Hey guys, I've been a lurker on this forum for a couple years now. Have read many posts and comments that have been written by you guys and have recently come to the conclusion that I don't even want to bother with street riding and the dangers created by the actions of others. I've recently signed up for MSF and have all my gear, I have some riding experience (riding other people's bikes here and there and I had a ysr50 as a kid), but I don't really consider that anything. Now here's the big questions, would it even be a good idea to go straight into track riding? Would it be a stupid idea? I was thinking of getting a 250r and tracking that, but seems like I might run into problems with picking the right tire size and suspension setups, I was also thinking of getting an older r6 (99-02), but don't even know if tracking right away is a good idea or not let alone what bike I should start tracking with. I would really like your honest oppinion (relatively constructive please). You guys are the guru's so i thought I'd finally man up and post my thoughts and see what you all have to say. Thanks for reading.

 

Going to the track to learn is a great idea. Some ppl are afraid of it, some ppl don't want to go because they think they will be in the way of someone or they think they have to ride at a limit that is uncomfortable or out of their league. This is not the case. You ride at your own level and it's an open environment that is much safer and forgiving.

As for the type of motorcycle to use. The 250R should be a good bike. The newer 600s have to them. I'd get maybe an FZ6 or 599 or something along those lines. I had an FZR600 as my first bike didn't ride it much (it was an unsafe bike) and had a little spill on it. My next bike was a Honda 919 and I love it for street riding and it did very well on the track for my first track day. Once I did a track day I really wanted sport bike and didn't feel the need to ride on the street much anymore (I remember right after the track day I swore I wasn't going to ride on the street anymore - that's how much fun it is). I bought an 05 R6 that I only ride on the track now.

Good luck with everything. Once you do a track day your hooked!

 

I'd recommend getting the basics of riding down first before heading to a trackday. You want to be comfortable with the bike's controls before setting rubber to track. The 250 is a great bike because it holds its resale value so well...and if you want to track it, you can find a track-250 (the Ninja 250, not an Aprilia, Yamaha, or Honda 250) for less.

Don't skimp out on gear. You mentioned you have all the gear, but you didn't specify what kind. Some track organizations will let you on with a full textile suit, but you need motorcycle-specific boots (and not the Icon Chukka type), gloves, a helmet, and possibly a back protector.

If you want to avoid street riding, you could still practice in an empty parking lot.

 

I used to work at a shop that sold gear, so I know what kinda of gear to get, I'll probably pick up a one piece, I usually get my gear at cost so I might pick up the Technic Violator, since it has knox armor, I'll probably also pick up a bionic back protector and some sidi vertigos,but yeah like i said i used to work at a shop so I know the importance of gear, seen enough people rashed up and broken limbs. But yeah i hate icon stuff, too loud and the whole squid association. As of now I have a Arai Astral(kinda old), picking up my A-stars MX-1 from the shop next week and ordering a bionic back protector, I'm debating on the Sidi Street-Burners, but they seem useless since they are under the ankle. But yeah I agree with you Marmalade, I've been thinking straight to track would be kinda ridiculous, but I live in OC finding an empty parking lot where I won't get hassled by cops will be nearly impossible. Either way thanks for the input

 

You need to have the basics down and be comfortable at speed first. You shouldn't goto a trackday until you are comfortable with that. Track groups welcome noobs but require those few things as it is a safety issue.

 

As someone in a similar position, I emailed the California Superbike School a while back to get their opinion. They also recommended having a decent amount of street riding for similar reasons to the ones everyone here has stated.

 

Yeah i understand everything you guys are saying, just don't really like the idea of street riding. I mean I drive my car and am on a constant look out, I mean i drive a freakin blue car with a pretty loud exhaust people still almost swipe me off the road....I can only image how bad it would be if I were riding.

 

You ARE in socal, so you get to experience some of the worst drivers in the world congregating in one region.

You could always truck your bike to a parking lot or ask a friend to ride it there for you.