Good point Hank. in the early eighties, I had a severe chatter in the old Pocono T1. The result after several events was a broken down tube. The freshly modified single down tube frame (which had beed double down tube before it broke) had shall we say "rubbery" handling for the remainder of the race and chattered even worse.
OK so I didn't mean to make this one of the 11ty billion 1098 vs xxxx threads. Just wondering how many track days/yr or what other factors made most of you decide it was worth it to have a track only bike. One of my reasons is when I had my 996 and ZX7, my 996 spent 2 full years taped up for the track. It wasn't easy getting the goo off after that long.
Personally, and I'm sure many feel different, if I was doing a track only bike, I would just go back to racing and do the real thing.
Mike looking @ your list of bikes, how much street vs. track time does the 999 get compared to the St3?
Hello Gavin, I only ride the ST3 when Maureen is going along and it gets twice the miles the 999 gets. Some years more than that. I normally do 2,500 to 5,000 a year on the ST. Eighty percent of the miles on the 999 are on the street. I usually get about 2,000 a year on my 999. Last year however all my mileages were about half. That work thing got in the way. I just got the Monster, so it doesn't count.
Iit only took me two track days on old school Buells to deciced I needed something more competent for the track. Since then I've had two track only CBR600F2s, two track only GSX-R750s, a mostly track only Aprilia Mille, & a Buell Firebolt for the street which gets to play on the track occassionally. Seem to ride less & less on the street each year. Still enjoy it, but the less I do the more likely I am to keep my drivers license. :wink: Probably only a few years from havng a cruiser. :lol:
I know its not what your asking but as the expression goes Do you need a track bike........ NO Do you want a track bike ........ YESSSSS
Well, back to the orginal question of when does one need a dedicate track bike . . . I think the track-only bike people on this board fall into two main camps: those with expensive street bikes that they don't want to crash, and those who love the track so much that they don't ride on the street any more. Considering the cost of replacement body parts, I can easily see how people would just pull their pride an joy off the track and invest in something that's cheaper to fix. I guess the same could be said about engine/tire wear as well. Seeing the remains of a high-sided 916 will make anyone think about the repair costs. Of course, getting get a track-only bike that's higher maintenance or more $$ than your street ride tends to defeat this purpose. It does happen to the best of us :roll: In that same group, there's also people who just find switching their bike over to track useage is a pain, especially those who use race tires. This holds even more water for those who change their body work. Having a bike that's ready to go at a moment's notice is nice and let's you focus on keeping both bikes in top shape for their intended purposes. The other camp, those who gave up street riding for the track, have different priorities. Personal safety is probably the strongest, second only to the sanctity of thier driver's license. The more I ride on the track, the more I fall into this camp.
+1 on the track getting the nod over the street due to safety & hanging on to one's license. Commuting can be scary & anytime I start to have some fun it's mostly illegal. Might be a cruiser in my future. :lol:
Funny you mention that. When Ben Spies was on 2-wheel Tuesday last year, cue ball asked him what he rides on the street. Ben's response: " I really don't ride on the street, maybe when i retire I'll get a Harley to cruse around on, that's about it" Funny that the fastest guy in the US would choose a cruise, not to mention a Hog, as his only choice for a streetbike.