lock washers and flat washers are going to be necessary to do the job right. Hardware can get lost or misplaced so fast, you’ll think it never even existed to begin with, so you will want to have a backup to work with when the merde’ strikes the ventilator. Old parts can sometimes be repaired, welded or refurbished to the almost like new to provide a viable spare that can be employed in and emergency. It can be tough bumping around the country in a race hauler that might resemble something like a tinker’s wagon in a Chaucer tale, but the moment you need an item will be when the part is reposing sublimely in your shop, if you don’t take it with you beforehand.

Whenever you repair a component like a faring, something that is cosmetic, make sure to repaint it so that the damage is not apparent to the naked eye. Affix your numbers and sponsor decals in advance so that you can refresh your racebike quickly with minimal effort. This can be a real stealth move in a crisis, so much so that your competition may have a hard time adjusting to the transition. You could even get a reputation as a rubber ball. Beware about establishing bad habits though, that’s like taking an extra set of leathers to the track, just what is the message we’re sending here; you are so fond of crashing that you need to bring two sets of leathers??? (Unless you sweat a lot or are planning on joining the exclusive “deep divers club” in the canal at the end of turn one at Moroso, in which case dry leathers would be appreciated).

THE MAGICIAN
While you may not wear a top hat or tails, others will consider you David Copperfield if you can produce the desired circlip or retaining ring on command. These are the miniscule little pieces of wire or sheet metal that can cause your racebike to self destruct if you happen to lose them. To someone who lacks these parts, the trackside replacement of one of these might seem like an act of mercy and could very well decide whether or not you or one of your buddies can race that day. Reason enough to stock several of the ones your bike uses for those anxious moments. You can never have too many clutch and front brake hand lever spares around and a rear brake lever thrown in with the shift lever to make for a convenient insurance policy. Another overload item is tie-downs. It doesn't matter if you have two pair or twenty, when you get ready to leave you won’t have any at all. This is not usually because of malicious intent, but they are pieces of equipment that just plain have a high attrition rate. Keep a pair or two in a special hidey-hole that no one knows about to make sure your machine rides home safely from the races.

TUPPERWARE IS OUR FRIEND
If you’ve ever seen the mess a two week road trip can do to the inside of a race hauler you can appreciate the need for neatness, organization and a master plan. you have to be able to make some sense of your road going jumble when you get to the paddock; plus it doesn’t do you any good to find out that your costly cache of spares are ruined from moisture or road travel en route. Enter the lowly plastic tote. Available ina variety of sizes, colors and styles these snap lock firmly to keep dust and water out. In the van they stack reasonably well and provide a measure of safety to those fragile components. Located in the housewares section of virtually every large grocery chain (or at the WALMART©), they can be easily assimilated into your trusty race hauler.

OH NO! NOT AGAIN
While I have heard woeful tales of despair from racers who remembered everything for the races, except their boots, helmet and leathers hanging in the garage, there is little cause for alarm. One friend of mine solve the problem by setting everything in the driver’s seat prior to packing. You have to move your gear to drive off, right? Just don’t forget your briefcase and planner on the roof.

SADDLE UP!
As our little entourage winds down the sylvan lane headed to the Interstate, engine straining, tires stressed to the load rating, you begin to wonder if you forgot anything, or if you truly are losing your grip of reality. The windows are fogged up, the oil light keeps flickering, the radio pulls in nothing but static, and that cop that’s been dogging you has decided that he wants you after all. Look on the bright side, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Domius vobiscum.