A little help please.

[Biltong]

Hey guys and girls.

I have been riding since I was 16 and I am thinking of getting into some riding
on the track and I was thinking that I do not want to go smaller than 400cc
(i'm 1.77m tall and weigh between 90 and 95kg).

I have been looking at the Yamaha FZR400, is it a ok bike to fix up for the track?

I am hoping for some wise words from the more informed out there!

[Darkman]

Weet nie van die bike nie, maar like die naam..mmmmmmm.

Welcome to kiwibiker dude.Fzr400 is a good little bike, goes well.

[DemonWolf]

Gidday Biltong, welcome to the Site.

I'm sure there are many people here that could give you some suggestions. What license have you got (this normally dictates on what bike ya be looking at.. i.e. CC restrictions).. and what type of riding do you prefer? Cruiser, sports, tourer.. etc

[Biltong]

Hey,

ek is bly jy hou van die naam! Daar is niks so lekker soos 'n ou stukkie biltong nie!

[Biltong]

Thankyou for the welcome Mr. Wolf.

I have my full license(I am 21, been riding since I was 16) and I want to do some riding on the track!

[slob]

...(i'm 1.77m tall and weigh between 90 and 95kg)...
...I have been looking at the Yamaha FZR400, is it a ok bike to fix up for the track?

Hi there Biltong, I had an '89 FZR400 1WG (see my profile pic) which I used for everything: commuting, weekend riding, and track days. They're good little bikes, but you need to consider the following:

* Size - like most race replica 400s, the FZR is tiny - I'm 1.75m and 65kg and I was really folded into the bike. I even experimented with raising the seat height using rubber door stops! On the other hand, it is a piece of piss to get your knee down on!

* Power - you need to rev the guts out of a 400 to really get moving, but you will learn heaps about corner speed out of sheer necessity! I believe the ZXR400 and VFR400 have a tiny bit more power, but the FZR has better midrange, thanks to EXUP system.

* EXUP - all FZR400 from 1989 have Yamaha's famous EXUP valve in the exhaust pipe just below the engine. It boosts midrange torque and makes the engine smoother by changing the exhaust bore according to engine rpm. It can get seized up with soot, so if you find your bike doesn't want to idle or rev, you'll have to open it up and clean it out (and possibly replace some of the bushes). I learned this the hard way after spending $$$..

* Tyres - get a 1990 or later model (with the rectangular headlight, not the two big round ones), as the earlier models have an 18" rear wheel, which limits tyre choice.

* Mods - I had big plans to stick an FZR600 engine into the 400 as they are virtually of the same dimensions. Unfortunately, time and $ did not allow.

Hope this helps!

[Biltong]

Thanks a lot! It really helps to hear from people who know more than me!

Since I havent done a lot of riding on the track, I think it would be a smart choice to start with a 400cc to help me with cornering and stuff like that.

Thanks again for the info, it helps a lot!