Track bikes.

I have a 1997 P regd GPZ500 that I'm thinking of putting on the track.
It was bought as accident damaged one and can be repaired sufficiently
well enough so it won't have cost a fortune if I want to track-day it,
but to make it into a nice road bike will take alot of effort for not a
huge amount of financial gain. It will probably fetch 1500 to 1700 quid
if I spent about 600 quid on it, this is on top of what I have already
spent. To stick it on the track will cost roughly 200 quid in repairs
and I can eBay stuff like the good headlight and indicators etc.

Am I mental? Should I do it up, sell it and buy a tracked CBR600 or
similar with the proceeds or go ahead? Will I be disappointed with it
once I get it on Donington's holy tarmac?

Your views are openly welcomed

 

You might have more fun with it on smaller, slower circuits than Donington
Loz.

I say do it - you'll run rings round lots of the wannabe power-rangers.

 

<>:

Is this question connected to...

....these questions?

Or does it stand alone?

 

It really depends on how much you want to do track days. The getting
the bike bit is not the major outlay. I would forget about the bike
for now and work out your other costs first:



For example:

How many times a year will you be doing track days?

The cost of the track day

Fuel cost

Maintenance cost

Tyres

Repairing the bike

Getting to the track

The cost at the track sustenance etc



A fag packet type of calculation would indicate around:

Track day = £100 (I know there are special offers)

Fuel say 200 miles = £40 (100 laps)

Maintenance say = £20 (oil, filters etc)

Tyres say £80 per track day £80

Repairs when you crash allow £50

Getting to the track (average say 180 miles @40peee per mile = £72

The cost at the track sustenance etc say £20.



So you're looking at around 400 squid per track day at the top end but
I would guess at least £300.



Now chose your bike.

 

A GPz500 could be a lot of fun on some circuits, but I think you'd
have to be careful where you took it - it might eventually become
frsutrating getting passed down every straight and then held up in the
corners. I assume the 97 model has 17" wheels, so you can a decent
choice of tyres for it?

 

Top idea - I was going to do something similar not too long ago with a
CB500.

Then me and a friend were going to get a pair of CG125's and race each other
round track.

Then I wanted a nice 7R.

Then a TZR.

Now I want to chop the ZXR in for a GSXR6 with some spare race plastics and
use that.

Tune in tomorrow, when I change my mind again.....

 

I think given Loz's level of riding skill and machine experience the 500
would be a bit tedious TBH. A 350YPVS would be better short track tool young
man ;o) he admitted just the other day to a weakening of resolve.

 

Champ wrote

Oh I dunno.

I mean. Fat Boy on his tricked up R1 would be mighty miffed to look
over his shoulder as he comes out of the bend every time and sees a Spic
ona Shed right up his arse.

I could see the point of doing that.

Any **** can go faster down the straight bits on a Currency Injected
bike.

 

Sure, but what's that got to do with riding a Gpz500?

 

Porl wrote

I am going to be right boring now and sort of stick to the subject so
**** you.

The fact that you were at a circuit where your bike had say a distinct
disadvantage down the straights would give you loads of opportunity and
incentive to work on things like your braking points and corner exit
strategies to best advantage in order to improve them.

Mebbe I am just old fashioned but I always thought that the whole point
of track days was to improve your high speed riding skills in a
relatively safe environment and have a bit of a hoon. So I don't really
see the point of having the fastest bike on the track unless it isn't
but you ride it in such a way that it is.

 

How purple would it be?

 

OK, if we're being boring:

You learn braking points, lines, exits on any bikes you ride. A lot of
people take their road bikes to track days to get better aquainted with them
while learning some degree of trackcraft. Big sports bikes are faster on the
straights, small ones better on corners. Swings and roundabouts. You can try
as much as you like to turn it into some underdog-made-good Hollywood flick
if you want but most people I see are out their for personal reasons and
personal development. If someone really wanted to get it on he could go in
the Novices group where he'll find plenty of big-bike riders to "embarrass".
But if his gauge for his own riding is measured against an inexperienced
litre-bike rider than there must be cheaper ways of stroking his ego.

 

Porl wrote

Oo look, a nub.

Although I suppose it depends how you define trackcraft. Were I to even
want to do such a thing it would include all the basic skills you listed
plus getting past the bike in front.

For me, having the nominally the fastest bike on the track would mean
nothing unless I had the trackcraft to do it. Much more of an
achievement in my eyes would be to have the actual fastest bike on the
track regardless of it's Paddock Potential.

 

A what?

Aah, the oft-missed track skill of "getting past the guy in front". So when
your cornering and exit speeds and lines aren't doing the job you simply
"get past the guy in front". Useful skill to have, that.

Go on then. You organise the trackday and I'll come play with you and watch
you teach the noobs a lesson.

 

Porl wrote

A nub, as in nub of the question.

Now you are putting the cart before the horse. You said it yourself,
the whole point of the trackday was to learn the skills. And when
learning, like anything, you start with the basics and go from there.

Then, of course, like every other ego driven speed merchant in these
parts, your initial response to likes of Lozzo's question is to tell him
his bike will be too slow compared to all the others.

I sense dichotomy here

I have no interest whatsoever in even going to a trackday, let alone
organising one. I do nearly all my riding[1] on urban roads which is a
completely different place altogether. The skills I need to hone are
pointless on a track.


[1] When I have a bike.

 

So would I if I had said anythng like that. Please quote the relevant
passage.

 

Porl wrote

Did I say you personally?

Sometimes I feel that English could do with an equivalent of tu and vous

 

Champ says...

I can see that alot of folk would get frustrated with a lack of power,
but I really like little bikes and have a whale of a time on them. My
main reasons for doing this are cost and power. I can't afford to go and
buy a different bike, and I like to be able to use all of the available
power for as much of the time as possible.

I think if I were to do a track day on a Gixer thou I'd come away
frustrated at not being able to ride the thing the way it was meant to
be ridden, yet on the GPZ at least I'd be at its limits some of the
time. The GPZ does 125ish mph, which is plenty enough for alot of
circuits. Handling isn't great, so I'll learn alot more about braking
and turn in points. In short, on a track I'll be closer to my own limits
on a GPZ500 than I'll ever be on a litre bike.

I don't want to get off the bike in the pits, walk away and then look
over my shoulder to see the bike there thinking "is *that* it, you
poof?"

 

LoL, so true

 

'Hog says...

There are alot of folk here who are under the impression I am a very
fast rider. I'm not *that* fast as a rider, i have a fast bike and I use
alot of the power available. I have alot to learn and a few in-the-head
hurdles I have to get over. One of them is approaching well known
corners at speed and freezing at the moment of turn in. I don't know why
I do it, but it takes a superhuman burst of willpower to actually lean
the bike over sometimes because I think I'm going in too fast. Once I'm
in the corner everthing is fine, but that split second's hesitation
needs to be done away with.

I don't want a 350 YPVS. I want to be able to enjoy riding without
worrying about the next blow up. I have just got out of the habit of
always covering the clutch lever on the Thunderace, purely because it
has Yamaha on the tank. If I get another stroker it'll be a trailie,
something like a KMX200 for green-laning because I just bought some nice
new MX boots I need to make use of.