Adrian,
One of the locals here has spent more on his Boss than the law should allow. He was the one who pussed out Wed. night because "it was too cold". The reality is he can do great burnouts but might have gotten spanked by countless guys there including a stock 350. Just like the football or baseball teams, one team can beat any other team on a given day. You know at the track on a non-professional level especially, there's always a way to win and a way to get beat. Pouring money into the Boss to help ensure more wins will work sometimes, but then there will be that time that the tire goes up in smoke and a Kawasaki 600 will kick your ass.
We go because we've enjoyed the track for a long time, like the crowd, like the feel, etc. Heck, I like sitting in the stands and watching the kids with their Hondas and Mitsubishis, the 2cycle quads, the piece of crap '70 Monte Carlos that some tomato picker is driving, etc. If we win...great. When we don't...it's still ok. A "win" to us quite frankly is improving the last best time we had. That's been the bragging rights goal. We're resolved to the FACT that a bike like a ZX12 or a 'Busa can beat us all things being equal...period. We put money into ours to beat one, they put money into theirs to beat us. Pointless to compete on that basis with a bike we also cruise on. If it were a track only bike...different deal.
Don't get fooled into thinking that all the Jap bike riders are pimply faced pizza delivery boys. Most folks we've talked to there riding the Jap bikes don't have acne and rich folks. Many are middle-aged, educated, some with a bunch of different bikes, etc. The other night there was a gal racing a big Suzuki that was about 5'7", 35 years old and Playmate material. She not only looked really fine in her race duds but was kicking some butt, turning some great times, had a great attitude, and was a growth and development planner for the county. Then, there's me. As opposite from a pimply faced 18 year old with rich parents as one can get. You are right however, I'll bet some have snickered how their $6k jobby beat our $40k "car with 2 wheels". In spite of that, they'd probably give a nut to own one. Then the other factor is that I usually dont g.a.*. what they think anyhow.
I was one of the guys who had the "perception" about the Boss being the fastest bike around but got educated into the "reality" back when Monte and Doug got their ass kicked all over the place by that ZX12 a few years back. From that point on and almost every time at the track since, I've known the score. I've been dusted more than once on I-75 and done the dusting a bunch.
My reality these days is that the Boss was not then and is not now the fastest bike around. Doesn't bug me a bit. It IS the coolest bike around hands down. It is one of the most fun, does the best burnouts, and a bunch of other things it deserves "best of" title. King of the hill at the track just ain't gonna be one of them.
The faster I've made mine, the worse it got for cruising and reliability. I personally think the factory did a real good job finding the right formula for as big a cross section of buyers it sells to. The exception to me is still the tranny. Other than that, I'm going to leave it alone, spend no more money ('cept for tranny parts and chrome) and still be able to go to the track and have a blast...win, lose or draw.
Elliot
