I plan on buying a sportbike in the near future as I have wanted one for quite some time, but I don't really have much interest in riding on the street. The roads here suck enough as it is, and I've had way too many friends get in accidents with cars. With that said, I plan on riding almost exclusively at track days. Is anyone familiar with the New York Sportbike Club or has anyone had any experiences with them? I see that they have instructors but are there different classifications?

I have never been on a sportbike before but I have been on minibikes and a few dirt bikes in the past. I've noticed a lot of people with bikes that have 250 in their signatures on here. Are those older 250cc bikes that you ride at the track only? I'm figuring that starting to ride a bike at a track is much like starting autocrossing in that you don't necessarily want to jump on the fastest bike you can find, and its probably easier to learn on something thats lighter and has less power.

I'm more or less looking for any information on places to ride in the Northeast/Canada that have schools that welcome beginners. I realize that everyone has to start somewhere, but the last thing I want to do is get out there with a bunch of riders that are way beyond my level/faster and potentially endanger them/myself by being out there.

Also, any recommendations on good beginner track bikes (if there is such a thing) are welcome. I do realize the cost of tires/etc will add up quickly and I'm prepared to fix the bike if/when I lay it down at the track.

 

Do you guys think an 80cc Aprilia to mess around my neighborhood/general area (not going on the expressway or out in heavy traffic) and at track days would be a good starter? Like I said, I don't want to get in the way of faster riders but I want to start on something that I won't kill myself on.

 

a 80cc bike will not survive on a big track....Not enough power. Most track schools require that their participants have a few thousand miles under their belts to ensure that they have full control of their bikes.

Some great trackbikes for new track riders would be: Yamaha TZ125, Honda or Aprillia RS125, VFR/RVF400, SV650, EX250/500, the new Kawi 650. The smaller displacement bikes will let you keep your attention to riding/body position/lines/etc. Less to worry about

 

Thats what I figured about the 80cc bike on a large track, it'd probably end up being too dangerous with other riders out there.

I guess I'll have to start riding on the street at some point, but right now my parents don't really like the idea of me riding out on the road. My friend ruined it for the every kid in the neighborhood a few years back by running from the police at over 100+, hitting a pickup truck at about 65-70mph all while wearing lacrosse shorts and a wife beater and ending up in the hospital for around a year. Somehow he's still alive/walking today, but as long as my parents let me live at home over the summer without paying rent I'll live by their rules.

Is there a street version of the TZ125? I looked it up on Google real quick and everything looked like just racebikes. The RVF400 doesn't look that bad either. Maybe my parents would go for a smaller displacement bike.