I have a different take on this.
Keep your bike clean. Just like the pros do. This makes it easier to see if there are any problems with your bike that must be attended to. Also it looks good when you show up at the track. Besides, heavy caked up mud adds weight to your bike which requires more horsepower.
Next make sure that the wheels spin freely. Most bikes tend to develop bad wheel bearings, which rob horsepower. Much of the bearing damage is done by using a pressure washer, so if you use one to clean your bike, check this area regularly. One of the TSM sponsors is All Balls which sells bearing kits at reasonable prices. When they're bad, replace them.
Make sure your brakes do not drag when you spin the wheels. Two reasons for this, the dragging brakes take horsepower to spin, plus it wears out your brake pads!
CLEAN YOUR AIR FILTER!!! You would be shocked to know that many people do not have a regular schedule for properly cleaning their air filter. By regular, it means after every ride or race. Your race bike needs large quantities of air to produce power. A dirty, clogged air filter robs you of precious horsepower. As an added benefit your engine lasts a lot longer.
Clean and lube your chain. O-ring chain takes more horsepower to spin, but keeps dirt out of sensitive areas. Make sure that there is no rust keeping your chain from spinning freely. You also might want to check to ensure that your sprockets line up. You can look at the chain/sprocket from the rear as you spin the wheel. Does your chain make a turn at the front sprocket or rear sprocket? Then something is wrong, even if you lined up the chain adjuster marks.
These are just some of the basics, that can be done for very low cost. They can make a huge dfference in the performance of your machine.
Have fun!
