Track bikes?

After a head on collision near miss, I've been off two motorized wheels for over 2 years. But I'm curious about track bikes. Does anyone have one? Any tips on just having a track only bike? 
 

Thanks

TL;DR: I enjoyed the experience, but specific bike choice is probably about more items than just "track bike."

I had an Aprilia RSVR (right before the RSV4, with a Rotax twin) which I used for track days, and I... loved doing track days. My schedule is better now, and I hope to get back to it.

The Aprilia is like a Ducati with second and third helpings of depreciation. It was a 2009 I bought in 2015 with 11k miles on it in beautiful condition for $6k. With Ohlins forks! (Sachs shock)

That said, I do think there's probably some value in shooting for common things with readily available spares for a track bike, and possibly race plastics, though if it's not coming back to street use, maybe just run the stock stuff until replacement is forced? I certainly wasn't planning to drop it, but I suppose you've got to take that into account.

As I look at replacing it for dedicated track use (the Aprilia was fully lighted, licensed... I just got to about where you are and dropped the insurance and didn't ride it on the street), I've been looking at SV650s, misc Japanese 600s, Triumph Daytonas, and pondering what I really want out of the experience. I've been looking at KTM RC390s since I could use one at the kart track as well, but while the local sanctioning body has race classes, they don't really slot into track days as nicely if you don't want fellow novice/intermediates passing you with 80mph in hand...

The Aprilia was a literbike, but an old-tech twin, so it made 143hp at the brochure, and while it certainly had my undivided attention after smaller bikes, it was very tractable and easy to ride, pulling cleanly and firmly from low revs. I left off just at the transition from "slow group" to "middle group," and I think something like the SV650 would leave the most brain for improving my riding, but I also am really curious about focusing on correctly using something as competent as a 600 repli-racer, and understanding how they work, how they react to adjustments both in riding and tuning...

Probably like race cars, the best deal is finding one that's already been prepped, safety-wired, etc, but once again, what's your personal stance on someone else's work, decisions, tastes, and whether you feel you've found one that's been maintained as hard as it's been used. Seems like it shouldn't be too hard to find one that's in better shape than the neglected things that disused street bikes often are.

TLDR:  Do it!  But go in with both eyes open... 

I did bike trackdays monthly for ~5 years.  Got to the point where my lap times were approaching podium level for the local racing classes.  I was all ready to start racing for real when we got pushed into buying a house a couple years ahead of schedule, and I sold my race bike...  Kept a street bike throughout, and still ride on the street.  Got back into cars, and never went back to tracking on two wheels.

Tracking a bike is still one of the most enjoyable things I've ever done.  It's pretty challenging compared to a car, and being fast requires a level of, um... commitment that is a step beyond what you do in a car.  Because when things go pear-shaped, you fall down.  I got lucky, and never got seriously hurt falling down on the track.  One crash involved a trip to the ER, but no serious injury.  Any one of them could have resulted in serious injury.  You wear good gear, you do your best, but E36 M3 happens on track.  And on a bike, you hit the ground.  One of the reasons I never went back is I was getting well into my 40s while away from racing.  I know I don't have the level of fitness I did when I was racing bikes, and I know I don't heal as fast.  And some joints don't work as well as they used to, and racing a bike is a very physical pursuit.  Much more so than tracking a car.

But, when you get it right... it's GLORIOUS.  The first time you have the front wheel up, and the back wheel spinning coming off a corner, you'll be like:  wow, that's MotoGP stuff!  Then someone will blow by you like you're standing still...  

So, the hardware...  buy someone else's Japanese 600 race bike.  Or a clean used one.  In my experience, the 600s from the big 4 just run, and run, and run.  Exotics break (and parts are expensive).  I knew lots of guys that started on Ducs or 'Prillers and ended up on Japanese hardware because they liked racing better than wrenching.  Don't buy an SV650 unless you want to race in a specific class that requires it, because you will probably outgrow it on the track.  A 600 supersport will get you started, but will also have plenty of headroom, enough even to keep experts looking for that perfect lap.  Don't start with a liter bike... a 600 will make you a better rider.  

If you buy a street bike, take all the street bodywork off and replace it with race bodywork.  You're going to drop it, so you might as well be ready.  Race body work is pretty cheap.  All the street stuff is the expensive stuff to fix, so just keep it in storage until it's time to sell the bike.  Keep the bike stock to start, except for good tires.  A modern 600 is faster stock than almost any rider who will ever throw a leg over it. If you're going to spend money anywhere, spend it on suspension.   Once you're a year in, you should have learned enough to know if modifying it will actually be productive.

I moved up to a liter bike after ~ 4 1/2 years on the track.  I went faster than I did on the 600, but it still scared the E36 M3 out of me.  On one of our local tracks, I was hitting 170+ mph (radar verified) on the front straight.  My Miata is probably good for 100mph on that straight.  And that was with an '05 GSX-R with 155whp.  These days, liter bikes put out 30-50 more hp...  It was, in some ways, easier to ride than the 600.   But in the back of your mind, you knew it could high side you into orbit if you berkeleyed it up.

Well, I've rambled long enough... hopefully some of it helps.  Some of my fondest memories of motorsports come from my bike days on track.  If you ride, you owe it to yourself to get on track and at least try it.  It's not for everyone, but it can be hugely rewarding.  Just be smart, and be careful.

And one last thing:  go to a track school.  Superbike School (Keith Code) or something similar.  You'll get more out of that in a day than you will with trackday instructors in a year.  Reading Code's books won't hurt, either.

Gratuitous pics, because... well, because.  

Maybe not what you're looking for, but I ride small bikes on kart tracks and have a blast. Everything from stock XR100's with just street tires to 250 supermotos and Honda NSF100s imported from Japan and Honda RS125 two stroke GP bikes and a Grom for our endurance racing. A ton of lapping days as well as sprint and endurance races from 4-6 hours long. 

Speeds are lower, costs are lower, and falling down usually means just getting up and picking the bike up off the track. 

I'll put a +1 in for the supermoto idea if it's something that will interest you and if there are actually options nearby. Modern dirt bikes that supermotos are built on are incredibly light (~250 lbs) and have more than enough power (if they are based on the motocross bikes - street legal emissionized stuff usually can be uncorked. My 450 makes ~60 horsepower. The street version makes 38.) Because they are based on dirt bike bones, you also get an engine durable enough to pound the limiter all day, and a vehicle that can be crashed pretty darn spectacularly without doing much damage. Low speed crashes are also much easier to deal with than sportbike speed stuff - most supermoto stuff doesn't even see 100 mph. Some people do take supermoto bikes to open track days as well if they are on a 450/690/701+ but even geared perfectly you won't see much more than 110. They're not aerodynamic bikes.

Throw some knobs on and you can do some off road riding too. There are some suspension/geometry/wheel size differences but nothing that would stop you from trail riding.

Supermoto is fun, and there's no question the low speeds are safer, but it's just not the same as a race bike on a real track.  And a supermoto on a real track is a knife at a gunfight.   

SV-650 cheap and fun.

Does anyone have supermoto events anymore?   It was hot in SoCal but just a few days ago I spent some time fruitlessly searching for anything besides open track time.

Just dropping in because I neglected the gratuitous track day photos opportunity... The bike's so pretty even I can't ruin it.

No, I still haven't gotten a knee down. I'm so bummed that my schedule really got incompatible just as things were starting to click, and I hope it doesn't take me too long to get back where I was.

Thanks guys. Some valid points you guys made. I haven't even checked to see the nearest place to me. I assume Barber or Road ATL. I don't think there's anything in TN near me. 
 

My bike history is sorta all over the place. I had:

Kawasaki Ninja 650r

Ducati Monster

Honda CB450

Kawasaki Meanstreak

Suzuki Vstrom 1000

Yamaha FJR

I saw 250cc Ninjas and Honda 250 CBRs for $1000-1200 and then 600cc for $1500+.  Which made me think about starting slow and moving up if need be. 

Jesse Ransom (FFS) said:

Just dropping in because I neglected the gratuitous track day photos opportunity... The bike's so pretty even I can't ruin it.

No, I still haven't gotten a knee down. I'm so bummed that my schedule really got incompatible just as things were starting to click, and I hope it doesn't take me too long to get back where I was.

I have the same bike!  Well, 04 but not many differences.   Mine is red and silver, plus an extra set of black bodywork. Thinking about selling if you know of anyone....

It sounds like you have had enough experience on bikes with horsepower that, unless you are a small, light person who really loves momentum riding, a 250 is going to get pretty boring pretty quick. I have some time on one (first gen ninja 250r), and it was fun in the way that a supermoto is fun minus having any power. If a 450 supermoto is a knife at a gunfight on a full size track, the 250 is going to be probably a step below that. I had a Honda CM400, which is probably similar ish to the CB450 you had in terms of power. The Ninja 250 was noticeably slower.

The latest 300s are better in the power department, and while more expensive, I'd consider the KTM RC390 if it fits your budget for a small bike. To me, as a gangly 180-pounder, that's about the smallest small bike I'd go with since you're not really new to bikes. Enough power and good enough suspension and brakes to have room to grow on the bike.

In reply to jfryjfry (FS) :

Oh man...

gearheadE30 said:

It sounds like you have had enough experience on bikes with horsepower that, unless you are a small, light person who really loves momentum riding, a 250 is going to get pretty boring pretty quick. I have some time on one (first gen ninja 250r), and it was fun in the way that a supermoto is fun minus having any power. If a 450 supermoto is a knife at a gunfight on a full size track, the 250 is going to be probably a step below that. I had a Honda CM400, which is probably similar ish to the CB450 you had in terms of power. The Ninja 250 was noticeably slower.

The latest 300s are better in the power department, and while more expensive, I'd consider the KTM RC390 if it fits your budget for a small bike. To me, as a gangly 180-pounder, that's about the smallest small bike I'd go with since you're not really new to bikes. Enough power and good enough suspension and brakes to have room to grow on the bike.

A few years ago I got my first bike, and I loved the specs of the Duke 390 on paper, but it was just wayyyy too small. And I'm small as it is - 5'10" 150lbs. A 690 was a better fit but that category of bike is very competitive. I ended up with an FZ07 and love it. I really want to track it, too, but getting the wife on board is a bit of a task. Wrecking a car on my first ever track day nearly ten years ago is still providing her with ammo for that argument. My understanding with bike track days is that they are lead/follow for novices though, and my infamous wreck was thanks in part to a clusterberkley of a club that didn't even provide instructors. As much as I hate lead/follow in a car, I could see it being very, very helpful on a bike. 

In reply to cyow5 :

My suggestion would be to start with a school... something like Code's Superbike School, or CLASS.  Much more structured, and focused on skills than an open track day.  In my experience, most bike trackday org instructors are just the fast guys, and that doesn't always equate to good teaching skills.

Focus on selling the safety factor, and learning on the track will make you a safer rider on the street.

Rodan said:

In reply to cyow5 :

 

Focus on selling the safety factor, and learning on the track will make you a safer rider on the street.

Absolutely. The only wreck I've had so far was because I locked the front brakes and laid it down in a downtown area. Nothing bad, but it could've been avoided by just being better with threshold braking. The biggest obstacle I really have to overcome with her is that I will have a track-ready car once again, and she'd rather me a) finish my project I've already started and then b) take it to the track instead. She's not terribly wrong. 

In reply to Jesse Ransom (FFS) :

Jesse, is that at PIR?  :)

In reply to Pushrod :

Yesindeedy! I've done one event with 2Fast at the Ridge (which was probably okay, but a lousy First Track Day Ever), one with MotoFit at ORP, and the other few with MotoCorsa at PIR. Those have been my favorite both for the feel of the group (well-organized, emphases on safety and education), and because I still have my hands full with learning to ride a bike quickly, so learning a more involved track is extra overhead (though The Ridge is a wonderful, flowing roller coaster, and ORP is also super-neat, and I look forward to getting back to each with both bikes and cars).

ORP would be a blast on a bike, but also a big challenge! I've done a track day in the car and can't wait to get back. I prefer the tight and twisty stuff, so I keep thinking I'm going to do my first two-wheeled track time with Oregon Lightweight Moto on the go-kart track (MAC Track) in McMinnville. Should be just the thing for any of my Supermotos (DR350SE, SXV550, 701) or gor my little Suzuki Goose 350 cafe racer. 
 

I might try PIR or the Ridge someday, but I'm a cautious rider in general, and extra cautious with the higher-speed stuff.

The other slight challenge for me is that I'm either riding to the track, or renting a van. I don't have space for a truck/van, and I really don't want another vehicle to register, insure, maintain, and procure parking for. Anyone else ever ride to the track on a safety-wired and catch-canned street bike, tape up the lights, and ride? FWIW, I'm most interested in skill-building schools or lapping days to build my confidence and expand my skill set, and I'm unlikely to get competitive and use it as a rung to climb towards competition. Also most interested in exploring closer to the limits of the icky-sticky DOT-legal performance rubber I've got, not going to get slicks/warmers just yet. PIR is 10-15 minutes ride, and MAC Track is 45 minutes or so. I'd also like to try Pat's Acres go-kart track in Canby, but they haven't had supermoto events for several years now.

Tracks have always been a minimum of 100 miles one-way for me, so I always trucked/trailered.  If it was 10-15 minutes, I think you'd be fine riding there, just hard to take anything else with you (tools, chair, cooler, etc).  Even if you wadded it up you could Uber home... 

Like the OP, I quit street riding, and between motorcycles, band, and other random stuff I always had a van.

There's so much stuff that's really nice to have there... Chair, cooler, canopy, extra fuel. And I'm so cooked at the end of a track day that changing into street clothes and noodling home in a comfy seat is nice. I suppose not loading/unloading would also be nice... There were always a couple of people at PIR who'd just ridden there. It can be done.

I know folks put motorcycles in pickups, but now that I have one, I'm concerned about the taller load-in. It was already a running start to get into the van. And it was nice to have it locked up, and a changing room, etc... When I get back to it, I might have to see whether my wife is okay with going back to a van. I prefer them for everything but dirt, but now I have a big yard and no band.