Novice track sessions

[deejay77]

Hi Kellyjo, I think you would enjoy and benefit from a trackday, just learn the track and go at your own pace and you will soon be riding quicker as the day goes on, and you will find how quick you can go without going out of your own comfort zone.

I went for a rideout on Wednesday night with Dave numbers after he had done the RAF Leeming trackday and I noticed his riding style has changed slightly and he was moving his weight around on the bike when lining up for corners and it has made his riding a lot smoother.

[Spiderman]

Originally Posted by specialone

Wouldnt you look a bit boring and out of place?

Hell no. I dont go on a trackday to show off to anyone. Last trackday, i got overtaken by pretty much everybdy in my group, the inters, including the girls.

Seriously Kellyjo, its a great chance to safely push yourself and your bike to the limits that you feel safe to go to.

Trackdays are not a race but a safe enviroment to get familair with your bike. Dont listen to the heros who go to get rid of their chicken strips or fools like me who spend the whole day attempting the elusive knee down. Its for you to enjoy at your own pace. The safety comes from the fact that if you do drop it then at least you dont have a bus/truck/van/coming the other way to squish you.

Yeah book yourself on one and tape up the speedo, I went in the novices and got overtaken many times, but it taught me about the limits of my ability, my bike and I had a great day with all the org'ers. Sid Squid gave me some excellent advice and just reassured me when I was getting nervous and it really helped.

I enjoyed it so much I am doing another on Thursday with another org'er.

Based on what people were saying about the bike skills day down at Silverstone, I'm debating doing that on the 14th of Sept so I can get more used to the new steed.

Originally Posted by orose

Based on what people were saying about the bike skills day down at Silverstone, I'm debating doing that on the 14th of Sept so I can get more used to the new steed.

Aplogies for the thread hijack Kelly!

@ Orose.

I'd recommend it as it was very good at confidence building. They even teach you how to do stoppies on your own machine which for me was nice as I learnt the limits of the SV brakes.

Only thing I will warn you of is that some people did drop their bikes during the slalom course! Don't think anyone dropped on the stoppies as the guys are next to you to hold you up.

[fastdruid]

Originally Posted by specialone

I would be worried about binning the bike on a trackday, thats what would put me off.
Or...do you not get even close to the limit of the sv for that to be a problem?

Do you think you are going to bin it every time you go out on your favourite bit of road?

No? So why on a trackday?

You are *very* *very* unlikely to fall off on your first trackday unless you are being a tit.

Druid

Thats why I thought I'd throw it into the mix - I suspected kelly was after a confidence building exercise. Doing slow speed stuff certainly built mine up, although I haven't tried to do a U-turn on the trumpet yet - could do it feet-up on the GSXR and the SV though without hassle.

Originally Posted by Spiderman

Trackdays are not a race but a safe enviroment to get familair with your bike. Dont listen to the heros who go to get rid of their chicken strips or fools like me who spend the whole day attempting the elusive knee down.

It might not be a race as everbody says, BUT it don't mean people don't go as fast as they can or THINK they can, if your not going to push it then what's the point. you will go faster then you have been befor, the good thing is when you go too fast into a corner you can run wide with no harm done, it will be good do it.

[fastdruid]

Originally Posted by Spiderman

Hell no. I dont go on a trackday to show off to anyone. Last trackday, i got overtaken by pretty much everybdy in my group, the inters, including the girls.

Seriously Kellyjo, its a great chance to safely push yourself and your bike to the limits that you feel safe to go to.

Trackdays are not a race but a safe enviroment to get familair with your bike. Dont listen to the heros who go to get rid of their chicken strips or fools like me who spend the whole day attempting the elusive knee down. Its for you to enjoy at your own pace. The safety comes from the fact that if you do drop it then at least you dont have a bus/truck/van/coming the other way to squish you.

Well said spiderman, it's *not* a race, there are no prises for being fastest and certainly none for not warming your tyres up, binning it at the old hairpin on the out lap and breaking your collarbone[1]...<ahem> Well unless you count morphine and a trip to Louth hospital to be a prise!

But seriously, *ALWAYS* go at *your* pace, do not be dragged in to going faster than you are happy with, ride normally and you'll be fine. No one cares if you are the fastest or for that matter the slowest, there will *always* be someone faster than you and likely people slower than you too[2].

Druid

[1] Helpfull hint: Louth barmaids aren't interested unless you have metalwork.
[2] Well unless you are Rossi or Clarkson

the trackday i did at Snett only had the one person have a major off and he was on his own track bike in the first session. As for being to slow you'll find that there is quite a few peolple going slow on quick bikes. I was regulary going past a Ducati 1098 on my SV just because he was really nervous about dropping his pride and joy. One plus thing with doing a trackday on your SV is that even being flat out down the staight means your getting to the braking point at around 125/130 mph max, the main thing i left the track with was a lot more confindence on the brakes, if you brake to late on a track you've got plenty of run off area, theres no way I would have ever tried braking as hard or late as i was on the road i think your SV will suprise you and possibly 1 or 2 other riders there.