Track days - best way to get started
Discussion
TurbosSuck said:
Thanks for all of the suggestions.
When I originally posted I was definitely swaying towards buying a sportier bike to compliment my daily hack and using that, now I'm almost certainly going to rent, at least for the first year. I was thinking about this most of yesterday evening and I think I've come up with a pretty good plan:
1) Buy all of the gear I need over the next few winter months
2) Do one 'complete package' track day with training and bike hire such as California Superbike School or Ron Haslam, or possibly Hopp Rider Training on my own bike.
3) Do a couple more track days with hire bikes, probably from Smallboy or similar.
4) buy a track bike 12 months earlier than i expected and say goodbye to all of my money
5) buy a van
6) start keeping track bike in kitchen
7) get name stitched onto arse of leathers
8) custom helmet paintjob
9) start acquiring a MotoGP'esque spares pacakage
10) start starting threads about tyre compounds
Also, I didn't realise when you hired they took care of the fuel and everything - That's amazing!
Fixed your post for you ... When I originally posted I was definitely swaying towards buying a sportier bike to compliment my daily hack and using that, now I'm almost certainly going to rent, at least for the first year. I was thinking about this most of yesterday evening and I think I've come up with a pretty good plan:
1) Buy all of the gear I need over the next few winter months
2) Do one 'complete package' track day with training and bike hire such as California Superbike School or Ron Haslam, or possibly Hopp Rider Training on my own bike.
3) Do a couple more track days with hire bikes, probably from Smallboy or similar.
4) buy a track bike 12 months earlier than i expected and say goodbye to all of my money
5) buy a van
6) start keeping track bike in kitchen
7) get name stitched onto arse of leathers
8) custom helmet paintjob
9) start acquiring a MotoGP'esque spares pacakage
10) start starting threads about tyre compounds
Also, I didn't realise when you hired they took care of the fuel and everything - That's amazing!
I am in the same boat as you and want to get on track next year, I think I am going down the route of a cheap 600 though rather than hire as I already have a van with ramps and most of the gear so dont have the full expense.
I thought about hiring a bike but want to be able to take a few short blasts on the road, I am worried that getting on a new bike that has a completely different riding position & engine character to my road bike will mean half of the day spent just getting used to the basics. I cant see me losing too much either so long as I dont send it into the gravel.....
There seems to be absolutely loads of 600's out there in the £2k to sub £2k bracket to get started with, track bikes, road bikes, damaged newer stuff, no lack of choice.
I thought about hiring a bike but want to be able to take a few short blasts on the road, I am worried that getting on a new bike that has a completely different riding position & engine character to my road bike will mean half of the day spent just getting used to the basics. I cant see me losing too much either so long as I dont send it into the gravel.....
There seems to be absolutely loads of 600's out there in the £2k to sub £2k bracket to get started with, track bikes, road bikes, damaged newer stuff, no lack of choice.
Rick1.8t said:
TurbosSuck said:
Haha definitely!
Our house is already full of mountain bikes, surfboards and RC planes, at least the bike stuff will live in the shed / garage.
If you are used to the price of high end mountain bike stuff a track bike doesnt actually seem that expensive!Our house is already full of mountain bikes, surfboards and RC planes, at least the bike stuff will live in the shed / garage.
TurbosSuck said:
Thanks for all of the suggestions.
When I originally posted I was definitely swaying towards buying a sportier bike to compliment my daily hack and using that, now I'm almost certainly going to rent, at least for the first year. I was thinking about this most of yesterday evening and I think I've come up with a pretty good plan:
1) Buy all of the gear I need over the next few winter months
2) Do one 'complete package' track day with training and bike hire such as California Superbike School or Ron Haslam, or possibly Hopp Rider Training on my own bike.
3) Do a couple more track days with hire bikes, probably from Smallboy or similar.
4) Next year buy a track bike and say goodbye to all of my money
Also, I didn't realise when you hired they took care of the fuel and everything - That's amazing!
I don’t see the value in point 2. Just go and ride on a trackday and see if you enjoy it, rather than spending £500 (nearer £800 witha here bike) on a day where you spend more time in the classroom than you do on track (CSS), or Ron Haslam which is about 60 mins total tracktime riding round following someone else. When I originally posted I was definitely swaying towards buying a sportier bike to compliment my daily hack and using that, now I'm almost certainly going to rent, at least for the first year. I was thinking about this most of yesterday evening and I think I've come up with a pretty good plan:
1) Buy all of the gear I need over the next few winter months
2) Do one 'complete package' track day with training and bike hire such as California Superbike School or Ron Haslam, or possibly Hopp Rider Training on my own bike.
3) Do a couple more track days with hire bikes, probably from Smallboy or similar.
4) Next year buy a track bike and say goodbye to all of my money
Also, I didn't realise when you hired they took care of the fuel and everything - That's amazing!
Just book a day in Novice group with a hire bike and see if you like it first.
Dakkon said:
Killboy said:
Personally I'd go do something like California Superbike School first, just to get used to it without the pressure of a TD. I did a TD (and have done several in a car), and then did California Superbike school, and wished I'd have done it the other way around. Mostly because I found the track too busy to get comfortable the first time out.
Agreed, that or Ron Haslam School. CSS is a maximum of 3 to one with an instructor who will be with your for the entire day and you can ask him anything. They are very keen to help you get better.
CSS level one is a useful course to do with helpful stuff for road or track. Once you get to level 2 & 3 it is really more track focused techniques that they are teaching and I think doing additional trackday to practise what they are teaching is the way to grow and improve as a rider on track. It also gives you track exposure in a very controlled environment which I think would help in making your first trackday less daunting.
Another option is that more advanced rider groups offer something too. I am a member of TVAM and doing my advanced test and they off track skills days, for me this is Castle Combe or Thruxton and they have intructors who are there to help you progress, but this would be on your own bike, but not too expensive. I have done one of these and plan to do more.
Rick1.8t said:
I am in the same boat as you and want to get on track next year, I think I am going down the route of a cheap 600 though rather than hire as I already have a van with ramps and most of the gear so dont have the full expense.
I thought about hiring a bike but want to be able to take a few short blasts on the road, I am worried that getting on a new bike that has a completely different riding position & engine character to my road bike will mean half of the day spent just getting used to the basics. I cant see me losing too much either so long as I dont send it into the gravel.....
There seems to be absolutely loads of 600's out there in the £2k to sub £2k bracket to get started with, track bikes, road bikes, damaged newer stuff, no lack of choice.
That was pretty much my thinking too, and I'll defiantly be getting a track focused bike at some point. It's a bonus that you already have the ramps etc, I'd be riding back and forth which is another thing to consider. It's swings and roundabouts really, if you hire a bike it will be unfamiliar but you can also be fairly sure that it has been meticulously setup and checked over. Knowing my luck I'd turn up on my own bike and something would break or all of the oil would fall out of it... I thought about hiring a bike but want to be able to take a few short blasts on the road, I am worried that getting on a new bike that has a completely different riding position & engine character to my road bike will mean half of the day spent just getting used to the basics. I cant see me losing too much either so long as I dont send it into the gravel.....
There seems to be absolutely loads of 600's out there in the £2k to sub £2k bracket to get started with, track bikes, road bikes, damaged newer stuff, no lack of choice.
Graylag - I think the Ron Haslam one is closer to £300 but I might be wrong. I suppose the value to me as a beginner is for a certain amount of hand holding and proper instruction. Having never been on a race circuit before I can imagine that it can be quite daunting, having the whole day revolve around people literally telling you what to do and where to go seems a bit less scary than just turning up and figuring it out.
Rick1.8t - Defo, I build a Specialized downhill bike a few years ago and the front brake alone cost me a weeks wage!
fergus said:
Although if you spend any time with Simon Crafar @ Motovudu, you will then need to undo most of what CSS teach you to go quicker. You can see the main points of Moto Vudu via reading the books Simon has written.
I’m new to riding, I started with the intention of doing trackdays so I been reading up and practicing. I’ve gotta say that when I started I watched twist of the wrist as the rule book and it was a bit of a struggle because it (to me) seem a slow technique. It left me chasing the throttle to get to where I want to be and the rules that they advise only crack the throttle when you can roll on fully etc and then you have to pick apart that they do and don’t mean.
But then I saw the motovudu guys videos and tbh it kinda confirmed what I wanted to do and IMO seems a more get around the corner on to the next and how to drive out of the corner rather than faffing about before the corner.
I spent all of last year trying to encourage a few mates to come and do a track day and did none so this year I’ve said f
k it and I’m going to book some ASAP so I can’t back out. TurbosSuck said:
That was pretty much my thinking too, and I'll defiantly be getting a track focused bike at some point. It's a bonus that you already have the ramps etc, I'd be riding back and forth which is another thing to consider. It's swings and roundabouts really, if you hire a bike it will be unfamiliar but you can also be fairly sure that it has been meticulously setup and checked over. Knowing my luck I'd turn up on my own bike and something would break or all of the oil would fall out of it...
Graylag - I think the Ron Haslam one is closer to £300 but I might be wrong. I suppose the value to me as a beginner is for a certain amount of hand holding and proper instruction. Having never been on a race circuit before I can imagine that it can be quite daunting, having the whole day revolve around people literally telling you what to do and where to go seems a bit less scary than just turning up and figuring it out.
Rick1.8t - Defo, I build a Specialized downhill bike a few years ago and the front brake alone cost me a weeks wage!
It’s £300 for half a day and not a lot of track time. I actually did it as my first foray onto track and wasn’t that impressed, but you may find it different. Whatever, you choose, I’d just suggest don’t overthink it and go out and enjoy yourself. Graylag - I think the Ron Haslam one is closer to £300 but I might be wrong. I suppose the value to me as a beginner is for a certain amount of hand holding and proper instruction. Having never been on a race circuit before I can imagine that it can be quite daunting, having the whole day revolve around people literally telling you what to do and where to go seems a bit less scary than just turning up and figuring it out.
Rick1.8t - Defo, I build a Specialized downhill bike a few years ago and the front brake alone cost me a weeks wage!
graylag said:
TurbosSuck said:
That was pretty much my thinking too, and I'll defiantly be getting a track focused bike at some point. It's a bonus that you already have the ramps etc, I'd be riding back and forth which is another thing to consider. It's swings and roundabouts really, if you hire a bike it will be unfamiliar but you can also be fairly sure that it has been meticulously setup and checked over. Knowing my luck I'd turn up on my own bike and something would break or all of the oil would fall out of it...
Graylag - I think the Ron Haslam one is closer to £300 but I might be wrong. I suppose the value to me as a beginner is for a certain amount of hand holding and proper instruction. Having never been on a race circuit before I can imagine that it can be quite daunting, having the whole day revolve around people literally telling you what to do and where to go seems a bit less scary than just turning up and figuring it out.
Rick1.8t - Defo, I build a Specialized downhill bike a few years ago and the front brake alone cost me a weeks wage!
It’s £300 for half a day and not a lot of track time. I actually did it as my first foray onto track and wasn’t that impressed, but you may find it different. Whatever, you choose, I’d just suggest don’t overthink it and go out and enjoy yourself. Graylag - I think the Ron Haslam one is closer to £300 but I might be wrong. I suppose the value to me as a beginner is for a certain amount of hand holding and proper instruction. Having never been on a race circuit before I can imagine that it can be quite daunting, having the whole day revolve around people literally telling you what to do and where to go seems a bit less scary than just turning up and figuring it out.
Rick1.8t - Defo, I build a Specialized downhill bike a few years ago and the front brake alone cost me a weeks wage!
A friend of mine also did the Ron Haslam day and wasnt super impressed, I think total riding time was only about an hour and it was pretty expensive, the did say some of the tips were useful but has done a track day since on his own bike and found it much more enjoyable and still learned a lot.
The bike hire stuff at £300 inc fuel for the day seems like a decent deal though, thats something I will definately consider.
The bike hire stuff at £300 inc fuel for the day seems like a decent deal though, thats something I will definately consider.
Hmm yeah £300 is a lot for half a day, especially if some of you have been less than impressed.
Scratch number 2 off that list then. Although Hopp rider training still looks good and that's £250 for three and a half hours on track which seems good to me. I'd have to do it on my GPZ though...
Scratch number 2 off that list then. Although Hopp rider training still looks good and that's £250 for three and a half hours on track which seems good to me. I'd have to do it on my GPZ though...
If you are thinking of doing Hopp follow them on Facebook so you get their post when they release the 2019 dates. They only had two at Cadwell this year and they do sell out so it is best to get in quick.
I did Hopp after doing a few trackdays and wish I had done it the other way round.
Don't worry about what bike you take, it is for everyone. There are a couple of bits on track where you will have the throttle pinned but it is it is pretty gentle for the most part. Or can be gentle if you try to change up early, etc. to keep revs lower, but I can almost guarantee that won't happen because you will be having too much fun
I did Hopp after doing a few trackdays and wish I had done it the other way round.
Don't worry about what bike you take, it is for everyone. There are a couple of bits on track where you will have the throttle pinned but it is it is pretty gentle for the most part. Or can be gentle if you try to change up early, etc. to keep revs lower, but I can almost guarantee that won't happen because you will be having too much fun
I think that the main thing is to not overthink all this. Personally, I would book a track day, hire a bike with Smallboy and get out and see how you find it. If you feel you need instruction, then seek out an instructor on the day. If you want to hone your skills further, then look at one of the school days. Get yourself the right kit over the winter and then throw yourself in to it next year. Don't be worried about doing it on your own, it is the most friendly of things and you will be surrounded by people willing to help.
A cheap way if you're an IAM member is to do one of their skills days. They cost about 150 quid but as these are skill based you can use road kit, one guy turned up to thruxton on his thruxton with lace up hipster riding boots and jeans...no problem! There is technically a speed limit, which of course is fully observed by all throughout, it being about road safety and all The instruction was not bad and they let you do your own thing if you want.
tjlazer said:
A cheap way if you're an IAM member is to do one of their skills days. They cost about 150 quid but as these are skill based you can use road kit, one guy turned up to thruxton on his thruxton with lace up hipster riding boots and jeans...no problem! There is technically a speed limit, which of course is fully observed by all throughout, it being about road safety and all The instruction was not bad and they let you do your own thing if you want.
Can’t see that being much fun at all. tjlazer said:
A cheap way if you're an IAM member is to do one of their skills days. They cost about 150 quid but as these are skill based you can use road kit, one guy turned up to thruxton on his thruxton with lace up hipster riding boots and jeans...no problem! There is technically a speed limit, which of course is fully observed by all throughout, it being about road safety and all The instruction was not bad and they let you do your own thing if you want.
I mentioned this earlier, I did a TVAM one at Castle Combe and there was never any mention of a speed limit.Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff