I had a good day there a couple of years back. Rode there from somerset on my 916, day on track , rode back home again. I think I was about the only person there that did that! Pleasant enough track, nicely run, what's not to like?
We get quite a few doing it too as they're new to trackdays Bolton, Wigan, Essex, thame, etc all doing this years, arrive Fri afternoon, tents, camping etc, home sunday
That wasn't quite what i meant dude! but your points are taken and advice appreciated . still wouldnt ever track mine (well never say never) and would just be happier trying it out on a hire bike before perhaps getting a track only thing. I actually really like the idea of an RC 390 in a year or so when they are 2nd hand and priced accordingly. Having said that ive never ridden one so it is really only the "idea" i like at the min!
So when do you ride your bike? I can assure you riding on a track is far easier on the bike than the road, smoother, cleaner, less grief on the engine, and less potential grief!
Thanks to all that have posted ideas and comments. Im a bit frazzled at the min to make to much sense of it all having just done 5 hrs of driving and 8 hrs of grafting! and been workin away with no broadband at the digs so have a lot of catching up to do... i guess the next stage is try to get a list of deffo's and find a date and track/package the suits all if poss. Dont want it to be pressure for anyone including myself so will give it a bash trying to organize something, perhaps taking weeksy up on his offer, but if its a hassle will just slot in with what others are doing or fly solo but i think it would be great to meet and share the experience with a bunch offa here.
perhaps you are right mate and as i said never say never but until i gain some experience on track and see weather i even like it or not and feel comfortable, learn the ins and outs and how others behave/likelihood of being taken out there is no way my current bike will be on track. as i said earlier as i sit at the min (without having done any track days) i think i would be to worried about what may or may not happen to my pride and joy to have fun and concentrate on the job at hand. that may change... Ya must remember my bike took me 2 years and all my spare money for 2 years so i worry (rightly or wrongly!)
i started track days thinking il buy and old knackered bike then it doesnt matter then if i bin it but after my first track day i realized ITS NOT A RACE you dont have to be rossi to go on a track day, yes you do get knobs who think they are rossi but they usually come off and end up scrapping there bike off the tarmac with a shovel, so i bought a half tidy 748 and slowly modded it to suit it now it owes me alot more but i dont worry as im not racing it, track days are all about having fun.
In recent years the trackdays I have enjoyed the most are the ones organised by Bike mag - "reclaim our tracks" Have done a couple of these and they are largely populated by sensible peps who just want to have a bit of fun. None of the track only bikes with riders who are constantly trying to break records (and bones) with little respect for others on track - IMHO.
I must do different days to some, I managed 15 trackdays last year and never had any rouble with other riders year before was 10 or so. Yeah, you get the odd fast guy in the wrong group sometimes, but he generally leaves you for dead before you even knew he was there. But overall, despite 70% at a guess of riders coming on a track bike, I just don't see that person on days I do.
but both of these are very much the novices perception. if you do ride your bike on the road then i really would suggest he potential for harming you your bike is fare greater there than on the track. Yes you do get twats on a track day who's ambition far out weighs their talent but there are things you can do to maximise your experience and minimise the risk to you and your bike.. first of its not a race or a dick waving competition if someone is upon you and wants to pass let them go! there will always be faster people than you so what......? If you go out at the back of the group its going to take a lot of the 20 mins session for them to come around and pass and in that time you come in just before the flag of the session. you will find that even the smaller circuits are big enough for you to find your own space and if you come across a mass gaggle then come into the pits drive through and go out again... Its just a little experience until you find your feet, just manage the risk more actively.
good points and advice mate... I guess if im used to avoiding idiots in cars trying to kill me, avoiding some one on a bike traveling in the same direction shouldnt be to much of a prob! but i still wouldnt track my bike till im experienced if at all. I didnt build my bike as a track bike or it would have no lights,cheap plastics and less bling! im sure i could tootle around a track safe and comfortable but after gaining some experience (and if i can afford it one day) i would like to start pushing my limits, i idont want to do that on this bike so i see no point in taking it at all... anyway lets pretend i dont have a bike and move on
See, that I don't get ... don't get at all. Why can't you push your limits and not crash ? Not just directed at you, but at others who feel that if they push a bit they're instantly going to throw themselves in the floor. You're not going to go out and lap 15 seconds quicker than you can when you're not pushing, we're talking fractions, here, there will be 1-2mph on a corner faster than you were, pushing and not pushing is fractions, there's not just massive jumps of "I can go faster, so here's an instant crash" I accept that it's possible to crash of course, but I don't see it as being a "can't use my shiny bike as i'll instantly hit the floor type scenario" I've used road bikes on track many times, it's not a hinderance in all honesty... you can still push harder than the road, harder than you would... but still within the safety blanket of the circuit.
you only have to look at your tyres they never really get much heat in them on the road, whereas with the added grip on a track they do clean up quite nicely plus you'll amaze yourself how much more of the tyre you can and will use with the freedom of a track..
My first track taster was only a few months following a crash on the road, I was butt fecked by a dopey cow looking at the scenery and not the road! Anywho, I got on to the track and I couldn't believe how much more relaxed I was! At least all the idiots were going the same way! IMO the tack is a lot safer and a lot more fun, what puts novices off is all the crashes and there are a lot IMO! But some riders like to push hard(er) in a safer environment. If I had the time and resource I'd bin road riding completely and stick with the track, like many other have.
