What was your first track bike?
 

Just curious what bike was your first track bike? heck for that matter what do you ride now on the track? I hope to get a dedicated bike for the track this year, it will be a 600cc, it will be an older bike to begin with something in the 98-02 range.

I have two bikes now, I love my CBR 1000 too much to even think about it going right now. It's my street and mountain twisty rider. I also have a Ninja 500 and I'd take it to the track in a heartbeat and will perhaps do so until I get the 600cc in the stable.

First bike I rode on the track was an R6 - not mine though. My first track/race bike was an FZR600 (with no brakes...sigh, those were the days LOL).

Now I've got an SV650 that I track/race

The only bike that I have had on the track is my current one, 2003 Gxsr 750.

First bike on the track was a 2000 929RR (RIP). Now I take my current bike, an '07 1000RR.

What tracks in NC do you frequent?

My first was my street bike...'03 Buell XB9S. Too slow, but really fun in the tight parts. Really fun all around, but just not fast enough. I have a '98 ZX6R now. Wrecked at Homestead last June and need to get some new plastics, fix a few things, and bend a few things back in place.

My 1st track bike was a 20 year old Yamaha RD350 that I raced in Vintage classes on Sat and in modern classes on Sunday.

I raced a 95' 500 Ninja some, but it was too slow and it cost too much to make it fast. I grafted an FZR400 front end on it, which worked great and the thing handled OK, just too slow to be competitive.

'03 GSXR600, it's my do-everything bike. I've commuted on it, trackdays, touring, everything. I picked up the KTM as a hooligan and track bike, but it's only good on tracks with short straights. Palm Beach, Roebling, Daytona etc it's death.

My recommendation? Do a couple trackdays on the 500, to get into the swing of trackdays. Then go onto your local track forum or the wera forums (forums.13x.com) and pick up a retired racebike for your track slut. I am converting my GSXR over to a track slut and it's expensive, you'll get more for your money buying a bike that's already built.

Mine was my 1125R. Worked great but is a better street bike.

if/when i get a dedicated track bike it will probably be a 675 or a 750.

I like the way you think

Well, when I started riding on the track I rode my '00 ZX6R street bike.

My first TRACK ONLY bike was a Production Twins legal EX500, which got me into racing. The EX makes a great track bike platform... You can make it squirm like a sunuvabitch but it won't bite you unless you do somethin really stupid. It'll just keep saying "stop doing that, no really, stop it... no... cut it out" before it finally throws you off :P That bike taught me more than I ever could have imagined about riding fast & smooth.

Eventually I sold both bikes and I now ride an Aprilia Tuono which pulls double duty street/track and I race a Supersport legal SV650.

Yeah, I race an EX for 3 seasons. Luckily my local racing scene (CCS/LRRS) has a class designed almost specifically for the EX500, as that was the bike the local race school (Penguin Racing) used as their school bike. You could buy yourself an EX500 for dirt cheap, throw a shock on it & have a bike that was competitive with anyone else's on the grid.

Production Twins has to be the best bang-for-the-buck race motorcycle road racing class in the US :) I had a ball racing that class.

Trackbike? 998 and 748. Now have my current favorite - KTM 450 EXC tarded.

Back in 1994 I had a 1993 EX500 when I got my first license with CCS/AMA

I soon swapped that out for a 1992 F2 for 1995 and 1996....moved to FL from AZ and the competition here in FL was too fierce so gave it up

I then came back in 1999-2000 seasons with a 1999 GSXR 750.

In 2005 I got back into it with a 2004 GSXR 750

In late 2006 I changed again, this time to a 2006 GSXR 600 which is what I still use for the track today.

:rockout:

VIR is all I've ridden in NC, but I go to CMP in SC and Summit Point in West Virginia also. You?

None yet, but I will eventually test out those you mentioned and those in Georgia are not too far from me either...

VIR is awesome... I've done the North & South courses. Been goin there every spring since '05 as sort of a "pre-season" warm-up. Dunno if I'll make it this year though :(

Shoot me a PM on here if you plan on making it at all this season. I'll be at most of the NESBA days there.

I haven't run South, just North and full. Had a few close calls with the uphill right (just under the bridge) and on the following long left sweeper of the North course. Hopefully next season I can stop shitting myself every time I hit that part of the track. :lol:

Run the full course if you ever get the chance. You get the front straight with the kink (North Course) and that monstrous straight (4000'+) on the South course (and you enter the esses on the South course at 135+). Tiring as all hell, but one of my favorites!

Oh man I LOVE that part of the track... up over the hill & back down the other side to the front straight.... LOVE IT!

I normally go with a small group of friends that piggy-backs onto a Mid Atlantic Ducati event, though I think if I end up going this year (doubtful :( ) that I'll be going with the guys from www.bostonmoto.com. New company & very good friends of mine.

South is one of my favorites, I actualy like it more than north. There were rumors about tpm either running the full cours or the grand course there but that doesnt look like it will happen.


Trck bikes for me

I started on my 99 TL1000S then bought a 2000gsxr 750, however the ergos killed my knees, the newer gen gixxers feel more comfortable to me so i will be selling my gsxr as soon as I can finish work on it (needs a new oilpan and to be cleaned up) and will see about getting a newer bike. However with an impending house purchase, that may not happen and I may have to take the year off but we will see.

Tom

That oak tree turn is always a good time...

I like the oak tree and the little rollercoaster section after 2. :)

Tom

Honda Hawk GT, then CBR600, then Kawi 600, then SV650, then Kawi 636, someday Duc 848!:drool:

First time was on my old '06 R6, did 7 days on it. I'm waiting for the weather to get nicer before the '09 R6 hits the track. I already have good vibes from it.

05 sv650

My first track/race bike was a 85 Yamaha RZ350... LOVED that bike...

Had a CBR F2, and a few ZX-7Rs in my day...

Current track bike is also my street bike (being converted to track only this year)... a 2007 ZX-10R

Also planning to add a SuperMoto to the garage so i can work on some sideways action at the track

Street bike with some trackdays thrown in:

• 98 Superhawk

Dedicated Trackbikes:

• 98 CBR F3
• 01 R1
• 05 R1

My 1st racebike was a '73 RD350.
We didn't have TD's back then. You just raced.
You could rent Oak Hill though w/ a Race License for $50 a day. $150 to make it private and not allow anyone else there.

My first trackbike used to do former duty as my first street bike ;)

2006 R6

The first bike I rode on the track was a '96 ZX-6R, at the racing school at Shannonville Motorsports park. The only one that I've owned myself is my '88 FZR400, which I'm in the process of selling. I'm spending far more time at track photography than I am riding myself now.

Never been to a trackday, but my first bike was a 1978 Yamaha xs 1100.

first trackday was at midohio on a 03-636
now i run the rc51 at nashville when i get a chance

2003 636 Kawi