Going from a big bike to a little bike...

I'm out to eat now so can't type much but I'm your guy. I first rode a 1000 then 600 then SV then 250z.

 

Haha, you're right. I'm four beers deep into my Saturday afternoon

 

Sure, rub it in, ya dick.

 

Chris, anytime you'd like, you can take Draik's 250 out to flog. He keeps it clean but doesn't repaint it between rounds, but it'll still haul you around the track and give you an idea of how much fun they are.

 

I made the transgression from big to small. The only set back is, jumping from one to another but you already do that.

The 250's are a kick in the ass and you'll love that you can run

ESS
DSS
Clubman
V5
V6LW

In the Main classes they are a kick in the ass to go back and forth with someone your size and skill. I weighed 200 when I raced mine and only places like RA could you tell my size difference possibly made a difference. That's on the 250's. The larger bikes like the 400's and SV's it matters a lot less.

I've moved up but still have my 400 which honestly rides like a 600. I've raced every bike under 600. So ask away. Not only rode on the track but raced.

 

I raced an FZR400, then GSXR600, then an EX250 with a couple of endurance stints on an SV650 tossed in for good measure. The SV bored me. Farm tractor, but without the flexibility of adding a three point to plow some fields after the races.

I really like having an engine spin underneath me, and the SV's don't spin. I would suggest trying an FZR400, or any other older 600, or the Ninja 250. Those are all engines that spin properly (IMO), although they don't make lots of power. I enjoyed racing the Ninja 250 for exactly the reasons you state: Racing 30 (or even 5) others at the same speed is more fun than racing by yourself as fast as you can go. I felt very comfortable on the 250 as the RPM just felt right. Not a drone, not thudding, just spinning up like my older inline fours.

Beg a ride first, try some older inline fours and the Ninja. You might be surprised at how much fun it is to bend those things around a track.

 

This dude gets it Broomstick. Of course throw in the ninjette, or the baby blade.

 

Fixed

 

Be the oddball on the grid of FZRs and EXs, pick up a 400 Bandit.

 

hell find me a zxr400,besides across the pond

 

How small you wanna get? I have a couple of ysr rollers.

 

Words can't express how bad I want to do this now.

 

Thanks for that. I might take you up on that. It would give me an opportunity to ride one without buying one.

 

I know someone with an H model in Reno. I may sell one of mine too. Just need to finish building the second one.

 

On average, how many riders on on the grids in the D/E Expert races in the SE?

 

I started racing a CBR 600 F3, then hopped on a 600RR. After a year and a half I sold the RR for a CRF450 set up for supermoto.
Best racing decision i've made.
while there is a certain excitement of the speed that the RR provided, you''re right in that its very rewarding riding the smaller bike closer to its limit (though to be fair, I was no where near the limit on either bike. I probably had the F3 closest to the limit for what the bike was at the time)

 

It is much harder to go fast on a small bike vs a big bike. You rely on skills only, no power to get you out of a jam. You learn how to be more precise, exact shift points and braking areas on the track and also throttle. On a small bike if you miss getting on the gas a millisecond you lost 5 places easy. Racing on small bikes in a competitive field is much much harder IMO. Also, riding small bikes helped me on bigger bikes, made me realize a lot of things. Racing 50's in parking lots was the hardest racing I ever did by far and honestly that's how I got fast.

 

If you don't care about throttle or brake control, but want some awesome racing in a popular and growing class...try the Ninjette!

 

hhhmmmmm,this is so tempting. how is the parts avaialabilty for you guys with those?

 

2002 GSXR 1000 was my first bike and I did all my track days and first year of racing with it. Owned the bike for 8 years and put 25k miles on it doing everything under the moon with it. I enjoyed and was comfortable on that bike, that said the bike was a hand full at the track and most of the time I was just holding on. Had to lay out for a few years but came back on a SV650 and have never looked back. I have learned more in the last two years racing the SV than trying to ride the 1000. The best part for me is that I can get up to speed in a couple of laps. I could never have a 650 as a street bike but is a fun race bike.