Building race bike...insight

Buy a used race bike this fall. Spend the winter going through it, perhaps refresh the engine if your worried, send suspension out to be refreshed as well. New chain/sprocket set and you'll still be ahead $$ wise and have a dope bike.

 

So here's what you do. Get @ekraft84 all riled up about racing again, let him build a kickass bike, then when spring rolls around and he changes his mind, buy it from him on the cheap. Just be sure to set aside a few hundred bucks to have the wheel painted....

 

I wouldn’t even think of building another bike. I barely got 50¢ on the dollar, when I sold it, and was tough even getting that for it.

Everyone here has told you exactly what to do. Pretty basic advice is if the team who own the bike have professionally painted bodywork, team transporter, uniforms, everything matches and looks professional, finish in the top-10, recognizable name, etc, the bike is going to be a safe bet. It’s very easy to find a MA entry list and find out who runs what. The only thing I’d do is have the suspension serviced and setup for you and keep the thing off the rev-limiter.

 

If he's not mechanically inclined then all the more reason to buy an already prepped one and have someone go over it with you....someone who knows what to look for and check before taking it to the track.

 

Thanks all for the advice! Already started firing off emails to some of the teams. Appreciate the insight and recommendations.


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Just watch the classifieds here like a hawk. You'll see some amazing deals here in just a few weeks. There's a really nice R6 in there right now for like $12k that would probably cost you double to build from scratch.

 

I built one bike from new into a racebike in 15 years of racing. NEVER again. I've got better things to do. like ride. Also, overlooking the amount of money you will have invested when it's all said and done. Lots and lots more than just the cost of a brand new bike. Many high level 1 year old race bikes out there for well under the cost of new + build to race. Even factoring freshening up a motor if needed. Eddie Kraft recently sold one of the nicest R6's i've ever seen, and no way could you replicate for what he had in it.

If ya like projects, and have to finance a bike, and put the race parts on a credit card? well, knock yerself out (but may wanna rethink a 600cc race class IF ya don't have lots of money for tires and crash repairs).

as some pointed out. Any used bike, get a detailed list of what is on the bike and done to it. get lots of photos. CHECK everything off 1 by 1 before you take the bike home... "buyer beware".

 

Good info. To be clear - I am not financing the bike, nor racking up the credit card bill for a build. I know better than that [emoji846]


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Graves are involved in a lot of R6 builds. They’d have a definite idea who’s turning bikes for next season, because 2020 bike builds/talks are already on their agenda. I’d start there. Plus, if you buy one of their bikes, they can ship it to you already serviced and setup for your weight.

 

Are they still doing R6's? I thought they'd turned their focus to Kawi.

 

the Gerloff championship 2017 r6 from Graves STARTS at $40,000 based on what all other bits you want just FYI. I called on that one . FULL data logging, $7k big radiator, wammy jammy everything.

 

Too much for my blood. I’d really like to stay around $13K. Based off my build sheet (excluding labor) I figured I could build the R6 for around 13-14K net cost based off a few discounts, selling off OEM, and the deal I found on the actual bike.


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They still do a LOT of stuff, especially for others. Plus, they may have bikes in storage they may come off of. Hard to say what all they have around there.

Shops like Superbike Unlimited would know of teams rotating bikes, as well.

 

Stupid ... stupid ... stupid ...

 

I don’t see how. Are you planning a completely stock bike with only bodywork?

 

Bike is a 2018 with 1300 miles, completely stock, clean title and I can get it for $8K.

Add about $6-7K for additional track bits. Subtract maybe $1000-1500 for all OEM bits if I can sell them off.

That’s how I ballpark. I’m sure I’m missing some things but that’s how I ended up around that number.


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Yeah, understandable for sure. I’m very open to buying used as well, just want to make sure I find the right bike. Given the deal I found on the 18, I started thinking about the pros/cons of that route.

Again - i’m not trying to say one way is better than the other. Just asking for insight from those who have done it.

All great points.


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Or option 3:

Buy one and have someone who knows what they are doing build it for you.

That is the route I like to go. That way I get the enjoyment of shopping and picking out all the parts, but I don’t have to install any of it.

 

Built a race bike from a stock bike. Wasn't cheap. But huge plus: It was bone fuckin' stock and I knew exactly what it had done to it...nothing.

Bought most of my track bikes already built-ish. Plus: Lots of decent parts for far cheaper than I built that R6 for. Huge down side: Finding little fucked up shit all throughout the bike that people deem OK, but I don't. Scotch loks used on wiring connections. Stripped out threads (seat bolts, fairing threads, etc). Sloppy install work on a lot of shit. Chain/sprockets shot to shit. Small oil leaks. Valves out of adjustment. Calipers so dirty, you don't know how the pistons never stuck. Swingarm/triple tree bearings one step away from being ground into dust. You save money, but you pay for it with your time.

The ultimate prize: Finding a freshly built race bike with next to zero track time on it, from someone that has their shit together. I will say that the majority of track day heroes, and many club level racers, do not have their shit together, and it might not be apparent until you start taking the bike apart.

 

Looks feasible, to me.