F3, pre89 or pro twin?

[steveyb]

Sorry Jeff, but your given scenario is a recipie for disaster in all aspects.
All you will end up doing is riding like its a trackday cos you can't crash the bike cos you dad needs it, so you can't push it when racing, so you will learn little.
And the bike will only be a road bike, so it will always handle poorly as a result, and so will always be a crash waiting to happen.
Inferring from your comments your budget, you can prob get an old 400 in race trim, but not one that can be used as a roadbike also.
But those bikes are maintenance intensive, quite hard to race actually (I know, I've tried) and getting expensive to find some parts.
An NSR 250 or RGV 250 is a very good alternative. They are fine roadbikes and can be raced in road (or slightly modded) trim.
Put it this way, a bog standard NSR250 in 1989 did 1:16.00 around Manfeild (with a good rider albeit), but it can be done, and I used to ride mine around Auckland with no worries.
Racing bikes takes a bit of money, that is just the way it is.

Steve

[Str8 Jacket]

Hey Jeff, there is absolutely no shame staying in Street Stock for another year while you save your arse off for 'a bigger race bike'. Hell, looks like me and M will both be doing another year of Street Stock until we can afford to do otherwise...

Race what you can afford, it lowers the stress levels!

[codgyoleracer]

Hey Jeff, there is absolutely no shame staying in Street Stock for another year while you save your arse off for 'a bigger race bike'. Hell, looks like me and M will both be doing another year of Street Stock until we can afford to do otherwise...

Race what you can afford, it lowers the stress levels!

Tend to agree:
1) make a commitment to a budget firstly - (& this may include finding sponsors money etc to establish said budget
2) Establish your practice & race schedule i'e club racing, street racing, nationals etc (& see how that fits into the budget)
3) Invest the budget in a class of racing that the budget will potentially allow good results in (top 3-5)
Glen

[Billy]

Hey Jeff, there is absolutely no shame staying in Street Stock for another year while you save your arse off for 'a bigger race bike'. Hell, looks like me and M will both be doing another year of Street Stock until we can afford to do otherwise...

Race what you can afford, it lowers the stress levels!

Absolutely!!As Helen has said here,Do what you have the resources and budget to do properly,You wont do yourself or anybody else any favours by overextending yourself and turning up with an underprepared machine just because you dont have the funds.If streetstock is all you can afford to do properly,Then stick with it

[scracha]

You should have bought Roadracingoldfart's CBR400...flippin bargain mate.

The 400's. Very cheap (3 grand gets a nice one). A set of tyres lasts about umm...10 meetings!. You'll get good racing. Harder to get spares for. You can go in two classes if it's pre 89 (or theoretically also F2 but sod that unless you're really fast). The ZXR400's have the fastest motors but seem a little fragile.

The 650's. Not so cheap but unless you wreck it you'll get your money back. Tyres....I dunno but I'm guessing 3 or 4 meetings to be semi competitive. Much newer so less goes wrong with em. Once you're up to speed you can cross enter into F2.

There's also weird singles and strange Ducati twins in F3 :-)

If money is no object and you want to win F3 then an ozzie 450 would be the way to go IMHO.

You've also got shite old 600's (extremely cheap) to consider for pre 89 junior laughs. You'll have a hell of a time punting one of them around in F2 though and they eat tyres.

[MOTOXXX]

A set of tyres lasts about umm...10 meetings!.

I Wish!!



Its a hard D to make, ive often thought about pro twins, in the end its just depends on what you want to do.

If i was keen on doing nationals i would get an Pro Twins bike.

Im only keen on club and street racing
I chose a zxr400 and run F3 and posties. Sure ive spent a bit on mine (ive dropped two valves in 3 seasons (me not checking clearances enough) but i really enjoy the dices you get in F3 and posties.

There is always someone to battle with even if your a beginner, for me that is what has kept me interested in racing, being able to chase people and always going after the next bike.

[quallman1234]

Im with hels and Billy, do another season on the 150, you have it pretty well sorted maintenance wise now, and you have plenty more too learn on it.

[roadracingoldfart]

Hmm, I struggle to believe that Neils ZXR is anything near standard, and I've seen it not finish races before, and not make it to the start of races before. I have also seen some seriously shagged cams that have come from that motor. Reliable? Define reliable. To me it means change the oil, put fuel in it and push the start button. You can't do that with an old bike, simple.

Wrong Glen ....... 2 years ago one Luke Mair said to me , and i quote " dont you hate having to work on bikes between races and rounds just to keep them fast and reliable Paul "

I simply looked at him in a puzzled manner and told him apart from changing the oil every second round and putting fuel in i never touch my bike . O(nce a year service birthday and thats all.

He was stunned and it was a true statement , its a 21 year old bike i have canned the ass off for the last 3 or 4 years on that motor , the last motor ran a big end because i listened to an idiot (as it turned out ) and used a sub standard oil he advised was good.

I would be as you know be able to tell you why the problems happened to neil's bike as well and it was pure and simple mechanical misadventure. The motor in his bike is really not that radical and yet the results speak for themselves, a 21 yr old bike doing 1.15s round Manfeild, some 600 ss bikes cant do that because of rider inability, not the bike.

Sorry to rant but i am proof of a reliable bike and yet the cost of running it is very small , i ran the team for a season on $1000.00 including tyres and entries , dont dare tell me that its not possible , as it is , pure and simpler .

Paul.

[Sketchy_Racer]

Wrong Glen ....... 2 years ago one Luke Mair said to me , and i quote " dont you hate having to work on bikes between races and rounds just to keep them fast and reliable Paul "

I simply looked at him in a puzzled manner and told him apart from changing the oil every second round and putting fuel in i never touch my bike . O(nce a year service birthday and thats all.

He was stunned and it was a true statement , its a 21 year old bike i have canned the ass off for the last 3 or 4 years on that motor , the last motor ran a big end because i listened to an idiot (as it turned out ) and used a sub standard oil he advised was good.

I would be as you know be able to tell you why the problems happened to neil's bike as well and it was pure and simple mechanical misadventure. The motor in his bike is really not that radical and yet the results speak for themselves, a 21 yr old bike doing 1.15s round Manfeild, some 600 ss bikes cant do that because of rider inability, not the bike.

Sorry to rant but i am proof of a reliable bike and yet the cost of running it is very small , i ran the team for a season on $1000.00 including tyres and entries , dont dare tell me that its not possible , as it is , pure and simpler .

Paul.

Each to there own Paul, I will not disagree with you personal experiences!

I'm basing it on my experience with a 1989 ZXR400 that was supposed to be a "turn up put gas in it" type of bike, a few thousand dollars later and it was still a pile of unreliable crap, and also my two seasons of running a 125gp bike. Both old, and a bit long in the tooth.

Things wear out and fail, you can't deny that!

The last thing any young rider needs going through there head on a race day is bike problems, how can you learn to ride the thing and improve yourself if you spend more time trying to keep the thing going rather than focusing on riding. One of the best moves I ever made for my riding improvement was to put myself in a situation where I didn't have to worry about the bike. If it broke it was (mainly) someone else's problem and I could keep my head in the right frame of mind for racing!

Like others have said Geoff, it sounds like you will be in the best position to stay on your 150 for another season and continue learning without the stress and financial strain of running a bigger bike.

[Wingnut]

I have had a CBR400RR Race Bike for the last year and hasn't missed a beat. All the maintenance I have had to do is change the oil & filter. It has been a super introduction into the world of bike racing. All this for under 3K too.

Its on trade me too if anyones interested by the way. Long way down in Otago though.

All the best in whatever you decide.

Geoff.

[scracha]

I have had a CBR400RR Race Bike for the last year and hasn't missed a beat. All the maintenance I have had to do is change the oil & filter. It has been a super introduction into the world of bike racing. All this for under 3K too.

Gotta say the CBR400's are pretty bombproof. Crash damage repairs aside, mine has went 3 seasons with me caning the arse off it. Last time it had the valves done were ermm..when I bought it. Only mechanical fault has been a fooked radiator cap.

I hear that modern Suzuki's drop valves

[sharky]

Gotta say the CBR400's are pretty bombproof. Crash damage repairs aside, mine has went 3 seasons with me caning the arse off it. Last time it had the valves done were ermm..when I bought it. Only mechanical fault has been a fooked radiator cap.

I hear that modern Suzuki's drop valves

And how much INCLUDING the crash repairs Stevie?

[McDuck]

Nice thread, i have a katana 400 and i am thinking about racing. I am tempted to sell it (i love it to much to risk crashing it) and go the cbr 400 or zxr 400 route, so keep it coming guys

[Marknz]

The motor in his bike is really not that radical and yet the results speak for themselves, a 21 yr old bike doing 1.15s round Manfeild, some 600 ss bikes cant do that because of rider inability, not the bike.

Hey, I resemble that remark!

[scroter]

Where as Pro twin machines will all have the MAX mods allowed ALL of them.

Hand up sorry, no offence intended but im still running mine with standard suspension, exhaust except for muffler and tuning, also run it on 1 set of road tyres for 2 years, it still went fine.