Track bikes

[phoenix]

If you have a dedicated track bike, or if you have taken a bike to the track more than a few times, I'm curious to know how or why you selected that bike.

Like everything else in life, my riding time and interests have changed. I have a super short commute to work that is flat and straight. Even if I went a hour out of my way, I'd scarcely find any roads of interest. After doing my first trackday, this has me thinking that a change in bikes is in order. I'd like to transition into something that is a good bike for the track as a higher priority to being comfy for long rides. Having aftermarket support would be great, for anything and everything (touring included). Probably a 600 or 650 would be fine.

Please list any and every detail, good or bad, about the bike you take to the track.

[jeremy556]

Buy something that is already race prepped, and is a popular bike (think finding spares in the pits), and you can pickup cheap parts on eBay.

If you are interested in racing, you will want to start thinking about what kinds of classes you would want to run.

SV650s are a great track bike to start on and great to race in lightweight twins if you want to stay out of the meat grinder classes. They are light, cheap, have a friendly power band, are popular, and tend to crash well. I am going to be looking for one myself at the end of this season to race next year.

[burnergold2B]

 I got my race license with CCS on a large twin, went to a GSXR 1000, then an RC51, and now run an '01 GSXR750. As mentioned by guy above it was already prepped by a trackday guy, 3 sets of bodywork, clean title, 3 tanks, & tons of extras for $3500. This bike simply needed the suspension re-worked for me, by my suspension guy, some motor tuning, brake work, and now she's a bad ass killer again. Parts are everywhere and several gens of the GSXRs' parts interchange; '01-'03 is considered the K1 generation of 600/750/1000s. Many of these parts interchange with each other. (read very cheap on e-bay) A typical race weekend will run me $600-1500 for class fees and tires. I didn't/couldn't run a $10K machine if I had 3 wives supporting me!!

[ZED]

My Z1000 is my track bike.  This is an odd choice, especially for someone in the 195lbs and 6'2" range, but the choice was carefully thought out.  I already have the bike!  

I looked at maybe getting something else, but I'd have to spend a pile to get the bike and then maybe still do a bunch of prep work on it.  My Z doesn't owe me anything, so I'll have the suspension rebuilt for the track and add a stabilizer.

If you have racing aspirations, look for something like a GSXR, or if you have an unlimited budget a Ducati.  If you're just playing and learning, I think your Z750 could be set up decently unless your bigger than I am.

My two cents, you'll find your own way.

[miles]

I'm with Zed on this one.  Run what you already have.  Unless you are looking for an excuse to dump the 750, a couple of grand spent on that bike will make it an excellent track day tool as well as better on the road.  Upgrade the suspension first, then the power.

If you plan on racing, it's a different story- buy a race-prepped sv650 and call it good.


miles

[garry]

A local guy that I ride with once in a while just put the swingarm and shock from the Kawi 636 on his Z750 and is hunting for a deal on a set of triple clamps so he can install the front end (forks, brakes, wheels I believe) from a 636 too. Should be a great bike once he gets the suspension upgraded.

[tomek]

Been there, done that,,,,,,,it is way better to get used,build track/race bike.Converting your street bike into track bike can be very expensive,,,,,suspension,brake pads and lines,gearing,rearsets and handlebars,extra set of rims( you don`t want to waste your expensive/fast wearing track tires on the street),some cheap precrashed set of body work,,,,,you could almost get race/track ready SV/GSXR for not whole lot more money,,,,,,,,Race bodywork is more crashable and easier/cheaper to fix,same with bars and rearsets,,,,does not have to look very pretty,,,you would not wanto to dump your preety street bike on the race track.

Best of all ,if you are not really into track days you can alaways sell you track bike, and your street bike is still unmolested,unaltered and preetty,,,,,,,,,

[Gaolee]

My track bike is very carefully selected.  It is the bike I own that also runs.  If the Norton ran, I might take it to the track just for a giggle, too.  The friends I ride with on the track also use their street bikes.  A set of track plastic, crash bungs, and some engine covers were cheaper by far than another bike, and my wife doesn't object.  Keeping your wife happier is a key to going to the track more.

If I did more trackdays than I do, maybe it would make sense, but I don't see the point in a while 'nother bike I would only ride five or six times a year.  Even if I went all out and was on the track a dozen times a season, it would be hard to justify.  I will admit to modifying my bike slowly but surely, and the modifications are making it more and more of a track bike and less and less of a street bike, but so it goes.  The latest was rearsets with a reversed shift pattern.  You can now start the betting pool on when I forget the pattern and go over the handlebars.

Part of the reason for riding the same bike on the street and track is familiarity.  Joking about the GP shift pattern aside, I enjoy knowing what my street bike can actually do, so if I need to do it on the street, it is all familiar.  Likewise, when I get to the track, I don't have to remember different ergonomics, different dynamic behavior, etc.

All that said, if I could afford another 675 for a dedicated track tool, I would do it.

[phoenix]

I'm with Zed on this one.  Run what you already have.  Unless you are looking for an excuse to dump the 750, a couple of grand spent on that bike will make it an excellent track day tool as well as better on the road.  Upgrade the suspension first, then the power.

Not really looking for an excuse to dump the Z750. I'm a grown up, if I don't like it, I'll make a change. Our relocation has changed some things about my life, my freetime, and then I did a trackday and came away feeling like I would like to do more of that. Maybe 5-6 times a year, maybe for whole weekends, maybe just single days. Not sure. The Z750 is a pretty decent bike, and I bought it with a specific intention, and then the situation changed and now that intention is practically lost. In my ideal world, I think I'd like a completely farkled out FJR for touring, and 600 race replica for weekend fun. My long trips have been few and far between in the past few years, and I don't expect that's going to change much.

If you plan on racing, it's a different story- buy a race-prepped sv650 and call it good.

no, I'm not that optimistic. trackdays are fine. Maybe after I do 5-10 more that tune would change, but I doubt it.

[miles]

Part of the reason for riding the same bike on the street and track is familiarity.  Joking about the GP shift pattern aside, I enjoy knowing what my street bike can actually do, so if I need to do it on the street, it is all familiar.  Likewise, when I get to the track, I don't have to remember different ergonomics, different dynamic behavior, etc.

Exactly.  if going and doing track days is about becoming a better rider, run the same bike you ride the rest of the time.

[burnergold2B]

 Maybe 5-6 times a year, maybe for whole weekends, maybe just single days. Not sure.
no, I'm not that optimistic. trackdays are fine. Maybe after I do 5-10 more that tune would change, but I doubt it.

 Very good. Are you doing BFR or MAM?

[Gaolee]

Exactly.  if going and doing track days is about becoming a better rider, run the same bike you ride the rest of the time.

Becoming a better rider is just cover.  I do trackdays because it is FUN!

[ZED]

Not really looking for an excuse to dump the Z750. I'm a grown up, if I don't like it, I'll make a change. Our relocation has changed some things about my life, my freetime, and then I did a trackday and came away feeling like I would like to do more of that. Maybe 5-6 times a year, maybe for whole weekends, maybe just single days. Not sure. The Z750 is a pretty decent bike, and I bought it with a specific intention, and then the situation changed and now that intention is practically lost. In my ideal world, I think I'd like a completely farkled out FJR for touring, and 600 race replica for weekend fun. My long trips have been few and far between in the past few years, and I don't expect that's going to change much.

no, I'm not that optimistic. trackdays are fine. Maybe after I do 5-10 more that tune would change, but I doubt it.

You've about hit where my thoughts were a month ago.  I purchased my ST3s for touring yesterday.  After the riding season is over I'll be reuilding the suspension on my Z for the track.  I just figured that for 5 or 6 track days a year, I'd be farther ahead to mod the Z.  Also, it's still a head turner, even at the track.  And, as a bonus, I've found that there is not much to damage on a naked when you crash at the track!

[cjohns]

Some stray thoughts:

Least expensive route is what everyone else has recommended--find a used race bike already set up, wired, and ready to roll.

If you eventually wanted to race, something like that could get you going for the first few years for cheap.

The SV650 option/suggestion is a great one.  

For the one bike route, have you thought about a ZZR600???

Smooth power!  Great for touring/road trips, and is the former production ZX-6r.  Very comfortable bike, (I am 6'2, 185).

All you would have to do for track days is remove the mirrors, tape signals and light (or remove) depending on requirements.  You could also do this with the SV650.  Downfall to the ZZR would be that it would not compete too well with modern 600's if you decided to race.  The 650 would move right on up, though cheaper to find a race bike from the get-go.

_______________________________________ _______________________________________ _________________________

That said, I started racing this year with a '91 CBR600.  Bought it because of the price, and the former owner sold everything with it--spare parts, lap transponder, tire warmers, stand, etc.......That is the glory in finding a used racer.  

Should also be easy to find parts for it, and not a lot of investment lost if I crash.

Feel free to PM or ask if you have any questions.

cj

[Lucky_Devil]

I have a dedicated track bike that I picked up for several reasons... some of which have already been mentioned by others.  The major deciding factor for me to get a separate bike for the track was the fact that no insurance company would cover a bike at the track (considered an "exhibition of speed").  If I crashed at the track I would be SOL.... I would lose my only ride, and it would be financially difficult for me to recover completely out of my own pocket.  After discussing it with some other, more track savvy riders, the recurring theme was "don't track a bike that you're not prepared to set fire to and walk away from."  Since I couldn't say that about my current bike, I decided to take their advice and buy a used track bike that had already been set up and was ready to go.  I picked a Honda F4i because spare parts are cheap/plentiful, and it came with tons of upgrades & extras from the previous owner.

[Mookie]

I guess I feel the opposite of Gaolee in that I think using my street bike as a track day tool just slows me down.  I know I'd be much faster if I had a dedicated track bike I wasn't so afraid of getting dirty.  

Getting a race prepped SV650 is probably cheaper than fixing up a crashed 675 and would take a lot of the stress out of trying to improve your times out on the track and allow for greater line/braking experimentation without all the worry about messing up your pristine baby.

But I'll take anything out on the track if that's my only option  

[jeremy556]

I wouldn't run a nice bike like a 675 on the track unless I was racing at the top of the expert classes at the club level and wanted it for the performance advantage. I have seen a lot of bikes get completely destroyed at the track. Lowsides are usually OK, but a highside or a collision can turn a $10k bike into a wad of crap in a couple seconds.

[Gaolee]

Absolutely, and it keeps me from really going all out on the track.

[phoenix]

 Very good. Are you doing BFR or MAM?

that's my hope, along with Autobahn, maybe Road America, maybe Brainerd MN, and I think there's something in Kansas. I might need to buy a trailer.

Hopefully I can find a decent SV650s later in the year or next spring. I think I could tolerate it for a few trips and it seems to be maybe the best option for some track learning.

[hobbes]

Absolutely, and it keeps me from really going all out on the track.

Then what's the point? Go all out to your comfort level on the track, but a dedicated track bike will push that comfort level a bit farther than on your only street ride. No way would I ride my street bikes on the track like I did my track bike. I learned to control slides, be comfortable with extreme lean angles, and get the power down early from riding hard on the track.

Phoenix, the comments here are spot on regarding a prepped bike. They are a dime a dozen, so you can haggle and get a great bike needing only suspension adjustment for usually around $3500 max. I chose an '99-'02 R6 because it seems to be the most popular bike around my parts, and there are a ton of spares available. It also had a few interchangeable parts with my FZ1, so that was an added bonus. Maybe you can find the same with a ZX-6R?

I'd stay away from SVs unless you want to drop a bit of cash on suspension, but a prepped SV is an awesome track tool. They basically need an entire new GSXR front end with triples, wheels, brakes, and steering bearings. I find the best way to get into track riding is to buy a bike with decent stock suspension, then spend cash upgrading it as you'd like. I rode my R6 with stock suspension into the advanced group around riders with fully-prepped suspensions. Not sure I could have done that on an SV, and of course the extra HP helped a lot.