Taking it to the track

woodstock101 · 10-19-2011, 05:40 PM

Hello Gents,

The plan is to attend VIR's corner speed class in the spring. The question is, do I use my RC8 or purchase a second hand bike and use it until Im proficient and confident enough in my ability on the track? I love watching MotoGP but Im a noob in actually getting out onto the track.

tye1138 · 10-20-2011, 02:35 AM

I think its a wise idea to first learn how to ride a cheap bike on the track. Lots of people buy R6's and even SV650's as track bikes to start with. Then once they feel confident, they move up to riding the bikes they really want to ride on the track, most of the time more exotic machines like the RC8. I started on Ducati's and had a cheap track bike and funny enough, that cheap Ducati was the ONLY one i didn't crash! LOL

I demo'd an RC8 few years ago, I liked it a lot, but it was still a street bike. Honestly, street bikes are just that, street bikes. You can't expect them to go well on the track, which is why a lot of people migrate in to track only machines.

Its always funny going from a street bike to a full-on track bike, its night and day difference. After the RC8 demo ride, I got right back on my race bike and sure it had slicks on it, but the chassis, the geometry, the motor, gear ratio's, all of that were perfect for riding on the track. Then you start to realize, street bikes, no matter how 'track' orientated they may be, are still street bikes.

BuilderBob · 10-20-2011, 05:56 AM

I'm hesitant to track my 8 as well. I had a SV650S that I set up for the track, but didn't make it there often enough to feel confident on the 8. I'll be looking for a beginner's class when I finally take the plunge.

woodstock101 · 10-24-2011, 03:48 PM

Thanks for the heads up. Guess I will hit up Ebay, Cycletrader, or Copart to find a good track bike.

sleazy · 10-25-2011, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuilderBob

I'm hesitant to track my 8 as well. I had a SV650S that I set up for the track, but didn't make it there often enough to feel confident on the 8. I'll be looking for a beginner's class when I finally take the plunge.

if youre coming from an SV... i too would be hesitant. you'd be stepping from lightweight machinery- straight into heavy weight. and that is a big transition, as i'm finding out.

i come from 10 years running gp 250 and 125s... and tho i could scoot around pretty well on those, i'm finding the weight and just the sheer horsepower of the rc8r something that i definitely need to take a step back and re-assess.

but to the original poster-- there is a huge difference between a track day and a race.

dont be scared to track your RC8. if you start out in novice, or even make it 90% of the way up into intermediate... you are still riding well inside the capabilities of the machine. you can get your knee down, get some nice track side photographer pictures and show all your friends.

i see everything from MV Augustas to MH repicla Ducatis at track days. and they all go out, run around well faster than anything you could do on the street... and they all come back and get trailered home in one piece (most of the time, barring anything really stupid). but do any of those machines show up at that months race? hell no.

a race bike is a dedicated, almost surgical tool. and a race is where you stop riding your bike, and start DRIVING it. you push things to the edge- and the equipment you have has to be very precise to safely take you there. and if you are testing your limits as to how fast you can possibly go- you will overstep some of those limits and probably go down. you learn ALOT from a lowside.

and i wouldnt want to crash ANY street machine.

first, they are not made to crash. one little 40mph lowside and a street bike is written off. the fairings are ungodly expensive, the foot pegs break, the clip ons snap, etc etc etc.

conversely- a guy lowsided in front of me this past weekend... easily going over 90mph. i saw him pick the bike up, start it and ride it back to the pits. with a few minor spares... he'll be back in business before the next session.

tye1138 · 10-25-2011, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleazy

if youre coming from an SV... i too would be hesitant. you'd be stepping from lightweight machinery- straight into heavy weight. and that is a big transition, as i'm finding out.

The SV's are still pretty heavy machines.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleazy

i come from 10 years running gp 250 and 125s... and tho i could scoot around pretty well on those, i'm finding the weight and just the sheer horsepower of the rc8r something that i definitely need to take a step back and re-assess.

I wish I had 125/250 roadracing experience, I started too late and they had already killed the 2 stroke classes.

I can't imagine transitioning from a small little chassis with tiny tires and little bitty motor to a big booming 1200cc twin. That is a HUGE transition, I just wonder how bad the ramp up is. I think its one reason why the 250 2 stroke classes are being replaced by 600's, they're so much more similar.

I raced a 750cc Ducati superbike for a few years. When I got on the RC8 for the first time, it was a breath of fresh air in certain ways because it was so unique, so different, yet the power did not rip my head off. That to me is the marque of a good, well designed and thought out bike. My 750cc high-revving race bikes seemed faster because they had a lot of bite and were tuned that way.

Kool beans!

BuilderBob · 10-25-2011, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tye1138

The SV's are still pretty heavy machines.

That's for sure. The 8 weighs less than my SV did.

sleazy · 10-25-2011, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuilderBob

That's for sure. The 8 weighs less than my SV did.

oh, i'm not talking gross weight...

but 'racing class'. the SV qualifies to run as Lightweight Supersport/Superbike. The RC8R runs in Heavyweight Supertwins/Thunderbike/"whatever else youre local sanctioning body calls it"

tye1138 · 10-25-2011, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleazy

but 'racing class'. the SV qualifies to run as Lightweight Supersport/Superbike. The RC8R runs in Heavyweight Supertwins/Thunderbike/"whatever else youre local sanctioning body calls it"

Exactly

BuilderBob · 10-25-2011, 03:43 PM

Regardless, the SV is a good bike to learn on. I mean, what better learning scenario could you have than on an relatively heavy, moderately powered V-twin that makes you learn to carry a lot of speed into the turns, and then requires you to instantly scrub all that speed with woefully inadequate brakes?

Pure joy, I tell you. Pure joy.