What bike should I get.

I just went to my first track day on a rental R3 and loved it. Now I am looking for a race bike to eventually compete in the 400 novice class, but I do not know what to pick. I have been recommended the ninja 400 a few times but a race ready one is a little bit out of my price range. A R3 fits in my budget but if a ninja 400 is much more competitive I would rather save for the faster bike.
How big do you think the difference between the two is? Thanks for the read.

 

No one is fast enough at the lower club racing level to really make the difference between those bikes matter. One of the fastest novice guys in the SE region for E & F superstock is on a Ninja 300, which is less powerful than the R3 and Ninja 400.

Buy what you can afford. A prepped R3 can be picked up for cheap, as can a Ninja 300. Key things on an already prepped bike to look out for is bodywork and suspension, like an aftermarket shock and fork cartridges. Those are the two big ticket items that you'll save money on by buying a bike with them already installed. Expect to get the suspension refreshed and resprung for your weight, unless you luck out and the previous owner is the same weight as you.

 

The only thing better about the 400 is the small amount of extra power. I personally felt the R3 fit taller people better. I would get a race prepped R3, way more bang for your buck. 400 prices are insane.

 

there is no inexpensive way to purchase a ready bike. A good friend bought a clean low mileage ninja 400 for $4300... he has spent ~$2600 converting it with just the basics... controls, rearsets, body, exhaust, & chain. He does not have a spare set of wheels, tuning, laptimer, or any other consumables. He balked when I advised to buy one already done with spares for $7500.
A used bike, of any type, will likely require at least a few hours of sweat equity, cleaning, & basic maintenance parts to rise to the level of assurance youre not dealing
with someone else's mechanical headache or salvage yard project. There is a reason folks sell "used" race bikes that had been run on straight water for years... its not benevolence.
Also running a SS type bike allows you to enter more races per weekend.

 

Thank you all so much for the replies!
I will continue to keep a look out on the classifieds for a R3.
Hopefully more bikes go up on the market soon as the season comes to a close.

 

We're both in the SE region so we'd be racing together in the same classes, if you get an R3. Post up here whenever you plan to go to your first race and, if I'm there, you're welcome to pit with me. Your first race weekend can be a bit busy with the racer's school in the morning.

 

That would be very much appreciated. I have been to one event crewing but I have no idea how a race day flows from a riders perspective.

 

Go pee at first call

 

This is top tier advice. Gridding up and then realizing you have to pee sucks.

 

The R3? Man, I'm only 5'11' but every single R3 I've sat on felt like a 125 in comparison to a 300 or 400. Very, very small.

 

I haven't ridden an R3 but got a Ninja 300 for this season. Coming off a Daytona 675, it's been a blast. Smaller and lighter and easier to ride the crap out of it. I've chased Heidi Luce all year on her R3. I think we're really close on power but she's way smoother and faster. She told me the R3 felt like a better race bike than Bill's Ninja. You can look at the results and see how smooth equals wins. The main reason I got the little bike is to break my bad habits and teach me how to be fast again!

 

DM sent.