Hello

Nice to be here. My name is Dave Ray. I am in Yerington. I am 59 years old, and like the older vintage style bikes, although I am well versed in the new, current technologies as well. I have been a professional motorcycle and auto development mechanic/engineer for 37 years.

I street ride the following:
1980 Kawasaki KZ1300 6, hopped up
1985 Yamaha RZ500 stocker
1970 Bridgestone GTR350
1972 Yamaha 100 Enduro
1975 Kawasaki F9 350 Bighorn
1976 Suzuki RE5 Rotary

And a bunch more bikes I am restoring, very long term projects, Kawasaki S2, A7SS, F7, F11, KZ650, KZ1000H, Honda CB750 standard, CB750 Automatic, BC400F, CT90, CL77 (305 scrambler), Suzuki GT550, GT750, S32 (150cc twin), T500 twin, T125 Stinger, T350, Yamaha 100 Twin Jet, SR500, XS 750 triple, R3 305 2 stroke twin scrambler, Bridgestone DT175 Hurricane Scrambler, 100 Mountain, 1969 Triumph T140 Trident triple, and more I can't think of at the moment.

I am a motorcycle mechanic by trade, both 2 and 4 stroke

I was one of Yvon DuHamel's tuners at Kawasaki in the early 1970's on his F9R's, H1R's and H2R's, and was in charge of Research and Development at RC Engineering in the early 1980's. I had my own race teams in both AMA and AFM, racing TZ Yamaha's and Aprilia 2 stroke V twins. Riders I had riding for me were Al Salaverria, John Cornwell. I now have a shop in my garage/shop building I do motorcycle specialty work in.

I am also a contributing engine/drivetrain engineer for a MotoGP team, brand Y. I also contribute mechanical help to a number of Japanese motorcycle web boards.

I don't get to Reno very much, but maybe now, I will have the reasons to get out and ride there. I am glad someone put a group together for the Reno area. I was approached to be a rep for the VJMC, and do their swap meets in the bay area, but they seem very unorganized, and I declined.

Say hello, and, ride safe, have a great ride.

Hello and welcome. It sounds like your living the dream.

Welcom Dave!! Im Trent and I live in Gardnerville. I think it would be cool for us to ride out to you and see this collection of yours. If you dont mind showing it off a little.

Thanks for the hello.

Most of my finished bikes are in a warehouse in Sparks, awaiting my building a museum. The bikes here are either projects in progress, or waiting, and daily riders.

I have 324 motorcycles. I wanted to start a motorcycle and musclecar museum here in Yerington, on the main city section of Yerington, but when speaking with the city officials, one finds that they are not concerned with the dozen new jobs I would have created, nor the museum's presige for Yerington, but only that you do what THEY want for your business, or special project, so, it won't be here. Everything will stay in storage until I get the museum done, where ever that will end up being.

Since I posted yesterday, my team finished 1st and 3rd at Estoril, and I have been on the phone with the team all day. The Michelin shod bike won, the right side of the Bridgestone rear tire on the other bike went south for the winter. They will test in about 12 hours, at Estoril, in preparation for the next race in mainland China.

Maybe during the summer, we can get togther and ride someplace, like Virginia City or the like, or, have a barbaque, any kind of great event. I will be at Laguna, but in the telemetry booth all weekend, the reward for being a development tech/engineer.

Thanks again.

A suggestion, you need to put up flyers at all the dealers and shops in the valleys, from Minden to Reno, to let riders know of the site, and activities.

Hey Dave,
thanks for joining us , I'm definitely excited to see your collection sounds really cool. also thanks for the suggestion , we will do that pretty soon
thanks
Adilo

Update on our team. We tested tires today at Estoril, and we were second fastest, just behind Dani. Jorge didn't test, as he is going for an operation on his right arm, he has a condition that makes the arm pump up tight. Compartment syndrome, I think it is called.

I am a computer engineer, one of two that are used for engine/drivetrain development, The other is a friend of mine in Austalia. We communicate via telephone and e/mail between the race department/race team and the both of us. We are required to physically attend three races per year, but as I said, being stuck in a computer technology trailer all weekend, with chain smoking Japanese techs isn't real fun. I like to actually work on the bikes, hands on.

We are working on making the new pneumatic valve engines work better, engine positioning/chassis loading and settings to work with the Bridgestones and Michelins, as we have riders on both tire brands.

It gets interesting.

In regard to my suggestion, there has to be loads of riders that would like to enjoy this board, just have to get the word out to them.

Well, we did good the last race, won and finished 1-2-3. We'll have to see what takes place in the next one this weekend. We've already done all the engine/chassis setup, and tire testing is going on now.

I was working on two of my old 2 stroke enduro's, 1975 Kawasaki F9, and 1973 Kawasaki F11, when all this gasoline drame stopped the country in its tracks. This made me do a rethink. Those two stroke Enduro's are NOT very fuel efficient, and gas costs only a fraction less than in some European countries, but are so much fun to go street carving on.

So...I had an epiphany while feeding the cats. On my front porch is a perfectly fine, less than 10,000 mile 1979 Yamaha SR500 big single 4 stroke, that I know gets 65+ MPG. This should be a fun canyon carver as well.

So...I dug it out, and it'll be the project for the next week. It's got a nice exhaust and triple disk brakes, nice forks, all the fun stuff to make it handle, and those engines were fun even stock.

I have a stock RD400 Daytona front mag wheel that is 18 inch diameter, to replace the 19 that is on it now, and I spoke to the guys at the Bridgestone factory. They came up with a couple sets of slicks they think will work as a great street tire, so, the rubber is handled. It already has Ohlin's rear shocks and Ohlin's internals in the front forks, so it should be on a rail.

Other than all that stuff, I think I'll leave the rest of it stock, and flog the dog out of it. The engine runs great as it is now, no reason to mess with it.

Looks like summer may well be here in the next couple of days, and we can all go out and ride, have fun, go places, spend all our hard earned money on petrol.

You all take care, and ride safe.

Thanks for the update and it nice to see you back on. Cant wait to see some of your bikes they sound like a blast. Good luck at the next race.. Are you in Utah now? ciao

No, not the disater of the DMG/AMA debacles, MotoGP, Europe.

I am what is called a computer engineer, powertrain and engine packages. I work with another person in Australia that does the same work, and we are required to attend four races per year, but we do our jhobs thru secure internet transfer ot design/technology.

The race this weekend will be interesting. We have had a workable pneumatic valve engine for the year now, and we interfaced with Ferrari on the technology. Nice to have Fiat, owner of Ferrari, as a sponsor for us. As far as therace, Honda will have one of their new pneumatic engines runing, but not in Nicky or Dani's bikes, but a former 250 world champion that is the head MotoGP race bike test rider now at HRC in Japan, Okada. It seems they got some help, because as of a month ago, they couldn't get their pneumatic valve engine off the dyno, it just blew its guts out.

I worked with Honda doing the same thing with Vale, and came to Yamaha with him. HRC has a very political infrastructure, and it was very hard to get new ideas into the mix there, but Yamaha is just the opposite.

All last year, we all yelled at the Michelin people, as every time the bikes were set up to run well, the tires slipped and caused the traction controls to actuate, slowing the engines right down. Even when we turned the traction control all the way off, the tires were junk. The B'Stones work so much better, but we now have to re-learn the chassis set up for them. More testing, more late hours think sessions, more fun and games.

I didn't have a chance to work on the SR today, I had to tear a Honda CB125 down for oil leak fix, and tomorrow, the head for that Honda CR250F, then a clutch on a Suzuki GS1100 that a shop in Gardenerville put the hurt on.
Maybe back to the SR on Saturday, if I don't end up elded to the telephone to Europe all day and night.

Gotta go now, telephone is jumpin', and it's Europe. Funny, they aren't on the race track yet, they aren't even up.

Well, we won Mugello. Commanding victory.


We finished 2nd this last race, Catalunya. Vale' got a fair start, ran in the mid-pack, and then tried to pass a bunch of other ridsers just going slow and taking up the entire racetrack. Dani got away, and by the time Vale' was clear of the others, the gap was just too much to overcome. We didn't get the bike running well until the warm-up the morinig of the race, so, we had quailfied poorly, 9th place.

Two more races in this series of bunches of races in a row, then, a needed rest for a couple of weeks. I may be able to take a good, long ride on my SR500 then, I hope.

Haven't had much timne lately, and I am in Australia right now, was at Motegi last weekend.

WE WON, BOTH THE RACE...AND THE WORLD CHAMPOINSHIP. NUMBER 8 FOR VALE'.

This weekend, Australian GP.

Then, two more races, end of season (finally, I can get some sleep, for a day or two).

We just can't wait fort the new single tire rule for next year, we all figure Michelin will win the spot, and NONE of us want that at all. The Bridgestones work SOOOOO much better.

More later.

Thanks for the update!
Be safe out there!

TOP NEWS, just got this confirmation direct from Michelin maznagement here at the track, they WILL NOT BID to be the lone supplier for MotoGP tires.

Yahoo, yippie, yeah, the sons of Cobal be praised.

So, unless Perelli grows an insanely large dose of very stupid, or, Dunlop tries to take the series over (doubtful), we have only Bridgestone to keep us with the rubber side down.

Yeah, Team!!

OH waw !!!

Well, we had an incident in timed testing, a non-crash crash. Put us 12th on the grid yesterday. We worked up to 2nd, but Stoner was just too fast today for us to catch him from 12th.

I am just about to go to the plane for Japan, anyone want a new two stroke street ripper bike? I do. I'll ask for all of us at the race offices.

See ya' all.

A new 2 stroke street ripper! Im in...

I've been trying for a nice little 1,500 cc V6 two stroke, 7 speed gearbox with paddle shifting, EFI, all the bells and whistles, but the factory is reluctant, saing their investigation shows that most of the riders would end up killing themselves on one. Bummer they won't build one for us, I'll just have to build a one-off for me.

In another week, I'm off to Maylasia for the next race. I just love Maylasia, hotter than hell, humid (stuff rusts there in a few minutes), lots of Muslims that don't like outsiders, very hospitable place.

ohh waw V6 !!! Maylisa is a cool country, my friends and my dad were there...people are super friendly, ...it's a Muslim country so the majority are Muslims lol, and they do like the outsiders, otherwise races like this wouldn't take the place there.

Well, it is bearable hot here in Maylasia, but, the humidity is a real killer.

The best news is, we are doing well in testing and qualfying, should be good for later, but, Casey is riding his usual excellent.

More good news, unanimouosly, Bridgestone IS appointed as the control tire for 2009, 2010, 2011. YEAH!

More later.

I just got back from the Yamaha post race party. What a bash, EVERYBODY was there, probably still are.

We won again, and Jorge fell. Dani was second, Dovi thrid, Hayden 4th. Stoner faded badly, and we, nor they can figure why.

Anyway, airplane tomorrow, home, then to the last race in Espagna. Glad to be out of the full country sauna. It was very hot, and extremely humid here today.

Oh, NO, the whiney cry-baby is back in MotoGP for 2009. Sete the cryier is going to race full time for Ducati, THIS should be really interesting to watch, and, quite hilarious, too.

Well, 10th to 3rd, not bad for being held up iin traffic at the first part of the race.

I'm glad the year is over, but, tomorrow, testing. More fun in Espana.

You guys there have it good, you can go riding, have fun, see new stuff, did I mention going riding. I have to sit in a telemetry room and read computer screens all day, with a bunch of chain smoking Japanese.

Let us know how the 09 bikes are..

we were testing chassis settings and tires all day today, ended u0p not trying to set new records, just gather info with the 2009 bikes. We ended up 3rd fastest.

Stoner
Dano
Us (Vale)

And,





Way down in 12th out of 18,



Wait for it,




The 5 year old, Nicky Hayden. He just seemed to drone around, and then, called the Ducati "A Monster to ride".

We will have to see if he starts to get a handle on it tomorrow, he has both the Ducati and Bridgestone tires to contemplate, and get happy with, and, tomorrow, he rides the carbon fiber chassis model. This should be another hoot to watch.

More from later today....later today.

Wow, the 5 year old made a bit for respectability. Yesterday, he actually was fastees in testing, but, it was in pouring rain. Others sat the rest of the day out when the sky's opened up. Casey didn't ride in the rain, he is off now to get his operation (bone graft).

Anyway, we are done for a time, and I come back home tomorrow.

Have a safe journey home. And Welcome back!!