+1 to Chaotic. 600's arent a bad place to start, starting on a bike your already comfortable on is great also. I raced my first SV last year after racing 600's and 1000's for a few years. Definatly taught me a ton about corner speed and taking a nap every lap down Millers full straight was an added bonus.
good point and i think you're right about one thing for sure. we do have a tendency to say "get a sv" rather quickly. i agree he needs to spend at least a couple weekends at the track on the rc to see if he even likes track riding first. as far as what to do then, my opinion would be to then get and sv if he wanted to continue track riding considering his goals. if he still wants to be billy bad ass fully sponsored pro racer, albeit very unlikely to happen, i think he could help his chances some learning on a smaller bike. would he wrong for sticking on the rc because thats what he's comfortable with? not in the least. there is one other thing i've noticed about smaller bikes in general. it seems to me the ones who start on smaller bikes have more staying power. seems a lot of guys who start on bigger bikes get frustrated with the learning curve and tougher competition and give up fairly quickly. jmo. all the things you said are very fine points and not in the least bit wrong. i think we just both have different approaches to this whole racing thing im not going to sit here and say mines any better than yours, just different. and id be willing to bet in some cases my approach will work better for certain people while your approach works better for others.
I think some of them run out of Visa sponsorship. Running those big bikes is expensive, just walk through the paddock and look at some of the stacks of tires.
also a good point. i think i mentioned this in one of my earlier posts and it rings very true. i know racing my sv is expensive enough as it is. i wouldnt be able to afford it if i was on a bigger bike.
Racing those toy motorcycles has spoiled me. Tires are cheap and last forever, and most of the other expenses are reduced as well.
It's a double-edged sword, though. It's also possible that the RC might make him think he doesn't really like the race track. For a concrete example, I hated VIR the first couple of times I was there on my RC. Then I went back with a SV and loved it.
You might be right. But im not doing too bad for only having about 10-11 race weekends behind me...especially considering that I had never sat on a motorcycle of any kind until the summer of 2007 when i decided to start riding and had to ask my buddy "hey, uh...which lever does what?". I am still progressing rapidly and pick up whole seconds every time i go to the track. Could i progress faster on an SV? Maybe so. But i like my bike and at the end of the day, we are all here for the fun of it. I agree with all of the aforementioned points. In a perfect world, we would all have to start on 250's and work our way up from there. But that isnt the world we live in. I just want to deter people from thinking "damn, i want to race...but all i have is this _______ instead of an SV" and sometimes that is the vibe that is given off. If somebody has a bike, they can race it. Is their current bike the best choice?...not always. But it is damn sure better than sitting at home.
Gixxers are ugly IMO. Love R6s though. Definitely my choice of the 600s. But the fastest bike available means nothing in the wrong hands. And I'm sure theres guys out there, maybe even on here that could be on a 250 and crush me on my RC.
Just a thought, cancel your insurance on that RC because it must be an absolute fortune for a 17 year old (if infact you have insurance) Money saved will fund ya for a good while on track days, tires and necessary gizmo's. i enjoyed the video's but your nutts if ya don't have insurance drivin like that on public roads.
Yeah everyone says that. But anyone who has been there knows everyone drives like that there. I wait til I can see ahead before passing atleast.
well i can honestly say you do seem to at least have a better understanding of this very important concept than most people i know. most 17 year olds i ever met think motorcycles are the coolest thing ever but only if its the newest fastest and coolest. and most 17 year olds only have a bike because of this reasoning and they think it makes them cool and attractive to women but dont really give a shit about the real enjoyment you can get out of riding. its all for show to them. this alone tells me you're more suited for racing than most and you strike me as an individual who's into this for the right reasons. hell even most of my friends (who all thinks me racing is the coolest thing ever) still tell me how i should get newer I4 because they are the coolest. they just dont get it and thats fine because none of them actually ride anyways. all my friends who do ride actually "get it" so it all works out. but if i did go get a 600, i'm with ya on the r6. the fact that you grasp that your own riding ability is more important than having the fastest bike puts you way ahead of the game and shows maturity as a rider imo.
...and what if "everyone" decided to park the bikes and jump off one of those cliffs? You wait till you can see to pass? And exactly how much sight distance do you have at the Dragon? Especially considering there is likely to be another asshat coming your direction in the other lane just as fast. I applaud you for taking that kind of riding to the track...IF you stop doing it on public roads. I live close to the Gap and people like you are the reason i never go there. Good luck.
Good luck dood. Sell that RC. Thing will eat tires. I had to wait until I was 24 (last year) to start racing. Saved up $10,000 and rode in 4 race classes, bought new tires on my shiny fully built SS 600. I was the fastest rider in 3 states until I went to the track.
As I said before, get yourself to the track. Ya look like ya know how to handle the big bike. Once ya get a day at the track I think you'll love it, you'll then cancel your insurance (save money) turn the bike into a dedicated track bike and you'll be haulin arse....safely. I'm very much lookin forward to seeing your 1st, 2nd and future track day video's. Good luck young man, please ride on the street with way more respect for yourself and other's.
