Lol so much to learn. Thanks Jim. I'll check the basket and see what it looks like. I see plenty of decent ones on eBay cheap money.
I had a brand new yzf600 that was like that as well.I never once got a good start,or was able to figure it out,before we blew it up 2 times Then sold it!
I always held at about 8-9k then raised the rpms to around 11-12k in the first instants of the launch. I out-launched most in WERA West when I was there. I always suspected they were slipping the clutch too much and too long, partly because their revs ended up too high as they were winding in the throttle. Honestly, the clutch hand is far more important than a 1-2k difference in revs, peak torque, or any of that optimization.
You should test that theory, at a dragstrip, with timing lights & traction. All things equal, engaging the clutch at peak torque is the fastest way to accelerate from a dead stop with a traditional wet clutch. Obviously there are going to be subtle differences in application between various slipper clutch setups if you dont hit that specific RPM window of ideal drive.(very small on a 600 I4 engine) The other thing here... flag waved starts are easier to anticipate vs grid lights. From a reaction time standpoint... could be as much as 2 seconds or 20-60' worth of racetrack. The last piece is the rider body position of getting enough weight over the rear so the tire won't spin and enough bias over the front so it wont wheelie past recovery (or cause the throttle to be chopped).
All the other stuff you said is why peak torque is not as important. Peak torque will wheelie with no slip. And slip reduces torque. Say you can target the ideal torque/drive force to keep the front wheel just off the ground and get the best drive. That torque can be attained in many ways. You could launch at a lower torque and slip less or launch at a higher torque and slip more. IMO, the first allows the clutch to be fully engaged sooner which can be faster. I have taken the bike to the strip. But until I can automate the clutch actuation and make it perfectly consistent, any comparison for rpm isn’t what you want. It’d only be matching the best rpm to my best clutch actuation, not finding the perfect rpm. It is important to have the clutch fully engaged near peak torque. My rpm “technique” tends to have the revs consistently climb, which means I’m very near peak torque with the clutch all the way out. Ya my launch advantage decreased at MA events. That’s def due to the light and the increased talent pool.
for me personally, i put as much weight on the front end at my starts to prevent the front from going up. i'm laying my chest on the front of the tank, or as much as i can fit.
I'm not giving away any technique...lol I will say, there really is no one way that is correct...it's whatever works best for you and are getting good results. Lots of variables in play. I know what has worked for me after several years drag racing different bikes...its translated very well into roadracing.
