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Picking The Right Steed


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Interesting, never heard any recommendations about the rear shock being worn out.......

 

Yeah, it's a dirty little secret, but quite common. 20-25.000 miles and you should have it replaced, 'cause the OEM shock usually cannot be serviced.

Aftermarkets can be serviced.

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German rag PS recently compared a 675 Triumph to a Gixxer 750 and a S1000RR. 3 riders were having a go; a pro racer, a novice racer and a "normal" rider. The Pro was fastest on the BMW and slowest on the Suzuki, On a 2:05 lap, he was 2.5 seconds ahead of the Triumph.

 

The interesting part for me was that the two "lesser" riders came closest to the Pro when riding the S1000RR. The ABS system meant they braked about as late and hard as the Pro and gave the greatest gains. They benefitted less from the traction control.

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*Sigh* Now I just really want to sell it and get a bike with much fewer miles already setup for track!

that means $!

A secondhand shock with low miles should be around $100 maybe? I don't know what prices are like over there. Yeah then it's "what will it be next" but that's the trade-off with having an older bike, they need a bit more looking at but are cheaper. Your shock may not be that bad but I'd be surprised if it was much good by now, even though this seems like piffling mileage when compared to a car.

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I don't work for free, what I mean by that is yea I could get a stock shock for 100.00 let's say but then how does it pay me back for the effort? I have no added performance, it's just maintenance at that point.

 

So with adding the cost of upgraded suspension, rotors, pads, brake lines, ect it adds up pretty quickly and this is why I am just on the verge of selling it because I bought the bike for 6k (I know over paid but lesson learned) and then to throw in another couple grand would push this up to what I would pay for a trade in with my bike for a 2012 CBR1000RR! Sure eventually I would have to upgrade the 2012 but hell I would have a heck of a lot more performance for my money for a long time before having the skill to max out such a nicely setup bike from the factory.

 

I work at a motorsports shop so I get great deals on parts and deals on bikes, I don't know it's such a toss up!

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I went through a similar type of decision process before I bought my GSX-R1000...

 

One of the main reasons I wanted the 1000 was because it was a physically larger bike than the GSX-R600 I had prior. I was just getting tired of the cramped riding position. And it's true that any bike will only go as fast as you twist the throttle... but having said that I think I would have benefited more by staying on the 600 a bit longer, and just putting up with the tight riding position.

 

Another argument in favor of a 600 is that the big power of a 1000 can be a big distraction. And if you're trying to work on improving your cornering, you really don't need any distractions.

 

But then I have also made the biggest improvements in my riding while I've had the 1000, but I think it's safe to say that is because I've done a lot of training, and most recently did CSS Level 1 which improved my riding way more than anything else. Although I was riding the 1000 for about 3 years before I finally "clicked" with it... I'm sure that would have been different if I had done CSS much sooner. Would I have improved faster if I still had a 600? Hard to say... but I do know that now the only reason I would go back to a 600 would be for cheaper running costs, mainly in rear tyres!

 

Now on the subject of track prepared bike Vs street bike... I just use my street bike, only because it was the only bike I had and I used it for commuting every weekday plus track days. Now I have another bike for commuting so the Gixxer mainly just sits around between track days, but I've left it in street trim. I just find it simpler to ride out to the track instead of loading a trailer etc.

 

If you're looking at a track bike, obviously you can't expect to look at the logbook and be happy if it's only been serviced every 6,000km! A tip that someone told me about track bikes: there is no such thing as "service intervals" or "regular maintenance", only the work you're prepared to put in, and the results you want out of the bike. I think that knowing the history of the bike is even more important on an ex-race/track bike.

 

The other option is to just stick with your CBR600. Things like shock and forks should be serviced every year (maybe two?) anyway. Radiator should be flushed every year as well. Things like that are just basic maintenance jobs that you should be doing regardless of which bike you have. I know it can be tempting to think about getting a newer bike which may not need all that maintenance initially, but it will need it eventually...

 

As far as the shock - you will have added performance because the shock will do a better job of keeping your rear wheel on the ground! Suspension is one area that people spend a lot of money on... if you can get a decent shock for $100, that will perform much better than your current shock, that seems pretty cheap to me!

 

All the best with your decision! It's a tough one, but I think for most people it comes down to money. Things are pretty easy when you're realistic about what you can & can't afford.

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Thanks for the input, I looked on ebay and yea I found some rear shocks going for pretty cheap! I think my best bet is to just keep up on the maintenance of this bike and use it as my street rider/ occasional track day until I can save up enough money for my dedicated track bike.

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Yes a new back shock isn't any better than the original, but if the one you've got isn't working so well, it'll be a big improvement. I'd still say save your money on buying new discs and all that, put it towards the new bike (someday). Changing parts can give you a few percent advantage here and there, even changing to a much more powerful bike will give you a few seconds a lap (see Eirik's post above), maybe not even that on a slow track. Time in the saddle and money spent on training will pay much bigger dividends. If money was no object then yeah go and buy anything you want, but then we wouldn't have this thread! At least put off your buying decision until you've spent a little bit of time on track to help clarify your thoughts. As you may have already seen, track days seem to be a blur these days of motorhomes and tyre warmers, spandex undersuits, shiny things and cryptic adjustments. Reality is you could ride up on your bike, take off the indicators, cane it round all day, then ride home again with as big a grin on your face. The shiny stuff is nice but it doesn't change things so much. That's my 2p/2c/2 roubles etc.

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Yea I realized that is my best bet. Just replace the shock with another used OEM one and save my money for a dedicated bike. I am thinking about building a bike from the ground up but that may end up costing more then just buying a used track bike.

 

I have seen some pretty good deals on bikes for 7k and comes with another brand new motor plus some other extras as well. Only time will tell but I have to keep my CBR for the street because I don't want track days to be the only time I can ride so it totally makes sense to keep it street trim.

 

Thanks everyone for all of your input!

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