Well I finally did it. After years and years of watching bike racing at a few tracks up here, I finally signed up for a motorcycle racing course. I did Phase 1 and Phase 2 at FAST riding school up here in Canada. I rented a ZX6R and leathers. Day 1 was scary as hell, I have to admit. Messed up a lot of the racing lines the first few times by myself. Day one is started behind an instructor. After a few excercises in turning, braking etc by yourself, you go out and start lapping. Got better by the end of the day. Day 2....speeds climbed. Now I am starting to get the hang of this!! They were giving us a lot of pointers on body position. Butt cheek off the seat, weighting the pegs to help steer. I don't have the pics yet...I will post as soon as I can. By the end of day 2 I wanted more!!! Was pushing the bike harder in corners than can be achieved normally on the street. I had a blast!! I want more!!!!!

Now take the whale with traction control turned off and report back. Should be a little bit more acceleration than a 600. Tire warmers are your best friend

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I had a blast!! I want more!!!!!

Watch out..... it's very addicting.

I just hung up my leathers after 10 years of doing track days and I'm still jonesing
for more.

Might as well start looking for a dedicated track bike!

Ha,Piken, I'm on slow drip... Still at it. This is like when I handed a plug sponsor to read my plug and he said, get outta here. I was goofing on him, because I was sure I had it perfect. That's when Champion was giving out race plugs back in the day.

Today, it's like uncovering a baby blanket to the doctor, his clipboard, and thermometer. It looked so good at the first setting. Dr. came around again because the rider wanted 3 more pounds. Baby back britches, looks the same, I couldn't complain. Dr. said go. That was the set at the front. No problem at the rear.

I've had a couple of years pitting, and it's not hard so much as it is the learning curve of the current day as opposed to back in the day. No warmers, no gen for E, no trick stands, etc. Not for the wear you down types.

Might as well start looking for a dedicated track bike!

Did a couple years on the 14 and yes it is fully capable, then got a 10 for dedicated track riding. 14 is a little heavy and slower than the litre and 600s in the corners but it is still fun.

Say "Goodbye" to virtually ALL of your money.
Welcome to The Addiction

Mad

I know the feeling! What kept me away was the money situation. Maybe I'll be able to get back into it someday.

In all honesty I am unsure as to what to do now. I have a choice of buying an older sportbike and going vintage racing. Unsure as to what to buy there. I was thinking and older GSXR 750 (SRAD). Or!! buying a fairly recent ZX6R as I really did like the one I rode. Just to use as a track bike. I do plan on taking Phase 3 and 4 of the FAST school here to upgrade skills.

Congrats man! Sounds like you had a great time. I attended the 2-day Yamaha Champions Riding School last year here in CO. My first time on the track as well. I thought about their rental options but ultimately decided to use my 14R because I wanted them to help me on the bike I ride. I rented their leathers. I hear you on the beginning being scary...I was scared out of my mind the first 2 sessions on day 1 in particular and I was only in their mid-speed group (Street Veterans/Track Newbies). Man...when you're hurtling down a straightaway at 130 mph and see the sharp corner waiting for you at the end, it makes you aware of your mortality in a way that 50K miles on the street had never made me aware!

CS staff makes you rate each session across many variables including enjoyment (1-10 with 10 being highest). Both of my early sessions were a 1, LOL! I felt a lot better through the day and day 2 was great. I signed up for this year too but had a conflict come up. Will go next spring. My leathers are in the works.

I too am thinking of a dedicated track bike...but probably something tame in my case. Let us know what you decide on.

* Last updated by: ManiZ on 8/31/2022 @ 1:58 PM *

Not sure if that worked.. Anyway near the end of 2nd day. Need way more lean angle...

Good choice. It's more like two hits and that's it. One is called look way out ahead, the other is, aim being smooth. The rest is all the ball work it takes for braking. Starting out it's not about lean or speed.

That's pretty much what I was told about road racing starting out. There was no Keith Code back in the day. Anyway, someone that knew the ropes being in the game a few years told me that. So if I were to strip it to the bare minimum, those would bring you to wherever you want to go from there.

Baby steps, but oh it is a forever learn applied down the road with both car and bike. Slow practice makes perfect, and I mean slow practice is grab any key, and if it's more than two wheels, you are still practicing smooth and obeying speed limit speeds.

How to teach yourself how to follow a straight line, get a piece of paper, draw a tight squiggly line up the paper. Now draw a line right next to it, maybe an in apart and now match the squiggly line next to it. See the curves in the road? Now draw a straight line as if the pen is the bike/car, and is going to traverse the corners or apex.. equals straight and smooth is the idea.

So the straighter the shot over and over slow and smooth, looking way out ahead, you just do not break concentration with all the traffic around you. "Take your line" and you'll be fine. You can follow, but you are not following the line the guy takes in front of you. Your eyes are way out seeing were a smooth line is not upsetting the bike breaking concentration, saying where was I?

You probably know all this, and may have seen this video, but maybe a refresher course and see what I mean about being smooth. I have a weakness and that's hang time. For me, it's very hairy at speed. But at the same time I can only remember one or two smoothies on this canyon run. One was cresting up the last hill, and the hang at the 6:00 mark. It was just a clean finish off, as far as I couldn't feel. It said everything about that heavy beast.

You walk away from racing with a skillset you can't break, or at least I can't. Go big screen, look way out ahead and see I'm after line after line is the apex fetish remaining smooth. Was like racing all over again. Duc up ahead was nervous about me.

Hey Hub
As I watch that I am thinking in my head of the words of the chief instructor "Big Circles!". Go in at reasonable speed, hit the apex and accel out the other side. Above all be smooth. One funny thing is I am personally braver in left corners than right. Where he said because here in North America we drive on the right there are more rights than lefts..therefore people are more used to them. I think the opposite...I believe that is due to being able to see more of the upcoming corner when it is a left.
In that video (you) are in wide, apex and out....perfect. Awesome road too. Speed "suggestion signs" are just that. Double the suggestion and add a couple..LOL

Fordtech, I’m the same as you,love the lefts, in Ontario cottage country I tend to hug the inside of a right, just to many people who text and drift over

Thanks, FT. I've thought about that a long time ago, but I have my own ideas about who feels comfortable in a sort of cerebral way. My thinking is if you are right handed, then left turns work for you more comfortably turning in. If you are left handed, you feel faster in right hand corners.

Then the next thing is to think why is it that dirt track racing always turns left. Because I think right handed people feel more comfortable going left, plus more populated with rights, thus it's not how the earth spins, how country roads turn, and that junk science. I'm talking about what I seem to think is ying/yang, or the -/+, or the split down the middle of the body and what is opposite? The junk of junk science.

But then again, Sear Point race track has this left hander called the 'carrousel,' somewhat like the corkscrew at Laguna and that downhill effect. Anyone in that turn, they were mine either on the outside or inside, but mostly outside, because the inside was the ideal line, but for me? I loved that turn. So being left handed and felt more comfortable throwing it into the right, you will eventually get used to it.

Keep practicing on and off the track. Uncle Circle is saying 'squirt it out of the corner,' but that says back to speed but rather slow it up and clean the line. it's smooth it out. Seed limit is like the track and line limits. More like out in the street you're walking the track. The speed it up is on the closed course and what slow and smooth taught you.

* Last updated by: Hub on 11/24/2022 @ 11:41 PM *

Did you find Waldo?
0:03 mark; Where someone complained about razor sharp foot pegs.
0:54 mark; Front row points leader of the 750 production class.
9:30 mark; Passing on the bottom apron.

Well...2nd year done at FAST school. Lean angles definitely improved. Speeds were way up!!!
Managed to pass a few people. That being said I was passed a couple of times too.

I retired from racing in 2007. I'm signed up for my first track day since then on October 7
This will be the first time I've had the 14 on track, and I still have a stiff left knee and will be using the thumb shifter. ( I'm getting my excuses ready now )
I'm a little nervous but I'm not going to take chances. I'm signed up for the C Novice group.

Mad

I would LOVE to take the 14. I would be allowed to bring it....but for that track it is impractical. The 1000 cc superbikes are even a handful there. Track is best suited for 600's.
I am sure you will have a BLAST on the 14 though. nothing like riding your own to see what it is capable of.