Season Kick-off RS660 2026
Aprilia RS660, Track Days, Data Acquisition, Suspension Setup
I decided to start my second track season at the Oschersleben track day event.
This was my first solo event, including logistics, setup, and filming.
During two days, I had a chance to drive in both dry and mixed wet conditions for more than 300 km. Because it was my first time on this track, I spent both days exploring the line and the bike's settings.
My fastest lap was 2:06, when the best estimated lap I can achieve on road tires is approximately 1:55.
Summary
Day One
Sunny / Partial clouds, +17C to +22C, minimal wind.
In the first two sessions, I had a chance to follow the instructor (S1000RR).
I got familiar with the track layout, and we settled on a comfortable pace of 2 minutes and 6.5 seconds per lap. No risks, no hard braking.
However, I was 6 seconds slower on my own. I spent most of the day trying to compensate by pushing harder on the straights and braking later. At the end, I made a mistake and went to the gravel. Luckily, I managed to keep the bike upright.
In the last three sessions, I decided to be patient and take the time to learn the racing line and master my body position.
Self-analysis revealed that I was unable to shift my focus from engineering to riding and was seeking data on the dashboard. On both straights and before each corner entry, I was checking the speed and adjusting it as needed. On the second day, I decided to change the dash layout and minimize the speed font so it would be invisible to me.
Day Two
Rain / Partially wet, +11C to +15C, wind gusts.
The second day was rainy, and for the whole morning we had an open pit lane. I decided to wait until the rain stops and riders with wet tires clear the racing line.
Because I have semi-slicks, I had an advantage during the transition (when it is too dry for wet tires and too wet and cold for slicks). I raised the tire pressure to 2.4 bar front and back to reduce the contact patch and keep the tread warm, while also ensuring the tread pattern stays open under load and removes water from the contact patch.
Generally, worse conditions led to an even slower best lap of 2 minutes 15.6 seconds.
However, I managed to switch from data feedback (reading the dash) to visual feedback and became 25 km/h faster on the main straight because I was fully focused and properly planned a braking point.
Tech Summary
This chapter offers a glimpse into the data analysis and highlights some practices I use to set up and driving decisions. Data acquisition setup for my AP RS660 is described on another page.
Suspension
This event was the first time I recorded the suspension travel on RS. As you can see on the plot below, even the stock suspension was decently balanced in terms of hydraulic damping. On the first day, I set the rebound damping to the lowest comfortable setting to balance the suspension's symmetry. However, the more you try to reduce the rebound damping, the more feedback you receive from the suspension, and the more overwhelmed you will be. So, as you can see in the picture, I spent more time on the rebound stroke due to high rebound damping.
Also worth mentioning is that this track has an extremely smooth surface, and the only place where the suspension speed exceeded 200 mm/s was at the chicane, where I had to cut through the curbs.
G-G Diagram
The G-G plot is a versatile tool that shows the rider's symmetry between left and right corners, their acceleration and deceleration capabilities, and their performance at corner exit and during trail braking.
As shown in the diagram below, despite the 6-second difference per lap, both sessions look similar on the plot.
What I noticed during the analysis:
In the unpaced session (cyan color), I accelerated more aggressively on the straight bike;
In the paced session, I applied the brakes harder (especially before the left corners);
In both sessions, I’m more comfortable with the right corners (the right side of the plot above 0.75G is denser).
Tire behaviour
On the first day, I noticed that the right side of the tires is usually warmer than the left. I chose to focus on this because road tires need less temperature and are more prone to overheating than slicks.
After two sessions, I determined the pressure at which both tires stay roughly at the same temperature for my riding style.
Front - 2.1 bar cold (reaches 58 degrees C at the last corner exit);
Rear - 1.8 bar cold (reaches 56 degrees C at the last corner exit).
As you can see in the plot above, there are four points where the front tire matches or even overshoots the rear tire temperature. Given that the rear tire's compound is softer and overheats more easily (based on tire wear observations), it is acceptable for the front tire to run hotter at the apex.
However, since I only use 50% of the front suspension travel (though I have to use at least 90% of it), the front temperature will be way more dramatic once the chassis is properly set up.
Observations and next track day goals
Motorcycle setup
Move the shift lever due to many misshifts to a higher gear;
Pitch the chassis forward to utilize at least 80% of the front suspension;
Match the rear SAG to the new front setup;
Preset dashboard layout with hidden speedometer (minimize distraction);
Piloting
Revise the body position before the hard braking;
Set a strong, safe braking marker to apply full throttle on the straights for longer;
Apply the throttle more aggressively at the TC level 5 (to challenge the TC within a safe level);
Practice V-shaped racing line in slow corners and hairpins to carry more speed into the corner (flick and drive).
Cinematic onboard
First Time at Oschersleben 2026 | Aprilia RS660