Loudon makes my heart feel funny!

Iv'e never ridden in the rain so I was asking around. Nazo offered me some simple but priceless advice. Hell you were standing right there, you should've chimed in!

Back to the original subject...

This thread so far is 100% on par. Your 750cc bike WILL unfortunately limit you to Heavyweight classes, which probably isn't the best class to be running straight out of the chute. A lightweight is definitely the recommendation.

I unfortunately, will not be attending the last race weekend. Its eats me up a bit because I want nothing more than to be there. Unfortunately, being the best man in a wedding is keeping me from racing that weekend! Never the less, I'll be happy to offer you any advice possible from racing to race prepping.

:stupid: and all the posters above.

I have yet to race but this site has been GREAT for getting information.

They also pick on ya a little and make you REALLY want to get to the track.

I HIGHLY reccomend Tony's Trackdays! (save money) He has one left this year that you may be able to get into (the BMW day, but he lets newbies in sometimes).

As I was told by the NESR wise ones,(save money) Do trackdays first, with your street bike, (save money) this gets you to get some if not all of the proper gear, (save money) you get to ride the track and see what that is like, (save money) and you get to hang with some of the best people in the world! NESRians! :lol:

A thread was going on here about how much a year of racing costs AFTER you have your bike and equipment. I think I remember it being about $4000.

But not to worry, You can get a Trackbike for $800-$1500 (It isn't gonna be pretty) Alot of the guys have SV650's EX500 and there are some with Hawk GT's (only the fast ones). I would steer you towards a EX500, (I know of one for $800) Cheap, plenty of parts and the most important...people to help you who have done it already here on NESR.
Listen to the experts (not me I am still learning as well) and maybe I will be racing against you next year. :) :ride:

you said you have little money

MW/HW class is not for those without disposable income. I work a 2nd full time job just to pay for my racing expenses (honda 600rr).

If I did it over, I probably would have gone the LW route ... but here I am now and I'm just going to work through it.

MW/HW is very tough, competition wise and budget wise.

Racing is one of the best things in the world, but it kind of is an all or nothing sport ... and all for a MW/HW bike is ALOT of money.

As everyone says, I would do atleast 1 track day before you start racing ... there is SO much to learn about riding on the track, throwing in the racing element could be sensory overload ...

tonys track days (as everyone has said) is the best place to start. The passing rules are so that you stay safe while learning the track and do not have to be distracted by other riders.

Saxman... pretty well put. I think both of us have experienced an unfortunate circumstance that has caused significant damage to our wallets. Personally, I've only seen one accident worse than mine all year (whose not to say there's been more) but my first wreck this year cost me $2400 in repairs (and that's doing most of the work myself and using eBay). What was the line you used... "all or nothing"... that sounds about right. And on that note, I don't regret getting involved because I love it!

On another note... most of the people I talked to when I got into this sport mentioned the 600 Novice class as the class of death. Its full of a bunch of rookies out to kill each other. But... on the flip side... contrary to popular belief, everyone (or should I say most everyone) at the track is extremely friendly. Heck... the kid who caused most of my damage (after I crashed first) is now a pretty good friend of mine. Just goes to show you what kind of people are up here...

Quote:

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Originally posted by NINJA_GIRL750
I don't think it would ever pass the inspection..... plus I want something faster!!!!!... way faster!:drool:

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Everyone is saying you should come to my track days...

but statements like the one above have me wondering if that's such a good idea.

:poke:

:D

Seriously... it's great that you have enthusiasm... but you will save yourself a lot of pain (to your body and your bank account) if you just slow down a bit.

Your current bike is more than capable for track days. (I raced mine for my first year, but that was before Track Days were available).

You can do 3 track days for less than your first race weekend will cost you. Then you can make an informed decision.

Good luck

Quote:

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Originally posted by NINJA_GIRL750
hmm..... I am gonna make my bike into a race bike this winter!! I already cleaned out my parrents garage tonight!... it'll be alot cheeper.. right?... Iam so excited...are u racing next weekend???....Iam brining all my buddies up there to check it out...I can't wait!

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Your bike has the passenger seat, so it appears to be a J model, but it has the emblemmed tank? The K model was a homologation special and I call you nuts if you turned it into a race bike...I'd be looking to turn it back to stock before anything.

Although it was a pretty special piece for it's day, and maybe still competitive to some degree...it's not a Loudon bike. it's gonna show its weight on a technical track. The 100 hp that bike makes is plenty. Your also gonna have a hard time finding spares for it. the race kit stuff is all used up at this point. To get it track ready will likely mean expending most your budget on suspension upgrades as the bike lacks the adjustability to dial it in for serious track duty. The rear shock could be replaced easy enough, but on that model youll also want to swap the linkage for a L,M or P,N model. The forks are gonna leave you scratching your head because the non-homologation bikes (J, L, and P) came with "inferior" front forks, lacking the standard adjustability found on the homologation bikes (K, M, N). They work really well for street duty (very planted). For race duty it's another thing. The zx7 suspension was heavily worked by any team racing them. I applaud your desire to bring this bike back to glory...and it could be done. (i have a love affair with the early 7's). But I couldn't recommend it.

If you REALLY don't want to test the waters first and you're ready to do this, I would recommend buying a fully prepped SV at the end of the race season (and before everyone starts thinking about the next race season) over making the zx7 a race bike. You'd probably offset the cost in the long run. Personally I could never warm up to the EX as a race bike, but guys run them and run them fast! The experienced racers comments are what you should be paying attention to. You'll quickly realize that the most hp doesn't make you the fastest...just broke. There are plenty of guys riding 50-70 hp (heavy) bikes and turning mid-high teens for lap times and winning. Get to that point and then spend some money. & go do trackdays with the savings.

Thanks Oreo.... i'll def. take u up on that.....when I get my licence!... What about those little two-stroke bikes??.. Are those hard to ride??...Why were they in the same race as Ducatis? Do you guys get make any money from winning?

Racing is a money pit!!! You will never...NEVER even come close to breaking even let alone make money. Yet we all still do it cause it's a blast! :D

The 2 strokes are a blast. I just started racing, and that was my weapon of choice. (Thanks Paul!) I haven't found mine hard to ride, but I am still slow. I have heard from other 125 riders whom I trust that they are tough to ride well. The power band on them is very tiny and there is a lot of shifting to be done. The bike handles amazingly, but it needs cornerspeed to be happy (yeah yeah, I'm working on that part), and the maintenance is high.

NinjaGirl,
You NEED to sign up for a track day (or 3). You're thinking on adrenaline, which is okay, but you have to step back and take a more calculated look at what you're getting into.

Track days will give you the information about whether this is right for you or not.

If you're free this Monday, you can take your ZX7 on the racetrack. As long as it's got decent tires and is in good mechanical shape, the bike is all set. Just bring $.

www.tonystrackdays.com

BTW, this isn't to promote Tony's Track Days, it's to save you some emotional and physical distress.

Yea!!.. I looked at the web-site... me and my brother are signing-up! ... u think it's better then pinguin?... it looks better

They are for 2 different things. Penguin is for racing once you have gotten used to riding on a track during a track day event or ten:hellyeah:

Do that and we will see you next weekend at the races:drink: :beer:

so everyone racing next weekend has their racing licence?.... this is confusing.

well it's a race weekend, sooooo yeah ;)

To get your racing license you need to take the penguin school. Then enter a race that weekend. Doing so will automatically mean that you are doing the rookie race which is a 3 lap event that all you need to worry about is staying on 2 wheels. It's not about winning because if you crash in it you need to do it over again to get your license. Tony's is for riding on the track with less stress and slower riders while you get used to it.

look.... my G/F has been talking about racing but she had never even been on a track. so. i signed her up for tonys tarck days and she had a blast. she still wants to race but needs WAY more track time. Tonys is for fun and info and experience. i dont think anyone just takes a penguin class and starts racing without having a substantial amount of track time first.

Penguin is the class you take get you license. you take the class and if you pass then you have to sign up for 2 races. passing the class is actually quite simple. follow directions and at the end of the day (or the next day) you do what is called a "rookie race"..... finish this WITHOUT crashing and you are eligible for a race license.

YOU.... need to calm down:) you saw racing at its finest. rain is the ultimate equilizer. people are fast in the rain by ability not by how much power their bike makes. come see racing at its FASTEST in the dry. and maybe youll realize that you are not ready for racing (maybe you are... i dont know) your first trackday might actually show you that:dunno: startup in racing is the biggest hurdle. i was lucky. i already had the perfect race bike in my streetbike and had MOST of what i needed for racing just from doing trackdays. i stand firm when i say.... do as many trackdays a year that you can for a year and see where you are then. if youre not moving up in trackday groups then racing might not be for you. but please keep coming up and supporting us, we appreciate and enjoy it.

just my $.02:D

with that said... ive got a 02 SV650S for sale:D

Quote:

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Originally posted by SVRACER01

YOU.... need to calm down:)
.... do as many trackdays a year that you can for a year and see where you are then. if youre not moving up in trackday groups then racing might not be for you.
just my $.02:D

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This about sums up my suggestion!

I think she's a prime candidate for Tony's "Bulk Buy" ;)

You should get yourself a Motard. Cheap and fun.

I took one track day on wednesday I believe and was hooked. I went that friday for the Penguin and the rest is history. I'm 2 race weekends in and not looking back. Just looking at the bank account getting smaller each weekend.

I agree with Ken Tony and the rest of the guys. Do a track day and see if you like it. Then take the penguin school. Make sure your bike is safety wired and race prepped prior to taking the penguin school. Then you can just go up and do your rookie race without crashing and then enter one race. Viola your a licensed road racer.

Good luck and come to the track and supprt your fellow NESR,ers

"However, we also like to have up to 5 "AMATEUR" cornerworkers in various corners. It's exciting and you earn "track day money". This is a voucher that is equal to cash when paying for a later track day.".......from tonys track days page.

Quote:

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Originally posted by NINJA_GIRL750
"However, we also like to have up to 5 "AMATEUR" cornerworkers in various corners. It's exciting and you earn "track day money". This is a voucher that is equal to cash when paying for a later track day.".......from tonys track days page.

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Yep. Do you have a question about this?

Cornerworking is a great way to see what track days are about while earning some TD$.

Quote:

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Originally posted by NINJA_GIRL750
Yea!!.. I looked at the web-site... me and my brother are signing-up! ... u think it's better then pinguin?... it looks better

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Excellent. Introduce yourself when you're up there.

penguin and tony's are two different things. Go corner work, show up for the races this weekend. Talk to people and get an idea how it works. Everyone that steps on the track thinks they can throw a leg over a bike and be the next rossi. It doesn't work like that.

What do you mean it doesn't work like that?:D