Thinking of switching it up (from road to track), couple of questions. | GTAMotorcycle.com

Thinking of switching it up (from road to track), couple of questions.

mimico_polak

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Hey guys,

As the little guy is getting bigger and bigger I'm getting more and more guilty of going out on the bike every day commuting to work and back. I love riding and I'm getting bored considering the only time I have is the commute to/from work as I want to spend the weekends with him and my wife and make up for the week considering the hours.

My question is: can my bike (CB500F) be used as a trial track weapon to get used / familiar with track riding? Would you recommend keeping this thing? Renting from the track? Buying a dedicated track bike (obviously would need to test the waters further prior to this)?

I know a few things need to be done, and I'm putting a hitch on the car tomorrow so I can trailer the bike to cottage / track depending on final decision.

I know I'd have to remove mirrors, side and rear luggage racks, tape up all lights, replace the coolant with water, and get a suit as all I have now is a leather jacket and riding jeans.

Would it be better to sign up for a few sessions with their bike first to get a feel?

Don't want to give up riding, but I'm thinking it's time to get off the street for a while. Possibly even getting a small dirt bike and leaving that at the cottage as there's lots of trails not far away through Simcoe Forests.
 
Track is kind of expensive from what I hear, dirt much less so.
 
Buy a track bike cheap and sell your cb i cant give my fully race prepped R6 away buy something like it for 1500-2000 and have no taping or worries if you drop it. I switched to dirt bikes a couple of years ago and love it but dirt bikes worth having are more expensive than track bikes and very addictive. Dirt bikes are also maintenance intensive.

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Yes you can use your bike. But I would take a fast riding school, or racer 5. Use their bikes and gear, learn a lot and see if you like it. Then go from there.
 
Dirt by all accounts seems to be the holy grail of motorcycle riding, seeming to be more fun, and good at building/improving riding skill
 
In your situation I'd buy a 2 stroke mx bike and go ride mx or trails. Added bonus as your little guy gets older if he wants to join in on the fun it's pretty easy to get them started. If you end up getting bit by the bug and start racing it's really an awesome family friendly environment, I almost like hanging out with the people bench racing as much as I do the actual racing.

My street bikes I could do without there has to be a mx bike in my garage though. It's addicting.
 
Where are you guys riding dirt bikes actually going?

Back in the early 80s I used to race motocross at places like Hully Gully and rode trails around what were known then as "The Clay Pits" near King Road and the North Service Road in Burlington. Around that time, there were some incidents of people crashing and then their families suing the cities and municipalities for damages for basically allowing dirt biking on their lands. The environment changed overnight: suddenly bylaws popped up prohibiting riding on public land, the police were out in force all the time ticketing anyone out at The Pits (and elsewhere), suddenly your bike needed a license plate and you needed insurance etc etc. So yeah, trail riding on public lands basically died out for urban dwellers there and then.

Every time I see a motocrosser or enduro on a trailer I want to stop and chat with the guy and ask where he rides. I suspect it's a "cottage" deal or perhaps a friend with a farm or some such. But for people here recommended others start with dirt bikes, where do you suggest they ride?

I would love to get an MXer, even an older one, and hit the trails for fun...
 
Blackfin there's quite a bit of good riding. I belong to a race club steel city riders so we have a private club track. Unfortunately we have a limit on members and a wait list starts every January if your interested. But you don't need to go that route.

MX riding
Gopher dunes in tillsonburg
motopark in chatsworth (my favorite)
rj's Motorsport open Wednesday and some Saturdays north of Barrie
Other tracks like gully mor, Walton, paisley if you ride in a mx series. Occasional practice days as well
also some semi private tracks at people's houses are around but kind of need to get "in" after riding for a bit

off road
simcoe county forest
ganaraska forest
trails at gopher dunes are fun.

So you can find a few clubs that have race series and there is also amo racing reloaded that has a series. Motopark has a couple small series throughout the year. If you wanted to race in the woods there's off road ontario which has XC races and enduros.

Don't get overwhelmed by the racing talk. There is classes for literally anybody from super fast 18 year olds to 45 year old beginners. It's good fun.
 
as some have said, start out with either Racer 5 or Fast school and use their bikes, If you choose to stick with it I would not keep the CB but rather buy a prepped track bike as the cost savings are HUGE vs trying to convert your bike.

Dirt is great, cheap and fun, but the bikes are maint intensive as Scuba Steve said, so it really helps the wallet region if you know how to wrench.

you cannot compare the 2 and say one is better than the other because they are so different, but both are a BLAST
 
Can't comment on track but dirt does not need to be high maintenance if you are not racing/competing. A Honda CRF230 is low maintenance, almost bullet proof and can still provide a new dirt rider with loads of fun at Chatsworth.
Chatsworth is very family oriented and you can go for the races as well. Training camps too.

[video=youtube;-iZefLAJIh0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iZefLAJIh0[/video]

They start riders as young as 3
jessica-three.jpg
 
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I don't know Gopher Dunes but looks okay.

here's the Nationals there
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttyu2ai9ejg

[video=youtube;mPU_uslTO-I]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPU_uslTO-I[/video]

And Chatsworth you don't need to ride just the motocross main track. It's a big facility.

Neither of the two kids ( my son and friend who is now staff ) raced but they and I had loads of fun - both are excellent street riders now.
 
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When do you plan on hitting the track when you say the only time you have to ride is commuting to work? If you do want to try the track it's great and a dedicated good bike can be had for cheap. Downside is you're stuck only being able to go when there's an actual trackday scheduled and you have the day off. For me this was getting down to 6-8 times a year and I decided to sell the trackbike and get back into dirtbiking for a bit. This has been my first year out and a major bonus is I can go anytime. For you this might be a good option since time is limited and you mentioned you already have trails by the cottage.
Basic trail bikes are quite low maintenance. Motocross bikes are going to be higher spec and are going to require valve checks/topends, eat sprockets,etc. Grab a good used CRF230 or similar and just keep the air filter clean and change the oil once in a while and you're good to go. Lots of deals for offroad gear around.
 
I stopped doing track days when my son was born. Chance of getting hurt much greater then the street. At least for me. Others will disagree with me but it seems every time I crash on the track, no matter how trivial a lowside it is I end up hurt... :)

I too like to spend my weekends with the boy as it is a lot of fun. I find that my commute (although boring) keeps me on the bike. I get ride 1.5-2 hrs a day this way. Satisfy's my biking habit and takes no time away from the kid. To me an ideal solution. If I had a cottage I'd definitely get a dirt bike. Not sure how old your son is but if he is interested in riding you could get 2 dirt bikes and play together. My son learned how to ride at 6 and just never really liked it. :) I keep threatening to send him back to the little boy store and trade him in for a new model that likes to ride but for some reason he does not take me seriously... :)


Hey guys,

As the little guy is getting bigger and bigger I'm getting more and more guilty of going out on the bike every day commuting to work and back. I love riding and I'm getting bored considering the only time I have is the commute to/from work as I want to spend the weekends with him and my wife and make up for the week considering the hours.

My question is: can my bike (CB500F) be used as a trial track weapon to get used / familiar with track riding? Would you recommend keeping this thing? Renting from the track? Buying a dedicated track bike (obviously would need to test the waters further prior to this)?

I know a few things need to be done, and I'm putting a hitch on the car tomorrow so I can trailer the bike to cottage / track depending on final decision.

I know I'd have to remove mirrors, side and rear luggage racks, tape up all lights, replace the coolant with water, and get a suit as all I have now is a leather jacket and riding jeans.

Would it be better to sign up for a few sessions with their bike first to get a feel?

Don't want to give up riding, but I'm thinking it's time to get off the street for a while. Possibly even getting a small dirt bike and leaving that at the cottage as there's lots of trails not far away through Simcoe Forests.
 
Yes you can use your bike. But I would take a fast riding school, or racer 5. Use their bikes and gear, learn a lot and see if you like it. Then go from there.

+ 1 for introducing yourself to track.

If your cottage is near Simcoe Forest, get a used dirt bike (or 2 if your son is old enough) and a SCORRA membership and take advantage of the different tracts in your area.

Not sure how you're going to find time for these as you say you only have time for commuting now. Given that I have to commute, I'd much rather do it on a bike. I don't see how getting rid of the street bike is going to change anything, other than giving you less seat time.
 
As others have said, Racer5 or FAST first. If you like it, tape up your lights and take it to the track (try your best not to smash it lol). Rent a trailer from u-haul.

If you still like it, buy a trailer, sell the bike, buy a track bike.

Doing it in this order makes a hell of a lot more sense than going all in.
 
油井緋色;2514153 said:
As others have said, Racer5 or FAST first. If you like it, tape up your lights and take it to the track (try your best not to smash it lol). Rent a trailer from u-haul.

If you still like it, buy a trailer, sell the bike, buy a track bike.

Doing it in this order makes a hell of a lot more sense than going all in.


At some point i'd like to do this...(provided the wife is OK with me having more than 1 bike)

Does your track bike HAVE to have sporty suspension(and race slicks), or can i just use a small commuter/beginner bike as a newbie on track?(thinking ninja 300 or cbr500r)

Perhaps get a small bike and eventually get some suspension work done on it?

Also is regular riding gear ok, or do you HAVE to go out and get a 1 piece leather suit?
 
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At some point i'd like to do this...(provided the wife is OK with me having more than 1 bike)

Does your track bike HAVE to have sporty suspension(and race slicks), or can i just use a small commuter/beginner bike as a newbie on track?(thinking ninja 300 or cbr500r)

Perhaps get a small bike and eventually get some suspension work done on it?

Also is regular riding gear ok, or do you HAVE to go out and get a 1 piece leather suit?

I can only speak from my own experience so I hope this insight can help you.

Suspension
I started on a CBR125. The rear shock was not stock but the front was. My technical skills were no where near where I currently am so the front forks being super soft didn't bother me. The next bike I tracked was a GSXR-750 with stock shock and forks. It took me around a season, hitting an average of 2 track days a month, to hit a very obvious plateau. If you go the route of only "upgrading as you need to", you will run into a bottleneck where you do not feel confident pushing the bike faster due to understeer or oversteer sensations. Once you've hit the point where you can pick this "feeling" up, you must tune the existing suspension or swap the entire systems out to progress further.

I don't agree with the popular opinion of buying a fully loaded track bike in one go unless you are 100% certain you want to commit that much to track. Plus it's really cool to hit a personal checkpoint where you realize you need better equipment.

Tires
Very similar to suspension but tires have a "skill check" in place before you can use them. Street hyper sport tires (S20s, PP3s, etc.) will last you at least a season of learning. The next level up are things like RS10s. Neither levels require warmers. Once you hit the next level, all the tires require warmers. Tires that require warmers require you to maintain the temperature by riding fast in order to keep the grip high; in my opinion, there is no point in starting with these because you'll have less grip once the tires cool down from lack of speed on track. I hit a point where the RS10s were getting super greasy and producing massive understeer effects at every track day post lunch. That was when I knew I needed warmers and the next tires up.

Gear
You are required to have gauntlet gloves, and boots. You can go with a 2 piece suit but the suit has to become "one piece" somehow (zipper at torso area). A separate back protector is highly recommended but I think you can use the inserts that come with most suits....? Someone answer this because I never went without a separate back protector. You do want decent gear because you will be pushing your own mental and physical limits; when you push limits, **** happens.

Bike Size
Track riding is 90% based on the rider's skill and not on the bike unless there is some ridiculously long back straight where the bike's power can make up for loss of corner speed. I've drafted multiple 600s on a CBR125 at the DDT that couldn't lose me as soon as a corner hit...you can't pass them though because no power lol. I've also seen someone on a 250 absolutely destroy everyone in the yellow group on 600s/1000s; some guy even got so insecure that he started brake checking him. IMO, start with a smaller cheaper bike; big bikes are more expensive to fix when you smash anyway.

Hope this helps!
 
油井緋色;2514421 said:
Tires
Very similar to suspension but tires have a "skill check" in place before you can use them. Street hyper sport tires (S20s, PP3s, etc.) will last you at least a season of learning. The next level up are things like RS10s. Neither levels require warmers. Once you hit the next level, all the tires require warmers. Tires that require warmers require you to maintain the temperature by riding fast in order to keep the grip high; in my opinion, there is no point in starting with these because you'll have less grip once the tires cool down from lack of speed on track. I hit a point where the RS10s were getting super greasy and producing massive understeer effects at every track day post lunch. That was when I knew I needed warmers and the next tires up.



Hope this helps!


What do you mean skill check?

Can i use regular old street sport touring tires to start? Or would i just be better off getting hyper sports to start?
 
What do you mean skill check?

Can i use regular old street sport touring tires to start? Or would i just be better off getting hyper sports to start?

Start with hypersports imo. The sport touring is likely going to get too hot and become greasy.

Skill check was referring to how much speed, which translates into tire heat, you need to carry for the tire to perform optimally. The sporty the tire, the less grip they will have when cold. I've never crashed with cold tires but I've heard a lot of stories relating to this issue.
 

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