Track Days !!!

[JONAC]

The old cautious man in me chose function over style. Neil

You saying our bikes have'nt got style !!! :rant:


Ahhh I forgot .... You have the dull silver one :Flip:

 

[Nelly]

:Flip:Touche, It was late and I was not thinking. I should have typed function over performance. As we all know the silver one actually oozes style and charisma. I think I may have mentioned that before.
Good luck stay on the black stuff and lets hope you don't need to test out your frame sliders.

Neil

 

[Dunno]

Hi there. Looks like most ground has been covered in this thread Re: Tyres & suspension so I will just give you a bit to think about on the day.

Are you riding to the track? Trackdays can be hard work & require a lot of concentration. If you can sort out a trailer its a big plus. You can load all your gear ie, leathers, tools, fuel drum, folding chair, esky, food & drink. A trailer also comes in handy if ummm.... I wont say it, but these things can happen.

Drink lots of fluids like water & gatorade & I usually take some sweets for a sugar hit & energy boost.

Take your time, dont expect to head out onto the track & be quick straight away. Learn the track & work out the smoothest line,braking markers etc. If you stay smooth with your throttle control & lines the speed will come without you even realising it. You will probably find you are most comfortable around lunch time. The morning you will be warming up & by the afternoon your body & mind will start to fatigue. Thats where the chair comes in handy, rest between outings.
As stated earlier in the thread dont worry about who is behind you, its their job to get past you & if the rider is competent, they will get past without freakin you out or get too close. Its also a good idea to take your mirrors off so you are not lookin behind you all day.

As for the bike, ive only had my FZ6 a week so I cant help you. Try & find someone with a bike like yours & ask questions. Or just talk to the people in your pit garage & ask questions. Most bike riders are a friendly bunch & love to talk about themselves & their bike. They might have some advice about the track or your bike set up. Be sre to take your tools, you dont want your day being spoiled just because something minor has come loose or you need to make a few adjustments.

I will leave this before it becomes a novel. Just get a good nights sleep the night before, take some food & drink & be prepared for the most fun you have had on your bike. Be warned, trackdays are addictive.
I hope this helps you & have fun :thumbup:

 

[DefyInertia]

Dunno, great post.
________
Kid Wellbutrin

 

[mikebike]

Dunno... that was good and makes me want to head to Jennings FL where our nearest track is.

Do you need a leather suit... or would textile with knee pads etc work OK to

I would not be trying to set any land speed records?

 

[Dunno]

Dunno... that was good and makes me want to head to Jennings FL where our nearest track is.

Do you need a leather suit... or would textile with knee pads etc work OK to

I would not be trying to set any land speed records?

I dont know about where you are mate but here in Oz you need full leathers, either a 1 piece or a 2 piece that zips together at the waist. You may find track day operators who allow things like Draggin jeans with the kevlar inserts.
Even though you may not be goin full tilt you have to be prepared for the guy who is riding beyond his limits & may use you as a brake. Best to be on the safe side & try to get your hands on some leathers even if they allow lesser protection.

 

[pedwards89]

Hey Jonathon, have a good day tomorrow. Take a camera too, we need loads of pics.

Stay Safe Mate :Sport:

 

[JONAC]

Hi there. ............
I hope this helps you & have fun :thumbup:

Thanks for some great advice Dunno !! appreciate it loads ....

Well ......

TRACK DAYS ROCK !!!

TODAY I HAD TOO MUCH FUN !!!!! STILL SMILING

I'll give you all the info when I can come down from my high !! What a day ... just need some coffee now and some food ..... I'm exhausted !!

 

[Admin]

Awesome shots!! Looks like yo had alot of fun!!

 

[Botch]

Awesome shots!! Looks like yo had alot of fun!!

+10!! :thumbup:

 

[JONAC]

Had lots and lots and lots of fun

Set off this morning at silly 0 clock to drive to Cadwell Park ... One large van with too bikes strapped in and at least one of us grinning like a school boy before his summer holidays !!

The sun came up and the weather was just perfect ... checking the weather 1 week in advance actually paid off for a change !! good old Met man ...

Arrived a little aprehensive but that all vanished on the 3 sighting laps ... Just couldn't wait to get bak on there

Bike was awsome and did whatever I asked .... But oh boy ... I have lots to learn !! 2500 miles on my trusty FZ6 but today it did things that I couldn't imagine !! Brakes are superb and put a lot of older sports bike brakes to shame on the track ... either that or they were being a little more cautious .. Handling way outshines my ability .. throw it into any corner at speed on that track and it begged for more ... The stock Bridgstone tyres are also fantastic and assisted with the cornering fantastically, once warm they stuck like **** to a blanket ...
On the long straights the bike also held its own, the 750s and 1000s obviously left me in their wake but against the other random 600cc sports bikes it was right up there with them .. More than a few commented on is acceleration capabilities (maybe being 11 stone helped !)
My body positioning still needs lots of work... I experimented a little as the day went on but I think my new bars and some new rearsets might help, I scuffed my boots a few times but still never managed to get my knee down I let my mate Wolfie take my knee sliders round for one of his sessions on his GSXR750 so they didn't feel left out lol...

So anyhow I'm going on a bit here .... To cut a long story short I had one of the best days ever and the FZ6 made it all the more enjoyable ... It is a very versatile bike and just loves to have some fun ....

Lots more track days to come !!!! bloody winter is gonna get in the way !!!!

:Sport:

 

[deljs]

Looks like it was fun and nice pics! Congrats!

Why the yellow vest in some photos & not others?

 

[DefyInertia]

I can't even see your face but can still tell you were having a blast...haha. Man, nice suit/helmet; I'm jealous!
________
goodASIANgirl cam

 

[Nelly]

Nice one mate it looked well worth the cash.

 

[JONAC]

Looks like it was fun and nice pics! Congrats!

Why the yellow vest in some photos & not others?

Thanks mate .... The yellow vest was because I'd never been on the track before .. Had to wear it til I'd found my feet ... Have loads of pics with it on !! sort of spoils the pics but I'd wear a fluffy bear costume if thats what it takes to get back on a track !!

Knocks the socks off road riding !! No tactors pulling out ... No oncoming traffic... No Police cameras !!!! If anyone is considering doing one then go and do it .. With Fuel costs ... entrance fee ... Food and drink and photo's, I reckon it cost me £130 ($250 ish) well worth the money

 

[JONAC]

I dont know about where you are mate but here in Oz you need full leathers, either a 1 piece or a 2 piece that zips together at the waist. You may find track day operators who allow things like Draggin jeans with the kevlar inserts.
Even though you may not be goin full tilt you have to be prepared for the guy who is riding beyond his limits & may use you as a brake. Best to be on the safe side & try to get your hands on some leathers even if they allow lesser protection.

They insisted on 1 or 2 piece leathers mate ... As for the guy riding beyond his limits , there was a few of those !! one nearly took me out whilst tucked into a corner.. He came up on the inside and I had to stand my bike up a little too early .. He couldn't apologise enough but it made me cautious.. There was also a few spills and an air ambulance came in in the morning Not sure what had happened there .. The track overall was managed excellently though and any incidents dealt with promptly, We only had 2 red flags in my group all day... Even these slightly negative incidents though can't take the shine off an absolutley magnificent day

:thumbup:

 

[Cloggy]

You lucky lucky B*****d (in the immortal words of the monty python team).

A mate of mine goes quite often, but he’s a bit of a gizzer freak, so I thought track days were meant for the real sport bikes (oh no I am beginning to sound like a right big girls blouse).

I remember (way back when) trying to keep up with my mates ZXR750 on my hired ZZR600 and seriously scuffing my boots (in the corners). I did learn an important lesson though, as has been said on this site many a time “ride your own ride”.

Great pics & great topic Jonathan, I’ve learnt a lot from this thread, cheers all.

 

[JONAC]

You lucky lucky B*****d (in the immortal words of the monty python team).

A mate of mine goes quite often, but he’s a bit of a gizzer freak, so I thought track days were meant for the real sport bikes (oh no I am beginning to sound like Perryn, sorry mate ).

I remember (way back when) trying to keep up with my mates ZXR750 on my hired ZZR600 and seriously scuffing my boots (in the corners). I did learn an important lesson though, as has been said on this site many a time “ride your own ride”.

Great pics & great topic Jonathan, I’ve learnt a lot from this thread, cheers all.

You're welcome

As for the boot scuffing it was a bit of an issue at times ... I suppose I have to adjust !!! some new Rizoma rearsets would cure it but £300 is a bit excessive

Cheers fellas .... I'll update after my next one !!!!

P.S there's a Silverstone one available on the 5th Nov for £50 with focused events ... bargain price if you want to risk the weather !!?? I'm very very tempted

 

[Nelly]

Bugger off... I never said the FZ6 was not good enough, I mearly enquired why it was the bike of choice to some obvious adrenaline junkies:thumbup:

Jonac,
Im desperately trying to change my rota to get to Silver stone on the 5th. Its very close to where I live. Even if it rained I reckon I could still learn alot about machine control. I was also lookng at some of the RiDE events for the novice rider. Glad you had a blast.

 

[Cloggy]

I never said the FZ6 was not good enough, I mearly enquired why it was the bike of choice to some obvious adrenaline junkies:thumbup:
QUOTE]

I'm not sure if I would like many of the other bike riders (with more of a racing set up, quicker and with higher footpegs (for the cornering)) always coming up from behind, this doesn't mean you can't have a blast of course.
Hope you can sort out your work shift to get there, love to see some photo's if you do.