Beginner Bike Question

Hi guys, I am new to racing / trackdays. Never done it ever.
To be honest, I am not a superstar on the street either.
I am relatively safe rider on the road, keep the bike well within it's limits, open the throttle on straights with visibility.
Pretty much haven't ridden in 2-3 years.
That being said, I still love riding, which is why I'm want to start tracking.

I have gone through new rider (sorry mods, unable to post in there) and I see the recommendations are strong for the SV650.
My question, I currently have an 06 Ninja 650R.
Is this a good bike to take to the track? -- is it worth the hassle to sell this and get an SV650?
I am worried the pegs will hit the ground mid turn.

EDIT: Sorry, I do have permissions now, must have been temporary.

 

You're gonna get suggestions and recommendations from across the board but I'll be the first to say keep what you have.

The SV has a near cult-like following here, parts are inexpensive and readily available. I don't see it being a better bike for what you want to do and, no, you're not gonna drag your pegs on the 650R any sooner than you would on any other bike. If you have a sentimental attachment to your 650R, maybe you might consider something else - just in case you do drag the pegs (usually a result of crashing).

I think the best advice you're gonna hear is...take a riding school. Invest in yourself. The gains are transferable to anything and everything you will ever ride for the rest of your life.

 

Ride what you want. Just get good suspension and good tires and leave everything else alone for now and get good instruction and track time.

 

Ride what you have. Nothing wrong with that bike at a track day at all.

Make sure you've got a clean, properly tensioned chain, good tires, maintenance done, tape up your lights and get out there.

Don't need to make it complicated for your first time.

 

Yep. That 650 is plenty good enough for getting started. I started on my street FZ1 for my first few track days and it was plenty capable. It was the ultimate corner parking and torque out of there machine. After you have done a few days, if you want to get serious and are worried about crashing your baby, pick up a used track or race bike. If you keep the 650 as your track bike, as you progress, upgrade parts are going to be a little more expensive and harder to come by than for the SV, particularly if you are OK with some used stuff.

 

Best advice I ever got was:

Be prepared to leave the track after dumping whats left of your bike in the dumpster. If you can't or won't do that then do not race it.

 

So most of the groups that rent out the track near me, run coaching/training as part of trackdays -- is this what you mean by school, or is there another MSF style course you're talking about?

Bonus question for this thread:
How do I meet fellow riders in my area -- I am hoping to meet people to commute to the track with. I don't have FB and would like to avoid hopping back on there.
All my friends that have bikes have stopped riding.

 

This is really a question?
Clapped out SV/end thread.

 

Where are you located and do you know what tracks you want to ride? I'm sure there is someone near enough and willing to help get you started.

Your bike is fine for getting started, as someone else mentioned above check your chain, tires, general maintenance, tape up the lights and get out there.

 

Kawasaki 636.

 

Be a chick.

Like everyone else said, there’s not a thing wrong with the little Kwakker for dipping your toes in the track riding pool. If it’s bone stock you’ll quickly realize its limitations and THAT’S when the fun begins. And by fun, I mean wallet-draining shopping sprees.

When you reach that, consider shopping for a prepped and set-up dedicated track bike versus dumping buckets of cash into your existing bike. It’s a great way to feel first-hand the difference between what you have and what you need to start riding competitively, and it’s cheaper to freshen up a set up bike than to source new bits for your streeter.

 

Da fug is wrong witchu? A logical azz response, from you? You must have been recently neutered and now wanna get to know your more sensitive flower sniffing side.
As I’ve said before, everyone on the beeb has a purpose. Logical ain’t yours around here, Soyboy

 

That bike is Kawasaki's attempt at copying the mighty SV650. Its a great first track, especially since you already own it.

Check you tires and brakes and prep it per your local trackday group and go ride.

 

Deepthroat a DitchWitch.

 

Dattaboy! That’s Rotten-egg we’ve all grown to know and . . . accept.

 

While I agree that your 650R would be a great bike to start out on, I would say that beyond the first couple of trackdays it will become expensive to upgrade the suspension, brake lines, exhaust, bodywork, etc. You may want to consider selling the 650R and buying a race prepped SV with the money as they can be had pretty cheap.

 

Most track day organizations have a beginner course / group that will help you get acclimated to the track. This will be a good for your first couple of track days. After that, find some additional one on one training. It could be something like EvolveGTs "You vs. You" which they run at some track days or you could go up another notch (in quality and price) and do a dedicated track school like California Superbike School or YCRS.

 

Come on Dan, you of all people know the SV was just Suzuki’s attempt to copy the mighty EX500! And the 650R is just a modernized EX500 so the SV is ultimately a copy of the Kawi 650, and not the other way around!

And for the OP, the bike you have is usually the best bike to learn to track ride on and then as you progress you can decide whether to upgrade it or get a dedicated track bike. I’ve raced my 2009 Kawi 650R Since 2009 and it’s great. It does all the things a bike is supposed to do and it will take you as fast as you can go for quite a while. I won’t debate the whole SV vs Kawi thing, but a lightweight, 650-700 Twin is a great place to begin track days on and learn the craft a little more. Good luck.

 

No. I mean a dedicated riding school like Yamaha Champions Riding School or California Superbike School, et al. These are professional schools with hard-copy philosophies and your instructor will be with you all day, focusing on you and maybe 2-3 other riders while on track. Off track classroom time is conducted by instructors specializing in the particular subject matter. (They all pretty much know the same material that their colleagues know.)

I've found MSF to be good for an insurance discount but not much else.

Trackday coaches/instructors are hit or miss and are mainly experienced rider's filling those roles in exchange for free track time. They're free to express whatever opinion, disseminate whatever info and deliver personal critiques to whomever they are "watching". If you want personalized attention, some trackday organizations offer a "school" - usually just a morning's worth of classroom and tracktime, or you can ask for a coach to critique you, but don't expect them to spend all day with you. There's nothing wrong with that so long as that "coach/instructor" knows what he's doing...you not knowing the difference is the problem.

As far as meeting people, talk to your local bike shop's parts person. They prolly know who the trackday/racer customers are and may be able to arrange an exchange of contact info. Maybe the shops have a bulletin board for business cards, etc. and there's always the personals section of local newspapers.

If nothing else, you can tell us where you are located and someone near to you may step up to help guide your wheels to the entry gate(s).

 

Your bike is fine, just make sure it is good mechanically, and make sure your tires are in great shape. Dont dismiss the important of tires. If there is any doubt, change them before you go to the track (or buy some from the trackside vendor and change them before you actually go on the track).

In the beginning, the bike is almost irrelevant. Your lap times wouldnt vary much whether you are on your bike, or a Panigale.

Keep what you have and work on your personal skills. Work on good inputs, vision, BP, markers, etc. Do this and learn how to pass people using your skills while riding a bike that isnt a missile, and it will pay huge dividends later. Trust me.