Starter Race / Track Bike - 600cc ~'03-'08 with all the goodies.

[nhbubba]

There's just something about the wail of 14,000 rpm that stirs me, but that's my affinity for what I consider a small bike.

This I completely understand. I once posted this as my wish list:

- Not an SV (I basically have an SV already, something different please)
- Revs to the moon, I'm in the mood for something with a high redline

[Dave603]

YES it is painful to get passed by big bikes, No body likes to be passed especially when you KNOW you are faster and that it is just the limited power of your machine that prevents you from being competitive... IN A STRAIGHT LINE. But an SV650 (or other "small" bike) is an exceptional bike to start out your racing career on. If you are serious about wanting to race then listen to my points that I will make. If you are racing you are going to be racing against similarly classed bikes and so you don't have to worry about that one straight away that all the big bikes pass you on during TRACK DAYS. Being on a machine which only puts out 75-85hp forces you to learn other ways to make your machine faster. It is not always about power, it is learning how to effectively USE the power that you do have.

Now take for instance a guitar. It is said that the guitar is the easiest instrument to play but yet it is the hardest to master. If you only learned one song and practiced that everyday for 2 weeks you could fool someone into thinking you have years of experience and surely must have played in a band.

Now show up to a track day on a "big" bike with xx track days of experience under your belt and you could fool yourself and many others that you could be the next Rossi. Being fast is more than just sitting on a bike that "revs to the moon" and has more power than you will ever need. (sorry bubba and bergs) But don't just rule out an SV650 being a "beginner only" bike. You are only selling yourself short if you think you have too much experience/ego to ride one. Learning the basic fundamentals of racing such as suspension, chassis set up, body position, etc. etc. will be much easier on a bike that is more forgiving of your mistakes, cheaper to repair, and will hold its value better than any I4 you could buy. I was told when I started at the track that slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Just my .02!

[Ductard]

YES it is painful to get passed by big bikes, No body likes to be passed especially when you KNOW you are faster and that it is just the limited power of your machine that prevents you from being competitive... IN A STRAIGHT LINE. But an SV650 (or other "small" bike) is an exceptional bike to start out your racing career on. ..........

......Learning the basic fundamentals of racing such as suspension, chassis set up, body position, etc. etc. will be much easier on a bike that is more forgiving of your mistakes, cheaper to repair, and will hold its value better than any I4 you could buy. I was told when I started at the track that slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Just my .02!

Dude - Did you miss the part of my post where I said I currently ride a motard, which by the best info I can find puts down a screaming 50.8 horsepower? :-)

You don't have to tell me about fooling myself with a big bike - I started out on the track on one. An 1199, and hitting 140 on the front straight then jogging through the corners got old quick (I had no intention of track riding when I got the bike, but I tried it once and got hooked. Ride what you got, right?)

Now, the motard is a blast, but every once in a while, I want to ride "with" the other riders instead of "around" other riders (even with guys turning in similar times, I'm fast where they're slow and vice versa). Also, maybe it's a little too "forgiving" - to the point where I might be developing bad habits.

I'm not altogether opposed to getting an SV, and I would definitely be looking for one if I hadn't gotten the motard first, but I'm wondering if it wouldn't be a very short run with the SV before I was yearning for something more...especially on a big, fast track like Thunderbolt (not to mention VIR, and others).

Anyways, it looks like a friend of mine who just got an I4 said I could try his old SV out when he gets it put back together in July. Maybe I'll just hold off on any final decisions until I get a chance to take that around the track a few times.

[tsorfas]

Two words: Rick Doucette

[Dave603]

All I say is just give it a fair shot. It may not be what you are looking for but then again you might surprise yourself. I didn't think I would be happy with an SV but after listening to people on here I am glad I did. I rode one on the street beforehand and I wasn't that impressed. (Actually I pretty much said this is the worst bike I've ever ridden lol) But then when I got to crank one of the things wide open at the track I found I liked it a lot and had more fun riding it than my R1 because I could push it harder and as a result was able to improve my lap times quicker. But I also speak with much, much less experience than Doucette and he is just ridiculously fast on one. Until I come remotely close to his times I don't feel I need to move up to a bigger bike. LOL

[butcher bergs]

No need to be sorry, Dave. I've always thought my F4i to basically be a heavy SV in that it makes about the same power as a built SV but has two extra cylinders and that is exactly why I kept racing it in basically stock form...it was too gratifying to be one of the oldest bikes that hardly breaks 100 horse on the grid and still landing on podiums consistently.

[Paul_E_D]

There is no such thing as a "starter" race bike. For reference, I was able to do a 40 flat in either direction at NYST on my motard, and I'm sure that 38s are possible, so there's plenty left to learn on a low powered bike. Imagine going 10 seconds a lap faster still only hitting 105 on the straight...

That said, 600s are fun. To me it comes down to budget. low powered bikes tend to cost about half as much as a 600 to race. (or a touch more than half)

[Ductard]

Two words: Rick Doucette

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4tkflahBUM

Whoa......

[xxaarraa]

Also, maybe it's a little too "forgiving" - to the point where I might be developing bad habits.

There you go. Motards are fun, and always worth keeping in the stable. But putting down same/similar/better lap times on more than one bike does more for your riding, in the long run. Being fast on a slow bike doesn't automatically mean you are fast on a fast bike, and vice versa.

[Ductard]

There you go. Motards are fun, and always worth keeping in the stable. But putting down same/similar/better lap times on more than one bike does more for your riding, in the long run. Being fast on a slow bike doesn't automatically mean you are fast on a fast bike, and vice versa.

Not sure what you're advocating here.... just that I should buy another motorcycle?

[Rambunctous]

What kind of motard do you have?

[Ductard]

What kind of motard do you have?

I have a KTM 520 SX - no plates, purely for track.