1st Track Day unimpressed addvice

My bad. Post deleted. Apparently, you guys are way more knowledgeable in this subject. Seeing that I have never high-sided anything besides a dirt bike...
Sorry, in the future, I will try to keep my experiences to myself and those whom I've actually ridden with...

 

Don't go away mad...


The high side crash is shortly after the 7:46 mark with a Ninja 500. The rider was not seriously hurt and returned to the track to 3 races later (same event) and won!

[video=youtube;0oMWMZ_5JU0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oMWMZ_5JU0&feature=youtu.be]Tuna can fly - YouTube[/video]

 

Geez. Fast guys avoid highside situations (on occasion) by shifting weight and getting the front wheel off the ground so the chassis can't 'wind up'. High sides and high power have very little to do with each other if the rider's skills and reflexes are properly developed. A 500 Ninja has enough power to break the rear tire loose while leaned over; but not enough to get the front wheel up to avoid the chassis windup. Think about it.

IMHO, of course.

 

And the Ninja 500 has all of the frame integrity of a wet noodle. Good point.

 

please don't let the vtec concern you, many here will say it is crap engine or stay above 7,000 rpm all the time.
first off have fun and take the time to lean the bike, when you get better and learn how to read the input the bike is giving you suspension and some good tires will be in order. You don't need all of this at first.
As far as the vtec goes ( I will get flammed for this I'm sure ) is a very flexible engine, you need to learn how to ride it.
Some corners will require you to stay above it, while others you need to stay below the vtec and let the tourqe do the work.
to be honest, if you really want to learn do some track days in the rain.
It is not about the bike but the rider. you need to learn how to read the feed back from the bike and how to dial it in.
the 6th gens love being ridden on the front end, so you can raise the back and lower the front to help get the bike to turn in quicker.

That being said, I would put my 6th gen up against just about any sport bike out there and embarass most on a track.
Oh did I mention it is all stock, granted I have a few years of racing under my belt. ( again its not the bike and all the fancy crap you can put on it) but the rider. A good rider on a 250 two stroke can smoke any newb on any of the newest 1000cc bikes, hell even a 125 will smoke most mid corner.

So take your time, have a blast, do some reading but don't waste time on every little thing they write like blipping the throttle when down shifting ( sorry keith code but I still feel that is total crap ) learn to look ahead in the turns DON'T FIXATE ON ANY ONE THING the bike will go where you look and learn to read and understand what your bike is telling you.

1 learn the lines of the track
2 learn to look ahead
3 brake markers
4 be smooth
HAVE FUN!!!!!!

the rest will fall into place as you go.

 

Sorry for "grave digging" the old thread...

Welcome to the track, Mainstage. Since you're in Melbourne, I'd recommend spending about $600 getting Peter at Promecha to replace your fork springs with linear rate springs (the viffer has rising rate springs, which aren't very good for spirited riding), and revalve your forks and shock. I got him to do mine, and I've never looked back since!

The next thing I'd recommend is to book in with California Superbike School to do level 1 at Phillip Island. The first thing they'll teach you is throttle control. If you think you have good throttle control, you probably don't (I thought I did, but I didn't, and I still don't, but I'm getting better)... The first drill they get you doing is an eye-opener, especially coming down the hill off Lukey Heights, trying not to use the brakes, and thinking "slow down ya b!tch!!!" When I did CSS-L1, it was a big eye-opener! Months later, I'm still working on applying the techniques, and finding that the more I apply the techniques, the better rider I become. They also teach good lines for enabling good throttle control, the best steering technique to get the job done efficiently, and even how to look where you're going properly: I thought I had the "looking" thing sorted too, but doing the last drill of the day was a real light-bulb moment, and I was then able to go faster around the corners than the other guys on their Gixxers, but they still caned me in the straights because they had more power/less weight - but that's OK because everyone should be out there to ride their own ride.

Regarding revs... Recently I did a track day at Broadford, and I kept bouncing off the rev-limiter. Needless to say, I need to change up a bit sooner. I think the ideal rev range for the viffer on the track would be somewhere between 7,000RPM and 10,000RPM (to give you a bit of space to stop yourself from bouncing off the limiter, like I was). Personally, I kept my revs between 9,000 and 11,750 for most of the time, but the engine did get quite hot by the end of my last session for the day (it reached 110 deg C on the back straight on my last lap).

While I think of it... With the bike's suspension set up right, and the right riding technique, Broadford's "Crash Corner" - the off-camber right hander, hidden by the hump at the end of the straight - in second gear, at about 45deg lean, gradually rolling on the throttle before hitting the apex, with just a little "bump" as you come off the hump... Man, it's a beautiful corner when you get it right!!!

Feel free to PM me if you want to exchange contact details: I'm in a circle of level-headed riders and a few of them are quite fast (but not dangerous), and I'm sure that they'd give you some good tips on how to become faster while being safer and more comfortable. While the viffer isn't the track day weapon that a super-sport bike is, it's still a fun bike on the track - especially if it's ridden well.

 

Danny,

Peter has done my race VFR suspension and agree he's pretty good. BTW, there is a 'Come and Try Day' at Broadford Dec 2nd run by HMRAV and its usually about $80, great value and much the same as a normal trackday but more relaxed / casual. Are you on the Ozvfr site? I'm in Melb aswell and there was some loose talk about some VFR guys doing a track day in Vic later in the year, might be worth trying to organise something??

 

I think we've all done this at some point, mainstage, the island is a magnificent track but very daunting at various points... It took me half a dozen visits to get the hang of it and feel genuinely comfortable... For the novice, it's a very technical track, and I will again consider myself a novice when I venture down there on the viffer (all bar 1 previous track days there were on the VTR1000)... Get yourself along to a few more days there and even give Broadford some thought, you'll soon see a pattern in the bikes handling and as your comfort level rises, so too will your confidence and ability...

I remember tossing the VTR around the roads thinking I was something to behold, very quickly realised the road and track are very different beasts...

Edit: I need to learn to read post dates :tongue:

 

Hi Jason,

Thanks for the info! Track day at Broady for $80??? Hell yeah! The VFR track day sounds good too! I'll PM you my phone number. I'm not on the Ozvfr forum (although that might change soon). I'm also on Netrider, if you ever get onto that forum.

Cheers,
Danny

 

Danny - I tried to attach the entry form from last year's event for reference but the size allowance on here for pdf's is tiny so can't upload. No matter, I expect the cost should be the same or close this year, the entry forms are usually out in September or so i think on the HMRAV website. They have a newsletter section with a report on the last one if you wanted to take a look, in their Jan edition I think it was. There was also a photographer there, check KTJ images on Facebook, give you an idea of the kind of bikes that turn up. I usually go along to help out, take the novices round for a few sighting laps (when my bike starts...) and a bit of flagging, plus get out for a couple of sessions myself. The Historic club runs it, the idea for them is to get more historics interested in racing proper, but there are always a lot of road bikes etc come along aswell. I'm working on maybe this being the track day to entice a few melb based VFR guys out as the track day, but if there is a desire to do this and something else aswell at PI or Winton even, then all the better. I don't have a road bike these days so can't get out on any road rides, but happy to hang out with any V4 types! I had several VFr's on the road over the years but couldn't slow down so got myself on a track. There's a lot I miss about having a road bike and I'm sure I'll get one again sometime, although the thought of riding on the road again worries me a bit (strange to say maybe from someone who races, but its the comfort of run-off areas and traffic all going the same way, consistent surfaces and sticky wet tyres I think!)

EDIT: just had a look and they are now running them every 6 months - next one July 14!! Entry form here:


http://www.hmrav.org/files/pdf/Forms/Come_Try_Day_Entry_Form_July_2012.pdf

 

Looks like I'll have to try for the next one...

 

I'm going to assume that you're not trolling here.

- You were on a VFR, man! - OF COURSE the 1000cc bikes were faster! I mean, I know a few guys who could use a VFR to spank the average 1000cc rider but the fact is that a novice rider on a VFR will get nowhere near an average rider on a 1000cc bike.

What were you expecting?