Ducati Monster Forum

I'm thinking of getting into track days this summer and was curious about what everyone here runs at the track.  I saw a SV650 on craigslist that was begging to be turned into a track bike. Show me your bikes and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

(http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t180/bobspapa/2013-02-08_13-08-57_530.jpg)

01 Suzuki sv650

02 gsxr 750 front end with Ohlins innards
GPR steering damper
Elka rear shock
cam swap
Galfer wave rotors with ebc sintered double h pads
Goodridge steel braided brake lines
Keihin flat slide carbs and k&n filters
LeoVince ti exhaust
Woodcraft highmount rearsets
Shinko slicks
Wire tied bits

all for less than 3k

and an ugly Penny paint job ;)

I'm a big fan of 2003/2004 R6s. They're cheap, reliable, handle very well, and lots of parts are available. For a track bike, just get some fairings, dual carbon brake pads, get the suspension done for your weight, and you're good to go.

The 2005 and 2006-2007S models look the same, but aren't as good I'm told (for clarity...S models...not the redesigned body R6). Yamaha switched to upside down forks for those models, but didn't update the frame, so they don't handle quite as well.

Here's my 2003 race bike. I picked it up for $2,000 this fall. Since it's a race bike I've done quite a bit more...I'll be into it about $7,500 total, with the supersport motor build and slipper clutch being the main $$. That isn't necessary for a track bike though.

(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n258/JJGeo/R6_zps05c89953.jpg)

If money is no object, get an RSV4.  [evil] Best bike made right now IMO.

here is mine:

(http://imageshack.us/a/img845/8323/profilean.jpg)


01 900 SSie  
not an SV  but it's a Duc  ;D

this one is my daily commuter but has also seen track time


(http://imageshack.us/a/img822/9630/201111novembernov262011.jpg)

02 M750ie

this one was my favorite but I wrecked it  :-[

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/109/cp9968.jpg/ (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/109/cp9968.jpg/)
95 900 SS/SP  lots and lots of mods

Not sure where you're located, but came across this during my Sunday morning browse of craigslist.  Appears to have all the bells and whistles so no need for further track investment:

http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/mcy/3649116228.html (http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/mcy/3649116228.html)

http://weraclassifieds.com/ad-category/motorcycles/ (http://weraclassifieds.com/ad-category/motorcycles/)

Ideas can be found here.

2007 R6.  handles just fine ;)
basic stuff changed:  clip-ons, rear sets, power commander, quick shifter.  elka rear shock, new innards in the forks.  skinnier chain, sprockets.  lighter battery.
oh yeah.. braided lines and race pads.  bodywork (duh).

(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-luoz64s8ZH4/T7_r9gtwyAI/AAAAAAAADiA/yzGuKTyU7Eg/s604/vader.jpg)

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-OmRyfLxggXc/T7-hslgWMxI/AAAAAAAABc0/m1tsaRiGEQc/s967/CP2_7149.JPG)

Check out the classifieds on tracktalk.nesba.com  tons of bikes there ready to go.

I was only referring to the S models for '05-07.  ;)  Nothing at all wrong with yours. Hell, the S models with their flaws still probably handle better than Ducs!  [laugh] [that's a bit of a joke...don't everyone get all upset]

My 996 handles fine.

You should look into getting yours set up for you. :P

I was partly joking...but, as I'm sure you know, handling is a lot personal preference. After racing a 748S and 749S, I can say I prefer the R6 handling to any of them. The 749 was the worst IMO. The 748 was actually pretty good after putting OZ wheels on it...it was a tank before that mod. There's a lot of personal preference in bikes though, I expect people to disagree...especially on a Ducati board. I also tracked my old 2008 848 a few times, but I was slow enough back then I couldn't tell the difference.

...and yes, they were all set up for me, by a very good suspension guy (his bikes hold track records at several west coast tracks, and multiple #1 plate racers use him). New springs and valving front & rear on both. You don't race a bike without having it set up for you.  It's the most important thing IMO. [thumbsup]

Have you ridden an R6, or another modern non-Ducati sport bike on the track? I was amazed at the difference. The Ducatis are rock solid stable, but they don't change direction easily, and thus are a lot of work to ride. The R6 and Ape RSV4 are just easier to ride.

I was too, especially about the bikes not being set up for you...and my 996 drove like a truck before I put light wheels on it just like all the 916 era bikes. I found the faster I went the better it handled. I agree about the change of direction thing, but I'm used to it. A V shaped front tire makes a huge difference too.

I have a policy. I don't ride anything I can't afford to buy. So no, I haven't ridden any bikes other than the one's I've owned.  Also I really don't like having to be in a certain rpm range to make a 4 stroke go. The 996 is like a tractor...it responds to the throttle no matter how fast it's spinning.

Gotcha...hard to tell jokes with text sometimes.  [beer]

Agreed on the faster thing. That era of bikes definitely reward aggressive riding.  [thumbsup] I agree on the rpms as well...the torque of a twin is really nice. That's why I like the RSV4 so much...revs close to an I-4, and plenty of torque down low...plus great handling.

That's how I would describe the Panigale, but I haven't had the opportunity to ride an RSV yet. OP, any particular budget in mind? My primary bike is an 1199s, but that's not the smartest or cheapest decision in the world. The other end of the spectrum price wise would be an older SV or Gixxer. Those are good bikes as well.

That's what I've heard as well. I was offered a friend's at Miller last year, but had just finished a couple days on another friend's RSV4, so didn't want to push my luck any more on expensive bikes! I'll try one this season.  [thumbsup]

Wow, lots of nice bikes! I'm leaning toward what bobsapa did with his SV650. I'm trying to not break the bank. In a perfect world i'll find a older bike that needs some work for $500-$1k, and then do most of the work getting it track ready myself. I don't know about you guys but i get immense satisfaction from working on my bike. I'm on a computer all day at work so it's nice to be able to do something with your hands. The less money i spend on a bike the more i have for track days anyways.  ;D  On a somewhat related side note, i wish there more supermoto tracks in New England. The track days are cheaper and the bikes are usally cheaper, looks like barrels of fun also. I'll take the monster to a track day this summer to make sure i like it before going all the way in( Whats not to like about getting to test your outer limits and the bikes in safe environment?) Thanks for the info! Keep the info/pics coming. I'll be looking over craigslist like a fiend... [coffee]

Depending on the size of the tracks you plan on doing track days at, a supermoto may be a cheap way to bite into the fun that is a trackday. Used 450s can be had cheap, Ann a nice set of warp nine rims can be purchased for less than a grand. I did two seasons on a rmz450, and my only complaint about it was lack of top end on larger tracks.

Here is my old track bike.

(http://i354.photobucket.com/albums/r438/SA_S2R/IMG_4701.jpg)

And here is the one I just picked up

(http://i354.photobucket.com/albums/r438/SA_S2R/ZXR6-636.jpg)

While I really enjoyed the Monster on the track, it would have needed a lot of money dumped into it to make it a decent track bike. In the end I bought the 2005 ZX6R already set up for track and the difference is just night and day. I can ride the ZX6R a lot faster and for a lot longer than the Monster, and I'm not so afraid of dropping it.

The tracks closet to me are New Hampshire Motor speedway and a new track out in east new york( NY Safety Track) will probably be spending most of my time at NHMS as its pretty close to my area. Again supermoto would be ideal but its not that big in the North East.


Exactly my line of thinking. My monster does a lot of things very well but i would be afraid of dropping all the time at the track.

Plenty of guys cook at NHMS on motards.

The New York track is pretty long. A motard there wouldn't be the best choice, I don't think.

Who cares if its a big thing there or not...passing bigger bikes on the outside is a blast. You just don't want to get swallowed up on long straights.

If you get a supermoto you can also run it at OVRP in Cuddebackville, NY.  They have supermoto races there and have practice days you can run at I believe. 

bah 4 hours away......darn.


All you I4 peeps, big change from riding a duc? I've only know the sweet torque of V2 between my legs.  I guess it just takes getting used to like riding any different bikes.

I too had only ridden a Duc. Wasn't a big deal though...main thing was getting used to the sound of the motor at 14K, as my 1st time out on it I was short shifting around 11K.

I could feel the even I-4 power delivery working the tire harder. Hard to describe what I was feeling, other than constant power to the tire, but I could definitely feel it. Pretty interesting.

and brakes ;)

IMO, no.  you're in this gear vs that gear.  and it sounds different.  big deal.

i'm a reasonably quick track day rider/slow racer.  i think until you're really pushing the limits of these bikes (i.e. almost none of us) this whole point is moot.  modern I4s will pull plenty even if you're down at 7-8k.

granted, i went from a monster to an I4 on the track.  i've never ridden a 'real' twin sportbike there.
 

My 636 is like a two stroke, if you're not in the powerband it barely pulls, but once you're in the powerband it just screams and pulls hard. Very different riding experiance from the Duc which would pull anywhere from 2,500 rpm on up.

yeah, but you're talking about a motor that redlines at ~9k vs one that redlines at ~15k. you have about the same size rpm "range" where both bikes makes power, it just happens to be in the top half of the total range on the 4cyl.

keep both bikes in the correct gear and you'll be fine.

It's a lot easier, IMO, to keep a long stroke twin in the correct rpm range...

especially if it's one that makes over 100 hp. ;)

Preference.  :) I always had a hard time not hitting the rev limiter on my twins when I was trying to go fast...always seemed like the motor should have had a few rpms more. Maybe because I was always surrounded by screaming I-4s!

Keeping the revs up on an inline 4 isn't any tougher than keeping them down on a twin IMO.

Im taking Penny on her first outing Friday ;D

(http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t180/bobspapa/2013-03-12_18-30-40_421.jpg)

bingo.

That's awesome.

I'm at Streets as we speak. The SV is running great. Having gone from the1098 to the supermoto, to the SVS, im feeling a bit cramped on the bike, hopefully it  grows on me.

So whats the final verdict?

Lots of usable power. handles great. I didn't have the ergonomics set up right for me, so being comfortable on the bike was a bit of a pain. I needed to adjust the clipons pullback and adjust the brake and shifter position. Brakes were f'n awesome. Because it was my first time on the bike, I rode in the B group so as to not get in anyones way. Had the bike been a bit more dialed in, I would have jumped into the A group after the second session.

But..... later on in the day, I twisted my ankle helping a friend load a bike. Typical ramp moved mistep thing and I landed sideways on my ankle. As of right now, my ankle is not healing all that great and I can't get my foot under the shifter without feeling quite a bit of pain.


So.... she's up on craigslist for the time being. If she sells, I think I'll put together another supermoto, preferable a newer CRF450 this time, and if she does not sell, hopefully I can rehab my ankle to where the pain is at a minimum.


(http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t180/bobspapa/Mar-15-2013-CLASSGROUPB1130amCLI_5502.jpg)

Ouch, no fun that...take care of it.  X-rays?

Took me a year to get a fractured ankle back to normal (not paying attention and fell while stepping off a curb; badly twisted with a popping sound and figured after a week that it was more than just a sprain)....biggest riding headache (three months later) was getting the boot on/off and ignoring a "new" bony protrusion, that wasn't there before, pressing on the inside of the boot.

Before
(http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr62/porsche40/Ducati%20750%20and%201000/DSC01832.jpg)

After
(http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr62/porsche40/Ducati%20750%20and%201000/DSC02144.jpg)

Sorry to hear about that bobspapa. That sucks. Get well soon!

Nice bike Randy. One off tail and fairing or off the shelf parts?

Thanks! Tail is from Sharkskinz and the fairing is from Ducati Kamna in Germany.

Good for the short tight work! I get blasted on the straight, but it's terribly fun to go whizzing by that bike with 2-4x my power in the brake zone.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/177072_10151152154058843_1882077113_o.jpg)

(http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g374/omfg_nick/321AED30-01A2-4E5C-B829-236B5406EAF3-3224-000004BB67A79841_zpsd69dd333.jpg)
That's my track bike. Just a stock 749S with race fairings.

I noticed the guy at my local bike shop has a vfr 400 sitting in there for 2 years. I wonder if he would part ways with it ......that would make a cool little bike for track days

it would be a fun track bike...but I'd bet he'd be highly unlikely to part ways with it...at least not cheaply anyway.

Very fun indeed. The 400s are a quite competitive class here in Aus and they are great fun. Having worked on one, they're not even anywhere near as hard to work on as people make out (other than needing a really tiny spark plug spanner).

I should have a ride on one for an endurance race later in the year, so I should be able to report much better on just how fun they are for racing on the 1st of Sept :).

(https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ5HolJZ9ml6_0VPgIxUk5x_-LBZcDAiKB1ievdPKKmoDdV31-f)
^^That would be the model he has sitting there.^^

I didn't know much about them and did a quick google and thought to myself.....hrum.... V4, small dispalcement, decent power, fairly light, sounds like fun!

Yeah, you are most likely right. I'd give it a great home though!