| Author | Message | ||
     Scottorious |
So I really want to take my crazy driving to a controlled environment. I can see that the more comfortable and better I get at operating this wonderfully handeling 1125r the more likely it is that im going to die. I want to get my kicks on the track so that I can be safe on the road. Any suggestions on a good first track bike. Possibly not even a buell, an aprilia rs250 could be cool. I want something pretty tiny for minimal costs as far as tires and brakes. I would like to get into some racing in the future. Just didnt think the 1125r under warranty would be a good bike to start to thrash on the track. | ||
| Strato9r |
Lots of riders like those SV650 Suzukis, and there are tons of them around. Your track may even have a category just for SVs, they are a popular club racing bike. | ||
| Firebolt020283 |
I think an sv650 would be a good choice for a track only bike if you plan on eventually trying your hand at racing. The reason I say this is that there seems to be a lot of race classes that they can compete in. If you get an issue of road racing world magazine and flip threw it they are all over the place. The other good thing about that bike is over the years they have not changed to drastically to were a newer one would not have too much of an advantage over an older one. | ||
| Firebolt020283 |
see so much so that 2 people thought the same thing at almost the same time. | ||
| Scottorious |
I have always kind of liked the SV. is there much of an aftermarket for them? | ||
| Glitch |
is there much of an aftermarket for them? An amazing amount. The SV650 community is much like the Buell community. Try www.svrider.com You can get an SV for extra cheap, and they're pretty fun. GSXR front forks, and a quality rear shock, and you can be real competitive. | ||
| Firstbuell |
EZ, eh? - SVs rule for many uses....... ['99-'02 are carbed - '03 & later are FI] | ||
| Scottorious |
how cheap are we talking. I havent seen as cheap as i would like for a bike that im almost intending to wreck. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
The SV is the best track bike. You could practically build one from scratch from the spare parts at a track day. | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
An EX500 Kawi is not a bad choice. Cheap, fast, good handling, needs suspension mods, but then again so will the SV. | ||
| Paint_shaker |
Cheap, economical= Ninja 250. They have their own class, are easy on tires and probably a blast to ride. The SVs are nice. I raced against them last year on a near stock XB12R (belt drive). The SVs were modified quite a bit. The mods on my XB were front and rear race springs, heavier weight fork oil, race pads, the Buell race ECM & pipe and K&N air filter. The bike was very competitive against the SVs. In WERA you can race a stock XB in light weight twin superbike, heavy weight twin super stock and superbike, C (600) superstock and superbike and forumla 2. On the shorter, tighter courses I was able to run mid-3/4 pack against the 600s as a novice. In HWTSS and HWTSB the Ducatis pretty much had my lunch. The XBs crash really well. Usually either a lever or a peg gets broken, possibly a bent handle bar and you are back on the track. The downside... parts. Lest you bring your own, you will probably be SOL if you break something. (Message edited by Paint_shaker on June 16, 2010) | ||
| Gearhead |
Keep an eye open for an XB race bikes, now. Since there is no Buell contingency anymore there have been many former Buell racers selling them. Depending on your weight you can get away with no suspension mods, just trackday or race tires and go pretty quick on most tracks. If you have further questions about the XB route, pm me. | ||
| Indy_bueller |
Yeah, XB race bikes are going for cheap. Wish I had the scratch to buy a spare! | ||
| Skinstains |
Planning to wreck your bike before you even have it is not the way to go in my opinion. A+ for realizing you need to chillax on the streets. Buell XB's are great track/race bikes and they crash extremely well. The 250cc Ninja is a really fun bike too. Brand new for $3,495.00......where you going ? My insignificant other has a 250cc Ninja 2004 I think (before they looked like the real Ninja's) and it is fun as hell to thrash around on. I'm pretty sure the 250 Ninja race classes really limit modifications in an attempt to keep the racing as cheap as possible. | ||
| Scottorious |
I was thinking about exactly what you guys are mentioning. I would really like to stay buell if i could. I would also like to remain as cheap as possible if I could. I should check the different classes running near me to see what bike fits where. A ninja 250 class would maybe be the best option. It could be something that I could really max out on and have to improve my skill over relying on bike. | ||
| Trojan |
how cheap are we talking. I havent seen as cheap as i would like for a bike that im almost intending to wreck. The words 'Cheap' and 'track bike' seldom go together and if you do end up going for something very cheap you will find yourself spending lots of time in the paddock fixing things and very little time on track. Plus of course you will have to get through some kind of technical inspection just to get onto the track in the first place, so if you turn up with a sh*tbox of a bike you are unlikely to even get onto the circuit in the first place. If you want an 'affordable' track bike then the SV650 is a great choice and there are plenty of used race bikes around for sale at reasonable cost. Just remember that you tend to get what you pay for so cheap isn't necessarily the most economical option long term  |
