Anyone got a dedicated track bike?
Discussion
Done my first track day at Brands Hatch. Biggest mistake as I now can’t stop looking at buying/converting a track bike 🤦🏻
Currently own ‘11 Speed Triple. Enjoyed it on the track, was keeping up with fire blades on the straights to then be passed on the corners by smaller bikes (which I was absolutely fine with) but for my first time I was more than happy with the bike. Overall I had a really good day, weather was sunny, no paranoia of a speed gun. The only nagging feeling was;
If I crash:
1 - how am I going to get home? (Should have rented a van)
2 - even with crash bungs I’d more than likely f
k the exposed frame, my £5k is now worth parts
I only have room for one bike, I barely use mine due to work and I plan on doing lots of track days.
So should I just sell the speed triple, probably get £4500-5000 and then buy a 600cc sportbike (r6, gixxer, Daytona) for about £3000. Put the spare cash into renting a van as and when needed for a track day (split cost with a pal)
Or am I overthinking it and I should keep the speed triple as I know the service history, everything is working perfectly, it’s a known quantity and it is more than quick enough.
Anyone been in a similar position?
Currently own ‘11 Speed Triple. Enjoyed it on the track, was keeping up with fire blades on the straights to then be passed on the corners by smaller bikes (which I was absolutely fine with) but for my first time I was more than happy with the bike. Overall I had a really good day, weather was sunny, no paranoia of a speed gun. The only nagging feeling was;
If I crash:
1 - how am I going to get home? (Should have rented a van)
2 - even with crash bungs I’d more than likely f
k the exposed frame, my £5k is now worth parts I only have room for one bike, I barely use mine due to work and I plan on doing lots of track days.
So should I just sell the speed triple, probably get £4500-5000 and then buy a 600cc sportbike (r6, gixxer, Daytona) for about £3000. Put the spare cash into renting a van as and when needed for a track day (split cost with a pal)
Or am I overthinking it and I should keep the speed triple as I know the service history, everything is working perfectly, it’s a known quantity and it is more than quick enough.
Anyone been in a similar position?
Yup,
Did my first trackday on my 08 R6, was instantly hooked, even in the rain I had more fun in one session than I'd had in years of road riding.
So i decided to just do trackdays and some racing later on, coveted the R6 to a track bike, used it for a while, did the same with a gen 2 S1000RR, then sold that to fund a new R1, which hasn't seen the road, has had more money than I care to think about put into it, but I adore it.
Now days we do a mixture of everything, from rounds in the BMB and coolfab on 140cc pitbikes, to endurance racing with Freetech on 125cc, to as many trackdays as possible on the big bikes, normally euro stuff where we make a holiday out of it.
Zero regrets, don't miss the roads at all, just to much of gamble for my liking.
Did my first trackday on my 08 R6, was instantly hooked, even in the rain I had more fun in one session than I'd had in years of road riding.
So i decided to just do trackdays and some racing later on, coveted the R6 to a track bike, used it for a while, did the same with a gen 2 S1000RR, then sold that to fund a new R1, which hasn't seen the road, has had more money than I care to think about put into it, but I adore it.
Now days we do a mixture of everything, from rounds in the BMB and coolfab on 140cc pitbikes, to endurance racing with Freetech on 125cc, to as many trackdays as possible on the big bikes, normally euro stuff where we make a holiday out of it.
Zero regrets, don't miss the roads at all, just to much of gamble for my liking.
GYTRDave said:
Yup,
Did my first trackday on my 08 R6, was instantly hooked, even in the rain I had more fun in one session than I'd had in years of road riding.
So i decided to just do trackdays and some racing later on, coveted the R6 to a track bike, used it for a while, did the same with a gen 2 S1000RR, then sold that to fund a new R1, which hasn't seen the road, has had more money than I care to think about put into it, but I adore it.
Now days we do a mixture of everything, from rounds in the BMB and coolfab on 140cc pitbikes, to endurance racing with Freetech on 125cc, to as many trackdays as possible on the big bikes, normally euro stuff where we make a holiday out of it.
Zero regrets, don't miss the roads at all, just to much of gamble for my liking.
I found the exact opposite. The expense of hiring vans, fuelling it up and the expense of the trackdays. Did my first trackday on my 08 R6, was instantly hooked, even in the rain I had more fun in one session than I'd had in years of road riding.
So i decided to just do trackdays and some racing later on, coveted the R6 to a track bike, used it for a while, did the same with a gen 2 S1000RR, then sold that to fund a new R1, which hasn't seen the road, has had more money than I care to think about put into it, but I adore it.
Now days we do a mixture of everything, from rounds in the BMB and coolfab on 140cc pitbikes, to endurance racing with Freetech on 125cc, to as many trackdays as possible on the big bikes, normally euro stuff where we make a holiday out of it.
Zero regrets, don't miss the roads at all, just to much of gamble for my liking.
The hassle of collecting and dropping the van back and getting up at 3 am to travel 3-4 hours to a track
Having to gamble on the weather and hoping there was garage space.
All the sitting around and gets couple hours riding in if you’re lucky. Even less if it’s a red flag fest or there’s no medical cover, oil on track etc.
Getting punted of by someone whose ambition outweighs their talent.
Pounding around the same track all day.
Not getting home until 9pm after a long drive.
Personally rather get up in the morning, look out the window to see what the weather is doing, 10 minutes getting ready and 25 quid of fuel in the tank and get out for the day.
Using a road bike on track days is fine, I'd imagine it's how most get started.
That said, if you're starting to get serious about it, and do them fairly regularly, I'd strongly recommend getting a track bike.
Some of the mods I installed on my GSXR such as the suspension and seat pad made it pretty horrible to ride on road, not to mention illegal as I usually had slicks fitted to my dry wheels, and race wets to my other set.
You'll also worry less about dropping it in a corner, as you can buy cheap fairings easily on the Internet, as well as rearsets, bars, screens etc.
If you can buy a cheap van, or get a trailer, then do that. Otherwise carry on renting. I reckoned a couple of days van rental was about £120, so £60 when I split it with a mate, with whatever fuel we used on top obviously. Riding to or from a trackday is fine, but depending on how hard you're pushing yourself, and weather your goal is simply fun, or improvement will probably depend on how likely you are to crash.
Also, if you can go with a friend, do so. It's a great hobby, but there's no getting away from the fact its pretty bloody dangerous. It's nice to know all the admin can be taken care of and your kit can get home if you end up taking a trip to hospital.
That said, if you're starting to get serious about it, and do them fairly regularly, I'd strongly recommend getting a track bike.
Some of the mods I installed on my GSXR such as the suspension and seat pad made it pretty horrible to ride on road, not to mention illegal as I usually had slicks fitted to my dry wheels, and race wets to my other set.
You'll also worry less about dropping it in a corner, as you can buy cheap fairings easily on the Internet, as well as rearsets, bars, screens etc.
If you can buy a cheap van, or get a trailer, then do that. Otherwise carry on renting. I reckoned a couple of days van rental was about £120, so £60 when I split it with a mate, with whatever fuel we used on top obviously. Riding to or from a trackday is fine, but depending on how hard you're pushing yourself, and weather your goal is simply fun, or improvement will probably depend on how likely you are to crash.
Also, if you can go with a friend, do so. It's a great hobby, but there's no getting away from the fact its pretty bloody dangerous. It's nice to know all the admin can be taken care of and your kit can get home if you end up taking a trip to hospital.
Edited by Pebbles167 on Tuesday 5th April 08:38
It's always interesting to read other people's experiences, Scorcher's above is interesting as most of his "cons" are my "pros" 
I decided to try track days and immediately bought a bike specifically for that purpose, an old 600SRAD that someone was in the process of modifying into a streetfighter. They weren't very far in the process though, so after spending £700 on the bike, I spent £80 on some track fairings, fitted a new chain kit and refurbed the brakes, and it was ready for the track. The reason for getting a dedicated (and cheap) track bike is both so I could have something in the garage to tinker with and that I wouldn't have to rely on for daily duties, and also that wouldn't matter if I ended up crashing it.
Over time I've updated the suspension, updated the wiring, removed anything superfluous (including the ignition key), fitted a bigger radiator so I could remove the fan too.
I have a campervan which I built to also carry the bike, so that takes care of transportation and accommodation if I want to go the night before, and I have 5-6 tracks a couple of hours away. With a foldable awning I'm not bothered about a garage space, I enjoy the rest breaks as I am not that fit, and spending the whole day on one track means I can build the experience to properly improve over the course of the day.
I enjoy riding on the road but it's a very different experience for me, very slow in comparison, poor road surfaces, unpredictable traffic, other riders who behave as if they're on track, etc. But as they say, horses for courses!
I decided to try track days and immediately bought a bike specifically for that purpose, an old 600SRAD that someone was in the process of modifying into a streetfighter. They weren't very far in the process though, so after spending £700 on the bike, I spent £80 on some track fairings, fitted a new chain kit and refurbed the brakes, and it was ready for the track. The reason for getting a dedicated (and cheap) track bike is both so I could have something in the garage to tinker with and that I wouldn't have to rely on for daily duties, and also that wouldn't matter if I ended up crashing it.
Over time I've updated the suspension, updated the wiring, removed anything superfluous (including the ignition key), fitted a bigger radiator so I could remove the fan too.
I have a campervan which I built to also carry the bike, so that takes care of transportation and accommodation if I want to go the night before, and I have 5-6 tracks a couple of hours away. With a foldable awning I'm not bothered about a garage space, I enjoy the rest breaks as I am not that fit, and spending the whole day on one track means I can build the experience to properly improve over the course of the day.
I enjoy riding on the road but it's a very different experience for me, very slow in comparison, poor road surfaces, unpredictable traffic, other riders who behave as if they're on track, etc. But as they say, horses for courses!
Yep, here’s mine, K3 600. Bought it in 2019 and absolutely love it. I did my first day on my immaculate K6 1000 in July 18 and quickly decided A I dont need a 1000 & B I need something cheap incase the inevitable happens… which it did 9 track days later with a massive highside at Donington at the end of 2020!
Mine is road legal (on a “daytime”) but I trailer it to track days.
scorcher said:
Having to gamble on the weather and hoping there was garage space.
All the sitting around and gets couple hours riding in if you’re lucky. Even less if it’s a red flag fest or there’s no medical cover, oil on track etc.
Getting punted of by someone whose ambition outweighs their talent.
Pounding around the same track all day.
This^^^. What's a track day cost, when you figure in fuel/tyres etc, £250? 10 years ago I'd had enough after a couple of hours on a race rep, that's down to about an hour now.All the sitting around and gets couple hours riding in if you’re lucky. Even less if it’s a red flag fest or there’s no medical cover, oil on track etc.
Getting punted of by someone whose ambition outweighs their talent.
Pounding around the same track all day.
If you only have space for one bike you either have a road/track bike or ditch road riding completely in favour of a track bike, that's your choices currently.
I think before you have to make that decision you should do a few more track days, different tracks which will provide you with a better view, you will have good days, lots of track time sunny skies, and bad days red flags, wet/rain.
It's already been mentioned that collecting a van , loading it up, rental costs, fuel etc all have to be considered. This can also be painful in terms of running back and to to get the van and the possibility of another days rental if your trackday is hours away.
If you get the bug then the above will just be a minor inconvenience.
I think before you have to make that decision you should do a few more track days, different tracks which will provide you with a better view, you will have good days, lots of track time sunny skies, and bad days red flags, wet/rain.
It's already been mentioned that collecting a van , loading it up, rental costs, fuel etc all have to be considered. This can also be painful in terms of running back and to to get the van and the possibility of another days rental if your trackday is hours away.
If you get the bug then the above will just be a minor inconvenience.
KurtFlew said:
I did my first two days on road bikes before getting a track one, it is a lot better. But if I could only have one bike it would be a road bike that I use on track rather than track only....unless I was doing a few trackdays a month to make it worthwhile.
I'd be same as this. I have a road and track bike but if I had to chose one it would be a road bike that I could take on trackThe limitations become the bike setup, pads, suspensions, tyres etc as you lose the the road mannerisms
I have a Tuono for road which I track maybe 1-2 times a year. Its ok in fast group but front brake fades with all the ABS, its decks out and wallows a bit when you start pushing but is good fun
My GSXR1000 is brilliant on track but the higher rearsets, track focused pads being crap until hot and stiff suspension/tiny foam seat makes it not very nice on the road. Maybe OK twenty years ago when I didnt mind sports bikes and 1pc leathers on the road but not now
Started on my ZX6R road bike, changed to a ZX10r road bike and now SV650 ex supertwin race bike.
Always struggled a bit with brakes and tyres when using a road bike but the race bike just eats up the punishment.
A spare set of wheels with wets is also handy.
Whole setup came in at just under £3k.
Whilst not ideal, if it ends up in the gravel it should be fairly easy to sort out unlike a modern £15k sportsbike.
The crossplane R1s do sound amazing though. I could be tempted just for the sound.
Always struggled a bit with brakes and tyres when using a road bike but the race bike just eats up the punishment.
A spare set of wheels with wets is also handy.
Whole setup came in at just under £3k.
Whilst not ideal, if it ends up in the gravel it should be fairly easy to sort out unlike a modern £15k sportsbike.
The crossplane R1s do sound amazing though. I could be tempted just for the sound.
I'm in a similar(ish) postion
I ride a Speed triple and I've booked my first track day but I didn't want to risk it on track so I bought a CBR600 for £1500 - it's way more capable than I am and if I bin it - I won't care too much
Currently it's a full road bike so I can get used to it on the road - having had dedicated track toys before it can be a bit of a pain being unable to test them on the road
I ride a Speed triple and I've booked my first track day but I didn't want to risk it on track so I bought a CBR600 for £1500 - it's way more capable than I am and if I bin it - I won't care too much
Currently it's a full road bike so I can get used to it on the road - having had dedicated track toys before it can be a bit of a pain being unable to test them on the road
scorcher said:
GYTRDave said:
Yup,
Did my first trackday on my 08 R6, was instantly hooked, even in the rain I had more fun in one session than I'd had in years of road riding.
So i decided to just do trackdays and some racing later on, coveted the R6 to a track bike, used it for a while, did the same with a gen 2 S1000RR, then sold that to fund a new R1, which hasn't seen the road, has had more money than I care to think about put into it, but I adore it.
Now days we do a mixture of everything, from rounds in the BMB and coolfab on 140cc pitbikes, to endurance racing with Freetech on 125cc, to as many trackdays as possible on the big bikes, normally euro stuff where we make a holiday out of it.
Zero regrets, don't miss the roads at all, just to much of gamble for my liking.
I found the exact opposite. The expense of hiring vans, fuelling it up and the expense of the trackdays. Did my first trackday on my 08 R6, was instantly hooked, even in the rain I had more fun in one session than I'd had in years of road riding.
So i decided to just do trackdays and some racing later on, coveted the R6 to a track bike, used it for a while, did the same with a gen 2 S1000RR, then sold that to fund a new R1, which hasn't seen the road, has had more money than I care to think about put into it, but I adore it.
Now days we do a mixture of everything, from rounds in the BMB and coolfab on 140cc pitbikes, to endurance racing with Freetech on 125cc, to as many trackdays as possible on the big bikes, normally euro stuff where we make a holiday out of it.
Zero regrets, don't miss the roads at all, just to much of gamble for my liking.
The hassle of collecting and dropping the van back and getting up at 3 am to travel 3-4 hours to a track
Having to gamble on the weather and hoping there was garage space.
All the sitting around and gets couple hours riding in if you’re lucky. Even less if it’s a red flag fest or there’s no medical cover, oil on track etc.
Getting punted of by someone whose ambition outweighs their talent.
Pounding around the same track all day.
Not getting home until 9pm after a long drive.
Personally rather get up in the morning, look out the window to see what the weather is doing, 10 minutes getting ready and 25 quid of fuel in the tank and get out for the day.
As to the dangers of getting punted off or having oil on track, yup, all valid points, but these dangers are present and a thousand more on the road, with no marshal's there to wave a flag to even try and warn you about it.
I don't know, it's obvious to me that after these years I've been doing trackdays and racing, it either clicks or it doesn't with people, generally it's the more confident, capable riders that it'll appeal to in my experience.
That said I can see the appeal of the open road, maybe attending so many RTCs has no doubt impacted and influenced my opinions on it all, i just feel to enjoy a modern day bike, especially a superbike or supernaked, you really need to get it on track, where the risks are drastically reduced and your window to explore the bikes potential is far wider.
Edited by GYTRDave on Tuesday 5th April 22:42
TwistyWrist said:
I think a track bike with a daytime mot would be the best option.
The price of bikes at the moment seems quite steep, seeing an 04 gsxr600 with 30k miles for over 4k is making me doubt I can get a good deal but I’ll keep an eye out. Looking at booking brands hatch GP or Bedford next
A few of us are at Bedford on 16 May. The price of bikes at the moment seems quite steep, seeing an 04 gsxr600 with 30k miles for over 4k is making me doubt I can get a good deal but I’ll keep an eye out. Looking at booking brands hatch GP or Bedford next
Currently building a track bike as My much modded monster suits mw perfectly for the street and I don’t want to ruin it by trying to by make it track oriented.
Starting with an 848 evo rolling chassis I bought for £400 and a hypermotard 1100 evo 2v engine I found for £1100. Just started stripping the engine, it’ll likely end up with 851/888 race bodywork.
The idea is to have a cheap ish bike with enough power for me, likely over chassised if anything, and easy to maintain.
Starting with an 848 evo rolling chassis I bought for £400 and a hypermotard 1100 evo 2v engine I found for £1100. Just started stripping the engine, it’ll likely end up with 851/888 race bodywork.
The idea is to have a cheap ish bike with enough power for me, likely over chassised if anything, and easy to maintain.
GYTRDave said:
Of course it's not for everyone, I get that, but if your ambition is to just do trackdays, getting a cheap van can help with costs.
As to the dangers of getting punted off or having oil on track, yup, all valid points, but these dangers are present and a thousand more on the road, with no marshal's there to wave a flag to even try and warn you about it.
I don't know, it's obvious to me that after these years I've been doing trackdays and racing, it either clicks or it doesn't with people, generally it's the more confident, capable riders that it'll appeal to in my experience.
That said I can see the appeal of the open road, maybe attending so many RTCs has no doubt impacted and influenced my opinions on it all, i just feel to enjoy a modern day bike, especially a superbike or supernaked, you really need to get it on track, where the risks are drastically reduced and your window to explore the bikes potential is far wider.
Agreed, had too many close calls myself, regularly see t**ts weaving and wheeling on the A13 to then see them sliding down the road. As to the dangers of getting punted off or having oil on track, yup, all valid points, but these dangers are present and a thousand more on the road, with no marshal's there to wave a flag to even try and warn you about it.
I don't know, it's obvious to me that after these years I've been doing trackdays and racing, it either clicks or it doesn't with people, generally it's the more confident, capable riders that it'll appeal to in my experience.
That said I can see the appeal of the open road, maybe attending so many RTCs has no doubt impacted and influenced my opinions on it all, i just feel to enjoy a modern day bike, especially a superbike or supernaked, you really need to get it on track, where the risks are drastically reduced and your window to explore the bikes potential is far wider.
Edited by GYTRDave on Tuesday 5th April 22:42
Track just seems a more sterile (as much as it can be) environment, and then run offs are genuinely life saving.
Abdul Abulbul Amir said:
A few of us are at Bedford on 16 May.
I’ll give you a message if I go ahead with it 👍Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff