Leon H
Pack Dog
And you don't need to be a racer or road rider yourself to have input, would love opinion from a spectators point of view...
The season for this year has finished, and I am didn't end up racing a lot of the races, as I am frankly a bit sick of the whole scene. Been riding the same type of bikes on the same circuit (Townsville) since 2000 and I'm a bit tired of it. I went to the final round last night to help out a mate in the pits, and got to talking a few of the guys about next year. It seems that a number of the fast guys (and to sound very arrogant and egotistical I consider myself one of them
), are getting 650's for next year.
To give you a potted history of my racing career. Began in 2000 on 100cc roadbike class (beginner class), then went to 250 production, now am in 400 production. I generally have a 2 year cycyle where the first year is getting used to the new class, begin to get good results byt the end of the first year, finish top 3 in the second year then move up. However on the 400's I started off well almost straight away, and have been picking up between 1st and third place every time I go out. And to be honest, it's getting a bit dull....
....now this new 650 rule means I can race the bike in 3 classes (F3, 650's and unlimited), whereas my current bike (ZXR400RR-SP) can only be run in 2 classes. The only 650 out there now is a very, very fancy Ducati 620 with every bling bit under the sun and 748 body work. Looks very cool...
....but I am thinking of doing a Rossi, and going to a bike that sux a bit, and is a bit different, just to make it challenging. So I would love to hear what you think about what bike I should get. I am in a fortunate position where my bike is a rare Japan only superbike special, so I can sell it for top dollar to get a modern bike, and still have money left over to bring it up to speed. Straight up, I am moving away from the sportsbike look, whatever I get will be a naked bike and I will throw some wide arse bars on it. For the amount of time we spend on long straights up here aerodynamics is not an issue, and I will save a fortune smashing fairings and so on.
So the current shortlist is:
Suzuki SV650 naked - could probably get a cheap early second hand one, would take not much to get race prepped. Easy to get bits for and they are raced all over the world already so getting advice would be pretty straightforward. The only concern I have is that I think they will become the bike of choice as the class grows, and being the same as everyone else is not my thing. I like going in the underdog, which is my second choice....
Hyosung GT650 naked - again, a bike I could get second hand for cheap. The motors are awesome (SV650 motors), but the brakes, suspension and gearbox suck. Which is exactly why the bike appeals to me, would love the challenge of racing something so crappy, but good looking and modern. To my knowledge no-one else races on except for a guy in the states, Would be a different bike, very unique, and would raise a few eyebrows on the track if I can place well on it.
BMW F650CS Scarver - don't laugh! We use these bikes as instructor bikes for race schools. And they fly on the track. I rode our school one at the track a few months ago, and I was consistently within 2 seconds of the lap record. Ona bloody scarver!! I was very suprised, and it was big, big fun to ride, and raised a lot of eyebrows and put a lot of noses out of joint with the squid crowd. This bike was on road tryes, with all road gear, and heavy crash bars - I keep wondering what a race prepped one would do.... For me this bike is unique in the extreme, not aware of anyone else who races one, and it would look pretty hot in race trim with some wide renthal bars, rearset footpegs, slick tyres and a big exhaust. The downside is the expense involved with this bike would be massive, especially crash parts and repairs, not to mention the purchase price.
So for me the heart says Scarver for crazy crazy stylings and a real challenge to keep up with the big boys in a race situation (was on a clear track when I set good times), but my wallet says Hyosung for simple cheap racing. The new Kawasaki ER6n crossed my mind, but I think they would be too new and expensive, and a bit too fancy and actually good, if you know what I mean!
I value your opinions, tell me what you think? Is one of these bikes a good thing, or is there some other option I haven't considered? Which would you like to see whizzing around on? I need a new challenge for 2007, provide a bit of guidance for me....
Cheers
Leon
The season for this year has finished, and I am didn't end up racing a lot of the races, as I am frankly a bit sick of the whole scene. Been riding the same type of bikes on the same circuit (Townsville) since 2000 and I'm a bit tired of it. I went to the final round last night to help out a mate in the pits, and got to talking a few of the guys about next year. It seems that a number of the fast guys (and to sound very arrogant and egotistical I consider myself one of them
), are getting 650's for next year.To give you a potted history of my racing career. Began in 2000 on 100cc roadbike class (beginner class), then went to 250 production, now am in 400 production. I generally have a 2 year cycyle where the first year is getting used to the new class, begin to get good results byt the end of the first year, finish top 3 in the second year then move up. However on the 400's I started off well almost straight away, and have been picking up between 1st and third place every time I go out. And to be honest, it's getting a bit dull....
....now this new 650 rule means I can race the bike in 3 classes (F3, 650's and unlimited), whereas my current bike (ZXR400RR-SP) can only be run in 2 classes. The only 650 out there now is a very, very fancy Ducati 620 with every bling bit under the sun and 748 body work. Looks very cool...
....but I am thinking of doing a Rossi, and going to a bike that sux a bit, and is a bit different, just to make it challenging. So I would love to hear what you think about what bike I should get. I am in a fortunate position where my bike is a rare Japan only superbike special, so I can sell it for top dollar to get a modern bike, and still have money left over to bring it up to speed. Straight up, I am moving away from the sportsbike look, whatever I get will be a naked bike and I will throw some wide arse bars on it. For the amount of time we spend on long straights up here aerodynamics is not an issue, and I will save a fortune smashing fairings and so on.
So the current shortlist is:
Suzuki SV650 naked - could probably get a cheap early second hand one, would take not much to get race prepped. Easy to get bits for and they are raced all over the world already so getting advice would be pretty straightforward. The only concern I have is that I think they will become the bike of choice as the class grows, and being the same as everyone else is not my thing. I like going in the underdog, which is my second choice....
Hyosung GT650 naked - again, a bike I could get second hand for cheap. The motors are awesome (SV650 motors), but the brakes, suspension and gearbox suck. Which is exactly why the bike appeals to me, would love the challenge of racing something so crappy, but good looking and modern. To my knowledge no-one else races on except for a guy in the states, Would be a different bike, very unique, and would raise a few eyebrows on the track if I can place well on it.
BMW F650CS Scarver - don't laugh! We use these bikes as instructor bikes for race schools. And they fly on the track. I rode our school one at the track a few months ago, and I was consistently within 2 seconds of the lap record. Ona bloody scarver!! I was very suprised, and it was big, big fun to ride, and raised a lot of eyebrows and put a lot of noses out of joint with the squid crowd. This bike was on road tryes, with all road gear, and heavy crash bars - I keep wondering what a race prepped one would do.... For me this bike is unique in the extreme, not aware of anyone else who races one, and it would look pretty hot in race trim with some wide renthal bars, rearset footpegs, slick tyres and a big exhaust. The downside is the expense involved with this bike would be massive, especially crash parts and repairs, not to mention the purchase price.
So for me the heart says Scarver for crazy crazy stylings and a real challenge to keep up with the big boys in a race situation (was on a clear track when I set good times), but my wallet says Hyosung for simple cheap racing. The new Kawasaki ER6n crossed my mind, but I think they would be too new and expensive, and a bit too fancy and actually good, if you know what I mean!
I value your opinions, tell me what you think? Is one of these bikes a good thing, or is there some other option I haven't considered? Which would you like to see whizzing around on? I need a new challenge for 2007, provide a bit of guidance for me....
Cheers
Leon
