Track/road bike WTB

**CookMySock** · 11th September 2009, 09:25

I'm looking for a bike for my 16 y/o youngster. He wants a modern bike to trackday and learn the ropes on. We don't need or want some shiny showbike - doesn't matter toooo much if it has a scrape here and there, but it needs to be modern, reliable, road legal, and low km. We've watched trademe for a few months, and there are all sorts of cheaper bikes with issues, that are very tempting, but in the end we don't know what we're getting and we can't really afford to pour all our money into a lemon, and conversely we don't have the cash to lay out for something thats guaranteed. He will be supervised on the road with it and taught properly on the track (ie, not by me), and I'll build or buy him a road trailer.

Would consider ZX7,ZX10,R6,R1,GSXR or similar.

There is more to life than money (when you have it) so if you have something sitting around that you would like to go to a super nice young chap that already has a huge string of awards, then Christian would like to hear from you. He has saved 4k (after school job - no help from olds) and the olds can chip another k.

Any and all offers, references, other assistance, or just advice would be gratefully received.

Steve

**sinfull** · 11th September 2009, 09:42

Originally Posted by DangerousBastard

I'm looking for a bike for my 16 y/o youngster. He wants a modern bike to trackday and learn the ropes on. We don't need or want some shiny showbike - doesn't matter toooo much if it has a scrape here and there, but it needs to be modern, reliable, road legal, and low km. We've watched trademe for a few months, and there are all sorts of cheaper bikes with issues, that are very tempting, but in the end we don't know what we're getting and we can't really afford to pour all our money into a lemon, and conversely we don't have the cash to lay out for something thats guaranteed. He will be supervised on the road with it and taught properly on the track (ie, not by me), and I'll build or buy him a road trailer.

Would consider ZX7,ZX10,R6,R1,GSXR or similar.

There is more to life than money (when you have it) so if you have something sitting around that you would like to go to a super nice young chap that already has a huge string of awards, then Christian would like to hear from you. He has saved 4k (after school job - no help from olds) and the olds can chip another k.

Any and all offers, references, other assistance, or just advice would be gratefully received.

Steve

Sit him down in front of the MNZ website and have him go through all the classes and rules etc then talk to a few younger racers before he committs Steve
From the list up above the only bike worth anything as a start out bike is the R6 or GSX 6 but even they could end up breaking him up a bit before he learns a bit of craft as such ! For the money your talking ya aint gonna even get one thats complete !!!
Can guarantee he will be on a grid within 6 months after starting track days so what then ? Upgrade ? Downgrade ?
Anything over a 600 will put him in F1 (very competitive and expensive 20k bike and 10 k per year min) and he will want to spend that after the first few months in F1
600 or F2 still gonna need at least a 10k bike to be mid pack and 6 - 10 k per year
Brings me to my point 3 0r 4 k will get him a reasonable 400 posties bike which wont blow out a set of tyres in two meetings, parts everywhere and he will learn the mech side while learning race craft also and prolly do a season on 3 or 4 k !!! If ya choose wisely and get pre 89 he can race in two classes (and he will want to !) F3 and post classics !
Oh and most 400's racing in posties are faster than the bike he rode at the track day he went to lol (rider ability) most of them are doing better times than i can do mate so sit him down in front of my laps .com so he can go through the F3/postie times compared to F2 times and he'll see a good rider on a 400 can hurl them things round the track faster than alot of 600's !

Or better still bring him to manfield on the 26/27 of this month or taupo 31 oct for the post classic rounds NZPCRA i think, good cheap racing !!!

**NOID** · 11th September 2009, 10:10

GET A BUCKET !!! GREAT WAY TO LEARN, CHEAP, AND FUN

**Benk** · 11th September 2009, 10:21

Originally Posted by DangerousBastard

I'm looking for a bike for my 16 y/o youngster. He wants a modern bike to trackday and learn the ropes on. We don't need or want some shiny showbike - doesn't matter toooo much if it has a scrape here and there, but it needs to be modern, reliable, road legal, and low km. We've watched trademe for a few months, and there are all sorts of cheaper bikes with issues, that are very tempting, but in the end we don't know what we're getting and we can't really afford to pour all our money into a lemon, and conversely we don't have the cash to lay out for something thats guaranteed. He will be supervised on the road with it and taught properly on the track (ie, not by me), and I'll build or buy him a road trailer.

Would consider ZX7,ZX10,R6,R1,GSXR or similar.

There is more to life than money (when you have it) so if you have something sitting around that you would like to go to a super nice young chap that already has a huge string of awards, then Christian would like to hear from you. He has saved 4k (after school job - no help from olds) and the olds can chip another k.

Any and all offers, references, other assistance, or just advice would be gratefully received.

Steve

Any reason it needs to be road legal (apart from the obvious)?

**FROSTY:Me** · 11th September 2009, 10:27

There was a hyusung 650 advertised for $3500 recently--semi set up for pro twins.
Also there was a VFR400 NC30 advertised
My K1 gixxer 600 might be for sale but quite honestly I don't wanna sell it. Its a K1 race bike with Ohlins rear shock. spare wheels/disks,yosh cams in the box ,pc1. Ive got headlight,tailight and the rego is on hold.

**CookMySock** · 11th September 2009, 10:50

Thanks fellas.

@Sinfull, he has raced pocketbikes for a year and he's having fun there, and he's quite well set up with two (coming up four) racebikes (mum and dad paid..) He can afford that, and the bottom line is, he can't afford to compete at a higher level on his present income - the same barrier most/many racers face. He's doing his 5th form year at school, and once he's out of school you know exactly where all disposable income will be going.

So he's already on a grid and having enough fun to be satisfied.

The new situation is, he put his 250 learner bike on the market and the bloody thing sold immediately.

So with full-license approaching basically we are looking for a replacement road bike with "benefits."

@Frosty. Thank you mate. Yeah any real racing is currently out of our league. He is currently destroying tyres at the pocketbike track. He is keen to continue with that currently, and we can afford it.

He has to buy a roadbike, so we might as well get something thats trackable (not shiney and new) and that he can grow into, and learn about something new and big.

@NOID, theres no bucket racing within 4 hours drive from us. I did a trip to wellington to see about bucketracing, and I was well impressed, but sadly no local scene.

@Benk, he needs a roadbike as well.. might as well get one that'll do both.

I'm pretty proud of him. I drop him in the deep end of everything I can. So far I have been unable to spook him.

Steve

**Benk** · 11th September 2009, 11:03

Originally Posted by DangerousBastard

Thanks fellas.

@Benk, he needs a roadbike as well.. might as well get one that'll do both.

Fair enough, though if hes into racing already, it wont take too long before trackdays lose their edge. SVR races and rides his roadbike (SV650), and is bloody fast at it. If it were me Id be looking at something I could plonk into a decent race class and have something semi competitive, as well as having a road bike (protwins, f3, etc, cheap racing, common bikes, relatively slow speeds, good for learning race craft, crashing, etc).

That said, hell have fun on whatever he gets, and it sounds as though hes pretty keen and hardworking!

**CookMySock** · 11th September 2009, 11:07

Originally Posted by Benk

Fair enough, though if hes into racing already, it wont take too long before trackdays lose their edge.

Thats too bad.

He'll have to get a better income then won't he.

Originally Posted by Benk

Id be looking at something I could plonk into a decent race class and have something semi competitive, as well as having a road bike (protwins, f3, etc, cheap racing, common bikes, relatively slow speeds, good for learning race craft, crashing, etc).

Yeah, but that will be 10k in one year just for costs, apart from the bike itself. Out of our price range by quite a bit.

Steve

**Mully** · 11th September 2009, 11:19

Two birds, one stone.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...d.php?t=107434

Plus, if he bins the trackbike badly, he's still got transport.

**Benk** · 11th September 2009, 11:22

Originally Posted by mully

two birds, one stone.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...d.php?t=107434

plus, if he bins the trackbike badly, he's still got transport.

+1

..........

**sinfull** · 11th September 2009, 11:52

Originally Posted by Mully

Two birds, one stone.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...d.php?t=107434

Plus, if he bins the trackbike badly, he's still got transport.

Farrrk thats him steve and at the price too !!! Them Huricaines get along nicely and the race bike sounds ready to go, just a shame it aint pre 89

**FROSTY:Me** · 11th September 2009, 13:22

Hey DB-I've got the GPZ500 that KIwifruit sold me. Ive really just started to sort it out. As it stands it owes me $500. I think for under a grand you'd have a good trackable bike. Back when the funny fuel was allowed they were kickass fast in F3.-as in faster than the inline fours.
Talk to KF about it If its a good bike or not

**retired motoman** · 11th September 2009, 14:52

Originally Posted by sinfull

Farrrk thats him steve and at the price too !!! Them Huricaines get along nicely and the race bike sounds ready to go, just a shame it aint pre 89

pics now up !! Its down as a 90 on the rego but i think its a 89 , may be away around it ? The f2 came out in late 1990, both these bikes are easy to ride for a teen stepping up from a 250. The cain is 85hp, power is good for its age but not to much that it will get him in trouble , very forgiving bike. I did my first track day on it but it was wet so i did not push it at all . Hard to find a good one of these now. The rf is a blast , pretty fast for a 400 nice and light . both bikes are easy to work on to , perfect .....