Bike Track Day preparation

Had my track day (of my life) at Zolder yesterday, one word, Awesome.

First couple of sessions were steady behind the instructor (managed to be behind him for these), very little braking required in order to learn the lines and getting used to riding on a track. Some theory followed (in Dutch!) which i kind of got the gist of, then more sessions upping the pace. Final two sessions had us rotating so different people got to be behind the instructor, all well and good but the sv 650 s was the least powerful bike there, so trying to do the overtake on the straight was interesting at times, as an R1 or GSXR easing off to let others pass is still producing a fair few horses.

My main preparation was to wash the bike, check the pressures, levels and fill with fuel. Left everything else as standard, didn't get asked to do any taping and left the mirrors and speedo as is. Found the bike was great, not too much power to get me in trouble, and could keep up with all the other beginners apart from one of the straights (see above). It was still squirming and sliding a little coming out of the corners, so the Pirelli Diablo Stradas are now nicely snotted on one side. Will put thicker fork oil in and may now look at doing a front spring mod as well. And maybe slightly stickier tyres for next time?

A great introduction to track days, something i'd recommend to everyone trying at least once in their biking career. It left me pretty exhausted as the temp was well up in the thirties, got through about 5 litres of liquid and my leathers are now drying out.

So in the 10 mths since passing my test the SV has done everything I've wanted, fun for days out or a quick blast, good enough to tour down to Alsace or back to blighty for a BBQ and now it has got me through my first trackday, what else can it do and what adventure should I go on with it next? Decisions, decisions.

I hope ya got your knee down matey?

[johnnyrod]

Glad you had a good time! My top tips for the SV for track days are: stiffer fork springs, shorter dogbones to quicken the steering, and the cam swap mod for more top end. These are the best value for money (£200 all in - ish), you can go a lot further but it will cost you. Know what you mean about trying to pass people, I guess Zolder is a fairly fast track. I still find that even with the extra power the SV will still be just about the slowest bike at a track day, so you have to use the midrange drive to get the drop on people out of bends. Worth it to see their faces when you come past them though!

Originally Posted by Ward8124

I hope ya got your knee down matey?

Not quite, the kerbs looked a bit bumpy, and I would have knocked over the cones marking the apexes

Wasn't far off I think, also the instructors were clear at this stage that they didn't want us hanging off too much, something I'll save for next time.

[jambo]

Tim, glad you had a great time!
Don't get too caught up with the "SV is under powered" issues, The minitwins racers go faster than just about any normal rider does (Watching one overtaking R1s in the fast group at brands hatch was quite funny)

Originally Posted by jambo

Tim, glad you had a great time!
Don't get too caught up with the "SV is under powered" issues, The minitwins racers go faster than just about any normal rider does (Watching one overtaking R1s in the fast group at brands hatch was quite funny)

Handling will be my first port of call, have been discussing this with a teapot owning colleague who also came along (he ended up in the gravel twice, dropping it once whilst coming to a standstill, luckily as the old teapot is so ugly its looks weren't affected), and figure tyres/suspension are the first place to go. I may then think about a few power tweaks but really not having to worry too much about breaking the rear traction is a good bonus that means you can concentrate on other things. I also found the low down drive was good for one of the chicanes that was followed by a tightish right hander, as it meant I could make my way through at low rpm and then wind the throttle on, negating the need for a gear change whilst leant over.

Going to try and fit in a few more trackdays in Europe this year in Europe if possible, if anyone is interested in combining one with their euro tour let me know, looking at Zolder, Spa and Croix as possibilities. Are there any more at Brands this year? And are there any other circuits within a 2hr radius of Dover?

My biggest worry is that I'll get totally bitten by the bug and end up splashing all my cash on going faster. Just thinking that if this is my biggest worry in life then life is pretty good

Now how much is an old R1 going to cost me......

[Stu]

Originally Posted by Tim in Belgium

And are there any other circuits within a 2hr radius of Dover?

Try within 10 mins of Dover

http://forums.sv650.org/viewtopic.ph...943&highlight=

Originally Posted by stu369

Try within 10 mins of Dover

http://forums.sv650.org/viewtopic.ph...943&highlight=

Thanks for that, will be there, just booked it and the Euro tunnel for what will hopefully be another great day out.