Expensive buckets?

[Deano]

Yes actually showing up costs buggar all.

Yep - entry fees and transponders are generally $100+ for each event.

I think the biggest attraction of buckets over other classes for me at the moment is the fact that I can race 11 times a year without leaving town so no need for a huge travel budget.

Hell yeah - I need sponsors to help out with petrol expenses or I would be struggling to do it.

Yes actually showing up costs buggar all.

Yep - entry fees and transponders are generally $100+ for each event.

don't forget how much track time you get. cost per hour on the track is unbeatable

Yep again - I usually get 2 races + qualifying = about 30 minutes on the track, all for $100+ entry + fuel + accomodation if needed - thankfully that is sponsored as well.

[all4A50s]

At the last count I had just passed retail value (including the bike) of $10,100.

I would hate to add up the hours I've spent on my beloved bucket, which is my third.

First one (RG50) cost 600 and I spent about a further 300 when I got carried away with fibreglass.

Second cost me $285 for a RX125 for the engine. RG50 rolling chassis was free. $275 for fairing and seat cowling. 200 on chain, sprockets, nuts, bolts, spark plug and the like and about $100 on mig wire on the F&*king exhaust, which insisted on disintegrating everytime I raced, because my welder was fracked.

[Deano]

I would hate to add up the hours I've spent on my beloved bucket, which is my third.

Fun hours with some good mates and good beer ?

[all4A50s]

Fun hours with some good mates and good beer ?

Sometimes too many beers

[Deano]

Sometimes too many beers

Thank God for the clever mates who know their shit !!

[Str8 Jacket]

Thank God for the clever mates who know their shit !!

Thanks man!

[TZ350]

don't forget how much track time you get. cost per hour on the track is unbeatable

Ditto.......

I think the biggest attraction of buckets over other classes for me at the moment is the fact that I can race 11 times a year without leaving town so no need for a huge travel budget.

Double Ditto Ditto.........

And for me its also about being able to indulge in engine/frame/suspension development that would be just totaly unaffordable on my budget in the other classes.........

[Shorty_925]

red paint ( 2 cans) $30 Mitre 10.

Yea right! More like 4 cans with all those repairs!

[Damien_Toman]

I bought my Suzuki FXR150 as a road-going bike for $2400 (2003 model with only 13,000 kms on the clock). The bike was in ChCh. I live in Auckland. Flew down, and rode it back. Ferry, nice accomodation, dinner and wine on the way back were additional costs - enjoyed the journey and took photographs along the way with chest-mounted DSLR camera and wireless release .

Spent about $2,500 on XR250/400 carbs, engine rebore, gaskets, piston kit, porting, valve re-grind, barrel skimming, modified cams and exhaust pipe. I used my old dirt bike bars to replace bent FXR bars and spent probably $70 to fit them myself and make a new throttle cable. I still have standard electric start, battery, speedo, rev counter etc. I still use standard FXR rims. I bought new slicks for $470 (they last me 1 year) and a set of second-hand wets ($180). $100 for wheels for the wets off TradeMe.

Additional significant costs for me were leathers, helmet, gloves and boots as I had not road raced for decades.

Was it all worth it? Hell yes!!! Loving it .

Did I need to spend so much on go-faster bits? Well Tyler, when you get to my age, it helps when trying to keep up with fast kids like you . A few decades ago, when I first raced (Brands Hatch, Snetterton, Lyddon), my bikes (RD350LC YPVS - and before that RD250 air-cooled) were bog standard (production class but most engines were modified) and I was fairly competitive (on the 350), though not winning club championships like you. Mind you, I did race against guys who became champions . I'm number 56 in the photo at Druids, Brands Hatch .

Regards to all

Damien

P.S. Loving these modern slicks . For proddy racing we had to use road tyres .

[Skunk]

F4 and F5 is all about bang for buck. It just can't be beaten. An F3 bike might cost $2000 (that's the build cost of my F3/Pre89 Junior) but the running costs and entry costs are way higher and track time way less. Add the travel costs too.
Buckets don't HAVE to cost over $500, but to be at the front (or because you love developing them) they can. That's what most of us have done. My first Bucket was on the track for $100. I didn't have to do anything to it. I wanted to...
Now consider the cost of developing an F3 bike...

[jasonu]

Yep - entry fees and transponders are generally $100+ for each event.



Hell yeah - I need sponsors to help out with petrol expenses or I would be struggling to do it.



Yep - entry fees and transponders are generally $100+ for each event.



Yep again - I usually get 2 races + qualifying = about 30 minutes on the track, all for $100+ entry + fuel + accomodation if needed - thankfully that is sponsored as well.

What is this word 'sponsor'???

[Rick 52]

The FXR was $1000 wheels $250 carb $100 then lots of small bits bearing seals tyres total must be $2500 good value .....RS Tf $2500 rolling chasis with spare wheels and frame and a GP125 buggered..total must be over $3500 but I could build another bike with all the bits I have.... Smile on my face after the GP worth every penny !!

[all4A50s]

Thank God for the clever mates who know their shit !!

here here

[Buckets4Me]

Now consider the cost of developing an F3 bike...

so the f3 bike cost 2-3k to get going
instead of 2-$300
then you have the entry fees that are 3-5 times more
you need to spend $$$$$ on making it run up the frount

and you only get 30 mins on the track

2-3k sounds cheap for a race bike and I think I get 4 decent races on the f4 and another 2 on the f5 + all the practice and prelims I can handle ( normaly I have to get someone els to drive home if I do them all )

buckets is cheap at twice the price ( go buy a fast shifter kart )

[Dutchee]

so the f3 bike cost 2-3k to get going
instead of 2-$300
then you have the entry fees that are 3-5 times more
you need to spend $$$$$ on making it run up the frount

and you only get 30 mins on the track

2-3k sounds cheap for a race bike and I think I get 4 decent races on the f4 and another 2 on the f5 + all the practice and prelims I can handle ( normaly I have to get someone els to drive home if I do them all )

buckets is cheap at twice the price ( go buy a fast shifter kart )

That actually annoyed me at Taupo. Because my bike decided to play up, I didn't get a chance to find out if it was okay after Henk had worked on it until the next practice, only to find it was doing the same thing time and time again, and generally unsafe for me and all the other riders coming up behind, as it was unpredictable as to whether it was going to accelerate coming out of corners or not.

Riding around the carpark you couldn't get the same reactions, so it had to be the next practice. Different I guess if you've got a dedicated mechanic, who's not out riding in the same race/practices as you.

I'll just stick to bucket meets on my overpriced fxr (wondering if it's fixed yet, but at least will have the day to stuff around if it's not).