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I've done trackdays in cars before and was wondering how different it is on a bike. I know that you don't have an instructor showing you the line, so are there more doofuses around in the novice class that are just going wherever they want?
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Oct 21, 2009 16:34
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 05:03 |
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I've always wondered why an SV made such a good trackbike. It seems like the torquey twin-cylinder engine would make a great streetbike, but would be lackluster compared to more peaky I4 sportbikes on the track.
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Mar 24, 2010 20:24
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I'm going to start trackdays this year. I need to double-check what I'm planning on buying to be acceptable for a few sessions this year. For the CBR F2 (already has racing engine covers, no side fairings): - Belly pan ?? For me (already have racing boots): - One piece suit - Gauntlet racing gloves ?? Any other good additions, particularly things that work well on a streetbike that occasionally gets tracked? Also, I'm in CT, and the closest good track that I see is New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Any others that are closer?
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Mar 31, 2010 21:23
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needknees posted:And now... Video of me being slow! Your turn-in seems pretty vague for a few corners, and although you hit the apex most of the time, you're not always tracking out all the way to the outside afterwards. I'd suggest doing the "two-step" which is where before a corner, you select the turn-in point, then find the apex, and as you're staring at the apex, notice in your peripherals when you hit the turn-in and aggressively steer the bike in. It should result in a nice and crisp turn-in and a good straight line through the corner. Then it's a matter of dialing in throttle after you hit the apex and letting the bike track out, using as much asphalt as possible.
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Apr 12, 2010 17:13
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) would be appreciated.
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That's actually a question I had too. Makes sense to use a tight rainsuit of some kind and waterproof boots. How does MotoGP handle rain? Do riders have separate waterproof poo poo for crappy races? That seems pretty expensive for something that could instantly shred when you touch the ground. Personally, I would get waterproof racing boots and just hope that my leather was sufficient to block out water. If you have perforated leather, sucks for you. FuzzyWuzzyBear fucked around with this message at 21:27 on Apr 15, 2010 |
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Apr 15, 2010 21:25
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yummycheese posted:Doing another track day at the end of June with I'm an East Coaster but am planning on using Penguin Racing School, I hear good stuff about them from my local shop full of racers.
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Jun 10, 2010 18:41
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Okay, I've purchased a Fox racing shock for my F2. I know that if I raise the rear by, say, 8mm, I'll get quicker turn-in, but will this sacrifice stability?
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Jun 14, 2010 14:37
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Slamburger posted:I just did penguin's 2-day at NHIS last week and it was excellent. If you have any specific questions about it, let me know. How much tracktime did you get per day and what class did you ride in? I plan on doing a one day Basic Course that supposedly allows me to get my racing license (which I'm sure costs more money). Also, was there a Carl McAllister teaching there? He works at my local shop and is a Penguin instructor.
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Jun 14, 2010 21:34
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I need some help on picking new tires for both an upcoming trackday and for street use. I have a CBRF2 and I weigh about 150, so I'm not putting down serious power or loading up tires. I currently have Pilot Roads (original version) that are probably never going to wear out based on what I'm seeing for their current wear. They are squared off a tiny bit in the middle from the commuting I do, but I run them all the way to the edge on weekends so it evens out. My dilemma is this: I don't have the money to be replacing tires every two months, and I'm not sure how much I'll need the super stickiness of street/race tires. I do push my bike on corners, but I don't know what's to be gained from having really nice tires since I've never had a pair. The best tires I've owned up to now are Sport Demons on my Yamaha Maxim, and on that bike it was hard to tell the quality anyway. I know I want something better than my PR's for my trackday, but is there a tire that I can get something like 6-8,000 miles out of while still being sticky enough for me to be happy?
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Jul 1, 2010 16:53
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Will the 2CT PP give me better longevity or is it not worth the difference in traction between the middle and outside of the tire?
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Jul 1, 2010 17:16
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Alright Pilot Powers ordered. I also found out that the previous owner installed a 120/70 front tire on my bike when it should have a 120/60. So THAT'S why the front tire was contacting the front fender... ...stupid previous owners.
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Jul 2, 2010 00:41
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Nothing gets the blood flowing like maniacally piloting your daily driver on a track 4 hours from home knowing that if you wad it you'd better get real good at hitchhiking.
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Jul 2, 2010 19:13
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Yeah it's definitely time to toss these Pilot Roads. They have plenty of tread left and I'll wear them out on my ride to Florida, but they just don't have much stick. Every time I'm leaned over on an onramp at just less than knee-scraping lean I start getting predictable but irritating slides from the tires. My chicken strips aren't even gone all the way, the tires just don't have the stick I'm looking for. Can't imagine how much they'd suck when I'm really caning it on a racetrack.
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Jul 4, 2010 04:06
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Going up to Loudon, NH on my F2 on Friday. Got some new Pilot Powers on, Water Wetter in my coolant system, and I'm ready to rock. Any goons gonna be there? It's through Penguin Racing School.
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Aug 5, 2010 03:27
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Trackday went super great at Loudon today! My '94 F2 kicked a bunch of new sportbike rear end so I'm newly proud and confident in both my abilities and my ride. Here's two pics my girlfriend took while I was riding...still waiting on the pro photos to get uploaded. The instructor to student ratio was perfect...3:1 or so, and at least in my class, there were only about 15 people on track at the same time, which meant plenty of open space. To top it off, the track has lots of great technical turns and I found it a blast to ride on. 
FuzzyWuzzyBear fucked around with this message at 05:08 on Aug 7, 2010 |
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Aug 7, 2010 05:03
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I'm with you on the knee thing. I was passing people at my trackday on an old busted CBR that couldn't go faster than 100mph (I poo poo you not, the jetting was all kinds of hosed), and these were people who were trying to hang off like monkeys but just weren't solid on the fundamentals. Knee dragging is a great technique and way to gauge your lean angle, but I don't think it's even close to necessary until a rider has lots of practice on the track and has stuff like lines, throttle usage, and braking zones mastered first.
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Sep 7, 2010 20:07
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There was one guy who brought a touring bike to Loudon at my trackday. That's a pretty tight track though and he ended up lowsiding it in "the bowl" which is an uphill left hander.
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Sep 14, 2010 15:12
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modify_evolution posted:At least you have pics of you coming. I'm incredibly disappointed by a complete lack of any media proof of me on the track. Also, that combination of smilies immediately made me think "My ANUS is BLEEDING!" That's too bad that you weren't getting the instruction that you needed. I don't really see why they created a slower group for your two bikes though - in the track day I've been to, bikes like those would have kept up fine with the novice group. Hell, I've had control riders passing me on tiny two-strokes and 250s and all sorts of poo poo, and I was on a 600.
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Sep 28, 2010 16:21
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Penguin Racing School (based at Loudon, NH) did a 7-session day for the novice class. We had one structured session which was small follow the leader groups (3-4 per CR, with alternating who got to be behind the CR each lap). The second session, we had three laps that were follow the leader, and then were let loose the rest of the day. Worked great, and I had a nice mix of close racing with similar riders and periods of wide open track where I couldn't see anybody behind or in front of me.
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Sep 29, 2010 20:05
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I had no problems passing people on the inside, outside, in turns, on straights (well not the straights so much). It was a nice change of pace from car trackdays where they only let novices pass in the straights, which loving sucks.
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Sep 29, 2010 21:06
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I really want to get into budget racing but don't have a trailer or a truck. And I don't think there's an easy way to have both a race-ready bike that's also street legal, nor do I want to rely on my racebike for transportation back home in the case that I dump it. If I figure that part out, I think I could participate in a couple race weekends for maybe $300-400 in fees if I camp at the track, bring my own food, race my low-power F2 which won't eat too many tires, etc. I think I'll get a lot more out of it than throwing away $280 on a trackday for what amounts to a little more than an hour of tracktime. Plus, then I can tell everybody I race motorcycles and let them assume I make lots of money doing it and am on TV.
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Oct 6, 2010 19:35
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Come to Connecticut where you too can experience the joy and wonder of seeing parades of aging Harley riders with t-shirt and shorts on, and where the closest track, which is three hours away, happens to be a lovely course that even the AMA won't touch due to safety hazards!
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Oct 16, 2010 00:12
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-Inu- posted:Glad I crashed, actually. Otherwise I probably was going to just give up riding completely. I find it interesting that you were going to stop riding and then you crash and decide that you want to continue. 
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Oct 18, 2010 14:12
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I'm sure it was a case of just a bit too much throttle, but not necessarily too early. Throttle is generally good and most people are of the opinion that you should be on the throttle right after braking and turning the bike, so no worries there. I've been there, just a bit too much and the rear wheel goes bye-bye. It didn't look like you were getting the bike leaned over enough for ground clearance to be an issue, and thus body position should not have been much of a factor. Do you remember what controls you were inputting when you went down? It could also have been too much front brake for your lean angle if you were trailbraking, causing the front to wash out from under you. Edit: That said, it does look like you ride a bit crossed-up, meaning that you slide your rear end off more than you move your head and torso. Your torso and head are going to impact your center of gravity more so make sure you're getting them off to the side, where a mirror would be. One good way to help this is to really make sure your hips are opened up to the direction of the turn, with your outside leg firmly planted on the tank. FuzzyWuzzyBear fucked around with this message at 14:35 on Oct 21, 2010 |
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Oct 21, 2010 14:31
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It's possible that your tire spun right after the 49mph reading and it got even faster, but the next reading caught it while it was slowing down.
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Oct 22, 2010 18:26
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One thing that improved my lines was committing to one steering input before the corner, and holding that line throughout the corner. Before that, I'd be making lots of midcorner corrections and it was making it difficult to improve because I wasn't getting consistent results. Same as driving a car, dial in your steering and then don't touch it again until you need to unwind the wheel (with some exceptions, like double apex turns).
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Nov 12, 2010 14:46
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I rode at Thill this weekend. My weird-rear end underpowered MZ Skorpion did great. It's been two years since I've been at the track and I'm markedly better this time around. Much more comfortable, much more willing to experiment, and much more vision taking in visual cues and landmarks. Also, the first time I've ever been on a motorcycle and felt like "I need more powah."
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Apr 17, 2013 17:50
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Xovaan posted:Very nice! Did you cart the bike there or ride it? A local shop here was running a deal with the trackday and transported my bike for me. They also were BBQing stuff at lunch. Pretty tight setup. My friend with the 690SMC crashed (of course, he crashes about 3 times a month) and added some grass patina to various parts of his bike.
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Apr 18, 2013 00:53
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 05:03 |
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I'm in on the trackday and I'll have a stupid 'fightered ZX10R to abuse.
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Jun 28, 2013 21:26
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