So I have a 2006 636 that has been sitting for a few years. Life came at me fast and I didn't store it as I should have. Long story short I am having to buy more things than anticipated to get it street ready and then later this year I intend to start tracking it with hopes to race next year. I can't help but wonder if my 06' is worth sinking money in to buy all the other things I would like to turn it into a track bike. On paper it seems that it's a great candidate as it is lighter and has more hp than the current model but I just wanted to get some opinions before I plan to invest in it past getting it street ready and able to be sold (if an upgrade makes sense). Thanks!
Track = crash which one will hurt you more to hide in a dumpster. Old bike with investment or new bike?
I am finishing up fixing up an 02 gix 750. I could have bought a newer one for how much I'm into it but at this point, everything important is new/checked. It's been really fun building it. Like Phil said... which will hurt more?
What exactly are you having to buy to get the 636 running? For track riding, you would be buying...fairings and rearsets? Anything else would be optional extras. If you really dont want to risk binning the 636 then get something else. But that something else will have its own maintenance bill too.
its a 14yr old bike... dollars to dollars you should sell it as is to get the most $$ out of it. A stock bike of that age might be worth ~$4,000 if street legal & running. ANY track bike is going to be a money pit unless you buy one where the major components like suspension, body and controls are already addressed.
Good point... Lol. Not sure to be honest as both would need the same amount of damage to be replaced and from what I can see an older bike does not yield a discount on parts. Sometimes the opposite as you can't source parts. That's awesome! Definitely some inspiration. New Fuel pump / tires / steering stabilizer that seems to come standard on newer bikes etc. Most of what I have to buy is to get it back on the street. I already own unused Sharkskinz fairings for the track so that's a plus and I would likely replace the shitty Dan Moto rearsets I have before I track it because the rear brake has a ton of play. The "extras" are things that I am seeing on newer bikes like steering stabilizers and likely upgraded suspension. Not sure if anything newer has customizable suspension from the factory but that would be a big expense for the 636. Not worried about binning this bike vs. others - it would be equally annoying. If the crash was identical than it would likely be a nearly identical cost to replace the parts. Really just wanting to see if I am missing out on technology that would be beneficial. As I mentioned, spec wise, the 636 fairs better than the newer (heavier) 600's. Yeah they seem to be worth $4,000 - $5,000 depending on miles. This thing has pretty low miles and that is why I was wondering if I should just sell it. Hell I've seen people selling track ready bikes for $1-2k more than this thing is worth...
For track duty put it in service and ride it for all it's worth. Don't need to make it fancy or pretty or even crash resistant. A 2 thousand dollar bike is a lot easier to part with than a 14 thousand dollar bike.
Id get it track-able, ride it all year, then start looking for a newer built racebike for next year. I would not sink money into go-fast parts on something so old that you probably won't be happy racing anyway. Spend all your $$ this year on trackdays, tires, and fuel to build your skills.
It's not faster or lighter than a current gen 636, but that won't be a limiting factor if you're just getting into track riding. Put it together and get on the track. Once you do that a few times, the rest will sort itself out and your inclination and budget will decide the rest.
Go with above. Just get the 636 together and running, do minimal spending to get on track, and ride the piss out of it. Then think about next year what you really want to do.
Very solid advice everyone! I’m gonna stick with the 06 for now relatively stock and practice comfortably (without the thought of laying down something new). I’ll know what I want to do from there - upgrade this or a different bike. Thanks for the input!
I came to the same crossroads over the last couple years. I decided to put the money into my 05 R1 instead of buying newer. I like riding my older model bike with zero electronic goodies that the new bikes have. I think it makes me a better rider. It forces me to be smooth rolling on the throttle coming out of corners. I could probably be a little faster on a newer bike, but if I can be fast on my old school bike, I'll be that much faster on a new one with better riding technique......or I'm an idiot....one or the other.
@Rugbydad, good post. The rider aid technology on the newer bikes will definitely up your game. I highly recommend attending a track day where Yamaha is offering their bikes for demo rides. I rode the R6 and it was insanely better than my old-school GSXR-600. Noticeably better such that I started to push to "see what I could do more of" with the bike. Unrelated, a guy I know tracked his new BMW GS with dynamic ESA. It was all stock and I thought no way can that ADV bike be a suitable track weapon. But his braking and cornering were, to sound hyperbolic, out of this world.
why do you think this?? If you have the ability you can ride ANY bike at an elevated pace. Fast riders can ride bikes fast... slow riders not so much. The electronics may compliment your riding but they sure as hell aint replacing or even elevating it. Lots of videos out there showing guys doing unbelievable things on those BMW tanks on closed courses.
Are we talking about riders of "I" and lower "A" groups? Because that is who I have in mind. I find it hard to believe that having all those rider aids will not improve a rider's performance or lap times (elevate, in my word. Haha). I agree with you in part but I said nothing about "replacing". Lol. Maybe "improving" a rider's performance or lap times is better clarity. But now we're parsing words. "Complimenting your riding" brings to mind aspects of a riding style or habit. Aggressive throttle while cornering / leaned over -- traction control and timing retard. Late-braking hard -- suspension aid and traction control. Cornering with hanging off and bike relatively straight (vs cornering while pushing the bike down under the rider) -- traction control and lean-angle sensor. Traction control is a blanket terminology but the second terms ("and") I mention for each addresses an aspect of a riding style, My opinion, I guess. We've all raced against and beaten someone on equal footing, in some form of competition, in our childhood or adulthood, who shows up one day and is unbeatable due to a "better product". Only one of the riding aids I listed above would compliment my riding style. I was doing pretty good on the track with my own bike. Just not in all aspects of riding. I noticed an immediate improvement on the newer R6 within 30 minutes of riding the bikes apart on the same track, same corners that I could add more inputs into my riding in places I was hesitant to do so before. So, yeah, I used the word "elevate" because many aspects of my riding improved on, pretty much, every area of the track. It's all good, man. I'm here to learn.
