I love tracking the S2000, and have been giving some serious thought to setting up a "real" racecar, likely a SM.

But I've also ridden motorcycles for 25 years. I've never tracked a bike, mostly adventure touring, dual-sport riding, and off road riding. Now I'm wondering if I should explore tracking a bike in addition/instead of cars.

Considering you can get a brand-new, almost track-ready, ultra-capable 600cc bike for $8K (I was thinking maybe a ZX-6R) or liter class for $10K, and have it race-ready for maybe an extra $2K, or buy a used race bike for perhaps $4K, it is an expensive way to go *real* fast.

So anybody out there have experience in both? How well do car track skills translate to a bike (assuming you are already an experienced street rider?

 

give Chris S a PM and tell him to chime in here.

 

I raced bikes for 20 or so years, from F1 of 20 years ago to 900 supersports and aGTO class (a has-been superbike class), and it was a total surprise to me that I drove a car so badly.

In my mind there is no comparison. The bikes are much more fun and faster, but you WILL get hurt. I crashed many times and the worst I suffered were some dislocated shoulders and broken wrists. In retrospect I was lucky. Make sure you have medical insurance that will cover you on a bike.

Riding a bike and driving a car are different. I think weight transfer works for you with a bike. The bike will corner and brake or accelerate in complete balance - until you lift a wheel. Trail braking is easy and natural on a bike. When I try on a car, I shit myself every time the rear comes around. The similarity is that you can steer the bike and the car with the throttle.

However, having driven a car you know the racing line and driving techniques which will give you a major head start.

Bikes are built for speed and easy to race. You can crash them, and be up and running next weekend for about $700 for new fiberglass, footpegs, brake levers, etc. The fiberglass fairings on my race bikes would last 3-5 crashes before needing replacment. They only have 2 wheels to by tyres for!

If you want to ride a bike, I would not recommend a 600, but a Suzuki GSX-R 750. Don't be intimitated by a larger bike, it's mainly the weight that is a factor. The Suzuki 750 weighs no more than a 600. The larger bikes have more torque and need much less shifting, and are easier to ride. An alternative would be a 1000cc twin, but they do tend to be heavier that the 4 cylinder bikes. The 900SS Ducati is light, but outclassed by the 600's

If you are considering track days with a race car or a race bike, get the bike. You can pass anywhere on the track with the bike (in the advanced groups) so much more easily than with a car, and you won't get held up. That has been a big frustration for me at trackdays with the s2000. It's very hard to get a clean lap with a car because of passing or being passed.

Don't forget a shifter kart. That's what I'm considering next.

 

Well, I kind of knew that but was in a little bit of denial. I'm getting to the age where I don't really want to do all that much sliding on pavement into hay bales.

Biggest problem is that karts are not allowed on the track with cars or bikes, and that usually limits track time severly. There is a kart only track, but it is farther away...