Guest John Posted March 18, 2004 Report Share Posted March 18, 2004 Hi, wondering if anyone can offer some advice. I just recently came into possession of a 2002 GSXR600 with about 50 miles on it...complete cherry. I want to use this bike only for track days and learning to ride the darn thing in a controlled environment. Can anyone offer advice on getting this bike ready, do I need better tires than stock Dunlops, what aftermarket plastics can anyone recommend? Any advice would really be appreciated. I was planning on attending the Mid-Ohio days this summer. Thanks....and please excuse my ignorance. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted March 19, 2004 Report Share Posted March 19, 2004 Your topic says racing, but the post says trackdays. Big difference. But basically, remove the street plastic and replace with sharksinz. It'd be nice if you took the antifreeze out and put water/water wetter in. Safety wire all fluid draining bolts as well as brake calipers and the pins that hold the pads in place. ride the stock tires til the cords are showing, then put your preferred brand of supersport rubber on them. Then, RIDE RIDE RIDE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Kane Posted March 20, 2004 Report Share Posted March 20, 2004 John, You wrote "I want to use this bike only for track days and learning to ride the darn thing in a controlled environment. Can anyone offer advice on getting this bike ready..." My advice is the best way to prepare the bike is to prepair the rider. Get some formal training. It is fair to say that many riders are (or least used to be) self taught and IMHO, self taught poorly. In my case, the transition to a sports bike from a street bike was going very badly until I went to School (CSS/Watkins Glen). Once at School, I saw riders on 600's blowing away riders on liter bikes all day long demonstrating to me that it is almost all the rider and not the ride. You can invest in Sharkskinz (plastic), sintered brake pads and racing compound tires but none of it will mean much if you can't take advanage of what they offer. Also, track days are not as a "controlled environment" as School is and the on track instruction that is critical to improvement will not even be close to what School offers. Just my 2 cents worth. Good luck. Kevin Kane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest John Posted March 23, 2004 Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 I want to thank you both for your time. I am going to invest in racing skinz.....any suggestion on those? Sharkskinz? Hotbodies? Also brakes and compound and prep the bike for your school. I think it will be quite a learning experience and like you said...not the ride...but the rider. More suggestions would be appreciated on the skinz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Kane Posted March 24, 2004 Report Share Posted March 24, 2004 John, I have a set of Sharkskinz and Beasley bodies; IMHO, the Sharkskinz' are lighter and more flexible. I included the belly pan when I bought my 'skinz so I wouldn't have to go back and order one later if I ever got to the point where I actually race my bike (and no, I have not gotten there). If you are sure that your Suzuki is really going to be a track bike only, I would suggest that you remove the lights, mirrors, turn signals and rear license plate assembly and kick stand (you'll need a rear wheel stand if you go this route) and put them away so you can restore it to a street bike in the future. You will be required to tape them up at School or a track day anyway so you might as well get them out of the way now. You will also need to remove the anti-freeze (once warmer weather is here) and replace it with Water Wetter. My experience with the School and Team Pro-Motion (an east coast track club) is that safety wiring is not required so even thought I do safety wire my bike, it is by choice. Another choice I made that really added value was mounting new race compound tires on my track bike. The improvement in grip was immediately and that translated into greater confidence in cornering. But in closing John, I cannot overstate the value in training. None of the changes you are contemplating will pay you any dividend unless you know how to utilize them. School will cost you less than a set of Sharkskinz will and the Sharkskinz will NOT make you a better rider. Good Luck. Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastfreddie Posted March 24, 2004 Report Share Posted March 24, 2004 More suggestions would be appreciated on the skinz. sharkskinz, while pricey, have the best fit according to just about any racer you ask. cheetah's are next in the fit department. nothing is worse than trying to make a part fit that doesn't come close to fitting in the first place. you're in luck...they're on sale! http://www.sharkskinz.com/sales%20items.htm don't forget fasteners like dzus or whatever and buy a uni-bit to drill the holes. get the mounting correct before you bother to paint it. i'm with kevin, tho'. schooling should be a very high priority...at least, before any performance mods like pipes, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest_John Posted October 12, 2004 Report Share Posted October 12, 2004 When it comes to racing compound tires....what are a novice's options? Can I buy them direct? Pirelli? Dunlop? Which does everyone prefer? Any outlet place anyone can recommend? Thank you! John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobie Fair Posted October 13, 2004 Report Share Posted October 13, 2004 John, You got some good suggestions from the boys (Kevin and fastfreddie), Sharkskinz is the brand, they make pretty good stuff. Tires wise, pretty much everyone makes a decent tire. We've been using Dunlop (sponsored), so you'll get biased answer from me! Actually, they do make a great track tire (208gp). If doing just track days, you shouldn't have to do much to the bike, but pulling off all the street stuff is wise, in case you do tip over, and with the Sharkskinz on there that will keep the costs down. That being said, a lot guys just tape up their lights, don't get too excited (meaning riding over their skill level) and have a great time. Many just start at our school and use our bikes, so there is no worry at all on the bike side of things. Have fun at the track! Best, Cobie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobie Fair Posted October 13, 2004 Report Share Posted October 13, 2004 John, I forgot to add where to get the tires: if a student of ours, you are eligible to get Dunlops from us, we usually have some at excellent prices. If at the track you can sometimes get them at the track, depends on who is there and if the event is being serviced by a track rep (like the Dunlop guys, they get to some track days in addition to the races). Depending on what part of the country you are in, it will be either the guys at Race Tire Services, or Sport tire Services (they each have part of the country, west of Missippi and east of it. Sport Tire Service (West half) (800) 776-8473 Race Tire Services: (800) 772-8473 Best, Cobie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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