Chicagoland newbie help & ride right info Hey everyone, I've been riding about 3 years but finally got a verdict from upper management(wife) after settling down to either sell the bike or figure some way to visit the track. After joining the forums and about 2 days of reading a 1000 posts on 600rr.net, chicagolandsportbikes.com and STT....... I can safely conclude by just reading that its an addiction and much better experience than riding in a city where winter and construction are the only 2 seasons we have. That being said , I've had some great responses to my questions below as well as great people willing to help. I'm posting these questions to see if someone can offer some further insight or opinions to the questions and concerns I have. 1. Track days; 'RIDE RIGHT'. STT quotes $175 for a track day but are there any specials or offers for someone who wants to get started on the track? Someone suggested to look for ride right but I cant seem to find the details regarding this event.... is it discounted? offered thru STT? any details would help. 2. Bike Suspension. I was told the bike has to be set up to height/weight to perform. Can this be only done on the track or do we have anyone that offer these services here? 3. Gear. Theres a motorcycle show coming up and some shops around me (Naperville/Aurora) that can order me the gear but just by looking online without trying any of the gloves, boots and suit, thats like $1400 right there..... is someone that can rent these to me If I decide to look into going to the track? The Dianese store is great but either I dont think I have that kind of money laying around to afford it...... yet:sorry: 4. Oil Change. There are several youtube and tutorials on this but anyone willing to help when the time comes around? 5. Tires. From talking to a 'pro' racer, they mentioned that the biggest thing on a riders wishlist that they surf up and down online is tires. Even though Im a novice I was told that once the track addiction hits that I'll be considering changing tires every session?? My tires are new and installed 3 years ago and have 800 miles on them MAX but i was told tires are like milk, their efficiency deteriorates with age so if you have a new milk carton in the fridge for 3 months, it gets spoiled.:wtf: In any case, I'll get my tires checked by a shop but was wondering whats the best option for the track here. If I purchase a set, how long can I use them for, i.e how many track days(as a novice, intermediate or advanced). 6. Transportation. Ive read on forums people offering their hitch to the track. I searched online for Trailer harbor freight but then again the prices cant be justified for me for newbie. I live by Fox Valley in Naperville and the track is 28.1 miles from me.... anyone on here that can help me out If I look into the AUtobahn this year? Finally, I want to thank everyone in advance for responding. I hope things work out for me to visit the track. Thanks again. :amen::amen::amen:
stock suspension will carry you pretty far, getting it set for you is a great start, you don't need any more than that right now. gear is one of the most important things to get, get it sized right for you and scour the internet/forums or take a look at sportbiketrackgear.com those guys are good at sizing suits out oil change on a 600rr is easy, i'm sure ppl will help ya out no problem. whoever gave you info on tires, tell them to pound sand, get a good set of tires (3 years old is too old in my opinion) pick up a set of dunlop q2's, pirelli rosso corsa's, or michelin pure power, and you will be good for quite a while. folks are always willing to ride share, just ask and if they can help they will. the track family is just that, family, we all share the same addiction and are always willing to help out, i used to put 11k miles worth of street riding a year, since i first hit the track.. 0.. oh and do yourself a favor visit on of these sites and get ya one www.visa.com www.mastercard.com
+1 on the motorcycle track people being SUPER nice and friendly. Much better then other forms of racing/hobbies I have been involved in.
You'll love riding on the track, good decision. The man to ask is Gunshow Nick Like Jeff said, start with getting your stock suspension properly adjusted, however, if you've never had your forks services drop them off at a suspension shop to have an oil change. Fancy aftermarket suspension is nice, but like jeff said you can get pretty far on stock stuff, last year I finally upgraded to an aftermarket shock, and next year will be my first time on aftermarket fork internals... And I've been doing this for a while now... Stock stuff is good. In my opinion buy some good condition used leathers, you can get some great deals and you'l have better quality leathers for your money than new, after you get more serious and have the rest of you gear you can always upgrade later if you want. Plus if you buy used the person will usually let you try them on, they may even make you a deal on some other gear they have around. After leathers invest in good full wrist gloves, and some nice boots. I'll assume you have a helmet already. I also always wear a back protector, they aren't required but they are a really good idea. Oil changes are easy, and you'll be doing lots of them if you track your bike so dive in, have a friend help you the first time if you want but get comfortable with it, there is other maintance you'll be doing a lot too as a track rider so work on those skills too, wheel removal/install, brake fluid flush, brake bleeding, oil changes, coolant swaps, etc are going to be very common tasks from here on on out. Every session? No. Tires are an important desision, street tires (Q2, PP, etc) will give you good life and pretty good grip in all conditions. Expect to use 1 or 2 sets a year if you're a moderate rider. From there you can work your way up the tire food chain as your skills warrent upgrades, with upgrades comes shorter life and higher costs. Once you get to the mid/top of the advance group you'll be blowing a rear tire every 2 or 3 days on a 600 and every 1 to 2 days on a 1000, about 2 fronts per rear usually. So you've been warned, the faster you get, the more expensive this hobby becomes Your tires are 3 years old, PLEASE do not use them on the track, get a fresh set, for a new rider, stick to a street tire, run whatever you can get a good deal on, I think STT members get good deals on Mich tires so try Pilot Powers. Ride shares are common, post up a couple weeks before the events you're going to and somebody can probably help you out. A cheap truck or harbor freight trailer can really help though,
THANKS EVERYONE! a wealth of info and some pending PM's sent to people for details. I'm sure we've all searched but any groupon's or specials on track days?
http://www.trackdaymag.com/ If I may be so bold, you can find tons of trackday info at the link provided. I have seen folks ride their bikes to the track, tape off the lights and mirrors, then ride! There's the obvious question, what do I do if the bike breaks or gets crashed. You live in Naperville. That's less than an hour from Autobahn. Somebody will get you home if you need it, believe me. If nobody else steps up, (bloody unlikely!) I'll see to it myself. Naperville Motorsports is an independent shop run by Eddie Bingham, an STT coach. There's a good resource right in your town!
not exactly. i do a mass forum email for all ride right events, so make certain your email is correct trevor does the same for the south
Hey feint I will get ya hooked up with the oil change, but remeber I got to recoup that huge amount of money I spent on that upper I bought from you lol. Also on 600rr.net subscribe to the thread titled "midwest trackdays" and as long as you can get to my house I will have a ride for ya. Now get off you butt and watch CL, I have seen plenty of gear go through there that you could have gone out and tried on.
hey bud! that money is tucked away and if i read correctly, its no where near close to what i need I'll subscribe to 600rr.net and sincerely appreciate the ride In the mean time I just need to hope I get something good at the motorcycle show and figure out a life outside 60hrs of work weeks to spend some time on CL. Looking forward to seeing ginger :first:
Post up your height, weight, and build (shoulders mostly...) some of us might have spare gear hanging around you could pick up as well (ok so I got a new suit over the offseason....)
5,11. - 215 - wide built(not muscular but thick i guess) Shoes US: 10.5 Again, sincerely appreciate the responses.
Have you tried following the required measurements on the size chart? Chest Height inseam waist Hip This is what I did, and also talked to a few professionals to make sure, worked out fine for me. Ended up getting a size 38 US Alpinestars sp-1 suit
no... but if this is what's required, I'll have to figure out what each of these mean- like is waist defined measured around the bellybutton? lower? etc. When I checked some of the sizing charts on ebay it seems like im a 46 -- which is 37-39 inches around the waist and 42-44 around the chest and thats an XL. This is just from the charts so if i need further precision, any guidance will be great! thanks again!:cheers:
Try this out: http://www.revzilla.com/alpinestars-size-chart This is a size chart for Alpinestars, they may vary depending on manufacture
Hello Feint. I actually have a 2-piece alpine star suit I'm thinking of selling and only used 5 times. I am 6'1 and 215lbs so it may be a good fit for you. PM if you would like more info. Thanks
One piece of advice - don't ever go to Barber. Once you do all you can think about is going back! From Chicago that's about $300 worth of gas round-trip. Those entry fees start to look pretty insignificant, believe-you-me!