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Track Day

208K views 2K replies 54 participants last post by  sharper 
#1 · (Edited)
I had my first track day today. If anyone has a chance to do this in thier area, I highly recommend it. Probably the most excitement I have had in a long time. There was some class time teaching pointers on not just the track but for the street too. Spent a total of 40 minutes on the track in two sessions even though the site says 15 minute sessions. My 650R is stock beyond a windscreen and modified tail and it did awesome. Unfortunately, I wanted to go faster but was stuck in what I would consider slower groups. Considering none of us were in suits, it might have been a good thing before I got too confident.

I am linking the street class but there is a school day and also just everyday track days. Considering the cost of an actual track day, I have not been able to commit yet.

TrackAddix Street Rider Experience Program
 
#2 ·
Nice. I had my first track day early June. If all goes well, I'll go again end of this month. I'm shocked that race org lets you run w/no suits. That's crazy. I am jealous of that $45 price. I paid $220 last time. However I did get more time on the track.
 
#3 ·
Yea, I am a bit concerned about that too. Several of the tracks I had taken courses at requires either a full suit rental or BYO before they allow you onto the track. Though it being a much slower speed perhaps the organized deem it safe enough without the suit but I recommend all track riders suiting up.
 
#4 ·
If you look at the site, you can see that they have stages to get you into it. I did the first stage which is just basically orientation and let you out on the track to get a feel for it. They actually split us up into groups each led by an instructor and kept it at safe speeds. Don't get me wrong, it felt fast for us but probably stayed under 60mph on most corners and I only reached 110mph on the straight. Probably could have maxed it on the straight but wearing jeans and following inexperinced riders makes you want to be safe. They actually joked that what we think is fast is very slow to them. At least we were required to wear all other gear. That $45 price is what got me into it in the first place. 40 minutes of track time, a free lunch and taking in all the sounds and bikes is hell of a bargain.

The next stage is the New Rider Orientation which requires full gear and bike prep. I think the cost is the same as a weekend date for $185. The rest is just about how good you are and how confident you are in your skills to be in the A or B group. Eventually, when you are in the good group you can do the 5 hour block of the ride when you want for $125. That sounds like a hell of a lot of fun.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Spiegler Brake Lines and Woodcraft Frame Sliders

Some of you may have read in my other posts that I am going to slowly upgrade my bike to do more track days. Keep in mind that it will not solely be a track bike so I am not going to go too extreme. The first round is brake lines and frame sliders. I also got a one piece suit and boots but no one needs to see pictures of gear. Hopefully I can sneak some more upgrades in before the year is out. Unfortunately, suspension and a slipper are going to cost a bit more and I do not have the funds yet. That and I have not decided what rear spring I am going to get yet. Parts came from ninja650shop since I live in the area.

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#7 · (Edited)
Two more pictures. I am not sure why I chose the white cable tie since I have black so I need to switch that out. The left line seems a bit longer than it needs to be so tieing them together solved that.

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#10 ·
My original reason for the slipper was more for my safety. One stupid mistake shifting is all it takes for an accident so one more thing can't hurt. I am most likely going to make that my last purchase however as I feel I should at least experience the track without the slipper so I can get better and then appreciate what the slipper does for me.

For that same reason, I will most likely only be making a tire purchase before my first actual track day. That way, I can feel the changes in the suspension when I make those upgrades. Who knows though, I may come into some money and get that out of the way. I am still undecided between the Ohlins and Penske though. I do not know if I would ever use more adjustability and I have seen the Ohlins in the low $500's whereas the Penske is over $600. I am trying my hardest not to act cheap but I have not read a good comparison on what would make one that much better than the other. Real racing may make sense but the occasional track day may not.
 
#12 ·
NOLA has track days! And track classes. I think the track classes are $175/day. And you can rent suits there. Track days are $200 off the top of my head. I'm trying to convince the wife she wants to spend a weekend in new orleans....
 
#14 ·
Sometimes you gotta make sacrifices...or buy a dvr...
 
#16 · (Edited)
I got an upfront quote for a Race Tech front and the Ohlins rear so I can plan funds accordingly. Since the shop out here is an Ohlins shop, I figure it will get set it up right and any adjustments can easily be made by just going back to them. I know people complain about the adjustment but I am nowhere near knowing or understanding how much each adjustment will make yet. Anything has to be better than the stocker anyway and I have read that this shock has the potential for a preload upgrade whether or not that is true.

I have 4 track days planned this year and hope to get the upgrades mid season in June so that I have a good comparison. A good bonus is that our track organization does pre-purchase specials so each track day is only $117 for me this year. Yes, that also means I committed before even doing a real track day but in doing so, saved about $300.

I have not made any upgrades in the off season and as mentioned above the next will not be until June. I think I have finally decided on the Dunlop Q2's for my first tire which is the only thing I have left to do before the first track day in April. The only other updates I have are the purchases of a stand alone back protector instead of the one in the suit and some ramps so I can get the bike to the track.

I have been considering the Leo underbody and a Shorai battery to save a little over 10 lbs. but have yet to make a concrete decision. Without experience, it is hard to know yet how much each weight savings will help. The other thing I was thinking is that the heavy exhaust should be lowering the CG so the battery (and my weight) would probably be more helpful in keeping the CG low. Since I still plan to keep this a street bike, I have to also take that into account with every decision I make.
 
#18 ·
Nice. I am in the same boat as you, upgrading the bike for some track duties. It pays, or actually saves, to get those track days early. And be sure to attend even if it forecast for rain. This will be the best opportunity for you to get practice in the wet in a safe and controlled environment.

Personally, I would not be spending money to save weight just yet. Get the major control aspects of your bike sorted first(suspension, tires, brakes) and get your skill level up high enough to where the minutiae like weight savings, and go fast goodies can start to be of a benefit.
 
#19 ·
Personally, I would not be spending money to save weight just yet. Get the major control aspects of your bike sorted first(suspension, tires, brakes) and get your skill level up high enough to where the minutiae like weight savings, and go fast goodies can start to be of a benefit.
That is the current plan but I like to do my research way ahead of time to deliberate, get others opinions and save up money. I may have mentioned this earlier in the thread but I have a spreadsheet that lists all the parts/gear I have purchased, plan to purchase and the prices. The suspension is already planned as I have not heard one person say that the Ninja does not benefit from suspension. The rest of my purchases will based from my experiences on the track this year. It will be difficult to determine whether a weight savings would shave off time but I am hoping after this year I will be able to determine whether the high cost of a slipper is worth it. I think since I will be eventually replacing the springs and possibly plates that I would just get that done while in there. Then again, I may determine that it is not needed with this bike.
 
#20 ·
Springs are needed for sure, just try pegging the throttle doing quick shifts at high rpms and watch it slip. I read from another site that every 8 lbs lost is 1 hp freed up. Lowering weight also helps in the turns because it's easier to shift the bikes weight. Your battery actually sits fairly high up. You want the weight to be as low as possible to lower your cg. More weight doesn't help at all. The location of the weight that's there is what matters. Unless you're talking wheels. Which goes into centrifical force...and since you're debating relatively cheap mods, I doubt a $2000 set of rims is on the menu.
 
#21 ·
Ordered the Dunlop Sportmax Q2s today. My dealership was able to match Motorcycle Superstore even with the coupon. I think I saw them $5 cheaper later but still good for staying local. Should have them installed this Tuesday as the first track day is quickly approaching on 4/13. The stockers have a little over 7k miles on them so I do not feel too bad changing them out. I could probably go another 3K no problem though.

The last thing I need to do is change the coolant. I bought some Water Wetter but was told that our track accepts Propylene Glycol. I went for Liquid Performance instead of Engine Ice because it is a little cheaper and I believe they are almost the same product if not better.

Since my last post, I safety wired the oil drain, oil filter and oil filler cap. There are a few things that the organizers strongly recommend but not required. I figured I would do everything I could just so I was not "that guy".
 
#22 · (Edited)
Drained and filled twice today. Ran a mixture of distilled and Water Wetter through since I already had it mixed up. I think I read somewhere that the upper fairings do not to be removed and it is true so I would like to thank whoever it was that mentioned that. I only had to remove the upper bolts and it moved enough to get at the bolts for the overflow and allowed the overflow to be brought down and drained.

I should be able to remove the tires tomorrow so I can take them in. Should save me a good deal of money and it looks easy enough. After that, all I have to do is a test run getting it into the truck and tying it down. I do not really want any surprises for the track day.

Nothing exciting about the pictures unless you haven't seen a motorcycle without wheels. Had to run to HF to get a 14mm socket but had everything else I needed.

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#23 · (Edited)
Took the wheels to the shop today. It took them about an hour and cost $52. While putting them on I also adjusted the chain slack for the first time. I think it was way overdue as I am sitting at a little over 7K. The new tires really want to lean, it took a bit to get used to but I should feel right at home on the track. Posted some pics of the new rubber and finally got some pictures of the safety wire. I am not digging the angle on the filter but I think it will do the job.

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#24 ·
Ramp and truck tie down test. It is definitely ready to go.

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#25 ·
Since I am revealing everything I have been doing I figure I would mention that while my tires were off the bike I accidently pressed the front brake. What is sad is that I just read that you should pay close attention not to do that just prior to removing the wheels. I found that just loosening the cap and pushing the pads in was much easier on the bike than on the last car brake change I did so really not an issue. The reason I mention this is because before I was able to get the rear tire on, my son walked in the garage and started pressing on the rear break. Do I understand yet why my son does stuff like that? Nope. Anyway, loosened the cap on the rear and pressed the pads in no problem like the front.

Track day this Saturday so I am hoping this bad weather clears through in time and the 60 and sunny sticks. I just received my magnesium sliders in the mail. I almost forgot to order them. Considering it is the first track day, I may not need them anyway. The only thing left to do is to tape. I have green painters tape left over so it only makes sense to use that on the Kawasaki.
 
#27 ·
They like tape and to pull the wires/fuse for the taillight. I assume part of the reason is so all the plastic doesn't scatter if you go down. The obvious reasons are that you do your thing and not follow the signals of others. I imagine taping will be pretty quick. They actually have a nice form to make it easy to know what to do.

http://www.trackaddix.com/forms/TrackAddix_Tech.pdf
 
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