Wow...I've worn the suit around the house a little today and took it on and off a few times, and then went out on the bike for 30 minutes to get a feel for it while riding...big difference to textile pants and a leather jacket I normally wear. I immediately could tell a huge difference in the extra weight on my legs when shifting gears or moving my feet around on the pegs. I will 100% want to get some more time in the saddle with this suit on before track day to get comfortable in it, regardless of the "street Rossi" look lol
It won't be as bad as you think, you'll only be on the bike for 20 min at a time. Buddy of mine done his first trackday and bought a Joe Rocket suit like you returned and was worried about comfort and breaking the suit in prior, but ended up having zero complaints while at the track. You'll be moving your whole body around on the bike the whole time you are on track anyways, you'll be fine lol. Also, first couple Novice sessions you will be riding in single file line getting used to the track, so you'll have plenty time to get a feel for everything and become familiar.
That's good to know that we will have a few sessions to get our feet wet on the track in novice with a controlled single file line. Does an instructor make the pace for those sessions and maintain it I guess?
Yes, novice gets divided into a few sub groups where there are a few different instructors leading small groups around the track. You will end up riding at your own pace in the 3rd session I believe after 2 control laps. In the first couple sessions they show you how to safely get on and off the track too.
I am so anxious to get out there and see what the experience is all about...I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas
I know the feeling, I still get like that and I have done several track days LOL. I was especially like that this year after being able to get back on track after 10 years off. My main advice is don't push it on your first day. I was always faster than everybody I rode with on the street through the curves. I thought I was gonna go to the track and just rip it up the first day out. This was in 2008. I had a 2007 ZX10R I had bought brand new, but was afraid to take it to the track and risk trashing it, so I bought a wrecked 2002 GSXR 750 and rebuilt it as a track bike. Damn sure glad I did too. The Novice structure was a little less conservative back then. I think we only had one control session then were pretty much turned loose the 2nd session. This was at Barber too. Once the instructor pointed at me to pass, I was free to ride at my own pace. This happened on the front straight after one control lap. I hit the carousel hard, drug knee all the way around it for the first time, and drug in several other turns. I thought, damn this is BADASS!!! ....but I was young and overconfident, and my body position was terrible. I wasn't hanging off the bike enough to compensate for the speed I was carrying through the turns. I forget what number turn it's called, but I didn't even make one complete lap on my own and lowsided on the backside of the track where it goes down into a right hander and up and over the hill. The elevation change going down into that turn and then up made my suspension compress and my terrible form had the bike leaned over further than it should have been, peg hit....HARD, lowsided and slid all the way across the asphalt and starting rolling when I hit the grass. Didn't hurt me or the bike, luckily, other than some rash on the right fairing and my suit. I was humbled. Start your first trackday thinking you ain't shit! LOL...take time to learn the raceline and get a feel for being around other riders on the track. Don't make any stupid risky passes, there are no trophies. By the end of the day after 4 or 5 sessions, you will likely feel pretty comfortable and better know your limits for your current skill level, and you'll begin to run tighter lines, maybe make some safe passes, and have more fun! Tally is a fun track, but it's short, and some of the turns make for a tiring day. I don't think I have ever ridden all 7 sessions at Tally, but I do no problem at Barber. Usually by the 5th or 6th session I'm ready to load up and go home LOL. But that's just me. Others ride that shit all day long all weekend. I don't see how they do it. I've always been a 1 day rider. Jeezus, all this ramblin' got me antsy about getting back on track now! I bought my Barber spot for 3/28 yesterday. Thinking hard about buying a spot for Tally 3/7 also, as that date is the 10 year anniversary of the big bike crash that resulted in losing my leg. What a better way to ring in 10 years of being an amputee than by smashing laps at Tally!
Great advice for sure...I'm not a young buck (I'll be 43 this year), so I like to think on the street I have always ridden within my skill level. Sure, I've done some stupid stuff out on the road here and there...but not the same stuff I would have probably done in my 20's. I didn't get into riding until 2011, although I've always been around things with motors (riding 3 and 4 wheelers as a kid growing up, moped's, etc.) My first bike was a 2011 Harley Davidson Sportster 1200...my "divorce and now I'll buy the damn bike" bike. lol - My second bike I wanted to dip my toes into the sportbike arena...but not fully, a 2016 Yamaha FZ-07. I loved that thing! The itch came around this past May to move away from the naked bike and I ended up on a 2016 Suzuki GSX-R 750...LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this bike. It just fits me...and I NEVER thought I would be a gixxer-bro...lol. I'm not an advanced rider...but I don't think I am a noob on a sportbike as I've put a lot of miles down on the streets (over 10,000 on the FZ in just the two years I owned it and since May of 2019 I've put 5,000 miles on my GSX-R). It's just gotten to the point where it's clear the most fun I am having while riding is up in the North Georgia mountains or the few spots around where I live that I can "kind of" get away from the traffic and practice some cornering. I want to learn how to ride safer and correctly. It's not all about dragging a knee...but I know I have a lot to learn regarding body position and just overall mechanics of a bike. So I come with a student mind-set for sure...and maybe a little speed lol Me and my brother-in-law are both first time track day riders this year and 3/7 @ Little Tally is going to be a fun day!! If you can make it we will most certainly need to meet-up.
You'll be fine, you are on the right path. Feel free to post up or message me if you have any questions about anything (bike tech inspection, what to bring, time schedule, etc.) before the track day gets here. Highly likely I'll be at Tally 3/7, so I'll look for you down there. Oh, and another tip, bring a tinted shield if you have one. Sun always ends up in your eyes at some point at the beginning and ending of the day.
Get some under Armour leggings to wear under the suit, alot of that extra weight on your legs is probably the suit dragging against your skin impeding your motion. With the leggings the suit will 'slide' around better, making it more comfortable, easier to move around on the bike, and easier to get off after a hot summer day on the track! As thecurvecarver said, ride within your limits and don't make silly passes. In the 5 or 6 years I've been doing track days I've only crashed once, why? Because I got frustrated and tried to make a sketchy(stoopid) pass instead of going down hot pit and letting some traffic go by.
Yeah! Get some spandex stuff. I bought some cheap leggings at Walmart and some cheap dri fit long sleeve shirts on ebay (also wear the shirts when doing yard work).
100% going to get long sleeve top and pants to go under my suit. I've already looked at the UnderArmour stuff...so much cheaper than some of the AlpineStars compression shirts/pants...$80 for pants or a shirt?? Nope, not gonna do it lol
It ain't gotta be anything special, think the compression leggings I got from Walmart were $10. Just need something to help wick moisture and cut down on friction between you and the suit.
I wonder why the AlpineStars stuff is so much more expensive on the underwear? I realize name brand...but it's a HUGE swing in price. I love AlpineStars...I rock their boots and gloves and I have a summer riding jacket...but I was floored away by how much they want for the undershirt and pants.
Why don't shops carry suits? Easy, expense. Let's say there are five manufacturers, that's five suits I have to stock. Let's say there are five sizes, now I have twenty-five suits to stock. Let's say there are five colors, now I have one hundred twenty-five suits to stock. One hundred twenty-five suits to stock so I have a chance to MAYBE sell you one. You come in and take up a few hours of my time to get your size correct. Next track day, I see you walking around in that new suit you ordered from the internet outfit because it was (X)% cheaper than I price it. Not to mention that track riders make up less than one percent of the motorcycle riders out there and you can see that it's really not in my interests to invest that kind of money in a product that so few people are going to buy. I just can't afford to put out that kind of investment to be your dressing room. Imagine extending that to gloves, boots and helmets as well.
They know they make quality stuff, and demand is high for the brand. But...you can buy an awful lot of $10 leggings and $8 dri fit shirts for what name brand junk costs. Large majority of those in this sport who are looking for underwear for suits have plenty money and don't care to drop another $1-200 on underwear for their $1-2k+ suits. Alpinestars knows that and capitalizes. Don't overthink it, there's nothing spectacularly different between cheaper spandex stuff and high end stuff for your average track riding needs.