Track day and road bike
Discussion
I am thinking of getting a sports bike for the occasional track day - maybe 3-4 per year - and general pleasure rides of a weekend.
I have a Monster 821 which is my commuter and I will be keeping this as it is perfect for getting through London traffic.
I ride about 5k a year of commute miles, but not much outside of commuting - so I want something that will be fun, fairly reliable and suitable for track days.
I am drawn towards an early GSXR1000 but don’t know if this is too much for track days and whether a 750 or 600 may be better. I should highlight that the Monster is the largest capacity bike I have owned and previous sports bikes (many years ago) were an R6 and a Ducati 748S. I have done track days on the R6 but the last one was about 10 years ago so I will definitely be in the novice group.
Budget is around 3k so it won’t be too painful if I bin it during a track day.
So, in short, would a litre bike be too much for a track day starter bike and, if so, what should I go for?
I have a Monster 821 which is my commuter and I will be keeping this as it is perfect for getting through London traffic.
I ride about 5k a year of commute miles, but not much outside of commuting - so I want something that will be fun, fairly reliable and suitable for track days.
I am drawn towards an early GSXR1000 but don’t know if this is too much for track days and whether a 750 or 600 may be better. I should highlight that the Monster is the largest capacity bike I have owned and previous sports bikes (many years ago) were an R6 and a Ducati 748S. I have done track days on the R6 but the last one was about 10 years ago so I will definitely be in the novice group.
Budget is around 3k so it won’t be too painful if I bin it during a track day.
So, in short, would a litre bike be too much for a track day starter bike and, if so, what should I go for?
TNJ said:
I am thinking of getting a sports bike for the occasional track day - maybe 3-4 per year - and general pleasure rides of a weekend.
I am drawn towards an early GSXR1000 but don’t know if this is too much for track days and whether a 750 or 600 may be better. I should highlight that the Monster is the largest capacity bike I have owned and previous sports bikes (many years ago) were an R6 and a Ducati 748S. I have done track days on the R6 but the last one was about 10 years ago so I will definitely be in the novice group.
In your position I'd go for a 750. Nice and grunty-ish on the road and revvy enough for track use for a novice / inters type rider. I am drawn towards an early GSXR1000 but don’t know if this is too much for track days and whether a 750 or 600 may be better. I should highlight that the Monster is the largest capacity bike I have owned and previous sports bikes (many years ago) were an R6 and a Ducati 748S. I have done track days on the R6 but the last one was about 10 years ago so I will definitely be in the novice group.
GSX-R1000 will make you a lazy rider on our little tight tracks in the UK.
I loved my 2000 750Y model for road and track (see profile pic) and subsequently tried 1000K3 and K8 models (meh!) - big, grunty imposing tanks that'll chew through back tyres and (possibly) turn you into a point and squirt sort of rider.
Best of both worlds, an Aprilia RSV?
£3k will get you a decent one with gold shiney bits, carbon and very likely a lovely sounding exhaust.
Certainly quick enough to be fun on the road and track without the need to work it hard to be rewarding.
Engines are bullet proof and once the main / known fixes have been done, should be relatively trouble free (he says, needing his looked at but still, once in 5yrs ain’t bad).
£3k will get you a decent one with gold shiney bits, carbon and very likely a lovely sounding exhaust.
Certainly quick enough to be fun on the road and track without the need to work it hard to be rewarding.
Engines are bullet proof and once the main / known fixes have been done, should be relatively trouble free (he says, needing his looked at but still, once in 5yrs ain’t bad).
I preferred the 750 for both track and road, K4 GSXR 750 with MCT suspenson rebuild (massive difference). I still bimble around in the inters group though, fast group may be different.
For me the 750 lets you concentrate on cornering and getting good drive out and (generally) needed a fairly long straight before the litre boys would catch you and it's still relatively quick.
I'm by no means good but the 750 would often be through the corner and up and driving out before a lot of the bigger bikes and carried more speed in the the slower corners.
A vote for the 750 here!
For me the 750 lets you concentrate on cornering and getting good drive out and (generally) needed a fairly long straight before the litre boys would catch you and it's still relatively quick.
I'm by no means good but the 750 would often be through the corner and up and driving out before a lot of the bigger bikes and carried more speed in the the slower corners.
A vote for the 750 here!
scorcher said:
Why not just hire something for the odd occasional trackday? Turn up, sit back and get looked after all day. No worries no hassle.
Smallboys trackbike hire do this rather well!
I think that's really worth considering for 3 or 4 a year. Provided it's available at the tracks you'll be riding. IIRC it's about £350 (plus a fixed payment if you bin it). Nothing to worry about and avoids many less obvious costs; transport, tyres, brakes, fuel, chain etc etc. You may even get some decent advice on riding and tyre pressures.Smallboys trackbike hire do this rather well!
Having said all that, I've got a 2006 CBR600RR. Have had it for 18 months, 10k miles, including commuting, fun weekend rides, euro touring and a first track day 2 months ago. It's been very good at everything, £3000 would find a nice one.
scorcher said:
Why not just hire something for the odd occasional trackday? Turn up, sit back and get looked after all day. No worries no hassle.
Smallboys trackbike hire do this rather well!
This is the best option if you’re only doing a few a year, also you won’t get caught up with buying endless bits for it!Smallboys trackbike hire do this rather well!
Andybow said:
scorcher said:
Why not just hire something for the odd occasional trackday? Turn up, sit back and get looked after all day. No worries no hassle.
Smallboys trackbike hire do this rather well!
This is the best option if you’re only doing a few a year, also you won’t get caught up with buying endless bits for it!Smallboys trackbike hire do this rather well!
Start liquidating assets now.
15 years ago I passed my bike test to make my commute easier and more importantly cheaper. Then I bought a faster bike, then I bought a cheap trackbike. Now I spend £1000 a month minimum racing with Trackdays on top and have a bike that cost nearly as much as my first house.
You’re doomed to be skint for the rest of your life.
I think I’d have been better off discovering heroin.
I’d say, just say no, but it’s so good so just do it. But whatever you want and enjoy riding it.
15 years ago I passed my bike test to make my commute easier and more importantly cheaper. Then I bought a faster bike, then I bought a cheap trackbike. Now I spend £1000 a month minimum racing with Trackdays on top and have a bike that cost nearly as much as my first house.
You’re doomed to be skint for the rest of your life.
I think I’d have been better off discovering heroin.
I’d say, just say no, but it’s so good so just do it. But whatever you want and enjoy riding it.
Some interesting comments about hire bikes but I cannot see the benefit for me - I want to enjoy my track days and jumping onto an unfamiliar bike with the worry of a grand or so excess if I bin it will just kill it for me.
I would much rather have my own bike that I can take out for a run on a Sunday morning and then throw in a few track days each year as well.
Much of this has come from commuting daily over the past couple of years. I love my Monster as a commuting tool but just don’t have the desire to open the garage on a weekend and take it out - so something different which is just for fun makes sense to me. And if it can double up as a great track bike, then so much the better. I am under no illusion that I willl ever be quick round a track - but when I used to do track days, I absolutely loved every minute so want something that I am not going to tire of for a while and which I can gradually improve on - the GSXR 750 sounds about spot on and I should be able to pick up a 2003/4/5 bike for around £3k with sensible mileage and history.
If I don’t get the second bike, I can see myself falling out of love with riding - don’t get me wrong, I love jumping on the Ducati to get to work over taking the train and tube, but it does drain the enjoyment of just getting out on a weekend for the simple fun of riding a bike
I would much rather have my own bike that I can take out for a run on a Sunday morning and then throw in a few track days each year as well.
Much of this has come from commuting daily over the past couple of years. I love my Monster as a commuting tool but just don’t have the desire to open the garage on a weekend and take it out - so something different which is just for fun makes sense to me. And if it can double up as a great track bike, then so much the better. I am under no illusion that I willl ever be quick round a track - but when I used to do track days, I absolutely loved every minute so want something that I am not going to tire of for a while and which I can gradually improve on - the GSXR 750 sounds about spot on and I should be able to pick up a 2003/4/5 bike for around £3k with sensible mileage and history.
If I don’t get the second bike, I can see myself falling out of love with riding - don’t get me wrong, I love jumping on the Ducati to get to work over taking the train and tube, but it does drain the enjoyment of just getting out on a weekend for the simple fun of riding a bike
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