novice on 1000cc?

[butcher bergs]

I'll just see where it all goes....I wouldn't say I have a "plan" to speak of...it's just sort of unfolding the way it has been and even more so in the last few weeks.

Degsy- I wouldn't discount the 929 as being "slow". I didn't see any issues keeping up with (or passing) the 1k's that were out there...in the turns or even on the straight.

And "heavy" is something I'm not attuned to seeing how I'm coming from an FZ1....the 929 feels like a bicycle compared to the FZ.

[a13x]

I'll just see where it all goes....I wouldn't say I have a "plan" to speak of...it's just sort of unfolding the way it has been and even more so in the last few weeks.

Degsy- I wouldn't discount the 929 as being "slow". I didn't see any issues keeping up with (or passing) the 1k's that were out there...in the turns or even on the straight.

And "heavy" is something I'm not attuned to seeing how I'm coming from an FZ1....the 929 feels like a bicycle compared to the FZ.

No, the 929 is fat heavy and slow compared to the currently crop of 1000's. Think about it, the 929 is 4 generations old now! (929<954<CBR1000<2008 CBR1000RR)

I do understand how you are currently comparing your 929 on the track against the 1000's you've had experience with but take a second to think about it a bit more.... you cannot compare trackdays or Novice racing to 'real' racing. **By real I mean Upper half of AM and all of Expert. Guys that have spent a few weekends / years on the track


Think a bit more long term. Do you want to be on the 929 in 2009? 2010? As a Amateur? As a Expert? If you do then you should think about a different machine. Either different style bike (250, motard, 600) or newer style 1000.

I'm not knocking Novices, I was one just a few years ago, that's why I can say for certain.. bikes don't mean shit (relatively speaking) in the Novice class. It's WAY more the rider as everyone is pretty green and has NFI what is going on. I know this firsthand when I took my 20 year old Hawk and raced it in the 600 Supersport class (R6's, etc) and ran it up to 4th! Or yesterday at Sear's Point when I was riding my RMZ450 dirtbike in the "A" group and passing GSXR1000 streetbikes. Does that mean my old Hawk or motard compare to R6's and GSXR1000's? Hell no! But in the situations I was in the bikes were less of a factor compared to the riders on them. Know what I'm saying?

Point is: Once you get few more race miles under your belt and up into the ranks (upper Am) you'll find yourself wishing you weren't trying to race a older style bike (in modern bike classes). That's all fun in Ultralight Superbike or something where old Hawks, Duc's, EX's, and SV's can still run up front, but in the "premiere" classes with cutting edge bikes (MWSS, UNSB, etc) it will quickly get old.

Take it for what it's worth. Bottom line is you go out and have a good time.

[OreoGaborio]

Werd... I was just writing something similar about how you can't compare track days to racing... They're worlds apart. Speeds involved, the atmosphere, even in the lightweight classes that Ryan said are more "for fun", we're still banging plastics & rubbing elbows out there. My bike's got its fair share of marks on it that were made by other bikes.

If ya wanna race the 929 as a novice, that's cool, you'll still have fun... but I think you'll quickly find yourself wanting to be on something different.

[butcher bergs]

I should get a few more TD's in before I get too far ahead of myself on this.

I'm interested in seeing how the 4/29 TTD turns out as far as how I'm feeling about this bike combined with the technicality of NHMS.

[OreoGaborio]

yeah, that's another thing, VIR is a whole different world compared to NHMS where middleweights pretty much rule the track.

[butcher bergs]

And that's exactly what I want to see...how "bad" is it really to dip a supposedly slow and heavy 929 around a layout such as NHMS?


Pete, have you been down to VIR?

[OreoGaborio]

yup, this weekend will be my 5th year going

[butcher bergs]

Lucky man!

Wish I was still there...

[SVRACER01]

im racing Joels motard this year

[SVRACER01]

Lucky man!

Wish I was still there...

im going in Oct.... Grand Course

wanna come?

[butcher bergs]

im going in Oct.... Grand Course

wanna come?

Is this the same as Degs' shindig?

[Doc]

And that's exactly what I want to see...how "bad" is it really to dip a supposedly slow and heavy 929 around a layout such as NHMS?


Pete, have you been down to VIR?

Good luck Bergs... As a novice it really doesn't matter if you are smart and just out there to lower your lap times.

I think you will find out how much of a pig that thing is though.

See ya at TTD.

[butcher bergs]

Good luck Bergs... As a novice it really doesn't matter if you are smart and just out there to lower you lap times.

I think you will find out how much of a pig that thing is though.

See ya at TTD.

Having never ridden NHMS on anything you must understand my curiosity with this, no?

Don't forget, at no point in time am I uncomfortable with this bike and that's where the curiosity factor comes in.

To me it's as simple as making a bike lean and turn....it just doesn't seem all that complicated regardless of the machine or its size.

Bigger bikes require more attention to the inputs...no biggie...just gotta be more conscious...

My personality is the type where I need to see it for myself....not that I don't listen to what's being told, but for me and the type of person I am, I have to experience it and then weigh the pros and cons.

Like I told Dan at VIR, it's not that I'm not listening to what anyone's saying, it's just that I'm driven to explore this with this bike.

Given the fact that there's only one Novice class for the 929 to run in takes most of the fun away.

At the very least I'll be ripping it on TTD 4/29....in the mean time I'll have to start making some changes to the current stable arrangement...

[RyanNicholson]

f it....come out for the first race weekend...take the basic class and run that first race and see how it all pans out....then you'll have the TTD a couple days later to refine any questions you have about the capability of your bike and how it works with you while its still fresh in your mind.

if thats an option. personally i'm just anxious to get on the track so all i can think about is that first thursday practice

[Doc]

Having never ridden NHMS on anything you must understand my curiosity with this, no?

Kinda... I am no expert and barely an Amatuer... my thinking is just a little more cautious

Don't forget, at no point in time am I uncomfortable with this bike and that's where the curiosity factor comes in.

To me it's as simple as making a bike lean and turn....it just doesn't seem all that complicated regardless of the machine or its size.

Bigger bikes require more attention to the inputs...no biggie...just gotta be more conscious...

My personality is the type where I need to see it for myself....not that I don't listen to what's being told, but for me and the type of person I am, I have to experience it and then weigh the pros and cons.

Like I told Dan at VIR, it's not that I'm not listening to what anyone's saying, it's just that I'm driven to explore this with this bike.

Given the fact that there's only one Novice class for the 929 to run in takes most of the fun away.

At the very least I'll be ripping it on TTD 4/29....in the mean time I'll have to start making some changes to the current stable arrangement...

I kinda go that... the whole gotta find out for yourself thing...

Just from the pics I have seen you look like a better rider than me so take my "advice for what it is worth (one race season and 4 trackdays)

Do like Ryan says above. Just be prepared to look for a different bike, just in case.

[butcher bergs]

f it....come out for the first race weekend...take the basic class and run that first race and see how it all pans out....

Only issue with that is the bike is so far from being race-prepped it's not even funny......no catch pan and plenty of drilling/ wiring remains...lots and lots of drilling and wiring. I can fab a catch pan easy enough.

Thing is, at this point I'm starting to explore other options. Chances are the 9's going up for sale real soon. The limitations with regards to Novice classes isn't quite what I expected...also,I didn't forsee the sudden change within myself so I never took the time to read the LRRS rule book.

personally i'm just anxious to get on the track so all i can think about is that first thursday practice

I'm with you on that one.....I had a taste of the track day honey at VIR and now I'm hooked!

[Pittenger5]

I think thats how it starts. I had ZERO intentions of racing when I did Penguin. I just wanted to hit the track. And here I am, obsessed with the track. I literally wake up every morning and look at pictures from VIR and it makes me happy.

[butcher bergs]

On a side note:

This topic kinda parallels that of a "n00b with a liter-bike" thread, eh?

I'm jus' sayin'....

[RyanNicholson]

I'm with you on that one.....I had a taste of the track day honey at VIR and now I'm hooked!

welcome to the club. after i took the basic class (my first track experience) i never looked back.....now riding on the road is merely a social thing, and i've only been riding since april of 06 haha. i found my calling (for now, while i'm young and stupid) in motorcycles.

whether you race or not, I would highly recommend coming up for that first race weekend just to hang out.....racing is VERY different than track days. Come say hi to some of the NESR racers, see how the day is run, and watch some ridiculously fast guys back fairings around corners! having a beer or three at night is always a good time as well

[Pittenger5]

Yes, except in this case Doc's more "mildly irked" instead of "full blown aneurysm"

[butcher bergs]

whether you race or not, I would highly recommend coming up for that first race weekend just to hang out.....

That's like two weeks from now? I have to check the schedule again...

racing is VERY different than track days. Come say hi to some of the NESR racers, see how the day is run, and watch some ridiculously fast guys back fairings around corners! having a beer or three at night is always a good time as well

Having never been in a racing pack, how different could it be?

I mean, it's all about not crashing and coming in 1st....sounds easy enough......3 easy steps

Step 1) Ride bike past all the others

Step 2) Do not crash while performing Step 1

Step 3) Repeat Steps 1 and 2

[butcher bergs]

Yes, except in this case Doc's more "mildly irked" instead of "full blown aneurysm"

Baahahahahahaha! Well played! OMFG well played!

[RyanNicholson]

Having never been in a racing pack, how different could it be?

to be 100% honest....its ridiculous. racing is no-holds-bared-go-all-out-do-whatever-you-can-and-still-live riding instead of a few street riders looking to improve their riding skills in a safe environment. Obviously we all want to be safe and have fun, but at the same time theres a HUGE difference between novice, amateur, and expert racing. Novice is a big filter between the legit beginning racers who want to be fast and good at the sport and the idiots who think they are valentino rossi already and the guys who are out there to race for fun and really aren't that competitive. Amateur and expert obviously filter the people out from there. Its much more aggressive and waayyyyy more adrenaline will be pumping through your veins. but in a good way....you just have to keep your head on your shoulders through that adrenaline.

i dont mean to make it sound scary in any way, to me its riding a motorcycle in the best possible way. its the most fun you'll ever experience....(from my experience, a step up from track days)

[butcher bergs]

See, it's the idiots I worry about the most......I mean the real dickholes that just don't get it...guess that could be found just about anywhere though...

[Doc]

Yes, except in this case Doc's more "mildly irked" instead of "full blown aneurysm"

I am mellowing now that I am gonna be a Daddy. You want me to slip into the "uber duper anti squid" ???

Baahahahahahaha! Well played! OMFG well played!

This is the "real" me. Find me at the trackday. I am not all that bad.

See, it's the idiots I worry about the most......I mean the real dickholes that just don't get it...guess that could be found just about anywhere though...

ALOT of em in Novice. It is SOOO much better in Amatuer and I feel safer, even though I seem to be trying harder. People know the lines and are more predictable.

EVERY weekend in Novice you have a bunch of noobs who have NEVER raced.