track day bikes

[tony-klr]

ok its a very big difference to my normal bikes and riding, but recently started playing and enjoying going faster, albeit on my old yamaha diversion LOL

problem is that a driving ban, or even a serious motoring offence will lose me my job.

so I started to think about track days

whats the deal with trackday bikes, obviously they have to be safe, but what if any paperwork is required, I assume that anything that isnt road registered you will want to have good receipts for, or is it a better idea to buy something thats registered and then make it ready for a track, getting rid of the bits on ebay etc?

not thinking anything mental, maybe a 400 or 600, just want to try riding faster, and leanr more about bike handling

[scorcher]

Depends how serious you want to get!A well sorted trackbike could cost you an arm and a leg or a cheap trackbike or road bike could get you on track fairly cheaply.
Plenty of good legit stuff out there and plenty of dodgy stuff aswell. Just be prepared to lose your bike if you buy something that turns out to be less than honest.Everything will need checking regardless of whether it has a V5 or not(same as a normal bike).
Theres track bikes with no V5s',track bikes with V5's, or road bikes with V5's.Just make sure you get plenty of paperwork if buying a trackbike with no V5.Do the normal checks for bikes with V5's as these (or parts of them) could still be stolen.
If you buy a track only bike then it is just that (you could possibly put a "daytime" MOt on it)
If you buy a road bike,you can strip a few bits off and go on track or strip it right back and buy some trackday fairings for it and buy loads of trick bits for it and spend a fortune.
Personally, I bought a cheap CAT 'D' 600 and have just stripped it of indicators and No.plate and its virtually ready to go on track.Its also a spare bike in the garage if my other one breaks so I'm not stuck indoors whilst everyone else is out enjoying the sun.
How deep are your pockets? It could become a expensive slippery slope! You'll probably have just as much fun on something cheaper for a season or so as what you would on something more expensive.

[ninjajockey]

Why not book a trackday and use your Divvy? If you like it then think about getting a trackbike.
I did my first trackday last year, (admittedly on a zx6r) and liked it so this year I bought a cheap trackbike.Now I have an FZR600 its old and it was cheap, and not particularly fast, but its got a v5 and I'm learning how to ride quicker (got my knee down for the first time at Anglesey this Easter) I figure this time next year the Yam may not be quick enough for me, but for now its fine, in my brief trackday career I've seen rd350's, Norton singles, 250 2 strokes, and all sorts of sports bikes. Just book into the novice group and go at your own pace

[deej]

with a trackday bike you'll get a lot more for your money in most cases, make sure it has a V5 or passes all hpi checks as some circuits are now getting raided for stolen bikes etc. Just check them for the usual things and dont worry if the bodywork is too tatty as it will get scuffed in transit let alone when your on track

its a lot of money to invest if you've never done one before, if you plan on doing a lot of trackdays then its probably worth the investment

[tony-klr]

cheers for the advice guys, might look into trackdays where maybe you can hire the bikes? I remember they used to exist, mates went to one years back, but I didnt fancy it, kinda regretting that now

I dont want and cant afford to go mega serious with it, my work/main hobby eats too much spare cash already, so this is more of an outlet for my speed side, and an opportunity to learn something new, or my mid life crisis as my wife is calling it LOL

I want to learn and experience the fast cornering etc, something that Im just not happy with on public roads.

to be honest just riding my divvy round a track would probably be quick enough to start with, Im not fussed about straight line speed anymore, been there done that many many times with cars and bikes at RWYB etc events.

will keep my eyes open for any cheapy 400/600 bikes anyway, would be nice not to have to be worrying about blowing or binning the bike I rely on for commuting LOL,

[ninjajockey]

if you want to have a go with a hire bike this could be the answer.
Focused events novice day
There are people here and elswhere that won't give FE the time of day, but I've not had any problem with them.

[layne]

Best £500 I’ve ever spent



It’s the several thousand since on stuff and entry fees that’s the killer

[tony-klr]

thanks for that link, the focused events thing looks good, ideal chance to try it on a bike far faster than mine, also going to be better handling LOL

might even be a good way to do 4-5 days a year, by the time you bought a bike , maintained it, bought a trailer, towed the trailer everywhere, and I would struggle to store a trailer at the moment. in the long run it would be cheaper with your own bike, but for year at least this sort of thing looks like a good idea

off to have a better read of the site

thanks

[phil24_7]

There are various hire bike companies that attend the No Limits track days, visit their site for more info.

[Stikley]

I've done all of my 5 track days so far on my Bandit 1200, only time I was not going quick was the last one in the wet but that was due to poor front tyre (4 years old and solid) and no feel on front end due to steering bearing and bottom yoke broken. I will have my GSXR 7/11 for next time............... Although I keep saying that lol