Wife says I can add another bike to the stable. I'm thinking I want something to do track days on. I raced (slowly) for a couple years. I did what I needed to do out there. This bike would just be to play grab-ass at track days. I've got a TTR125 mini moto and a 125 2 stroke motocross bike in the garage. I've always been a, "try to ride slow bikes fast" kinda guy. I aint never had a liter bike before (I had an OG Tuono and an FZ1 though). But I'm getting this weird itch. I dunno. Maybe I'm feeling inadequate. What do you lunatics think?
Only downside really is tire wear...lol. Specifically rear tire wear. Also Ive found that a liter bike is way more taxing to ride at the limit. But you do everything "harder" like braking and accelerating! (and wearing tires)
I'm a firm believer of, ride what you want. If you think a liter bike tickles your fancy go for it. What turbo said, riding one of these things at the limit is hard work for sure. But you could ride one two seconds off your pace for days.
I have been riding a 2003 R1 at track days for about 12 years. It isn't too bad on tires compared to the newer fire breathing 180HP beasts, but even it will run through some tires. If you want some HP to have fun but eat a few less rear tires, think about a GSXR 750. It isn't just the cost of the tires, it is the time swapping them out too, particularly if you don't have a spare rear wheel.
I agree with Eddie. I didn't notice that much more tire wear on my 1000 than i did on my 750 or 600! And for me the 1000 was way more fun to ride!
I've never ridden anything but a liter bike....and when I started riding motocross I rode a 250f for like 3 days and then bought a 450..... as the old saying goes, "there is no replacement for displacement".
I've rode sport bikes for a 10 years (I'm 31) and 6 of those I have been racing and always on 600s. At this point the idea of a riding a liter bike at the limit has become so intimidating mostly because of me convincing myself of it. I do have a friend with a 17 R1 that said he'd let me throw a leg over. I'm nervous about it and probably won't push hard but I'm also super excited.
Nothing was more fun to me than embarrassing liter bikes in the turns on a 600. I stepped up to a R1 for a season.....didnt like it. It was significantly easier to ride the R6 harder and faster than the R1 was. Now, the other side of that coin, power wheelies out of corners was easier on the R1 and if I wanted to be lazy, the extra power made it nice to still get around the track quickly.
I have owned and raced SV's, big twins, 600's, 1,000's, supermoto, and on and on. Nothing has ever even come close to the visceral experience of a TZ250. YMMV. I found the R1 and RSVR to be boring, expensive, and frankly, hard to ride fast.
The guy that is stuck, or the guy holding up traffic? Having done both, I prefer to be the slightly slower guy helping others to improve their riding to get past me. That’s my excuse, anyway.
I'd do a sorted out 750 before doing a liter bike. But that is just me. More engaging to ride and performance levels within reach of mortals.
The guy that motors smaller bikes then runs crap lines where you don't want to pass because you don't know his next move. I developed a real dislike for this stuff one year. I was racing with Motoseries and they ran 1k and 600s in the same race. Usually two waves, 1ks ex and nov then 600 ex and nov (small grids). Every race one guy we would catch about 3 laps in and then he would interfere a lot with our podium battles. The one time I setup purposely on the inside of the exit leaving him room to pass on the left, once I heard him coming I drifted over to cut him off. It worked, he just had to roll off and get behind me. Then a series of turns an we were gone. Of course this was racing and not a trackday.