The Best Track Bike For Me......... - Sportbike Addicts

matt · 09-17-2007, 09:10 PM

ok...here it is.....i got stung by the track bike bee. so i'm thinking about next spring, and wondering what would be the best bike for me for just track days. no street riding for this ride...strictly for the track.

i'm currently on a 2003 triumph daytona 955i street/track. the bike is a bit heavy, and doesn't pull on the straights like the new stuff. plus, i add another 200 lbs, plus all the gear...what is that total..like 250????

i'm open to all ideas. please understand that before the triumph triple, i always rode ducati v-twins, so i'm use to low end torque and all that. i rode my first kawi 636 a couple of weeks ago...i was not gettin' it at all. let's assume that i'm not gonna change how i ride anytime soon.

thanks for the input......peace

lets_racefast · 09-17-2007, 09:25 PM

Hi Matt

I suggest a Suzuki SV 650 for you....Great bike...Good HP / Low End Torque...Lots of parts available in case you crash.

Cornwall?...next to Newburgh?

RCM78 · 09-17-2007, 09:40 PM

If you want to learn how to ride get something without alot of power. Like an SV650...

matt · 09-17-2007, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lets_racefast

Hi Matt

I suggest a Suzuki SV 650 for you....Great bike...Good HP / Low End Torque...Lots of parts available in case you crash.

Cornwall?...next to Newburgh?

yeah baby...near the burgh.....but not too close, eh?

sv 650 huh....seems like a step down to me motor wise what with my unfulfilledness on the 636....i'm really used to liter bikes and the like...but again, i'm open to all ideas... i like the parts availabliity thang (being that i have to buy practically everything from triumph right now)....would like to try and avoid buying a bike, being unhappy, selling a bike, buying a bike...and on and on and on....

***Cakes206*** · 09-17-2007, 09:43 PM

'Nuther vote for sv650 here. Excellent track bike and so much fun to ride. SV's don't make a lot of power so it make you really learn to ride. Lots of parts readily available is a big plus.

matt · 09-17-2007, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCM78

If you want to learn how to ride get something without alot of power. Like an SV650...

wow....2 sv650's in a row....i need to look into this.....is someone on here selling one and offering a birddog or sumthin'????? time to google sv650..

thanx

matt · 09-17-2007, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt

wow....2 sv650's in a row....i need to look into this.....is someone on here selling one and offering a birddog or sumthin'????? time to google sv650..

thanx

make that 3....holy crap

***Cakes206*** · 09-17-2007, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt

sv 650 huh....seems like a step down to me motor wise what with my unfulfilledness on the 636....i'm really used to liter bikes and the like...but again, i'm open to all ideas... i like the parts availabliity thang (being that i have to buy practically everything from triumph right now)....would like to try and avoid buying a bike, being unhappy, selling a bike, buying a bike...and on and on and on....

I went from a gix 750 135hp to an sv650 70hp...was the best thing I ever did. Rode it for 4 years...never a dull moment.

matt · 09-17-2007, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cakes982

I went from a gix 750 135hp to an sv650 70hp...was the best thing I ever did. Rode it for 4 years...never a dull moment.

yeah...i hear that a lot.....but what about a guy like me who likes the quirkiness of the euro-trash bike? you know, doesn't mind paying for the 12k service? but...and this is serious.... i want to get better...my ego doesn't really need the bike to say 1000 on it. how does a bike like that keep up on the straights??? i find that i'm on guys back tires through the turns, and then on the straights, they open the throttle, and boom...they're gone (until the next turn or 2)

***Cakes206*** · 09-17-2007, 09:58 PM

A smaller bike(cc wise) like an SV will make you a better rider...you'll have no choice, lol. Some of the longer straits can be tough. The SV is all about drive(anyone can go fast in the straits)...get a killer drive out of the last turn before the strait, and you'll make it tougher for people to pass.

Kennedy · 09-17-2007, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt

yeah...i hear that a lot.....but what about a guy like me who likes the quirkiness of the euro-trash bike? you know, doesn't mind paying for the 12k service? but...and this is serious.... i want to get better...my ego doesn't really need the bike to say 1000 on it. how does a bike like that keep up on the straights??? i find that i'm on guys back tires through the turns, and then on the straights, they open the throttle, and boom...they're gone (until the next turn or 2)

How about the guy who is going to pay out of his ass to fix his bike when he does crash? Or the guy who is going to get ripped of because of a brand name? This is an expensive sport. To be honest taking care of the bike and the cost of track days isn't really all the bad its crashing that sucks. You may not crash for awhile or at all, but remember when you do you want parts readily avaliable for you and parts that you don't have to get from overseas or that are on back order.

As for faster bikes, I've been passed by people on SV650's in the corners. As your skill progresses you will learn where you are faster than others and when they pass you down the front straight you either A. take them on the brakes or B. get more practice passing only to make you a better rider overall.

Kennedy · 09-17-2007, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cakes982

A smaller bike(cc wise) like an SV will make you a better rider...you'll have no choice, lol. Some of the longer straits can be tough. The SV is all about drive(anyone can go fast in the straits)...get a killer drive out of the last turn before the strait, and you'll make it tougher for people to pass.

Adding to what Cakes has said you can also take a protective line which will not allow people to pass you in certain scenerios.

lets_racefast · 09-17-2007, 10:36 PM

Matt...The SV is easier on tires, brakes, and your pocket.

Trust a guy who races (17 years worth) all types...The SV 650 is the way to go.

Although there is another fun Suzuki Twin...The TLS...THE TLR is fun too, but the chasis is too stiff. I had the best time racing the TLS!

lets_racefast · 09-17-2007, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt

yeah baby...near the burgh.....but not too close, eh?

sv 650 huh....seems like a step down to me motor wise what with my unfulfilledness on the 636....i'm really used to liter bikes and the like...but again, i'm open to all ideas... i like the parts availabliity thang (being that i have to buy practically everything from triumph right now)....would like to try and avoid buying a bike, being unhappy, selling a bike, buying a bike...and on and on and on....

My home town is Newburgh....I used to work at Bryan's Bikes (Cornwall) when I was a kid...NICE twisty turns near West Point...huh?

matt · 09-17-2007, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lets_racefast

My home town is Newburgh....I used to work at Bryan's Bikes (Cornwall) when I was a kid...NICE twisty turns near West Point...huh?

wow....i've bought 3 bikes from Bryan's in the past 6 years. that's funny...i make a right out of my house, and i'm on 218. for those of you who don't know, 218 in cornwall makes pocono look like a parking lot with cones on it (except for the double yellow line, and the oncoming traffic, and the rockslides....hmmmmm, i should slow down on it come to think of it)

so ...it's pretty unanimous...smaller bike, and learn how to ride the thing, plus save when the inevitable yard sale comes....