As you may recall, the FireBlade threw up an error code while at the trackday last week. Having left the bike sat in the garage for a few days, today I went and had a little look to understand the problem a little more.

In the video above you can clearly see the engine management light start to flash, which is the bikes way of communicating the issue. So we have 3 slow flashes, followed by 5 quick. This is indicating error code 35, which is a fault with the Exhaust Gas Control Valve. The value is found under the engine on the left hand side and is controlled by a servo motor under the tank. Working backwards I took off the fairings and started with the valve in the exhaust. There was certainly no movement there, but I could hear a problem with the servo itself which you can hear below.

This fault doesn't stop the bike from running and depending on who you speak with, the value is either to help with noise emissions or is designed to aid with low end power and torque.
I can't profess to have the knowledge and will be looking repairing it in due course. The fault certainly makes the bike sound gruffer, but my senses arn't astute enough to notice any influence on the power band.

So thanks to the guys at MSV photography being super rapid, I've downloaded some of the photos from my trackday at Bedford earlier this week. As you can see, I'm riding well within myself, but still enjoying every minute. 

Lets be honest, I'm struggling today. Why? You may ask, well yesterday I completed my Back to Basics trackday at Bedford Autodrome with Motorsport Vision, Trackdays.co.uk and XCP Professional and my body is protesting.
Why Back to Basics? you may ask, well being frank, it was just a matter of money. After falling at Silverstone a few years back and in affect, being stranded at the circuit, taking a bike to the trackday in a van, is by far, the most sensible choice. If the circuit is more than a few hours away, its also wise to throw a nights stay at a hotel into the mix as well. Now this all starts to add up and can, in certain circumstances, make trackdays either un-accessable or a rare treat due to these cost implications.
I've been lucky enough to share a van with mates in the past, most recently with Dean when we went to Rockingham. When I lived in London, I had easy access to several circuits, reducing the risk of being stranded as help, was a lot closer. Now living by the South Coast, a trackday requires a serious investment in both time and money and it was from here that my Back to Basics plan started to take shape.
My plan was to go old school. Wake up early and take everything I needed, from tools to water, in either a tail pack or a rucksack. Having prepped the bike in the days prior, the alarm went off at 04:00. Now, I won't lie. ​At that moment I seriously questioned what in the world I was doing.
Stumbling downstairs I had some breakfast with a mandatory coffee and eventually got in my kit, hi viz and all, headed to the garage and wheeled the bike out into the darkness. It was 04:55. 

The route to the circuit was long, but fairly straightforward. A31, M27, M3, M25, M1, A421, A6. That is pretty much it baring a few local lanes at the start and the end and that was my plan for the next two and half hours.
Despite being a bit damp and overcast, the journey went well and with a minor stop at Fleet Services (I always seem to stop there) the only 'problem' was the remains of a accident on the slip road from the Northbound M3 to the anticlockwise M25 involving a few lorries. Riding past the massive fuel spillage, the stench of diesel, even through my Buff, was nauseating.
Making great progress and having started with a full tank of fuel, the warning light pinged on at just shy of 130miles as I was near Toddington Services. After a quick calculation I worked out I was getting nearly 10 miles a litre and with about 4 litres left, it should be just enough to get me close or if not, to the circuit or at the very worst, the nearest petrol station.
It turns out that on the route I'd planned, which utilised a series of bypass roads, the nearest petrol station was on the A421 at Marston Moretaine, about 3 miles from Bedford and about 14 miles from the Autodrome. I of course, rode straight past this theorising there would be another petrol station on the way. There wasn't.

Arriving at the circuit on fumes, I parked up and signed in. The garages were already full with proper track bikes and that 'macho' feeling that seems present at every trackday, clearly in abundance, so I was quite happy to park my bike by the little cafe instead. It was 07:50.
Taking off the mirrors and dropping the tyre pressures down, I got noise tested (93db - thank you very much) listened to the briefing and the warnings regarding the sound meters on the circuit. It turns out that two black flags for noise and you are on your way home. 
Being in the intermediate group, I had enough time to ride over to the fuel stop and brim up with their expensive fuel. Its worth noting here that fuel at racetracks is notoriously expensive, but at Bedford, it was still cheaper than at the motorway services along the way. Anyway, I digress. Bedford, being an old airforce base, is as flat as a pancake, but the layout was fast and technical in places. During the sighting laps it was clearly evident that the circuit was still damp in a few places, but with the FireBlade wearing Pirelli GT Angel touring tyres, this wasn't dreadful. Still, even with the Pirellis, the circuit was clearly greasy in places and I took it nice and steady. As the day progressed and the track heated and dried, the tyres really held me back, but in no way detracted from my enjoyment of being back out on track.
As it always the way on tracks with damp patches, a few riders were caught out. This seems to happen mostly in the chicanes, but one fast rider on his BMW S1000RR lost it coming onto the straight past the pit and I watched as his beautiful bike cartwheeled into the grass. Sadly, I didn't see him on track during the rest of the day. He'd had less than 30mins track time and ruined his bike.

As the rain fell outside, I was in the garage doing a little bit of maintenance today. With a long day in the saddle coming up, my original intention was mainly to just adjust the chain; a simple and easy job for any home mechanic (in my case, used here in it's loosest of loose terms).
With the bike up on the rear paddock stand I checked and found the chain to be a little slack. So, armed with my 32mm socket, wrench, Halfords torque wrench, 12mm spanners and straight edges, I was ready to go.
The job itself is really easy, and the hardest bit is usually un-doing the rear axle nut. For my straight edges I used two pieces of L shaped aluminium I picked up from my local hardware store. To ensure these remain so, I don't use them for anything else. Propping the up and resting them up against the rear wheel, with the front wheel straight, I use the gaps as my guide.

​As I was there I realised just how loose my rear hugger was. The nuts were tight but the hugger itself was free to bounce around like a 5yr old, jacked up on Coke, at a fairground bouncy castle. Carlos Felipe, I'm looking at you here.
My plan was a fairly simple one. Take it off, clean up the areas underneath and using a mixture of plastic washers and rubber gromits, secure it back to the bike. Taking the hugger off, I got a good indication of what years of road salt will do in unprotected areas of soft ally swingarm. I only really have myself to blame here and thankfully its just cosmetic and not structural. 

With a serious lack of funds affecting my riding at present (hence very few updates etc) its with a sense of great anticipation that I'm getting ready for a trackday next week. Last year I won a space at a day of my choice through XCP and Trackdays.co.uk. This was when XCP were building their brand reputation and looking to build their customer base. Its through this introduction that I eventually became a brand ambassador.
Anyway, having never ridden it, but wanting to for some time, I'm going to be heading up to the Bedford Autodrome. Owned and run by MSV I'm really looking forward to it as I know they run a very tight operation, taking great care to look after those in attendance. The last trackday I went to, I was less than impressed with how it was run and will take some convincing for me to return.
So with the money situation being like it is, I'm going back to basics. No van, just me, my bike and my tailpack. I haven't ridden to a trackday in years and having chucked it at the scenery at Silverstone, I know the consequences. 
I'll be taking the FireBlade and the day is going to start with a few hours of A road and motorway travelling, but leaving the house early will mean less traffic, well for the first few hours at least. 
So with a few days until I have to go, I've started my prep, which today was a good old fashioned clean and basic inspection. Later in the week I'll adjust the chain and make sure the bike is healthy enough for the track. She's wearing Pirelli GT Angel touring tyres, but thats fine with me. The tyres have plenty of life in them and are so versatile, they should be perfect. I have no intention of pushing too hard, but in the same vein, have no intention of being a rolling road block.