Have you ever thought about racing? | Page 5 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Have you ever thought about racing?

Always wanted to race and for that matter even ride a motorcycle and racer5 helped me realize this dream last year. Unfortunately things won't work out the way I wanted and I won't be out on my own bike this year, but I plan to see what Fawaz has in store this year, so long as he isn't totally sold out already!

I learned a lot and had a freaking blast. Even on those dinky 125s you can have some great fun and even have some oh shoot moments. Flying down the hill into turn 5 at mosport is one hell of an experience, even if I was only doing a little over 100 haha (full throttle all the way baby). On a real bike I can imagine just how insane it would be.. let's just say I would be pretty far off the record lap times for a while.

There are a multitude of different routes you can take, different classes and different levels of dedication and expenses. My initial plan before I did anyhing was that I wanted to buy a 600 with all the goodies and go racing and go now and start winning races and be on my way to motogp in a few years.. but then reality set in. In all likelyhood when i do start racing it will be on a budget ride on a budget. There are a lot of differing opinions on just what you need to be competitive or successful even in the novice classes, ranging from your basic track ready bikes to near ten thousand dollar perfect bikes. I had a good discussion with one of the guys at riders choice one day about what he figured I would "need" and really it came down to exactly that, what I need, not what I have to have to be "competitive". Ask yourself this, are you at any point where you can ride your stock bike to its limits, to the point where the bike is what's holding you back, not yourself? Sure upgraded suspension and a tuned engine and other odds and ends goodies are "cool" and everyone else may have them, but you really don't need them until you need them. If you're way off the pace a five thousand dollar suspension upgrade or a tuned engine isn't going to get you any closer..

There really are so many ways to approach the sport. One thing that was intriguing to me was the vintage racing, and the fact that the bikes can be had fairly cheap(by comparison to newer supersports, unless were talking MINT vintage bikes), but I ran into a lot of people who mentioned that since they're vintage they'll require more upkeep and those parts are more expensive should you go down.. so there are a lot of factors to weigh. Plus travel expenses, tools, trailer, room and board, other perks you want etc.

Nothing is stopping you from buying a beaten up track bike for a few grand, trailering it in the back of a van, camping out and racing on pump gas and the scrubs from other racers. You can do it cheaply, but you have to understand that the top guys in your class are on 15k dollar bikes on fresh slicks on race gas with their motorhomes and anything and everything they want. At the end of the day though, its supposed to be for fun, and I think when you can realize this, and that you gotta get to work on Monday, that its not such a big deal and any way you go about it, nothing compares to pushing your limits on the track, even if you're just racing yourself, even if you're on a little cbr125.

Cheers
 
gtm said:
...There really are so many ways to approach the sport. One thing that was intriguing to me was the vintage racing, and the fact that the bikes can be had fairly cheap(by comparison to newer supersports, unless were talking MINT vintage bikes), but I ran into a lot of people who mentioned that since they're vintage they'll require more upkeep and those parts are more expensive should you go down.. so there are a lot of factors to weigh. Plus travel expenses, tools, trailer, room and board, other perks you want etc....
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First of all, it sounds like you are getting a pretty good handle on things. You can spend as much money as you want in racing and it can get pretty crazy pretty quick! With the vintage bikes they do tend to be less expensive and more importantly because the periods/classes are established within the VRRA (with a specific end date that doesn't change) your bike doesn't become obsolete after a few years. Parts are sometimes hard to come by but they are normally really inexpensive. Once you get into it, you will start collecting parts real quick, stuff just seems to come your way. If you happen to have an off, the bikes do tend to crash better. You will likely trade some reliability compared to modern stuff, but once you sort the old bikes out they are usually pretty good(DON'T pull something out that's been sitting in a barn for 10 and expect it to be good)

Uwe (Mojo) was on an '85 gixxer that broke down during the endurance race but it had been really reliable prior to that. Read his story here...http://www.motorcyclemojo.com/2012/03/staying-the-course-vrra-vintage-festival-racing/

"My pretentious-sounding complaints hide the fact that I’m actually enjoying myself. It turns out that the Vintage Festival is as much a social event as it is a race weekend, and its party-like vibe makes me feel like I’m crashing a backyard barbecue whose guests swill cold beverages with oil-stained hands while sharing a laugh. Although the racers here range from 16 to 70 years of age, the bulk of the VRRA’s 225-plus members are in the 40-something crowd. The diversity of machines on hand is matched by the diverse group of riders; there are father-and-son racers and even an all-woman endurance team who call themselves “Three-A-Breast.”

Hope you get on the track one way or another in 2012 and thanks for sharing!
 
Who knows, you may find me out on an rz350 or the likes sometime this year. I love two strokes and unfortuneatly the two stroke GP bikes are a little out of my, ahem, pocket depth, so if I have to get my fix on something older than I am then so be it :p

I know BrianP was trying to egg me into the lost era soar and vrra classes last year, ill be looking to see what people are doing and what rules are like, I'm a machinist so I'd actually rather enjoy fabricating what components I can as I need them, but I know vrra at least has some pretty strict rules about the bikes and the era of the components. I can't imagine something like custom rearsets, sliders or levers being illegal, while I can understand a shiny new billet cylinder and head being illegal even if it conforms to the stock specs, but who knows.. there has to be some leeway after all...
 
Get a modern sport bike (within 10 years), go to SOAR, have a TONN of fun.
 
gtm said:
Who knows, you may find me out on an rz350 or the likes sometime this year. I love two strokes and unfortuneatly the two stroke GP bikes are a little out of my, ahem, pocket depth, so if I have to get my fix on something older than I am then so be it :p
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Before you say that, take a look on the GTAM classifieds under raccebikes for UBER Racing's post on the sale of two of thier RS125's- incredible bikes with GOBS of go fast parts and each bike is going at an absolute steal compared to their value. Have a talk with Mark before you decide that a GP bike is out of range.
Good luck!
 
I would rather blow my brains out then start messing around with a 2 stroke GP bike in 2012.What a pile of work.

See my post above, if you want a "generally" hassle free experience, heed my advice. If you like to drive yourself NUTS messing around with a cranky paperweight, get a 2 stroke.

But you know what they say about opinions :)
 
Tonto is right about a learning tool. GP bikes are the ticket............BUT.........Jody is also right they come with tons of work and messing about. If your the kind of person that likes that kind of thing maybe thats the best way. If not then go four stroke. Another thing to consider is that all race orgs mine included are either deleting the GP classes or struggling to get enough numbers to run them. They could run with other classes but the 2 strokes are dying a slow and painful death. In one year we went from a grid of a half dozen or so to almost none.
My old teammate was die hard 250 guy. He loved the things. I raced it a few times and it was an awesome experience however we were always messing with it and there was an abnormal number of times where one thing or another happened and he dnf'd BUT when it was working well I have seen him spank more than one superbike especially on a tight track.
 
Yamaha FZR400, basically stock. Turn key ... press button ... VROOM ... go out on the track ... come back in ... switch it off. Repeat as desired. Change the tires every few weekends and change the oil every few weekends. Doesn't have enough power to chew up tires or brake pads. Suspension is pretty much either set it and forget it (rear shock) or non-adjustable (front), just ride the darn thing. Works for me. (If you want something newer and somewhat faster, the SV650 is pretty much like this, too.)

Even in the vintage classes such as VRRA P4F3 where there is no distinction between two-stroke and four-stroke, the RZ350's have pretty much disappeared. Every time one shows up, I can pretty much count on at least one weekend per season where that bike won't be competitive because it either won't start or is running crappy for whatever reason. The more modded the RZ is, the more likely it is to break down (actually, the same is true of any bike, but the two-strokes seem more finicky about it). The built ones are fast when they work, but it seems to be a fine art to make them work and be fast and stay together.
 
Want a great turn key modern racebike for under $5000? (if you're a smart shopper you can half that, or more). SV650. Cheap to buy, cheap to run, will teach you more about racing/riding than you will be able process (unless you're an alien) in the first year or two of racing, and when you're done with it, you can usually sell for what you bought it for, or slightly less (depending on how bad you've wadded it up).

The money thing is something often overlooked when most start out. If you blow your wad on the bike, and a **** tonne of "go fast goodies" then have to sit out a few rounds because you don't have money for entry fees, then priorities are all messed up. Buy a cheaper bike, and put money towards tires, gas, and track time (after buying the best quality/fitting gear you can afford). The SV is easier on tires, easier on gas, but will probably cost you more in entries, based solely on the fact that you can almost enter every class with them.
 
Nope. I can't stand watching bike or car races on tv. Reminds me of my scalextric set as a kid. And if I had the cash to go racing I'd rather spend it on flying lessons, my bike gives me some of the sensations I had when flying. I prefer the journey and seeing new things rather than spending my time going round and round in a small part of the world. Having said all that...if it was a lot cheaper and I had the means I'd give it a go once for the experience but it wouldn't matter to me if there were other people there or not.
 
You need to sign up for the RACE school - www.shannonville.com and follow the links (might have to phone them at this point)

You need to have a suitable race-prepped bike that meets all the rules

You need to have full leathers, back protector, boots, gloves, Snell 2010 or ECE 2205 helmet less than 5 years old
 
Dan Dubeau said:
Want a great turn key modern racebike for under $5000?
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Heck, if someone wants my 05 GSX-R 1000 with a lot of go-fast goodies and RACE legal setup, I'll sell it for that. :)
 
Ok, I'd love to take a chance at TD, only thing is I'm a noob rider and I don't know how much experience would I need to go forward with this.

I rode 600's eons ago, so my skill set is next to non-existent.

Comments?
 
El Cockblock said:
Ok, I'd love to take a chance at TD, only thing is I'm a noob rider and I don't know how much experience would I need to go forward with this.

I rode 600's eons ago, so my skill set is next to non-existent.

Comments?
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Nice thing about track days is that you go at your own pace. Some organizations put you in a specific speed/level group so you are out there with others like yourself. No pressure at a track day to perform, other than what you put on yourself. Racing is a whole different animal for sure.
 
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