Road to Race Project K6

Whilst searching the web after a few drinks one Sat eve I stumbled upon what I hope is going to a pretty simple and enjoyable equation:

dusty Fireblade sat in garage ~= SV650 + some race parts + a few race entries + smiling me

or at least that's the plan. The Fireblade is not getting any use and I figure if I'm ever going to get into racing the time is now. I was a regular track day rider a few years back and spent a season amateur MX racing (I was definately too old to start that, aches for the best part of a week after each race). I've had a look at the Thundersport and NGRRC websites and read Redmist's thread and the site at pegdownracing.com and figure that minitwin is the way ahead.

I hope to document my progress on here and employ the forum hive mind for advice and guidance.

The Plan.

Sell this:


And this lot:



Buy this:



then turn it into something that'll be competitive and won't leave the wife wondering where the kid's college fund has gone.

The plan is already part underway in that the Fireblade has gone to a nice man in London who intends to commute on it, I feel sorry for his wrists. I've bought the SV and got the price down a bit. And, instead of making a sensible plan to buy only what I need and gradually upgrade the bike, I jumped right in and bought a set of wets on rims from eBay. Not exactly top of the shopping list but got carried away. Will be more sensible with my purchases from here on.

The SV is in, one careful owner and one not so careful. The bike is a Cat C that has been put back on the road. From the evidence it looks like it went over on the left hand side and took an almighty whack on the wheel or handlebar, hard enough to impact the shape of the yoke steering lock into the frame stop and for the indicator switch to dent the tank. The front end is all straight now and the wheels look brand new. The front fairing has been repainted in a slightly off blue from the tank so that must have taken a whack too. Bearings seem fine, anything else you think I should look for?

On the plus side the engine only has 3000 miles on it and it has a nice Beowulf can on the side. The last owner must have been a bit shorter than me as the front forks are dropped about 25mm and the rear has lowering dog bones on.

First track day is booked for 20 Aug at Castle Combe, got the paperwork today and they run 6 groups for 10 mins each per hour, I thought the standard was 20 mins? Is that usual for most tracks now?

A shopping spree last night means that the following is inbound and hopefully will be fitted before the trackday:

Hyperpro springs
HEL Front and Rear Braided hoses
Replacement clutch and brake lever
R6 throttle tube

That'll probably do for now. I plan to turn it into a racer over the coming year so have the early part of next year to fit the non performance type bits such as bodywork. Right now I want to get the bike into a track day setup and get out there and ride it.

Expecting to do the next trackday on 3 Sep also at Castle Combe and would like to fit rearsets and a new rear shock before then. So the question is which ones? I like the look and price of the Danmoto ones
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Adjustable...item3ccf0d8ac3
definitely more appealing than the Gilles ones at double the price. Anyone used them and have an opinion?

The rear shock is going to make a bigger hole in the wallet if I go for Maxton, WP, Ohlins or Nitron and considering that I can get an 07 GSXR 1000 one from the 'States for £70 including posting from eBay this would make more sense. Are the bespoke race shocks worth the extra? Especially for a novice, back of the pack racer. Also has anyone ordered anything like this from US sellers on eBay? Will I get stung for import tax or customs fees?

The bike arrives (you can just about see the dent on the tank):


One almighty whack to make this dent:

[DJ123]

That's no dent, its how it comes out the factory

Good to know, the right side has no imprint in the frame stop so assumed from the tank dent it must have been walloped.

Ten minutes an hour track time seems like bugger all to me!

Anyway, looking forward to the progress!

[maviczap]

There's another EBay seller who makes rearsets for Sv's that the racers use. A lot cheaper than the Dan moto ones, plus spares backups.

About a £120 or slightly less.

Search Ebay for Sv rearsets and you'll find him based in Norfolk.

You will get stung and pay extra vat when you import those danmoto ones, plus Royal Mail service charges.

Had a look at the ones you're talking about and they will only fit with a race subframe, wasn't planning on sorting the rear end out until next year. I read the small print on the Dan Moto ones and have gone off those especially if I'll get stung with extra costs. There are a set by SES which appear to be going for £155 so I might go for those or just wait until I've sorted the rear end out. I'll see how much money is left over after I get a new rear shock. Probably going to bite the bullet and go for a Maxton shock so might not be much left.

[r0ddy]

Mate, before you buy anything have a word with Neil Pearson at npmc.

He'll have most bits you'll need for your build, also if you join the minitwin a fb page there's always stuff being advertised on there.

I'm not sure I get what you mean about the rear subframe/rearsets

The description on the eBay page says they will only fit with a race subframe. I'm guessing from the photos that this is because where the rear brake cylinder is fixed on these rear sets that it will foul the stock subframe. Could solve this by just sorting the rear out now but was planning on waiting.

[Jayneflakes]

Watch ut importing stuff from the US, I bought a Penske shock and a set of yokes for my bike and got stung for £86 import duty on top of the £600 I had already paid out.

Damn, I would have gotten away with it to if it were not fr those pesky Customs & Excise Kids!