View Full Version : Single most important mod for first trackday
Got my first trackday coming up at the start of Dec on the SV, can maybe afford to get a single quick mod in before the day so what does anyone reckon is the quickest, easiest single mod to make life easier on the track? Obviously not going to Rossi it on first time but can see brakes/susp causing me hassle.
Obviously big stuff like GSXR front end conversions is totally out!
My bike is near enough stock and the 2 things i dont like are, pogo suspension and duff brakes - which of these would you tackle first?
I'm thinking:
a. New pads & braided lines
b. Stiffer front fork springs
c. Stiffer rear shock
Planning on just buying the part and when the bike goes for its MOT chucking them to the bloke and saying 'fit that too' so something thats not going to cost a load in labour (absolutely no interest in doing any work on the bike myself).
Given i dont want to spend much over a ton, which will give the most bang per buck track-wise and fit realistically around that price range (if any)?
Ta
Go on a diet.
Omfg lol, excellent ... but he kinda has a point, there no real single cheap upgrade you need for a track day.
Do your track day, and enjoy it, the bike performs very diff on the the track compared to on the road
I agree, lost 6kgs in 6 weeks......the same weight saving on the bike in carbon would cost £2k+ haha
Seriously though, if its your first trackday I cant see the bike being much of an issue, just enjoy it.
What SV is it, New/Old?
If the discs and pads arnt low, then dont change them. Braided hoses benefits are negligable and if its your first day I doubt you will be breaking anywhere near as hard as your standard lines can handle.
Suspension mods are always worth doing as they are cheap....but again, I wouldnt bother.
My first trackday was on a completely standard K6 SV650, it was more than capable and it was on a very fast circuit as well.
When you get there you could take the front plastics and lights off, that would save a bit. I know TSM does it when he does a track day.
Go on a diet.
Luckily i'm a svelte specimen so no probs there bar the ever expanding ale gut - although my brakes act like like i'm a 30-stoner. Had the bike in a couple of months ago to get a dealer look at them as just got sick of the braking performance compared to my mates Fazer that brakes 10x harder (and after test riding a couple of other bikes that were again, hugely sharper).
They stripped, examined and rebuilt and said nothing wrong, thats just how the SV brakes are - thats why i thought braided lines may give a bit more power without having to give it a big handful to stop the thing. Have asked for a new set of pads to be fitted during the MOT even though the current ones are only part worn in case its somehow duff pads to blame.
petevtwin650
13-11-08, 12:13 PM
New uprated forks springs together with thicker oil. Will help with the braking too.
AndyBrad
13-11-08, 12:16 PM
if your worried about ur brakes and they have been overhauled then i would say get some top quality pads and blead the system before u go. If you chnge the suspension your risking loosing your confidence in the bike as it would handle diferently and that i would have thourght would be the best thing you could have on the track?
Braided line dont give any mroe power. They remove the feel and 'Spongyness' that apprently stad brake lines give.
In all honesty i think all this modding lark is a waste of money. I ride my modded bike back to back with Vernas stock bike and i honestly say that i can notice very very little difference!!
Still its all psycological init :)
Change the tyres on your bike for something a little better (If they are stock that it is (Dunlops or Metz 4's dependent on bike))
Make sure your bike WORKS. Don't change too much because it inevitably won't be correct and then that will ruin your day. Seriously, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!
About the only exception is tyres, because they do make a difference, and they are hard to mess up.
yorkie_chris
13-11-08, 12:50 PM
You're missing something.
Crashbungs. £60.
Then fork springs and oil. Brakes will be right just squeeze harder :-P Or fit sintered pads ... but do the forks first.
You're missing something.
Crashbungs. £60.
Yes! Knew there was something i meant to buy! Currently unprotected crash-wise.
yorkie_chris
13-11-08, 01:21 PM
motosliders.
pencil shavings
13-11-08, 01:22 PM
motosliders.
R&G ;)
im only messing
but thats what ive got
Dappa D
13-11-08, 01:32 PM
R & G in a 25/30mph crash last week.....
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn192/dappad/randgpoop.jpgbendy bendy
when im back on the road im getting motosliders....
dont do anything
just have fun
edit crashbungs
pencil shavings
13-11-08, 01:39 PM
R & G in a 25/30mph crash last week.....
bendy bendy
when im back on the road im getting motosliders....
without being rude, what did you expect? the point of them is to break so the rest of the bike dosent, surly?
I only said R&G in jehst as the debate is similar to the pointy/curvey one
yorkie_chris
13-11-08, 01:45 PM
No it's not, the R+G's don't work near as well as the motosliders. Simple little crashes ruin them whereas the MS can take a couple of knocks.
I've got R+G's so I'm not trying to defend something just because I bought them lol
pencil shavings
13-11-08, 01:48 PM
No it's not, the R+G's don't work near as well as the motosliders. Simple little crashes ruin them whereas the MS can take a couple of knocks.
I've got R+G's so I'm not trying to defend something just because I bought them lol
right, I didnt realise that was the case so I will put up my hands.... :cheers:.... and say I was wrong!
Ive managed 1 very low speed slide and a drop, one on each side and they are perfect, excpet for a few little scratches. guess i was lucky then!:cool:
yorkie_chris
13-11-08, 01:52 PM
It is kinda daft as just by not chamfering the base of the bung it could be made so much better.
Motosliders are about £20 cheaper too...
The old style R&G's are fine, but they don't sell them any more, so its Motosliders, or if you can get them I had GSK Moto sliders and they worked rather well.
Dappa D
13-11-08, 02:18 PM
i had dropped my bike 2 or 3 times and the r abd g done there job...im just saying in an actual crash they were ruined...i can only go by my own experience....im not nocking them per se!!!
Biker Biggles
13-11-08, 03:16 PM
Bear in mind it will be cold so sticky tyres will not work.Road rubber designed for cooler temps will be better.If you are a lightweight you probably dont need stiffer springs either,so how about a fork oil change and maybe an upgrade to slightly thicker oil for more damping?Otherwise just make sure everything is in good order and working as it should.Take a tyre pressure guage with you and make adjustments there to suit the conditions.
Most important thing is to make sure there's a mate available who has a car and a trailer just in case ( speaking from experience )
:cool:
fastdruid
13-11-08, 10:15 PM
Fresh tyres and making sure everything is as it should be.
Really wouldn't worry about anything else for your first trackday although you may want to get crash bungs.
Druid
northwind
13-11-08, 10:53 PM
Definately crash bungs. And not R&Gs, I could forgive them not being very good if they weren't also too expensive :mrgreen: Motosliders or GSG Moko.
Forks etc is only really worth doing if you're a big 'un or the bike's getting on a bit. Might be worth doing, but mainly I'd just say get what you have working as well as it can and leave it at that.
yorkie_chris
14-11-08, 01:12 AM
People forget fork oil is a service item.
Food & water in a backpack in the pits.
Make sure you keep hydrated and eat regularly so you don't get too worn out. if they bike's fine on the road it'll be ok on the track ;)
Hi there guys, my first post on this forum but im in a similar position. Planning on a track day maybe next month. The brakes on my sv are rather rubbish but then they still overwhelm the suspension anyways so im not too concerned, having come off more modern kit its just a matter of adapting. Ill be bunging a brembo radial master cylinder on as i have one lying around in the garage, wont bother with stainless lines as ive never had a problem with sponginess... i prefer it personally. Plan on changing the fork oil this weekend as the dampings all but gone but the previous owner never changed it so im expecting it to be more like water when it comes out. Only other mod is im going to bung in some spacers to up the front preload - im a svelte 18 stone so it needs it! :) but i cant be bothered with going to b&q to get some pvc pipe so ive bodged some spacers out of coke bottles and caps... oh yeah... free stuff ;) (pics to follow)
Ceri JC
14-11-08, 03:39 PM
Crash bungs?
Blue_SV650S
14-11-08, 05:04 PM
Money at the front forks is not money wasted, so forks (springs etc) get my vote! :)
Ok, now this is improtant information and advice and in the words of Lord Sid Sqiud
DONT CRASH
charlie13
14-11-08, 07:09 PM
Just remember to relax so you can feel what the bike is telling you, go at a pace you feel comfortable with, and give your tyres at least a couple of laps to get some heat in them especially if it's a chilly day.
You didn't mention which outfit is holding the trackday, but if it's similar to how no limits run their days then the novices get led round a few sighting laps in the first session. It really helped me to get into the holding area first so I could ride around the sighting laps and see the proper lines from behind the instructor. Takes a bit of guesswork out of where the track goes and where you should be. If there's free instruction on the day as well, get an instructor to go out with you and have a look at you after you've done a couple of sessions and see if they can give you any tips.
Definitely take enough water to keep you hydrated, and if you can tuck a spare brake and clutch lever away somewhere and maybe a roll of gaffa tape. Just in case.
Blue_SV650S
15-11-08, 12:46 AM
Just remember to relax so you can feel what the bike is telling you, go at a pace you feel comfortable with, and give your tyres at least a couple of laps to get some heat in them especially if it's a chilly day.
You didn't mention which outfit is holding the trackday, but if it's similar to how no limits run their days then the novices get led round a few sighting laps in the first session. It really helped me to get into the holding area first so I could ride around the sighting laps and see the proper lines from behind the instructor. Takes a bit of guesswork out of where the track goes and where you should be. If there's free instruction on the day as well, get an instructor to go out with you and have a look at you after you've done a couple of sessions and see if they can give you any tips.
Definitely take enough water to keep you hydrated, and if you can tuck a spare brake and clutch lever away somewhere and maybe a roll of gaffa tape. Just in case.
You can't really do 'proper lines' on a walking pace sighting lap ... but yes, you get to see where the track goes ... for this reason, I am not sure there is much more value in doing the sighting laps behind an instructor over just DIY.
But having an instructor follow you at some point over the day is indeed a good idea :)
mister c
15-11-08, 09:07 AM
Seeing as it will be December, it's going to be cold and probably wet, so I wouldn't worry too much about trying to make anything better. As long as your tyres & brakes are ok and the bike feels ok, just go out & enjoy yourself.
When at the track, they do recommend that you drop your tyre pressures a bit so that they heat up quicker. Ride to your abilities & just have fun - that's what its all about at the end of the day
charlie13
15-11-08, 02:08 PM
You can't really do 'proper lines' on a walking pace sighting lap ... agreed, you can't. but for corners like charlies at cadwell or coppice at donington which are both blind entry, it helped me have a better idea of where i should be before picking up speed.
vBulletin® , Copyright ©2000-2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.