After a leisurely 4-month wait (apparently due to the global semiconductor shortage), our shiny new AiM Solo 2 DL arrived at Two Daves Racing HQ along with a generic RS232/CAN cable.

We have used a variety of AiM equipment in the past (including a MyChron4, MyTach and currently the original AiM Solo), along with the Race Studio 2 software for data analysis. We have yet to migrate across to Race Studio 3, but when we noticed that AiM had already created an ECU protocol for the RS660 Trofeo we decided to place our order - so that we could collect even more data!

AiM produce a PDF document for each supported motorcycle to make life easier. Within the Aprilia RS660 Trofeo document, it advised that they produced a dedicated cable (part number V02585190) to enable a straightforward connection between the AiM Solo 2 DL and the RS660's ECU. After reaching out to AiM to acquire a cable, it turned out that the cable is discontinued/obsolete - so it looked we would have to make our own instead...

Upon reading the Aprilia RS660 document, a different cable (part number V02589090 - also used on the Aprilia RSV4) was specified for use. Again, we reached out to AiM for clarification of what the differences were, but they were unable to advise. For reference, the PDF documents are provided below.

After reading through all of the documents and performing some investigation of our own, it appears that the RSV4 and RS660 road bikes can use an (optional) "Multimedia ECU", which will utilise the CAN diagnostic plug.

On the RS660 Trofeo this option would never be used, so our assumption is that the V02585190 lead had a single male plug to connect directly into the CAN diagnostic plug. The V02589090 lead is Y-shaped, so that both the AiM Solo2 DL and "Multimedia ECU" can be connected at the same time.

The good news was that it looked like our generic AiM Solo 2 DL RS232/CAN cable, when fitted with a Sumitomo TS 025 6188-0779 (90980-12519) 8-pin male plug, would allow us to create a replica of the V02585190 cable and allow connection of the Solo 2 DL to the Aprilia RS660 Trofeo. So we hunted down a single Sumitomo plug (obtained via eBay seller jfbspares) and used the "cable constructive scheme" from the Aprilia RSV4 document to perform a test connection on the female plug, prior to fitting the wires into our new male plug - and the test was successful  :-)

​​With the electrical side sorted, it was time to move onto the physical mounting of the AiM Solo 2 DL. Fortunately, the mounting holes on the Solo 2 bracket are the same as on the original Solo bracket, so following some minor modification/trimming to our existing motorcycle mount we were able to reuse that.

​​The final job was to configure the Race Studio 3 and Solo 2 DL software to suit our preferences. We set the ECU Stream as "APRILIA - RS660 Trofeo".

​This will provide us with a number of ECU data feeds (see screenshot below for all available data), in addition to the GPS data. The data values that will probably prove the most useful will be:
* RPM
* Throttle
* Gear
* Front Wheel Speed
* Rear Wheel Speed
* TC Slip
* Lean Angle
* ​GPS Speed

​We then configured the screen options that we can view when riding the machine. Two options have initially been setup, with a "qualifying" screen displaying just the best session lap time along with the +/- split for the current lap. A "race" screen has also been configured to show the best lap, +/- difference, lap counter and another TBD value (currently set as Throttle% to help initial setup, but may later be changed to Gear).

​​The AiM Solo 2 has coloured LED bars along the side. We have configured these to work as green/red indicators for lap times - so the more green that shows, the better the current lap is.

​Finally, we configured the start-up logo to show the Two Daves Racing logo  :-)

​Our first real data capture session will be at the next race meeting - at NG Castle Combe on 19th-21st August - where we will try and capture some use cases for data analysis in order to help you go faster.

Here are some photos from the Cadwell Park round of the NG Road Racing championships, taken by official photographer Colin Hill...

Round 5 of the NG Road Racing championships took us to the undulating Cadwell Park circuit. After finishing work on the Thursday, we set off to the circuit. Everything was going swimmingly until a caravan tyre popped (quite loudly) whilst we were cruising along the M180. A quick F1-style wheel swap got us rolling again - then we setup nearby to Daniel Nurrish, Joe Connolly and Hayden Rushton.

​It had been six years since last visiting Cadwell Park, but the Friday provided us with a 5-session test day to relearn the circuit. We decided to split the day into two halves - with the morning spent on the Kawasaki Supersport machine, then the afternoon sessions on the Aprilia RS660 Trofeo. In between, Dave Snr also found time to nip into Louth to get a new caravan tyre - the cheapest tyre we've bought all year!

In session 1 we started to get into the swing of things. In certain sections the track was a lot tighter than we remembered but we concentrated on looking for appropriate lines and just trying to be in the correct gear. Things got "hairier than an 80s adult movie" (a line stolen from the weekend commentator) in session 2 when the ZX6R front caliper pins & a couple of pads fell out (presumably along the Park straight) and when we hit the brakes for Park corner at 133mph there was minimal pressure to haul the bike up. But we did manage to stop and we got away lucky there! On reflection, it turned out that human error was the cause, which actually made putting the issue to rest (in our head) much easier.

In the final morning session, we got some clear track time and set a new outright Personal Best lap time of 1:40.6. The gearing of 15/48 proved to be way too short, so for the rest of the weekend we swapped to a 15/46 (which was also a little short - so if going again we'd try 15/45).

Onto the afternoon sessions and out onto the Supertwin. Our previous best lap time on the Kawasaki ER650 Supertwin was 1:44.2, so we had something to aim for. After 11 laps we had put in a new Twins Personal Best lap time of 1:42.3 and felt ready to enter qualifying, so parked up both bikes and prepared them for scrutineering. All in all, it had been a good day of testing, so we nipped to the paddock bar for a refreshing drink!


Saturday Race Day
The weather throughout the weekend was fantastically sunny and hot (and a little uncomfortable in race leathers). On the Saturday the girls arrived to join in the fun and we had a special visitor in the form of Rich McAlpin.

The practice sessions were incredibly busy and didn't provide us with any useful information except that passing people in the races would be a challenge. In the qualifying sessions we managed to scrape some clear (but not perfect) laps in each session. In the Supertwin session we had just got into some clear space when the chequered flag was shown, which was frustrating. We qualified in 16th position in the Open 600 (19th on the combined grid) with a new outright Personal Best lap time of 1:39.595 and qualified in 3rd position in Supertwins (6th on the combined grid) with a new Twins Personal Best lap time of 1:41.531.

Onto the races and first up was the Open 600 race. After a good start we settled into the race and found that very quickly the race split up into distinct chunks/battles throughout the field. In our particular battle there was a group of four riders, but we just couldn't find a way to make a move passed battle-leader Mark Walker - despite lapping a second slower than our qualifying time - and we crossed the finishing line in 12th position.

The last Saturday race was Supertwin Race 1. We got a fairly poor start and then tried to make our way through the field. Unfortunately we got stuck behind some riders in the Classic Superbike class and by the time we had made our way through the other Supertwin riders had gone. Paul Williams romped away to a clear victory, Scott Larkin took second and we finished in 3rd position, just ahead of Martin Morris (who should have been the pole-man, but was made to start from the back of the grid due to late arrival to the assembly area).

​Another trip to the paddock bar, playing in the park (and chasing bunnies), and visiting The Mountain capped off the evening. Then it was time to shoehorn 5 people into the caravan - "we're never doing this again" said Lorna during the middle of the night...

Sunday Race Day
On the Sunday morning we decided to take the Aprilia out for the practice session. We headed out near the front of the group and managed to get a collection of clear laps in, which was a great change! A 1:42.7 lap showed that we were suitably warmed up for the day ahead.

Open 600 Race 2 was our first race of the day. When the race started it once again formed into a series of mini-battles. We pushed as hard as we could and finished the race in 13th position. In the race we also set a new outright Personal Best lap time of 1:39.246 (which would be our quickest lap of the weekend).

In case you were reading this report and thinking that our Open 600 results were lower than usual, it was because there were a number of BSB competitors at this meeting - getting in some practice before the British championship round takes place next month. In this particular race, the race winner Ash Barnes took a staggering 0.9 of a second from the club lap record when he set a 1:31.134 lap time - these guys really are on another level!

In Supertwin Race 2 we got a truly appalling start, really bad, and probably one of the worst we have ever made. From our 10th position grid slot we finished the opening lap in 17th position. Throughout the race we made up some time and put in good lap of 1:41.765 to work our way up to 3rd position. Despite the awful start, we finished in the same position that we probably would have done even if we got a perfect start - as race winner Paul Williams and runner-up Martin Morris were both lapping in the 1:39s.

In the last race before lunch, Joe Connolly had a crash in the Powerbikes race and his GSXR performed a few flips before coming to a stop. He managed to borrow a Supertwin machine so that he could head out for the final Supertwin race of the weekend, but his GSXR will need some love and attention before Castle Combe.

We were coming towards the end of the (very hot) weekend now and in Open 600 Race 3 we got a fantastic start. At the first corner Scott Key got punted off track and ran onto the grass at high speed before later rejoining. As had become customary this weekend, we joined the 4-rider pack - but this time were at the rear of it. Regardless of what we tried, we couldn't work our way through. To make matters worse, on the penultimate lap, Scott Keys came passed and pushed us back another spot. When the chequered flag dropped, we were classified as the last point-scorer in 15th position.

​Our final race of the weekend was Supertwin Race 3. Using less revs and focusing on releasing the clutch as soon as possible, we finally got a good start! On the opening lap we closely followed 2nd-placed Martin Morris, who was also being held up by the PI600/Classic Superbike grid. We thought we would try to cling onto Martin for as long as possible to pick-up some hints but unfortunately he crashed at the hairpin on the opening lap and we ran into him (we spoke afterwards - fortunately he was OK) whilst others, including the seemingly luckless Joe Connolly, were caught up avoiding the stricken machine.

The carnage at the hairpin created a gap both in front and behind us, but before long we caught up with some PI600/Classic Superbike riders which we couldn't get passed. With a look behind showing that we had a gap, we took the opportunity to pull some wheelies at the mountain on the last couple of laps! During the race we set a 1:41.585 lap time, which was just outside our PB lap time. We crossed the line to take 2nd position and some much-needed championship points!

Following this great weekend away, we are now entering a summer break in our calendar with 5 clear weekends ahead. With our closest championship rival, Steve Moody, over at the Southern 100 we managed to secure some good points and to extend our championship lead. Edward Giles has moved into 2nd in the championship standings, 70 points behind - with a maximum of 150 points in the championship still available. The NG championship standings look as follows:

NG Supertwin Championship Standings (Top 5)
1st - David Carson   233
2nd - Edward Giles      163
3rd - Steve Moody       161
4th - Paul Williams        75
5th - Craig Neve           50
5th - Louis Dawson       50

NG Open 600 Championship Standings (Nearest)
10th - Pete Wyatt            64
11th - Bevan Plumley       53
12th - David Carson     52
13th - Aaron Silvester      45
13th - Kier Armstrong      45
13th - Mark Walker          45

As a reminder, it is also past the halfway point of the season for Darley Moor (with 5 of 8 rounds completed - a maximum of 45 points in each championship are still available). The Darley Moor championship standings look as follows:

Twins Championship Standings (Top 5)
1st - David Carson    60
2nd - Patrick Lord        26
3rd - Ian Robinson       24
4th - Ben Wilkinson      23
5th - Chris Barton        22
5th - Eddy Wormald     22

Formula 600 Championship Standings (Top 5)
1st - Ben Dale               61
2nd - David Carson    40
3rd - Richard Cooper     30
4th - Albert Walker        22
5th - Jake Hopper         20

Our next race meeting will take us to Round 6 of the NG Road Racing championships at the iconic Castle Combe circuit. Before then, our AiM Solo 2 DL should have arrived - so we will provide some further details regarding the hardware installation and (hopefully) the CAN wiring integration on the Aprilia RS660 Trofeo, so that we can capture some more lovely data...  :-)

Here are some photos from the recent rounds of the Darley Moor championships, taken by official Darley photographer Tony Else...

After the rare occurrence of missing a Darley Moor race meeting (due to the clash with the NG Pembrey meeting), we were once again present for the two-day meeting which would be run as two separate events. We were advised prior to the event that there would be no scrutineering taking place on the Friday evening, so had a leisurely drive down. When we arrived we discovered that it was unexpectedly open, so quickly unpacked what we could and took the bikes down to be checked - but didn't have time for clothing checks and sign-on, so that would need to wait until the Saturday morning.

Round 4 (Saturday)

We woke to a wet paddock but the circuit dried well. In the Formula 600 qualifying there were damp patches on the Pope straight (and off-line in some corners) but our dry tyres were the correct choice. We qualified in 3rd place. Two sessions later it was time for the Twins qualifying session - by this time the track was completely dry and didn't see any rain for the rest of the day. We managed to set pole position.

As usual the first race of the day was the Allcomers race. Out-of-the-hat we picked 9th position on the grid, with fellow Aprilia RS660 riders Andy Whale and Ian Robinson starting from 5th and 2nd positions respectively. We had a good start and managed to move up to 5th position by the first chicane, and then nipped passed Connor Woodman on his CB500 to move up to 4th position at Park corner.

At the end of the Pope straight on the opening lap, the leading pack hit the brakes a little earlier than we expected, so we threw on the anchors and made some unexpected overtakes. Everything seemed under control until we shifted down to 2nd gear and the rear tyre broke loose, so we then stood up the bike, ran wide, put our hand up to apologise... Then, with hand still in the air, the bike wheelied and it was all a bit of a mess! We recomposed ourselves and looked for a clean opportunity to make further passes. On lap 4, Ian Robinson ran wide exiting the Wilsons chicane and Andy Whale went for a move - we then went for a move on Andy and managed to do a 2-for-1 manoeuvre to take the lead. From here we put in a series of clean laps and to win the race! As a bonus, we also managed to set a new race record for the Allcomers class which had stood since 2018.

Next up was Formula 600 Race 1. Starting from 3rd on the grid, we got an acceptable start and entered the chicane in 4th position, before moving up to 3rd position on the exit of Park corner when James Ford ran wide. We then chased down BSB Stock 600 rider Jake Hopper - gaining a bit, then making a mistake and losing a bit - before putting ourselves in a position to make a move at Park corner on lap 8. We managed to keep our position to the flag and finished in 2nd place, taking the fastest lap of the race with a 58.18 lap time.

For Twins Race 1 we started from pole position and entered the chicane in 3rd place. At the hairpin on the opening lap we managed to pass Lightweight rider Peter Fell to move up to 2nd on track behind Ian Robinson. At the end of the second lap we managed to sneak passed Ian (crossing the line just 0.03 apart) and then put in a series of laps in the 1'01s to create a bit of a gap. We took the win and fastest lap!

After a hectic morning it was nice to see the lunch break and have a little rest! When action resumed it was time for Formula 600 Race 2. A decent start saw us enter the chicane in 3rd position, before moving into 2nd position at Park corner. From there it was a case of watching Ben Dale slowly extend his lead until the chequered flag was shown. Ben took the win, we finished in 2nd position and Joe Yeardsley took the final podium spot.

The final race of the day was Twins Race 2. Once again we were 3rd into the chicane, behind Eddy Wormald and Ian Robinson. Along the Pope straight on lap 2 we used the mighty power of the Aprilia to move passed Eddy, then set our sights on Ian. We had a nice little dice with Ian which continued until he ran a little deep into the Wilsons chicane on lap 5 which allowed us through. From here we put in clean laps and even did a couple in the 1'00 bracket. We took the win and the fastest lap.

​With racing done for the day we focused on preparations for the Sunday - we downloaded and processed some videos, charged electronics and cleaned/prepped bikes ready for the morning qualifying sessions. We then went for a track walk with Daniel Nurrish - who was questioning about our braking marker for Paddock corner - we advised him (as well as some others earlier in the day) that there was some grass/foliage that was ideally placed as a braking marker reference, so took pride in showing this during the walk  :-)

Round 5 (Sunday)

We decided to make a couple of changes to the Aprilia RS660 Trofeo on Sunday morning - we flipped the Metzeler TD slick rear tyre to even out the tyre wear & changed from a 46T to 43T rear sprocket (note: those are the only rear sprockets we have - 44T and 45T are on order!). The 43T rear sprocket makes the RS660 overgeared for Darley Moor, but the data was showing us that the 46T sprocket didn't give us the gains that we expected - so as our Personal Best lap was set using the 43T sprocket, we thought there wasn't much to lose in swapping it over and seeing how it felt.

Prior to the qualifying sessions (and at points through the day) some unforecast light rain fell - fortunately, it was never heavy enough to necessitate a switch to wet tyres.

In qualifying we set some good laps and qualified 3rd on the Formula 600 grid and took pole position in the Twins class - with a Twins lap time quicker than any lap we set on the Saturday.

For the Allcomers race we selected 17th on grid and had to deal with the heavy traffic that that sort of grid position provides. When the lights went out for the start, the CB500s of Daniel Hill and Luke Watson came together and started bashing elbows! Riders flooded passed us and by the time we entered the chicane we didn't know what position we had ended up in! On the opening lap we passed about half a dozen riders and were 5.35 seconds behind the leader at the end of lap 1. By the end of lap two we had moved up to 4th position.

Some "mental rain" fell which we did our best to ignore and after closing down the gap, we managed to move from 4th position to being the race leader during lap 5... We managed to sneak passed Ian Robinson into the Wilsons chicane to take 3rd position and then had a good run through the back esses where we approached Andy Whale and Eddy Wormald. Eddy was making a move up the inside, so we decided to try the long way around and managed to overtake the leading pair around the outside at the hairpin. From there we managed to take the win as well as set the fastest lap.

Next up was Formula 600 Race 1. A good start saw us enter the chicane 2nd in class (3rd on track), before moving up to 2nd on track into the back esses on the opening lap. We tried to stick with leader Ben Dale but after 4 laps were feeling tired. A quick look behind out of Park corner saw Jake Hopper glued to our rear wheel... So we dug in and managed to put laps in 58-second bracket for 7 of the 10 laps.

A well-timed backmarker overtake on the penultimate lap gave us a bit of breathing space for the final lap. Ben Dale took the win, we took 2nd place 3.76 seconds behind, with Jake crossing the line just 0.17 of a second behind us - after he set a 57.99 'fastest lap of the race' on his final lap.

In Twins Race 1, we managed to take the class lead into the chicane and take the overall lead into Park corner on the opening lap. We managed to build up a lead of over 20 seconds by the chequered flag, taking the race win and fastest lap in the process.

One unusual point of interest was that on lap 8, at the exit of Park corner, a couple of birds were sat on the racing line - as we approached they flew off in various directions (see 7:40 in the video). The race for 2nd place was apparently a cracking battle between Ian Robinson and Eddy Wormald which ran until the last corner of the last lap. We're not sure exactly what happened, but unfortunately Ian came off his Aprilia and decided to withdraw from the remainder of the meeting to focus on preparations for the NG Cadwell Park meeting this coming weekend.

With the arrival of the lunch break came the arrival of the news that the afternoon races would be increased from 10 to 12 laps, as there was plenty of time available.

For the final Formula 600 race of the weekend we got a truly awful start. By the end of the opening lap we had managed to move back up to 3rd position and by mid-race we had caught up to Jake Hopper, but unfortunately just didn't have the extra speed to enable a passing opportunity. Once backmarkers came into play we lost a bit of time and settled for our result. At the end of the 12 laps, Ben Dale took the win by 3.22 seconds from Jake, and we took 3rd place a further 2.91 seconds back.

The final race of the weekend was Twins Race 2. We were held at the lights for a long time, but got a decent start and drove passed the SV650 of Eddy Wormald to take the lead on the approach to the back esses on the opening lap. From here we were relaxed and pushed at a hard but comfortable pace.

The pace was strong and we actually completed the first 10 laps almost 6 seconds quicker than our new 10-lap Allcomers race record! At the end of the 12 laps we took the win by 33.74 seconds to finish off what had been a fantastic weekend of racing!

After 5 (of 8 rounds) of the Darley Moor championships, the standings look as follows:

Twins Championship Standings (Top 5)
1st - David Carson    60
2nd - Patrick Lord        26
3rd - Ian Robinson       24
4th - Ben Wilkinson      23
5th - Chris Barton        22
5th - Eddy Wormald     22

Formula 600 Championship Standings (Top 5)
1st - Ben Dale               61
2nd - David Carson    40
3rd - Richard Cooper     30
4th - Albert Walker        22
5th - Jake Hopper         20
​

Our next race meeting will be this coming weekend at NG Cadwell Park on 9th/10th July, so we have a busy week of preparation ahead. Following Cadwell we have a break in our schedule of 5 clear weekends until NG Castle Combe in late August - so we'll have a chance for a rest then!
​