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Rookie questions for the trackday vets and racers

Discussion in 'General' started by ZXNick, Aug 4, 2008.

  1. ZXNick

    ZXNick Well-Known Member

    So I just started doing trackdays this summer and am hooked bad. I have a few questions and hopefully y'all can help a brother out. Some of these may be stupid questions but just trying to learn so.....sorry for being a noob.

    1) Tires- If I run DOT's or slicks do I need warmers or will the heat generated by the first session of a day be enough to keep them hot?

    1b) What's the deal with take-offs? I understand heat cycles and all of that but is there anything to look out for when buying race take offs? If I am just doing trackdays and not racing are race takeoffs ok to use?

    2) Shock- I am 6'6'' 235-240 lbs and need a shock or shock work done. Are OEM (05 zx-10R) shocks good enough with an aftermarket spring or is there that big of a difference between a re-worked OEM and an aftermarket item?

    3) Forks- I already have some heavy duty ohlins springs and some heavier oil in my forks which helped a lot but is there anything else I can do to the stock forks to help out?

    4) Brake pads- Any that are recommended for track use with the occasional spirited road ride thrown in?

    5) Frame Sliders- For track use is it ok to use the "no cut" style of frame sliders or should I go for the kind that bolt directly to the motor mounts? I don't mind cutting the fairings if it means they will hold up better in the event of a crash....I am getting to the point of being comfortable pushing and testing my limits so I know a lowside is inevitable.

    My biggest question is how do you afford this shit? The more I do this the more expensive it seems to get....lol. Thanks for looking and if you have any advice I would greatly appreciate you sharing some knowledge.
     
  2. Quicktoy

    Quicktoy Is it Winter yet?

    dont run oem bodywork, dont run no cut sliders, ok to use takeoffs but ALWAYS use warmers.. save up until u can buy warmers. you will max out everything you own to aford this sport. you are too heavy for stock springs forks and shock. ditch the rear shock for an ohlins and get ohlins internals for the forks no probs running oem pads.. theyre great on the 10s.
     
  3. Matt399

    Matt399 Well-Known Member

    Personally I have a credit card I use ONLY for racing. I try to pay it off after each race but it doesn't always happen, which is what the off-season is for!:up: Not recommended if you lack financial discipline...
     
  4. natedogg624

    natedogg624 Well-Known Member

    I would send them in. or start talking to the suspension guy at your next trackday.
    i use galfer HH pads. same situation your in. trackdays with some street rides thrown in. the HH pads are OK for the street, obviously they're not in their ideal situation on the street, but they will get the job done.

    go with the cut. heard to many stories of guys getting their frame snapped. also make sure you go with something "soft" so that when it hits the pavement it won't catch and flip the bike, but rather grind down and absorb the impact.
     
  5. Gigantic

    Gigantic Maverick Moto Media

    1. http://www.trackdaymag.com/Article.aspx?id=1878

    2. There is that big of a difference.

    4. EBC are ok for track use with occaisional street use, but there are much better pads out there that you should never use on the street.

    5. forget about no-cut sliders; they suck.

    as a noob, do yourself a favor: keep the ZX10 for the street and get a 600 of a 650 twin for the track. you'll learn a lot more and save money in the long run. of course, this sport is expensive. most of us have decent jobs and priorities that revolve around motorcycles.
     
  6. kz2zx

    kz2zx zx2gsxr2zx

    I race an '04.

    1. Use warmers for races, I don't bother usually for Saturday practice.

    1b. I use my own takeoffs for practice. Tire management is a thing you'll learn - tires that will go 'off' and spin up in your next race or two become practice-day tires. If you buy your tires from the vendor, and he recognizes your face, he'll swap the tires for free.

    2. Get a Penske double for the rear, used, and have it rebuilt. I have a 550 lb rear spring.

    3. Reshim the stock pistons if you don't have $800 for AK-20's (or more cash for other, newer, options, but the AK's work great in this bike). This fork is really responsive to oil height too, so if you're bottoming and the back is dancing in braking zones, add oil. If you have no idea what 'reshim the stock pistons' means, call a suspension shop - there are good ones in most areas.

    4. The stock Tokico HH pad is pretty good, but the OEM ones are probably worn out in that bike by now... I like the Vesrah SRJL-17 and the Ferodo XRACs (I have the Ferodos in the front and Vesrah RJLs in the rear right now) for the combination of bite and long lived-feel (they don't become wooden too quickly). Keep the stock heat spacers (the little discs that clip on), and you'll become VERY good at separating four pads when you change your front tire if you've thrown away the top spacers for better cooling.

    5. Get aftermarket bodywork, and use a hole saw and a sanding drum. I use Woodcraft sliders (and rearsets and case covers and clipons and spools). Make SURE you go into the FRAME at the ENGINE MOUNT, not on the bolt-on alignment guide on the RH side of the engine...

    How afford? Well, I've found it's about 4 grand to prep a streetbike for racing, depending on how fancy you get. Easier to buy an older, pre-crashed bike that has all the good stuff on it. A season's about 3-4 grand if you're traveling and staying overnight, and trying to conserve cash. If you've got a toyhauler payment, two bike payments, and go through three sets of tires a weekend plus racegas and the diesel to pull the toybox... fifteen, twenty grand a season's not outrageous. I have an "Employee Stock Purchase Plan" at work, and deposit 4% of my pay into that. I can 'withdraw' from this 'christmas club'-like account every six months, and the company puts 15% more in (taxable as ordinary income if I cash out immediately, and I do). That's my racing budget. I DO NOT exceed it.

    Just don't crash - then you'll find out how expensive it REALLY gets. Especially if you have no spares on hand.
     
    Last edited: Aug 4, 2008
  7. gpstar748

    gpstar748 Well-Known Member

    how we afford it..............

    some of us have extremely good jobs and the money is not really a problem

    some of us have parents that pay for it all

    some of us have sponsors that pay for it all (few and far in between)

    some of us cut back majorly (live with parents, drive shitty cars, eat Ramen Noodles daily, etc...) and devote a large portion of our income to racing

    some of us just go into massive debt and the file bankruptcy

    and a few good to a point that they win enough at the expert or novice level to almost break even



    I guess youll have to see what category you fit in.......... :up:



    im not sure where you get 3-4 grand a season with hotels and traveling kz2z but thats REALLY doing it on a budget and probably with somethin like an SV and not a full race season with NO trackdays :confused:
     
    Last edited: Aug 4, 2008
  8. dtalbott

    dtalbott Driving somewhere, hauling something.

    Well said.
     
  9. kz2zx

    kz2zx zx2gsxr2zx

    I have to sell my body on the side.

    No, really, that's what I spend, and it's with a 10R. I race with ASMA and WERA West this season... I skipped the Miller round, saving me a bunch, and I just did Fontana and Vegas with no practice and the same set of tires. I've got one more set of tires to buy this season, two if it comes down to the last race for ULSB championship at ASMA. I'd have a little more, but I committed to turning a 426 motocrosser into a 'tard/dualsport machine, and that ate the rest of my budget for the season.

    I need to find a sugar mama if I want new leathers at the end of the season. Either that, or a sponsor.
     
  10. (diet)DrThunder

    (diet)DrThunder Why so serious, son?

    1. Tires do not stay hot from session to session. Warmers are always a good idea, and not just because I sell them. There are many good sources for economical quality warmers. Buy some.

    Takeoffs are a false economy. Buy tires appropriate to your riding pace. Starting out, a tire like the Bridgestone 016 or the 002 RS would be great, and will last.

    2. I'm 6'3" 285. You need a shock. The OEM valving can't keep up with the amount of spring you need.

    3. If the front end feels good and the springs you have yield good sag numbers, you're good there.

    4. I've become partial to Carbonne Lorraine brakes. They last forever, don't need to be hot to work, and don't wear out rotors. Any premium pad will be fine initially.

    5. No-cut sliders are a waste of money. They work approximately never. Get race 'glass and put proper sliders on it (or don't use any at all...either way).

    6. I don't ride a tire eating ZX10 that cost me $10,000, I ride a tire preserving SV650 that cost me $2600.

    Welcome to the jungle! :)
     
  11. RubberChicken

    RubberChicken PimpMasterT

    Buy good tires, buy tire warmers, learn how to use the warmers correctly, check and RECORD your tire pressures COLD, then right after you come off-track. Keep a log of that stuff.

    You will need better suspension both ends to have a bike that is really suited to fast pace.

    To pay, we pimp Cannoli out to gay Nigerian Pirates. Pays great, but Mongo won't take coconuts or bales of stolen cotton for entry fees.

    Cannoli is starting to object...a little.
     
  12. ZXNick

    ZXNick Well-Known Member

    Thank you all for your input....this is just what I was looking for!!!! I was only kidding about the ''how do you afford this" question but some good advice there too. I have a job that fortunately allows for a little extra spending but I also have a wife who does not...lol. I like the idea about using the credit card and paying it off over the winter....just may have to look into that. I can see with all of the stuff I need that it will be maxed out shortly after receiving it.
     
  13. motojoe_23

    motojoe_23 The Nephew

    Most of us DONT afford it, welcome to the club :lol
     
  14. Hooper

    Hooper Well-Known Member

    There's your problem... :D



    Welcome to the addiction. :up:
     

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