next steps - bike choice, track riding, racing

[Rob]

Intro:
I have come to the conclusion that I do not want to risk my new baby from kissing the pavement when riding the track. Naturally, I started looking for track bikes. After reading some of the replies to my thread about where to look for bikes, I realized that I need to take a step back and make sure I am looking in the right direction. My original thought has been to get an SV and just beat the hell out of it. I think maybe if I laid out what my plans are, you guys could chime in on what I should be taking into consideration. I'm gonna put on my project manager hat for a sec and break this puppy down in organized manner.

Background:
Been riding on and off for over 5 years. Started out on a CBR 600, recently moved up to a 08 R1. I've done a ton of commuting, canyon riding, and about 7 track days. Due to a few crashes, I have never gained enough confidence on the bike to take things to the next level. I had a breakthrough moment at my last two trackdays. Made a ton of improvement where all the pieces I have learned over the years have fallen into place. Much of it was thanks to the staff at TrackXperience, Ti2TT and Trackdaz. Their feedback was invaluable. This in turn has left me hungry, wanting to progress further and overcome my mental barriers. Riding a brand spanking new bike is not helpful in that department. It's an awesome bike, and I definitely feel very confident on it. I just simply do not want to wreck it. I'm a decent sized guy (6'2" 200 lbs) which is definitely a factor. You won't see me on a NSR 50 any time soon.

Purpose:
I want a bike that I can simply toss around the track without worry. If I bin it, no biggie, that's what it's built for. If everything goes well, I'd like to take up racing with WSMC. This changes a lot in the scheme of thing since there's a huge difference between the different classes. I remember seeing a ton of bikes in the 600 and 1000 classes. The twin categories don't seem to be as crazy. Then again, I may learn more with a big group of riders in my class. Not sure how the whole v-twin, i4, two stroke thing factors in.

Requirements:

Run on "pump" gas. Race fuel seems like it could get expensive.
Low power (keep me out of trouble and save tires)
Race prepped (track plastics, safety wiring, etc)
Availability of parts (oem, aftermarket, ebay)
Easy to maintain (not mechanically inclined, just want to ride)
No more than $4000


Nice to have:

Easy to find on the market


Goal:
Ride the wheels of the bike so I can be the next MotoGP champion. But seriously, I just want to progress with a bike that will enable me to do so in a reasonable manner.

Options:
SV 650
pro: reliable, availability of parts, good for my size
con: can get expensive

FZR 400
pro: perfect power, could be obtained at a reasonable price, have friends that race in this category
con: hit and miss with mechanical condition,

250 2smoke gp
pro: awesome handling, fun?, something different
con: size/comfort, availability of parts, engine could randomly seize

Conclusion:
HELP!!!

[Vtec44]

A used 2008+ Kawasaki Ninja 250? There's a whole class for it with WSMC. From what I was told, people are turning low 1:40's on them at the big track.

[firebladejon]

IMHO, a track bike needs to be a sport or superbike-ish bike. SV and FZ will not get you into the agressive position that I think you need to be in to excel at the craft of hauling ass on a bike. Just my 2 cents..., oops, in a recession it's now worth 1.5 cents

[420]

Your initial thought are correct.

SV.

[badmonkey]

Of your listed options, I'd get the SV.

If you're open to more, you can get a K4/K5 gsxr600, 03-05 R6, or 03-06 600rr for pennies these days. They've got a ton of aftermarket, they're so common so they're easy to fix, they're all solid bikes. For now i wouldn't worry about what class you'd eventually like to race--even if you do get your novice license and race in the 600 novice classes, chances are you'll have a better idea of what you want to race by then. might as well buy a bike that's ready to be raced, so all you have to do is buy tires and change the oil.

Building a SV race bike is fun, but there's a reason why all the sv superbikes for sale are $5000--it's costly and time consuming.

[Rob]

Of your listed options, I'd get the SV.

If you're open to more, you can get a K4/K5 gsxr600, 03-05 R6, or 03-06 600rr for pennies these days. They've got a ton of aftermarket, they're so common so they're easy to fix, they're all solid bikes. For now i wouldn't worry about what class you'd eventually like to race--even if you do get your novice license and race in the 600 novice classes, chances are you'll have a better idea of what you want to race by then. might as well buy a bike that's ready to be raced, so all you have to do is buy tires and change the oil.

Yeah, it seems like there are deals left and right. I still think I should go with something with less power. My F4 had less power than the bikes you listed and was nowhere close to me riding to its limits. I guess that's the whole goal, to outgrow the bike.

Building a SV race bike is fun, but there's a reason why all the sv superbikes for sale are $5000--it's costly and time consuming.

No way in hell I'm building one :) I'm gonna buy one that's set up and good to go. The only situation I would get one that is not prepped is if I could get the bike and parts for cheap. I could start out with a stock one and slowly build it up. How big is the difference between the two generations?

A used 2008+ Kawasaki Ninja 250? There's a whole class for it with WSMC. From what I was told, people are turning low 1:40's on them at the big track.

Aren't those more than $4k, especially race prepped ones? I feel like I might be too big for that bike.

[Globetrotter]

A used 2008+ Kawasaki Ninja 250? There's a whole class for it with WSMC. From what I was told, people are turning low 1:40's on them at the big track.

I did a 40.6 on one. Tigert set the lap record at 40.3, but I wouldn't recommend that bike for someone of his size.

For my money I'd get the SV. They're cheap, reliable, have a ton of parts available, are easy to come by on the used market, have decent sized grids at races and will teach you a ton about riding in general, racing craft specifically. Not to mention the first gens are still competitive today, what, nine years after they were first introduced. Good luck taking a nine-year-old 600 and running near the front.

[HurricaneGirl]

Ok, so why not an R6? You already have a Yamaha...why wouldn't you consider an R6? :hmm

eh-hem...I happen to know of an R6 track/race bike for sale...just sayin.

[cookiebug79]

Ok, I have no idea if this would be helpful at all, but here's my Pugh analysis, ratings, and reasons for when I was looking at track bikes. I found a lot of them from 1999-2005 for under $3500 when I was looking at the beginning of summer.

Criteria Rating Reason
Price - 20, because ultimately it's all about the cash money
availability of replacement components - 19, in case I crash it. GSX-R's seem to have the most spare parts available on e-bay. I would think the SV would have way more parts available than the FZR or the 2-smoke
amount of work necessary - 18, it sucks to get a toy you can't use right away. That said, for a while I was considering building up a crashed GSX-R. I feel that the more I know about the machine under me the more confidence I have in it.
resale-ability - 17, my initial intent was to only use it for 3 track days and sell it for the same price that I bought it for, and get a dirt bike. Right now I think I'll keep it a little longer and then probably part it out.
weight - 16, 'cause I'm a wimp and if I have to load it myself I have to be able to lift it. And lighter bikes are faster.
suspension - 15, one of the most important parts of the bike. The bike I got has an Ohlins rear shock. One of the GSX-R's I looked at needed it's stock rear shock re-built.
engine - 14, I'm an in-line 4 kinda girl 100%. I was dead set on a 600 cc so I had power and still learned to shift. I don't like twins or 2-smokes at all, so my opinion here isn't very applicable to what you're looking at.
crashes - 13, how many crashes people admit to will mean how much stuff you gotta check against being straight
spare parts - 12, the more parts it comes with, the more stuff you can break!
year - 11, newer is usually better. Plus, several models have known glitches per model year (ex: '99-01 R6's historically had transmission issues with 2nd gear).
miles/hours - 10, for a basic understanding of how much wear and tear the bike has alreaady been through.
title status - 9, if it's salvaged, why? Theft or crash? what had to be fixed and how was it fixed?
gearing - 8, just to consider stock gearing vs different sprocket options
fuel injection - 7, response is slightly better non-carbed
plastics - 6, throw-away track plastics were prefered. How pretty do you want to look in your Caliphotography shots?
rear sets - 5, higher/adjustible for track riding, and you feel cooler/more bling
levers - 4, also bling-related at first, but I really do want shorties right now, I think they'd feel better
safety wired - 3, everything is safety-wire-able, it's just about how much time you want to spend doing it or if it's already done for you.
sprocket- 2, purely for bling

[zman]

SV is a great place to start

you will learn to rely on late braking and corner speed
something IMO is lost on litter bikes