Go racing for $2k?

Here's a static shot of it when we first bought it.

Very easy to work on and tires last forever. Parts are readily available. We have a full fairing for it but don't think that it makes that much of a difference at the track so we just took it off.

 

I believe there are plenty of options to go racing with less than $2000 in a bike. There have been plenty of suggestions so far and there is a 250 Ninja in the WERA classifieds for $1300, right now.
I can't state strongly enough that a beginning racer will learn more, have more fun and become a better racer by starting out on a slow bike. Don't worry about the bike being competitive, since all bikes are faster than you are. You should check with Kanatuna here and see if he has or can get a bike for you. He is having too much fun on an EX500, which is what I would recommend.

In my opinion, I would question the advice from somebody that has spent $5K or $6K on a bike and hasn't made it to the track yet.

Take some time and read the EX250 thread in General.

Ken

 

I just scrolled through the classifieds and found this
http://weraclassifieds.com/ads/1994-gs500-race-bike/
and this
http://weraclassifieds.com/ads/fzr400ex500-hybrid-for-sale-perfect-clubman-bike/
and this
http://weraclassifieds.com/ads/2008-ninja-250r/
A scorpion would be fun too.

Do some research and don't be afraid to get something other than a 600 or an SV.

And like Kenessex said, whatever bike you get will be faster than you at first, so buy something and ride it until it is holding you back instead of you holding it back. Then start looking at upgrading the bike or getting a new one.

 

Man....I started racing with a $1k bike. lol If your mechanically inclined I have a 400 Bandit chassis set up for an EX500 motor for $400. Needs motor. I have the harness, exhaust and I will throw on a set of tires that will last a couple weekends. You can pick up a motor for $400 anywhere. It has a GSXR1100 front end and 600 Katana rear wheel to allow a 160mm tire. So....$800 and some wrench time and your rocking out on the track. The bike would be good for v6lw,v5,clubman,f2,lwsb,lw solo. Thats some fun.

Sorry to plug the bike but I thought it was relevant. Otherwise, Cajun has a well set up FZR400 with and EX500 motor for like $1500 ready to go. Then again...there are plenty of EX250's around too.

I started racing on 600's...even had a 955 Triumph for a bit. I am now racing little bikes....they make you faster. They are easy on tires, sip fuel and they are a blast to ride.

 

I have to say, the EX500s are looking like a better and better choice. More pickup than an ex250, but I think it'd be enough to keep me interested and safe for a long time.

 

An EX500 that hasnt been modified with a bunch of other bikes(like mine) can run in like 8-9 classes in a weekend. I can run mine in 7. If you ride the shit out of it you can be competitive in all of them....the SV's in lwss/lwsb/f2 and the lw solo can kill the EX500 in straights but the bike is killer for clubman, v5, v6lw, dsb and dss. So....have at it.

 

How much do you mod your ex? Rearsets? Clipons? Bother with body work?

And what tires are you running? Curious about size and brand.

 

Also wondering about brakes. That might be the weakest link. I felt like my rotor was warped after a few track days.

 

stock motor with pod filters, jet kit, full exhaust.
Penske shock, zx6 swing arm, zx7 aluminum subframe, complete cbr f3 front end, wheel, dual disks,master cylinder, clip on's etc., cbr f3 rear wheel, woodcraft rear sets, motion pro throttle, 600rr superbike tail section, first gen r6 lower that has been trimmed, airtech ex500 upper, stock fairing stay with modified zx7 gauges. So now the bike runs a 120 front tire and 160 rear tire(continental now but have ran bridgestones).

And ya know what...my damn near stock old ex500 was just as fast. lol Actually faster...at Nashville I ran half a second faster on my old ex500 than I did on this new one with all the BS on it.

The old bike had a penske shock, race tech emulators and springs in the stock front end, woodcraft rear sets and clip on's, full exhaust, ebc front rotor with steel braided lines and some airtech race plastics. With the stock wheels it ran a 150 rear and 110 front tire(bridgestones).

So what I'm saying is that you dont need all the hybrid shit to make these things competitive. Suspension and tires and you can go have a ton of fun. If I were to build another, it would be like the old one. I could run the SS class with it too. And dont worry about the brakes holding you up....we hardly use them on these bikes. lol

I cant find any good static shots so here ya go:
New bike:

Old bike:

First EX500 I had:

 

That's really cool. To be honest, whatever is up on the classifieds or whatever I find for cheap in about 3 weeks is what I'm going to go with. I just want to race- I'm sure a lot of you guys understand. It doesn't really matter what it's on, just that it's something with two wheels and an engine in the middle. If that sv650 track bike with spares galore is still up for sale in Cleveland in a month or so, I'll go after it for sure.

 

go over to the vintage section. few guys have F2/3 machines for sale. cheapest way to go fast, hands down.

 

When I saw the "MZ" on the grid sheet, I wasn't sure what it was. that thing has some motor too. In his race with Draik, he would sometime get the drive on him down the front stretch, i even mentioned that to my Dad who was there.

It seems like a good bike.

 

Sometimes you can find people selling there entire racing setup. When I first started I picked up a SV that was pretty beat, honda generator, stands, and warmers plus a bunch of other spares for like $2800.

Timing's everything on classifieds. Good luck!

 

Hey Kurt. Yeah, it's been a pretty good bike. RRW did an article on a guy racing one out west in last months issue. With some very minor motor work and some different wheels (word is the stock MZ wheels are boat anchors) I'm sure Nick could be a lot more competitive.

The nice thing is that he feels a bond to his machine, which I've always felt is a key with any bike you ride.

 

Drop the guy a line. He's probably raced with WERA, and you can find out more info on the bike before driving too far to look at it. Plus i've never met a racer who didn't like talking about his bike...

i just stumbled across that SV because my brother bought a 2006 (in Washington) and I was checking out how the price he paid compared to what's available around me.

 

I shot him an email, he says he's a Fasttrax guy, but regardless [and quite an odd request] I'm sort of asking that he hold onto it if he can until June, as that's when I'll have the time and $ to devote to it. I'm sort of expecting a "I'll do what I can, but I'm not gonna wait for you if I get a good offer"....completely understandable, but it's a hell of a deal. Lol, is there any way I could call dibs on that, over any of you guys at least, a month and a half or so in advance?

 

doublea, sent you a pm

 

So how bout it...any news? lol

 

I emailed and we chatted a bit about it. Then I mentioned that I wouldn't have the time or money really to come and collect it till summer. I pretty much said "I understand if you can't hold on to it that long, but I'm very interested, and I'm 97% sure I would be there if I had the means. If you still have it come June time or so, you have a buyer"

lol.....that's really all i can do. Student budgets ftl....