Track Bike Rental

[DubSac06]

Has anyone ever done a rental for the track....I want to attend a 2 day track day school but cant afford to wad my current bike :teeth What happens if you eat pavement with the rental? thanks

[eeeeek]

I don't get it. How can you afford to wad your bike on the street and not at a two day school?

The lessons learned at the schools are better anchored when you ride your own bike.

[lokisdog]

If you can't afford to wad your bike you won't be able to afford wadding a rental. Plus if you wad yours you can take your sweet time putting it back together using cheaper parts from E-Bay, BARF, etc. Not so with a rental...

Of course if you do find some who'll let you wad their bike for free let us all know ASAP ;-)

[SVeta650S]

I know that both STAR and CLASS schools rent bikes to you at ~$100/day. And some insurance agencies (State Farm) offer coverage specifically for the track riding. SO, if you rent a bike anywhere, and then cover it and trash it - you wont have to pay out of your pocket.
Kawasaki in the Marin rents bikes as well, at $150 (insurance included), so if you wad it, at least it's covered. But again, that's for the street riding, I am not sure if track is covered or not. Call them, find out.

If I remember correctly Pat (tracksidemoto) was getting his new SV ready for rentals at all track days (send him a PM) and Roshan (he is an instructor at PTT) had a Ninja 650 built for that purpose too. I don't know how much they charge, I just know they bought them and were setting them up for that purpose.

And to the rest of you, naysayers: FubSac06 is waaaaaay smarter than the rest of you. I always laugh at retards who bring they brand new Ducs and Aprilia's to the track for the first time and total them. This guy is smart, he is henging his risks. Putting together a track-set-up bike after a crash will cost you $200 and two days work, and trashing a new street bike there wll cost you several grand in plastics alone.

So, give the guy a credit: he is using his head.
:applause

Besides, when you are riding a rental bike, you are not as ...uhhhm....cocky as you would be otherwise because a) it's not your bike and you you are not THAT familiar with it b) you are not showing off - it's a rental, for godssake! c) most likely it has race skins and set up properly for the track riding.

I crashed my bike several times on the street and at the track. And so did some of you. Hence, you know the difference.
So, you should be able to recognize and appreciate this guy's wisdom, and try to help him instead of writing "smart-ass" remarks.

[DubSac06]

Originally posted by eeeeek
I don't get it. How can you afford to wad your bike on the street and not at a two day school?

The lessons learned at the schools are better anchored when you ride your own bike.


:confused higher speeds, not used to track conditions/ riding positions/ throttle control ect. why would I go to a track with my bike if I need to learn the aspects of track riding first and the chances of crashing I would have to assume are far greater given speeds and lean angle than on the street. I can afford to wad my bike, but why would I want to chance it if I never experienced the track?

[DubSac06]

Originally posted by SVeta650S
I know that both STAR and CLASS schools rent bikes to you at ~$100/day. And some insurance agencies (State Farm) offer coverage specifically for the track riding. SO, if you rent a bike anywhere, and then cover it and trash it - you wont have to pay out of your pocket.
Kawasaki in the Marin rents bikes as well, at $150 (insurance included), so if you wad it, at least it's covered. But again, that's for the street riding, I am not sure if track is covered or not. Call them, find out.

If I remember correctly Pat (tracksidemoto) was getting his new SV ready for rentals at all track days (send him a PM) and Roshan (he is an instructor at PTT) had a Ninja 650 built for that purpose too. I don't know how much they charge, I just know they bought them and were setting them up for that purpose.

And to the rest of you, naysayers: FubSac06 is waaaaaay smarter than the rest of you. I always laugh at retards who bring they brand new Ducs and Aprilia's to the track for the first time and total them. This guy is smart, he is henging his risks. Putting together a track-set-up bike after a crash will cost you $200 and two days work, and trashing a new street bike there wll cost you several grand in plastics alone.

So, give the guy a credit: he is using his head.
:applause

Besides, when you are riding a rental bike, you are not as ...uhhhm....cocky as you would be otherwise because a) it's not your bike and you you are not THAT familiar with it b) you are not showing off - it's a rental, for godssake! c) most likely it has race skins and set up properly for the track riding.

I crashed my bike several times on the street and at the track. And so did some of you. Hence, you know the difference.
So, you should be able to recognize and appreciate this guy's wisdom, and try to help him instead of writing "smart-ass" remarks.

:thumbup Thanks for understanding atleast someone understands my reasoning behind riding some other bike than mine to start out on. I appreciate it.

[afmotorsports]

Originally posted by DubSac06
...and the chances of crashing I would have to assume are far greater given speeds and lean angle than on the street.

Not true. It is a safer environment to go fast, but most of us still expect to go home in one piece, without crashing. The main difference is that you focus on your riding instead of all the other crap you have to worry about on the street. You should ride your bike, not a rental. You are far more familiar with your own bike than any other bike. Do you borrow other people's bike to ride in the canyons just because you're more likely to ride faster? Just take baby steps and don't throw yourself on the ground. Simple.

If you ride your own bike, you also have a chance to make your suspension work a little better since there's usually a suspension guy at most trackdays. You may even be able to work on the bike's geometry (lower/raise front and rear of bike) so that it turns better.

None of us go out on the track to crash. It's expensive and it hurts. I advise against crashing. :laughing Ride your bike, learn to make your bike handle better and work on your riding. Any way you slice it, most trackdays are still better than going to work...

[afmotorsports]

Originally posted by DubSac06
:thumbup Thanks for understanding atleast someone understands my reasoning behind riding some other bike than mine to start out on. I appreciate it.

Sveta fell down and got a boo-boo. She is probably still on medication. I wouldn't pay any attention to her opinion for at least a few more weeks until the drugs wear out! :laughing :laughing :laughing

[eeeeek]

Originally posted by SVeta650S
And to the rest of you, naysayers: FubSac06 is waaaaaay smarter than the rest of you. I always laugh at retards who bring they brand new Ducs and Aprilia's to the track for the first time and total them. This guy is smart, he is henging his risks. Putting together a track-set-up bike after a crash will cost you $200 and two days work, and trashing a new street bike there wll cost you several grand in plastics alone.

So, give the guy a credit: he is using his head.
:applause

Besides, when you are riding a rental bike, you are not as ...uhhhm....cocky as you would be otherwise because a) it's not your bike and you you are not THAT familiar with it b) you are not showing off - it's a rental, for godssake! c) most likely it has race skins and set up properly for the track riding.

I crashed my bike several times on the street and at the track. And so did some of you. Hence, you know the difference.
So, you should be able to recognize and appreciate this guy's wisdom, and try to help him instead of writing "smart-ass" remarks.

SVeta, I love ya, but I can't agree with you on this.

My first three years of track riding were on my street bike. I never pushed it to the point of crashing because I recognized it was my street bike and I made steady gains. Riding a rental...I would have been more worried about wrecking a rental.

It all comes down to using your head.

[eeeeek]

Originally posted by DubSac06
:confused higher speeds, not used to track conditions/ riding positions/ throttle control ect. why would I go to a track with my bike if I need to learn the aspects of track riding first and the chances of crashing I would have to assume are far greater given speeds and lean angle than on the street. I can afford to wad my bike, but why would I want to chance it if I never experienced the track?

You are assuming a lot. I have found that many new track riders are actually slower on the track than they are on the streets.

As for track conditions, they're better than what you find on the street. It's the same X number of turns again and again, so there aren't many surprises.

Riding positions/throttle control...again, how's this different that now? Sure you could be taught different techniques, but that doesn't spell out crash.

What I'm getting out of this is you've pretty much written off that you're going to crash. This is not the attitude you need for a good track experience.

[MrCrash]

Gotta agree with Vik and Alex. In my first year of track riding, I went with the intent to learn, not to lean farther and go faster than I ever did before.

[DubSac06]

Originally posted by CityBikeMike
Gotta agree with Vik and Alex. In my first year of track riding, I went with the intent to learn, not to lean farther and go faster than I ever did before.


My main goal of this is to learn that is why I want take the classes...not to drag knee or catch rossi but gain experience from attending some track sessions and yes to one day maybe race. My bike right now I am still paying on..grant it it does have a few additional add ons (rear sets/brakelines/levers) I thought this would be my track bitch later down the road but if I crashed her then I would be shit out of luck....you guys are persuading me to take it out there...:laughing damn you.....anyways..thanks

[afmotorsports]

Easy. Don't crash your bike. Don't crash any bike. You're not Rossi. You are unlikely to impress anyone. You are very likely to throw yourself on the ground if you TRY to impress everybody. Take baby steps and learn at your own pace. Arguably you are more likely to throw yourself on the ground on a bike you're not familiar with. You own a very nice bike. Take it to the track and enjoy it.

[SVeta650S]

Originally posted by afmotorsports
Sveta fell down and got a boo-boo. She is probably still on medication. I wouldn't pay any attention to her opinion for at least a few more weeks until the drugs wear out! :laughing :laughing :laughing Alex, I luv yah, but I will have to kick your ass, man. :laughing.
Oh, btw, I don't take meds, they mess with my (already) disturbed head (what normal woman would ride bike after crashing a few times).

C'mon, dude, don't YOU cringe when you se fresh-off0the-production-line Ducs trashed at the track? I think the guy is being very reasonable and very practical - unlike you, hotheads. :teeth

If you don't push yourslef at the track, you don;t learn. And if you are constantly worried about totaling your new expensive bike - how you ever gonna learn?

Besides, some expensive bike are not even that good at the track. He will be better off and learning faster on a smaller more track-friendly Kawa or SV thatn on K1200R.

I guess I am being too optimistic expecting common sense and reasonable thinking from boys who ride bikes. You, fellas, just way too macho for your own good.
:cool

[SVeta650S]

Originally posted by afmotorsports
Easy. Don't crash your bike. Don't crash any bike. He-he, whatever meds YOU are taking, I want it! ;)

[dgrace]

Originally posted by CityBikeMike
Gotta agree with Vik and Alex. In my first year of track riding, I went with the intent to learn, not to lean farther and go faster than I ever did before.

Then how'd you earn that "MrCrash" nickname? :D :p

DubSac: Just get some cheap race plastics and leave all your nice shiny street stuff at home, that's where 80% of the cost of crashing a streetbike goes anyway. Then once you're properly addicted to track riding you can sell the street bodywork in mint condition to some other guy who wasn't as smart as you.

dave

[afmotorsports]

Originally posted by SVeta650S
Alex, I luv yah, but I will have to kick your ass, man. :laughing.

That right there is solid proof the poor girl is on very heavy medication - I am literally twice her size! :teeth

He has a 06 GSXR600, not a K1200R. The bike is built to go very fast, but can still be great at 50%. I have taken my shiny streetbike to the track - no big deal, I don't go to the track with the expectation that I will crash either my streetbike or my racebike. It's not a macho bs thing. It's just a state of mind. Crashing is not usually used in the same phrase with "learning" - you're generally not learning $hit when you're wrecking your bike and bouncing off the pavement. Soon after a crash you're likely to "learn" the price of all the $hit you broke, but that's a lesson you can skip...

[SVeta650S]

Originally posted by afmotorsports
That right there is solid proof the poor girl is on very heavy medication - I am literally twice her size! :teeth

He has a 06 GSXR600, not a K1200R. The bike is built to go very fast, but can still be great at 50%. I have taken my shiny streetbike to the track - no big deal, I don't go to the track with the expectation that I will crash either my streetbike or my racebike. It's not a macho bs thing. It's just a state of mind. Crashing is not usually used in the same phrase with "learning" - you're generally not learning $hit when you're wrecking your bike and bouncing off the pavement. Soon after a crash you're likely to "learn" the price of all the $hit you broke, but that's a lesson you can skip...
Some of us just never learn....It's not the size of a dog in a fight...you know..:teeth

I disagree. Crashing can be and is learning experience. Besides, 50% of crashes happen not because YOU effed up, but because some idiot hothead ahead of you does something stupid or simply crashes into you. We all have seen it day in day out. And when other people screw up and YOU crash, no mater how good and smart of a rider you are - yep, you learn nothing, but it does and will happen. My last crash was just that and it blows big time. But what can you do? Suck it up, fix your bike and go back.

But other types of crashing - mostly lowsiding, anyway - can be very educational. Don;t forget, my big man, you have been riding for 50+ years :p but the rest of us are fairily new to it, so we need to approach track riding with cool head and more rationale than some wrinkly-ass veterans. (oh maaaan......you will kill me next time you see me..)

[MrCrash]

Originally posted by dgrace
Then how'd you earn that "MrCrash" nickname? :D :p

It all went to hell when I started racing :)

[dgrace]

Originally posted by CityBikeMike
It all went to hell when I started racing :)

That quote can be appropriately applied to a great many things! :laughing

dave

[allergic2death]

bought new bike, broke it in, took it the track with 500 miles on it and have trhee tackdays planned over the next three weeks. Just dont crash its not that hard

[AFM535]

Ride your bike. If you're used to an inline 4, the slipper clutch and other nice bits you have on your bike, a rental SV650 or similar is going to be a weird switch.

If you're worried about crashing and are considering racing already, you're probably the type that's going to want to be continually going faster out there. You can do that safely, if you focus on learning something specific every lap with minor adjustments. If you're just vaguely pushing yourself to go faster everywhere, you'll eventually crash.

My only track day crash, on my 6th track day, was an unnecessary event due to riding way over my head trying to chase a faster rider. It took me another track day or two to get over that crash, back off, and start learning again. It was more expensive mentally (and in track day costs) than in broken bike parts.

[lokisdog]

Originally posted by SVeta650S
...
And to the rest of you, naysayers: FubSac06 is waaaaaay smarter than the rest of you. I always laugh at retards who bring they brand new Ducs and Aprilia's to the track for the first time and total them. This guy is smart, he is henging his risks. Putting together a track-set-up bike after a crash will cost you $200 and two days work, and trashing a new street bike there wll cost you several grand in plastics alone.

So, give the guy a credit: he is using his head...


Actually he's not 'hedging' his risk. he's trying to divert it onto someone else, the renter of the bike he's going to ride. Instead of that being smart it seems more like "I don't want to be responsible for my actions and their consequences".

Maybe I've over-reading it however...

There's a simple maxim that has always applied at the track:

"If you can't afford to crash it, don't bring it."

So DubSac06 like I said before, if you find someone whose willing to absorb all or a majority of the risk by letting you ride his bike without requiring that you fix what you broke then go for it.

Your GSXR 600 will hate you for not letting it loose in it's native habitat however, and as was said before, you'll have much more fun on a bike you're very familiar with, used to and that is/can be tailored just for you as opposed to riding something foreign to you sprung and setup to accomodate the largest possible spread of rider sizes and skill level .

And SVeta650S if you can put together my 'track-set-up' race bikes for only $200 when I crash them I'll be your friend for life... ;-)

Call me a smart-ass, no problem, my opinion y'all are being a bit naive

[DirtyD]

Why buy a new Gixxer 6 if you're not gonna take it to the track? Or at least tear up the canyons with it? That's what that bike was born to do. Not "pose" in front of the local coffee shop with chicken strips on the sides of the tires. Just ride it with the attitude "I REALLY don't want to wreck this pretty motorcycle". That's what I've done for the last five years. But then again, I've thrown enough dirt bikes on the ground to see a crash coming. If you haven't, maybe you should consider riding something a little less expensive.

[DubSac06]

Originally posted by allergic2death
Just dont crash its not that hard :laughing :laughing I think maybe my best options are race plastics since this is my only bike and take it slow and learn to limit my chances...but as you all say....once you go to a track you will be addicted..then I will want to go faster and faster and faster which in turn will increase those chances...alright ill quit my bitching...ill pet my mangina somewhere else :teeth but thanks guys for your opinions i do appreciate it...which schools would you guys recommend?

[DubSac06]

Originally posted by DirtyD
Not "pose" in front of the local coffee shop with chicken strips on the sides of the tires. :laughing Well if my riding skill is determined by the strips on my tires then I would say Im ready for the track as I have none. I ride 9/35 mines ect. I just want to experience like you said before what the bike was meant for.........Ill just go to the track and shut up..how bout that?:cool

[lokisdog]

Originally posted by DubSac06
...which schools would you guys recommend?

Keigwin's 2-day novice school is my first choice, but of course I'm slightly biased.

Our 2-day school alternates classroom sessions with riding sessions, approx. a 2-1 student to instructor ratio, so you get lots of feedback. You're on the track with other novices and we keep a very tight reign on anyone riding like a nimrod at the schools.

The Z2 novice stuff is good too, but don't tell anyone I said that... ;-)

CLASS, STAR, etc are ok but not IMO as focused directly to novices.

The other good thing about K@TT and Z2 is that you'll get to know folks there you'll be riding with later, as any trackdays you do will likely be with one or both of them anyway.

If you're itching to get out there you can do a regular track day with 3 groups, get into the "B-" group and tell Lance its your first track day and ask if one of us can help you out for a session or two in the morning. We do that quite often. You won't get a full instruction set but you will get the basics of what to do / not do, the lines, etc and start gaining a familiarity with the track and how much it differs from street/canyon riding.

[DubSac06]

Originally posted by lokisdog
Keigwin's 2-day novice school is my first choice, but of course I'm slightly biased.

Our 2-day school alternates classroom sessions with riding sessions, approx. a 2-1 student to instructor ratio, so you get lots of feedback. You're on the track with other novices and we keep a very tight reign on anyone riding like a nimrod at the schools.

The Z2 novice stuff is good too, but don't tell anyone I said that... ;-)

CLASS, STAR, etc are ok but not IMO as focused directly to novices.

The other good thing about K@TT and Z2 is that you'll get to know folks there you'll be riding with later, as any trackdays you do will likely be with one or both of them anyway.

If you're itching to get out there you can do a regular track day with 3 groups, get into the "B-" group and tell Lance its your first track day and ask if one of us can help you out for a session or two in the morning. We do that quite often. You won't get a full instruction set but you will get the basics of what to do / not do, the lines, etc and start gaining a familiarity with the track and how much it differs from street/canyon riding.

:thumbup :teeth thanks for the info