Motorcycle Track Gear

I'm no fisherman, but I am given to understand that end-of-day tall tales of "It was this big!" while propping up a bar come pretty easily to a lot of folk; apparently golfers can suffer from the same propensity to exaggerate when relaying the day's activities at the 19th hole.

Unlike other sportsmen, I am sure that motorcycle riders are entirely truthful.

However, just in case there's a doubting Thomas in the crowd who might have the temerity to dispute the terrific lap time you just put in-you can now prove your story using the MyChron Light TG timer from AiM Sports.

The motorcycle lap timer kit consists of a dash-mountable LCD display, an optical-eye receiver that attaches easily to the bike, and infrared beacons that can be placed at the start/finish line, as well as at splits, ready to trip the timer each time the bike goes past.

These devices are popular, so make sure you cooperate with other owners, as undocumented beacons will corrupt the data collection process.

The display is fully programmable, and the unit will remember up to 2,000 laps.

The high-visibility LCD output shows lap times, splits, best lap, and other combinations of user-configurable info. Once stopped, even more info is available for quick perusal.

You can program in your logo or name to display at startup, the motorcycle riders' names, and up to 50 different venues; even if you ride different tracks, you will be able to recall your performance from a previous visit to a specific circuit.

For downloading, a cable plugs into the side of the unit and into a USB port on your computer. The Windows 7 compatible version of the Light Analyzer software isn't brilliantly intuitive, so it requires a little familiarization.

Eventually, I was able to retrieve the lap times of both Tristan Schoenewald and Jess McKinley during our Willow Springs tire test (see page 60) without difficulty.

Richard Bach says: "The worst lies are the lies we tell ourselves."

Now, you won't have any doubts about your performance. Whether you choose to share that information or not, is up to you.