Question about Track Bikes | GTAMotorcycle.com

Question about Track Bikes

S

SunShadow

New member
Hi Everyone,

I have a quick question about track bikes. As I won't be street riding any longer, how do you guys and gals that ride track only test out any maintenance work (ie: brakes) or mods to make sure they work properly before taking it to the track?

Also (I'm just looking for opinions) would a 2007 or so VFR make a decent track bike or should I trade it in for something else? I am not looking to set any records. I just want to go track only due to the number of stupid people on the road nowadays and to have some fun every now and then.

Thanks for any advice offered.
 
I just ride mine around my neighbourhood. Try to do it quietly, at not busy times and pull over and stop for any traffic. No one seems to care.

A VFR would be ok to get started but if you want to do some serious tracking there are a lot of better options out there.
 
Usually up and down the street in my neighbourhood (at least until the neighbours get fed up). At a track day it would be wise to first go out in the slowest group to test out any major repairs/modifications you have performed.
A VFR would be a fine track bike although a step or two behind a supersport in terms of all out performance. Freddie Spencer used to ride one (quickly) when he taught at his school.
 
Don't put your VFR on the track.
I imagine the VFR has a clean title and therfore worth a decent amount of money.
If you drop the VFR it will cost a monumental amount of money to fix and the weight of the bike will make it difficult to learn on.

That being said we did have a student that started off on a VFR, did fairly well with it and then bought an R6 and went on to be very competetive in the SOAR rookie cup, he isn't the norm and still risked thousands of dollars of damage everytime he took it on the track.

I would recommend taking a course like the Racer5 intro course, which is much cheaper than tracking your own bike. You get a full instruction from pro level racers that are hand picked for their great teaching skills. The intro package teaches you over 4 days so that the skills are instilled in your riding and you also get to race against other students in a SOAR sanctioned event in the Racer5 cup. And best of all is you just need to show up with your gear and ride. No worrying about prepping your bike, canopies, fuel, tire wear, transport. Just show up and ride!

Learn everything you need to by using the Racer5 CBR125 race bikes to practice on trackdays and race on SOAR race weekends, once you are ready and have honed your skills go ahead and purchase a dedicated 600 supersport trackbike.

Just my $.02.
;)
 
caboose483 said:
I just ride mine around my neighbourhood. Try to do it quietly, at not busy times and pull over and stop for any traffic. No one seems to care.
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Same as. If you've got a helmet on and aren't dragging your knee and attracting attention then you should be fine. Also there's usually room in pit areas for some basic test riding. Again, if it's done sensibly.
 
Thanks for the responses so far everyone.

Yeah, originally that was my idea to ride around the neighbourhood. I just get a little nervous because of the fact I wont be insured...

By the book and all that. It was suggested to me once that I take the bike to a parking lot (I can trailer it there), but that looks sort of out of place. Not sure if this is such a good idea either. Any thoughts on that?

Have any of you gone that approach to go to an empty parking lot?

As for learning on a CBR125, I don't think I would enjoy the difference in speed / power. I have had a number of track days under both turn2 and FAST (Calabogie and Shannonville). Good times. That's sort of why I'm stopping my street riding and going track only.

It'll be sad to see the VFR go, but I suppose I could replace it with a Daytona 675...
 
Just remember going track only, it's a long five/six month hiatus.
 
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I've taken my bike to our back lot at work, but it's semi-secluded and with an understanding boss. Industrial areas on sundays might be a decent alternative. The neighborhood works ok like everyone has said if you keep it sane. I usually pull fairings off and it looks like most other naked bikes at a glance. I'm sure you'd pocket money selling you VFR and picking up an '05-06 track bike.
 
Get a track bike there are lots to be had for under $3000 that have had suspension work etc. Save the rest of the money from the VFR for repairs and tires.
 
I've never had the need to try anything out on the street......can't really try out a new exhaust and map wo braking the speed limit, same for suspension changes. I just test it at the track. I tried out a track bike on the street that I built from spares but that was just to see if it was straight etc. I recall some guy got burned pretty bad by cops on here for riding around his neighbourhood.

I wouldn't bother with a VFR......heavy and aren't those side rads easy to damage?
 
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Hi Sunshadow
As I am the VFR rider Fawaz is referring to I will weigh in on the merits of the VFR for the track.

I have to admit that it was kind of fun to take my street bike on the track and see what it was capable of, and I am a huge lover of the VFR and still have mine for the street. However a stock VFR will quickly use up all available suspension performance without doing some major upgrades and seriously lightening the bike. I was extremely fortunate that I never crashed as I started making contact with the exhaust on the right side which would have lifted the back wheel and put me off the track very quickly. Also due to the weight of the VFR it is extraordinarily hard on tires. I burned up a brand new tire in only 2 track days when I first tried it out and I was NOT FAST!!!

Shortly after hitting the exhaust I realized that if I wanted to continue I would need a dedicated bike, so being very impulsive I immediately went out and bought an R6 track only bike.
This past May I enrolled in the RACER 5 advanced program and did my first race. Too say I am hooked on the sport is a serious understatement, and having been heavily involved in the track now for a full season I do wish I had taken a bit more time before buying my first track bike. I would HIGHLY recommend doing the Racer 5 school on the CBR. It is an extremely cost effective way of experiencing the track and just as importantly will immerse you in the culture of the track. You will be around a large number of people with a wealth of knowledge which will make purchasing a track bike for your specific needs (generic fun trackdays or racing ) much easier. Had I done this before buying my current track bike I am pretty sure I would have made a different decision.

I hope this helps
Cheers
 
SunShadow, I went through the same thing this year. Decided to convert to track riding only and did it with my current street bike. I agree with all the guys above - it's normally a dumb way to go, with used track bikes being so cheap and readily available, usually with all kinds of suspension work and other mods done to them that are worth more than you end up paying for the bike.

In my case I went the other way just because the bike is quite unique (air cooled 2V Ducati) and I am really attached to it. I struggled with the decision for a while but eventually realized that this particular bike was a big part of the attraction for me. I wouldn't enjoy track riding nearly so much on anything else, even though I know I am always in danger of having a $10,000 oops. But, unless you have that kind of emotional attachment to the viffer, it really doesn't make much sense as a track bike long term.
 
Oh, and personally, I would *never* ride an uninsured, non-registered bike on the street. But then, I even had my doubts about going around the block on slick tires once I got my track wheels installed.
 
just be careful doing testing at the track in pit/open areas, there is usually a lot of debris, stones, zip ties, and other crap laying around. The VFR for track only is a knife in a gun fight, won't take long before you want a SS. I'd sell it and buy something track ready with all the fun bits. For between $4-$6000 you can get a nice setup. I went the other way, buy a bike great for the track and ride it on the street, not as comfy on the street and looks a little bit funny all rashed up with fiberglass bits and bbq paint, but she sure comes to life at the track, which is all that really matters. Doing the changeover is a big pain, but I like riding both. Track-only one day... just not yet
 
SunShadow said:
It'll be sad to see the VFR go, but I suppose I could replace it with a Daytona 675...
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Just keep in mind that riding on the track is not about who has the trickest or most interesting bike. Having commonly-broken parts that are in common with half the bikes in the paddock is a good thing. Having commonly-broken parts that are unique to your one and only bike of that type in the paddock is not a good thing if you ever have an oopsie. Having suspension parts that are in common with what everyone else uses means the suspension tuners will know what to do. Having something different means there could be a learning curve.

The Daytona 675 is a trick street bike but unless there is a pressing reason to do so (sponsorship! which doesn't happen for track day riders) it wouldn't be my first choice.

I know it sounds "boring" but buy something common. SV650, or any of the 600's from the Japanese manufacturers, are all good choices.
 
Brian P said:
Having commonly-broken parts that are in common with half the bikes in the paddock is a good thing.
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Excellent advice..... I found that out the last SOAR weekend. What did I learn? Vortex rearset pegs can fit onto Woodcraft rearsets just fine :)

The common Japanese bikes are great because most aftermarket/race manufacturers will make almost every part for them (depending on the year).
 
Yamaha_Gurl said:
Oh wow...would you see that, my signature (bottom) has a track bike under $3000 for sale ;)
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Shameless plug, I love it. haha...

I totally agree with getting a common bike like an SV. Spares are super easy to find and for the most part very cheap. I needed a clutch hub earlier this year and had a used one within 2 days for $40!
 
Hey, I'm kinda in the same boat. Planning on doing the fast course, so decided to just jump in with both feet. Bought an older duc that is just setup for the track. Super cheap and all the work is already done for you. No fears of wrecking it, because it cost less than the pretty parts of my street bike. I've been just going up and down my street but only a couple laps then parked away. Be careful. I'm sure the cops wouldn't look too kindly if you're caught. No insurance, not street legal, race mods...I'm sure the ticket would add up fast. I'm planning on taking mine to a shopping mall parking lot when its closed, if I need to check anything out. Its private property so the owners would need to come out and ask you to leave. Worst you'd get is a trespass warning.
 
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