josh7owens

Kinda of off topic for our S2000 forum but considering I've posted here for the last 4 years and lerked s2ki 8-9 years I figured I'll ask you guys. Does anyone do any motorcycle track days? I picked up a 2007 GSXR 600 to play on and debating doing a couple track days. I raced dirt bikes as a kid and then had a R6 when I was a senior in High School until I hit a deer one day on a back road.

My question-

Is it much much cheaper to track day a bike?

what all do you need safety wise?

Who hosts track day and is it the same format as car track days?

Thanks!

It was all stock when I got it two weeks ago, this is what it looks like now:


mods- (all in the last 2 weeks)
removed graphics on side and added custom gsxr sticker
-1+2 520 sprockets and chain
Different grips
Different exhaust
pair mod
speedoDRD
No cut frame sliders
bar ends
k&N filter and powercomanderV on order
wired cig lighter charger in rear cowl for my phone charger.

rhouck

Yes. The days themselves are cheaper because they can fit more people. The consumables are way cheaper (tires, gas, brakes, etc.).

Also, it's way more fun (more/closer passing). The people are more fun (less rich douchebags, more actual enthusiasts). Equipment is way less of a factor vs skill (opposite of car track days). Be warned, track days in a car will seem pretty mediocre afterwards, and autocross will seem like you're a giant sissy.

Buy a 1pc suit, current helmet, gloves, boots. Strongly recommend safety wiring important bolts on the bike -- easy to do and can prevent a disaster. Look into other small things like you can't run coolant (need water), etc.

Depends on your area. NESBA hosts great days on the east coast at tracks relatively near KY (if that's where you still are) like CMP, Summit, VIR, Beaverun (they changed the name), etc.

spdracerut

I'd highly recommend going to a school before doing an open track day. Out here in Cali, there are a handful of options, but I can't tell you about where you live.

You'll need a tow vehicle to tow your motorcycle to the track (bike needs to be set up for the track, if you crash you're not going home, and you'll be dead tired at the end of the day so you don't want to ride home anyways). Mirrors removed (they'll break off leaving glass and plastic on the track when you go down), water only in the coolant system (coolant is slippery and messy to clean up when you go down), head lights and brake lights disconnected and taped over (tape is to keep the lens fragments from scattering all over the track when you go down). You'll want to go through the entire bike to make sure there are no loose bolts. Track-only bikes often have many of the bolts safety-wired to prevent them from coming loose due to vibrations.

Needless to say, all fresh fluids and the chain cleaned. Tires in good condition along with the brake system. Considering the age of the bike, you'll probably want to replace the brake lines with SS lines.

Bikes are cheaper to track (assuming you don't crash too often) as consumables are cheaper. You'll get 20-something mpg on track, no tranny or diff fluid to change, only two tires, brake pads are cheaper, etc.

Of course, you'll need full leathers, boots, and a back protector.

MADANT15

I did a combined bike/car track day at Thunderhill (different run groups for each), and I saw 5 bikes get completely totaled in one day. After talking to some of the bike guys pitted next to me, apparently pretty much every time they Sonoma someone needs to get airlifted to the hospital. I'll keep my half cage, 6 pt harnesses, and HANS device

eron

TWF

Don't know where you guys do track days on bike but it is not any cheaper than car. Cost is about same, at least for me.
Track day providers around here charge same, car or bike day.
Tires for bike are cheaper but don't last as long so it comes to same.
You burn few gallons less on bike, about only saving
Josh, safety wire oil drain plug and oil filter. That is about all required around here. It is also good to replace antifreeze with water.
And don't go out there on street tires, get race compound.

TWF

btw. when you fast with both (bike and car) car is not even close to bike, so much more fun on 2 wheels
I sold my s2k because it is to slow to get even close to bike and to easy. You need a lot of car to match bike.

WynnS123

A properly set up S2k (suspension, aero, etc) on race tires is fairly equivalent to 600cc bikes on race tires around a track. This is assuming competent driver and rider. Bikes are fast in the straights, but are much slower in the corners given equivalent tire compounds. At the top level (F1 and MotoGP), there is no comparison. Formula 1 cars will kill anything on a closed course.

I agree that bikes are more fun. I miss tracking on a bike, but I don't miss the hospital visits and the surgeries. Bikes are cheaper until you have to repair your body.

Then again, maybe I'm just getting old...

TWF

Not even close here on west side.

MADANT15

I think it depends on the track. At thunder hill, the "quick" guys on 600cc bikes were only running ~2:10 w/ the crow's nest. For reference, a well setup s2000 is in the 1:59-2:05 range. Obviously rider/ driver variation is everything, but from my limited sample set at an open track day, the cars were quicker on average.