Track Days !!!

JONAC · Sep 22, 2007

Went and watched my mate race around Cadwell park in the UK last week on a track day ... Bloody event was fully booked or else I would have joined him.

He was using his Dads GSXR750 and boy does that bike go !!!

QUESTIONS

I'm probably going to be doing my first track day this week (fingers crossed and weather dependent) And I was wondering if any of you fellow FZ6 community members often take part in similar events ?

A) How does the FZ6 compare against those little pocket rockets ?
B) Any tips or good advice ?
C) Any video footage I can learn from ?

All advice would be muchos appreciated !! I can't bloody wait !!!!!! :rockon:

P.S : I have a video mount I can attatch to my petrol cap on the tank, If I can get a camcorder off a mate I'll post you some footage to chuckle at ... hopefully not at a spill

sportrider · Sep 22, 2007

I think ped and DefyInertia do trackdays pretty regular, maybe they can help you out.

JONAC · Sep 22, 2007

sportrider_fz6 said:
I think ped and DefyInertia do trackdays pretty regular, maybe they can help you out.

Cool ... any advice would be good !!

I have the stock Bridgestones on and was wondering how they handled !? My mate had some michelin road tyres that when warm felt unbelievably and reassuringly sticky, maybe 170 does that to a tyre ???

sportrider · Sep 22, 2007

my pilots are really sticky after running through the twistys at pace!!!

JONAC · Sep 22, 2007

This is how I won't be doing it

[nomedia]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYK6IzwbkBY[/nomedia]

JONAC · Sep 24, 2007

Not much advice coming my way

Here's some pics anyhow

This is what happened when someone got it all wrong !!

JONAC · Sep 24, 2007

A few more pics.....

http://600riders.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=543&size=1

Unfortunatley it all ended in tears

A missing chunk out of the front tyre forced a grassy end for my friend !!! His Dad wasn't too pleased with the cracked fairing and bent footpeg

bd43 · Sep 24, 2007

JONAC said:
A few more pics.....

JONAC, did you take this second picture? Awesome photo! :thumbup:

JONAC · Sep 24, 2007

biker_dude43 said:
JONAC, did you take this second picture? Awesome photo! :thumbup:

There was a man walking round taking various pics ... He does a very good job !! I think my mate Wolfie paid about £30 for 58 pics !!

He's got some awsome ones

DefyInertia · Sep 24, 2007

Sorry for getting here late....

A)

The FZ6 is a great bike and a better bike than most could have taken to the track 10 or 15 years ago. So, forget about what bike you have cause you're not Valentino and you won't be pushing the FZ6 to its limits anyway. Nonetheless, it's (2004 FZ6) biggest setbacks are soft front suspension, limited ground clearence (pegs and sidestand), high bars, weight, touring tires, and brakes that fade. At a newbie pace you won't have to worry about any of that...maybe the front suspension. Just remember, 90% rider, 10% bike.

B) Tips --

Remove your peg feelers!!!

Read TrackDays

You're a new rider, right? Your stock tires will be fine so long as they have more than 75% of the tread left

C) Video footage and pics (more on 2nd page)...though I'm not sure you'll learn a lot from it --

http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-videos/793-fz6-track.html

What else do you want to know???
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DefyInertia · Sep 24, 2007

More tips....

Don't underestimate the importance of choosing, and sticking to, a good racing line. Not only will this make you much faster but it will make the track safer for you and for those trying to pass you (the race line is the predictable line).

Don't worry about anyone behind you as it is their responsibility to make a safe pass. Do not wave them by or look back at them or even think about them. You've got a 40 MPH corner coming at you at 140MPH...should you be braking yet??? yeah, like I said, don't worry about them (safety!).

Pay attention to the corner workers and the flags they are using. They are there to keep the track safe and very well may save your a$$.

Be smooth and gradually add speed. If you find yourself getting jerky or choppy or just not able to keep up with the pace you're trying to run, step back, get smooth, and go from there. Smooth is fast / fast is smooth.

Don't try and show off for the camera mounted on your tank. No one will think you're cool for posting up footage of a crash you caused.

If you get scared in a turn, don't grab the brake, look and lean, man, look and lean.

~30 psi

Read what I wrote about good lines again...

Relax, have fun, and ride your own ride!

What gear will you be wearing?
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JONAC · Sep 24, 2007

DefyInertia said:
More tips....

Don't underestimate the importance of choosing, and sticking to, a good racing line. Not only will this make you much faster but it will make the track safer for you and for those trying to pass you (the race line is the predictable line).

Don't worry about anyone behind you as it is their responsibility to make a safe pass. Do not wave them by or look back at them or even think about them. You've got a 40 MPH corner coming at you at 140MPH...should you be braking yet??? yeah, like I said, don't worry about them (safety!).

Pay attention to the corner workers and the flags they are using. They are there to keep the track safe and very well may save your a$$.

Be smooth and gradually add speed. If you find yourself getting jerky or choppy or just not able to keep up with the pace you're trying to run, step back, get smooth, and go from there. Smooth is fast / fast is smooth.

Don't try and show off for the camera mounted on your tank. No one will think you're cool for posting up footage of a crash you caused.

If you get scared in a turn, don't grab the brake, look and lean, man, look and lean.

~30 psi

Read what I wrote about good lines again...

Relax, have fun, and ride your own ride!

What gear will you be wearing?

Some sound advice there mate ... THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU :thumbup:

I have just purchased a full Spyke leather race suit ... fits like a glove and has lots of good armour. Also have a Dainse full back protector. I wouldn't wear any less !!

After your advice on the camera I'm gonna give it a miss til I get comfortable ... I think you are right ... Maybe I'd try and push it a little too much just for the camera !!

Anyhow thanks again mate ... You get my big thumbs up for that :thumbup:

DefyInertia · Sep 24, 2007

Glad to hear you've got some good gear.

Did you see the last post on page one of this thread (#10)?

Make sure you post up some pictures after the event....
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kerpal · Sep 27, 2007

Pls post some pics!!!:needpics:

JONAC · Sep 27, 2007

DefyInertia said:
Glad to hear you've got some good gear.

Did you see the last post on page one of this thread (#10)?

Make sure you post up some pictures after the event....

Hi mate ... yes I read the track days article ... very good ! ... And your footage was impressive too

Weather here has been rubbish this week so I have had to delay for a couple of weeks... hopefully the weather will hold up for the next try

Nelly · Sep 27, 2007

DefyInertia said:
More tips....
~30 psi

Hi Defy,

I was just wondering about your advice on the tire pressures. I have not been on a track day yet but, its on my list of things to do defo.
I am guessing that where you ride the ambient and track temps are probably going to be much greater than here in the UK. Especially this time of year. Will this effect the amount of air that we should remove from the tyres? Also when you read the good old manual about checking tyre pressure it says the tyres need to be cold. I will be riding my bike to the track as I don't have access to a pick up. Is it ok to let the air out of warm tyres to the recomended 30psi?

Cheers

Neil

DefyInertia · Sep 27, 2007

Let me first say that I'm no expert on tire pressure and the following only applies to the track...

30 psi or thereabouts is what I've found to be most common amoung track day riders who use quasi-street tires; I'm not sure what the guys with slicks run. Most manufacturer reps that are at the track from time to time recommend a psi in the 28 to 32 range depending on the specific tire.

I recommend that you talk to pros who will be running/organizing/coaching your track day at the day of the event. They will give you the best advice for your tire/weight/temp combo. They will also probably talk about tire pressure before you even ask. You can even contact the manufacturer of your tire directly and they should be able to give you advice for performance track riding as opposed to the street PSI stamped on the sidewall.

I don't know how to set the pressure of a warm tire. Perhaps if you can determine your desired on track PSI prior to the event, and it's not too far, you can set your pressure the night before. Unless you're doing hour long 80 MPH blast on the superslab and it's hot as hell out, a lower tire pressure won't be a problem (aside from more wear).

If you learn something worth posting in the process, by all means please do so.
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Maverick · Sep 27, 2007

I'm no expert as I've only been to the track once, but 30 PSI cold is what we were told as a good starting point too. As for hot, 34 PSI is what the guys were looking to hit...street tires

Nelly · Sep 28, 2007

DefyInertia said:
Let me first say that I'm no expert on tire pressure and the following only applies to the track...

30 psi or thereabouts is what I've found to be most common amoung track day riders who use quasi-street tires; I'm not sure what the guys with slicks run. Most manufacturer reps that are at the track from time to time recommend a psi in the 28 to 32 range depending on the specific tire.

I recommend that you talk to pros who will be running/organizing/coaching your track day at the day of the event. They will give you the best advice for your tire/weight/temp combo. They will also probably talk about tire pressure before you even ask. You can even contact the manufacturer of your tire directly and they should be able to give you advice for performance track riding as opposed to the street PSI stamped on the sidewall.

I don't know how to set the pressure of a warm tire. Perhaps if you can determine your desired on track PSI prior to the event, and it's not too far, you can set your pressure the night before. Unless you're doing hour long 80 MPH blast on the superslab and it's hot as hell out, a lower tire pressure won't be a problem (aside from more wear).

If you learn something worth posting in the process, by all means please do so.

Cheers mate, I will certainly follow your advice. The nearest tracks to me are all two to three hours away. So I will be looking at a long ride.

Nelly · Sep 28, 2007

Maverick said:
I'm no expert as I've only been to the track once, but 30 PSI cold is what we were told as a good starting point too. As for hot, 34 PSI is what the guys were looking to hit...street tires

Thanks for that.

Track Days !!!

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