dedicated track bike questions

[GsxR1000Ryda]

Within the next couple of months I plan on tracking out my 02 600. As of right now i plan on buying rear sets, track plastics & suspension.

My question, is there a place (close as possible) that does suspension work. I would like to go after market on front and rear. After the suspension is installed is my best bet to have the suspension tech at the track adjust it for my size?

Also, is there anything else (bike wise) i should put on or remove for my bike?

[kidmoua]

I dont know too much about setting up the suspension so I wont shine in on that part. Bryan should be able to help you on that part.

As far as parts for the bike, I would add steel braided lines, quick shifter, shorty levers, racing pads along with ther other stuff you've listed already. That would be a good start.

[Calkidd]

Within the next couple of months I plan on tracking out my 02 600. As of right now i plan on buying rear sets, track plastics & suspension.

My question, is there a place (close as possible) that does suspension work. I would like to go after market on front and rear. After the suspension is installed is my best bet to have the suspension tech at the track adjust it for my size?

Also, is there anything else (bike wise) i should put on or remove for my bike?
Keep your stock forks and have the springs and internals redone. I went with an Elka rear shock and all I can say is OMG what a difference.

As far as suspension work close by there is Cycle Gear but you will be looking at over 1K in work and that is using your stock rear shock. Try Dan Kyle in Seaside, ca for your forks. I might be able to get you a deal on an Elka shock and that you can install yourself.

This could take a while...give me a call and we can talk shop...

[Calkidd]

As far as parts for the bike, I would add steel braided lines, quick shifter, shorty levers, racing pads along with ther other stuff you've listed already. That would be a good start.As far as all these are concerned they are nice, but not necessary for track. What is your budget?

[kidmoua]

just get ready Will, cause this guy can talk about track and suspensions all day long

[kidmoua]

As far as all these are concerned they are nice, but not necessary for track. What is your budget?

this question is for will, but my budget is low..thats why I dont have a track bike... yet:cool:

[Calkidd]

this question is for will, but my budget is low..thats why I dont have a track bike... yet:cool:
Sorry, I didn't mean any disrespect I just didn't want him to get overwhelmed thinking he needed to get all of that.

My opinion is if you are going to create a track bike the numero uno thing you do, besides track plastics, is suspension all before the accessories/exhaust.

[kidmoua]

Sorry, I didn't mean any disrespect I just didn't want him to get overwhelmed thinking he needed to get all of that.

My opinion is if you are going to create a track bike the numero uno thing you do, besides track plastics, is suspension all before the accessories/exhaust.

you disrespecting people?? never..

anywho, I agree, track plastic and suspension should be top priority..

[GsxR1000Ryda]

My bike already has PCIII(custom map), full exhaust system, front steel braided lines and CRG levers.

I'll need to save up for the suspension work but i think first thing i'll do is purchase some rear sets. Being 6'2 on my gixxer i do feel kind of cramp up when riding aggressively .

What are best fitting track plastics?

I was even thinking about selling my street plastics on EBAY to help fund track day parts.

Also, my 600 is paid off so I dont have a set budget, more on the terms of a project track bike. Plus, having 40k miles, an engine rebuild might be something in the near future. Or possibly buying a newer used motor. Whichever the cheaper route is

[Calkidd]

My bike already has PCIII(custom map), full exhaust system, front steel braided lines and CRG levers.

I'll need to save up for the suspension work but i think first thing i'll do is purchase some rear sets. Being 6'2 on my gixxer i do feel kind of cramp up when riding aggressively .

What are best fitting track plastics?

I was even thinking about selling my street plastics on EBAY to help fund track day parts.

Also, my 600 is paid off so I dont have a set budget, more on the terms of a project track bike. Plus, having 40k miles, an engine rebuild might be something in the near future. Or possibly buying a newer used motor. Whichever the cheaper route is
Come see me tonight we'll talk....

[kidmoua]

Come see me tonight we'll talk....

at Villa motel right?

[volcom415]

Within the next couple of months I plan on tracking out my 02 600. As of right now i plan on buying rear sets, track plastics & suspension.

My question, is there a place (close as possible) that does suspension work. I would like to go after market on front and rear. After the suspension is installed is my best bet to have the suspension tech at the track adjust it for my size?

Also, is there anything else (bike wise) i should put on or remove for my bike?

All right here is my two pennies and take them fwiw. Just some background info...I had an 01 gsxr 600 and had it for 4 years. It had pretty much everything since it had already been a race bike. It had an ohlins triple with the front end resprung and revalved by Phil at Aftershocks in the bay area. It had a shim in the rear to raise the rear end 9mm from full max. Both the ohlins and front end worked flawlessly...the bike was strictly track duty and I ended up putting over 12k (regeared) track miles on it. My motor had around 30k miles and that is when I started to lose some steam. I would NOT worry about the motor except for check if the valves are in tolerance....which they should be. In addition to the rearsets I would look into clipons...they are 45mm and should be easy to find used. I would say 75 bucks should be about right.

The ohlins rear shock should be around 450 used.
I would have the front and rear end done by Evan Steel in AZ....you usually have to send out your forks and shock anyways so it isnt a big deal, plus his turn around is fast. He is fair priced and does a lot of stuff for top AMA privateers such as Chris Peris, Jeremy Toye, and Ben Thompson. You can email him from his website at http://evansteelperformance.com
Evan is the man and he is soooooo freaking good you wont recognize your bike once you ride it. Its not very often that you can get your hands on a suspension guru at that caliber do stuff for the regular trackday guy. He knows all the socal tracks well as he used to live in san diego.


Another alternative if you want local is Stig pettersen at PPS
http://ppsracing.com/ and he is in LA. He is a great guy to deal with and is in LA....just note that he is pricier.

Other notables are Phil at aftershocks suspension in the bay area.
Dave moss at catalyst reaction, lenny and sean at racetech, Gp suspension, max at traxxion dynamics....the list goes on.

Sean and Lenny are very good at doing trackside tuning from Racetech and can get your sag and suspension sorted at the track. You will want to make adjustments and give them feedback as you and the day progresses to suit your riding.

I would also like to say that I have an elka as well and am so far happy with it. Not sure if it is up there with penske and ohlins as I havent had much seat time and tuning with it yet, but it has done me well so far.

I would also get an aftermarket fairing stay as the old gixxers need one since the guage cluster mounts to the headlight. They should be around 100 bucks.

I would also look into getting vortex or factory pro case covers. They work great and gixxers are know for cracking their cases when downed.

I think the factory steering damper is fine, and have heard of people putting in a heavier weight oil but I just race an ohlins rod type damper.

There are other things you could do but I just look at the safe and functional stuff first and when you have all that I can tell you what else I did to my bike....and if you want any 16.5 Forged Aluminum PVM wheels with brembo full floating superbike rotors let me know ;)

Wheel pic (http://www.ema-usa.com/wheels/images/PVM_5Y_pair_blk.jpg)

[GsxR1000Ryda]

send me a PM on the wheels if u can sean.

Since u track out the same identical bike i'll be asking you a lot of questions!!!!

[volcom415]

ask away man!

I love that bike, but it was time
Oh yeah and mine made 112hp(won a dyno shootout in 06) with just a PC3USB/full arrow/k&N with map...not bad for a stock 2001 motor ;)

what did you want to know about dem wheels :D

[Calkidd]

Well there you go Sean pretty much summed it up listen to this man he knows what he is talking about. I agree whole heartedly with what he has said. Clip ons will allow you to be in a more forward position thus putting more weight towards the front wheel.

I have heard of all the suspension guys he mentioned. Shaun with RaceTech (Trackaholics) did my front end with all Race Tech components and he did a very good job.

As far as the wheels I agree and disagree partially for one the expense for wheels is so ungodly I find it hard to choke up that kind of money. Secondly, wheels will drastically reduce your rotating mass and unsprung weight. I believe for every 1 pound of rotating mass removed is like removing 6 pounds of static weight. Personally, Sean correct me if I am wrong, but 16.5 wheels for a track bike might be a little bit overkill. The tire selection is limited and the price is a little more. I would stick with 17" wheels this way there is plenty of tire choices for you.

As far a brakes go I have gone both routes with this area. I went with after market rotors with good pads and I have done the Brembo master cylinder. Personally, I would suggest to spend your money in the M/C, some where around $250, rather than spending over $500 on a set of wave rotors. The wave rotors will come no where close to giving you that braking power than a 19X18 Brembo M/C. I also had my OEM rotors redone and completely fully floated. When I say one finger braking I mean ONE finger braking.

That's my $.2

[volcom415]

Well there you go Sean pretty much summed it up listen to this man he knows what he is talking about. I agree whole heartedly with what he has said. Clip ons will allow you to be in a more forward position thus putting more weight towards the front wheel.

I have heard of all the suspension guys he mentioned. Shaun with RaceTech (Trackaholics) did my front end with all Race Tech components and he did a very good job.

As far as the wheels I agree and disagree partially for one the expense for wheels is so ungodly I find it hard to choke up that kind of money. Secondly, wheels will drastically reduce your rotating mass and unsprung weight. I believe for every 1 pound of rotating mass removed is like removing 6 pounds of static weight. Personally, Sean correct me if I am wrong, but 16.5 wheels for a track bike might be a little bit overkill. The tire selection is limited and the price is a little more. I would stick with 17" wheels this way there is plenty of tire choices for you.

As far a brakes go I have gone both routes with this area. I went with after market rotors with good pads and I have done the Brembo master cylinder. Personally, I would suggest to spend your money in the M/C, some where around $250, rather than spending over $500 on a set of wave rotors. The wave rotors will come no where close to giving you that braking power than a 19X18 Brembo M/C. I also had my OEM rotors redone and completely fully floated. When I say one finger braking I mean ONE finger braking.

That's my $.2

I only mentioned the wheels after he has gone ahead and done all the other goodies. They do make a big difference especially with those older cast gsxr wheels. The 16.5 wheel itself is lighter but you do have to realize that you are throwing a 16.5 tire which has a ton more rubber and actually weights more. I think you can throw on a 205 from dunlop...i only ran michelins at the time. The slicks last awhile and dependent on how fast and aggressive you ride of course...me they last awhile ;)

If its a track bike only tire vendors will almost always have them there as well. Its also usually the best tire that they have as the superstock/formula 1 guys will run them for larger cash paying races. You do have to set them up though....but as I said this should be the last thing on the list.

The brakes...I think that as long as you have good fluid in it and its bled properly it should run fine with steel braided lines and pads. I suggest the vesrah SRJLs(if you like an @SS TON of bite) or the RJLs if you like a more linear pad. Another pad that I always liked that is super cheap is the EBC HH pad. Its a no brainer to me and I have ran those pads for my races and they have yet to give me problems.

I have a brembo 19X18 on my new gix and its like night and day. The rotors were just cause I kept swapping them around with my wheels...I also had 17" Marvic Magnesium wheels and caved in.

They didn't really doanything for me.

Yeah do the suspension and you will love your bike forever....oh yeah and make sure you try to put the best rubber you can at every trackday....Im the biggest hypocrite when it comes to this...:D

[JJH]

Suspension is on my list for sure. Firstly, the front forks. The guy with Race Tech told me to go to a softer spring. So I'll confirm that with whoever I end up using to do the forks. I'd also like to do breaks. For sure braided lines and new pads. Then maybe the Brembo master like Bryan.

Question: are rearsets worth it? I'm pretty tall, so not sure what kind of advantage I'll find with them. I have located a guy that wants to sell his Sato rearsets for $350. They're $500 new.

Oh yeah, is GP style shifting worth it?

[aaw749r]

Anybody notice Volcom415's post is stuck at 10!
It never goes up.:eek:

[ducbill996]

Question: are rearsets worth it? I'm pretty tall, so not sure what kind of advantage I'll find with them. I have located a guy that wants to sell his Sato rearsets for $350. They're $500 new.

rearsets are worth it... you have the advantage of moving the pegs to suit you and if you get non-folding pegs they will help minimize damage to the bike if you go down...

as for the race shift pattern, it really is rider preferance... i've ridden with both pattern's and i like the standard shift... i'm sure others will say differently, which just proves it is rider preferance...

[KARRDICK]

Suspension is on my list for sure. Firstly, the front forks. The guy with Race Tech told me to go to a softer spring. So I'll confirm that with whoever I end up using to do the forks. I'd also like to do breaks. For sure braided lines and new pads. Then maybe the Brembo master like Bryan.

Question: are rearsets worth it? I'm pretty tall, so not sure what kind of advantage I'll find with them. I have located a guy that wants to sell his Sato rearsets for $350. They're $500 new.

Oh yeah, is GP style shifting worth it?

Don't be foolish for passing up on SATO Racing!!!

[ducbill996]

Don't be foolish for passing up on SATO Racing!!!

true dat!

[GsxR1000Ryda]

Oh yeah, is GP style shifting worth it?

My friend Josh Herrin (ama supersport) was telling me that majority of professional racers run GP style shifting. Apparently it makes up-shifting faster/smoother and also helps when up shifting at a extreme Lean angle.

[Calkidd]

My friend Josh Herrin (ama supersport) was telling me that majority of professional racers run GP style shifting. Apparently it makes up-shifting faster/smoother and also helps when up shifting at a extreme Lean angle.
That is so cool you are friends with him is he from this area or are you from somewhere else?

Yes GP is the bomb, well for me, I found it difficult shifting while in a right hand lean with a standard pattern.

[GsxR1000Ryda]

That is so cool you are friends with him is he from this area or are you from somewhere else?

Yes GP is the bomb, well for me, I found it difficult shifting while in a right hand lean with a standard pattern.

funny u ask. Neither. I actually met Josh because he's dating a friend of mine that lives in Clovis. Now I see this girl on TV, on the grid, holding an umbrella over Josh. He's actually a really cool kid. He didnt have a huge EGO or anything. Also, he's planning on renting out buttonwillow for the weekend for training. Josh said he's guna see what he can do about letting me and some of my friends ride that weekend, for FREE!!!

[Calkidd]

letting me and some of my friends ride that weekend, for FREE!!!I am your best friend right...;) I would kill to ride on the same track with Josh Herrin....Will have to do a meet and greet around a time he is in town.

[ducbill996]

yeah some like it, some don't... i've seen some pro's using standard shift... used to be they all did, then they went away from it, now they're doin it again...

maybe it's just a fad... it'll be gone soon...:D

it did seem to me to make it harder for me to down shift when on the brakes hard though... then you have to get your foot out from under the shifter before your leaned over. like i said, some like it, some don't... you need to try it to find out which you prefer... most rearsets can be used either way too...