im gonna have my 1st trackday... well sorta.

[jmillheiser]

thats pretty much the whole point of a track day

[BigChickenStrips]

you'll be tired even before you ride at the track

WHAT?! Verm said somethign negative about sport bikes?!

those baby standard bikes that look like sport bikes (but are to slow) can ride for 100+ miles without making you too tired for a track day. (and it would be like $6 in gas too!)

[yes, i will wipe the smug look off my face, eventually]

[dieziege]

riding to the track is not a good idea... you'll be tired even before you ride at the track.

actually, it's not as bad... it's only about 100+ miles away.

but the main thing is if something goes bad... then you'll have no way of going home if your bike doesn't run anymore.

as for track prepping the bike, it's not good either... the advice is to track prep the bike the night before so you'll have enough time and not panic and be sure to pass the tech inspection at the tracks.

also, i need to disconnect the light wires... i think that's what the trackday org requires. i'll check it again later.

as for the tires... it's for my peace of mind. i don't wanna use a tire that has maybe 3000 miles (estimate miles i'll have before that trackday)

plus if it doesn't pass inspections, i'll be very pissed at wasting my time and money going there bec my tires didn't pass inspection.

Tires w/ 3000 miles are no problem. You've never really used most of the tread anyway, and those tires are good for 6000-9000 miles easily. 3000 is just broken in.

If you are so concerned about track prepping... ride to the general area of the track the night before, get a motel room ($50 tops), get up early and ride to the track, prep your bike, and away you go. Or ask them if they have anyone who will help you prep it at the track.

I don't understand your concern about disconnecting the lites. Just pop the connectors off.

As for your concern about getting it home after a crash... if that happens call a friend with a pickup truck or go to Avis/Hurtz/uhaul/whoever and rent a pickup to get the parts home. Even with your riding I wouldn't assume it was going to happen and base my plans around it though.

[Sev]

Considering he needs his mechanic to remove his turn signals I think it'd be best if he trailors in the bike.

Maybe instead of spending money on stickers and performance upgrades of "questionable" value you should be saving for a cheap truck to transport your bike if you're so interested in racing.

OR did you just want to LOOK like a racer?

[VermilionX]

Considering he needs his mechanic to remove his turn signals I think it'd be best if he trailors in the bike.

Maybe instead of spending money on stickers and performance upgrades of "questionable" value you should be saving for a cheap truck to transport your bike if you're so interested in racing.

OR did you just want to LOOK like a racer?

the mods i did(TRE, SET valve, GP shift) are cheap... not even $100. they're very simple mods.

trackday is something a lot more expensive. but like i said, im gonna do all i can to make sure i get a trackday before this year ends since it's very important for my improvement.

[Sev]

Actually, I don't think taking it to the track is VERY IMPORTANT for improvement. I think if you want to improve on your riding you need to "STOP WORRING ABOUT WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE AND START PRACTISING THE BASICS!" Basics that you can and should be learning on the street.

Your video is still fresh in my mind, and I think about it fairly often. In fact I had to ask friends if I looked like that while I ride. I was informed (to the benefit of my ego) that, "no, I do not look like that."

So here's what I did to get my modicum of biking skill (which includes the ability to do the slow speed MSF figure 8 on my bike). I focused on one thing at a time.

First, always keep your knees glued to the tank. There's no reason to be flapping them out, all it does is adversely affect your balance and steering. You're not impressing anyone.

Second, forget about leaning off the bike in turns. Keep yourself centered on the bike and focus on your counter steering. Once you can handle that without a problem (and I've seen you ride, you have a problem with it, so don't say you're fine at it).

Once you've done that, start working on leaning into the corner with your shoulder... JUST your shoulder, your "O Ring" stays planted. I've found that leaning back a little in the seat will make this a lot easier. Something about rolling your hips.

Anyways, focus on that for a few thousand miles. Then once that becomes second nature you can start shifting your "O Ring" around to try and lean your weight off the bike.





When I first started riding this bike I was having so much fun that I leaned out of the turns to accentuate and artificially increase the lean angles. I didn't even realise I was doing it at first. From there I started focusing on just keeping myself centered. That was all of last year (about 7000km). In the 7000km I've put on the bike this year I'vs gone from staying centered to shifting my "O Ring" over from side to side for twisty bits, and in some cases hanging off the bike. I've nearly annihilated the chicken strips on both sides with simple left and right turns at traffic lights.




You keep saying that you lack confidence, and the ability to find a line through corners. This is because you're thinking about to many things at once. It's like you're trying to golf and in your head sayings, "okay keep your knees bent, wrists straight, head down, weight balanced, ball towards the front of your stance, feet shoulder width apart, smooth backstroke, stop, swing, follow through, head comes up track the ball, make sure you follow throoooooough!" When really all you need to do is say, "keep your right knee bent." If you tackle to much at once you don't get anything right.

[VermilionX]

yeah, i took your advice and im keeping my knees inside right now.

but i still hang off my upper body and slide my half my butt off the seat.

you're right im thinking of too many things... that's why i practice so that if i do it a lot... i won't have to think about it anymore. it'll just happen.

[cgalavis]

I agree with you, you could ride the bike to the track, but I wouln't recommended, at least not on the gixxer. If the track is 100+ miles away, that is 200++ miles to go and get back, add to that another 100 miles on the track and you get over 300 miles, all the same day.

I would take the Uhal suggestion a bit further and rent a pickup truck to go and then get back from the track. This will cost you something like $60, but is well worth the money, this way you can prep your bike the night before and maximize you track time.

Another thing. Even if you decide not to ride, take the bike with you. I am positive you are going to say (Damn I whish I had brought by bike along)

[Big B]

+1 to all that sev. track day schmack day. improvement is gained most by simply riding the damn thing. bench racing, looking at new mods, thinking about track day, none of these do you any good. get out and ride. ride till your "O Ring" is killing you and your hands are cramping up. then rest a bit and ride some more until you no longer have to consciously think about these things, they all become a second nature and you and your bike become one. you get this by putting miles on the clock, not by asking squidly questions on a motorcycle forum because you either know or you don't. and right now you don't.

[VermilionX]

i don't agree...

trackdays is best way to improve as i see it.

controlled place, no cars, 1-way, no speed limit, etc.

you can experiment on stuff you can't do on the streets. or you can, but it's gonna be more risky compare to a track.

it's the only place you can fully enjoy your bike.