next move race bike wise??

[tz tony]

It would appear to me that F3 is a dying class, no new bikes in that size have been released by the factory in a long while, MNZ dont appear to support the class and most of the bikes are old now, 125 bikes are maintanance hungry needing new a piston and ring every couple of meetings so you need a couple of deep pockets!

[Two Smoker]

It would appear to me that F3 is a dying class, no new bikes in that size have been released by the factory in a long while, MNZ dont appear to support the class and most of the bikes are old now, 125 bikes are maintanance hungry needing new a piston and ring every couple of meetings so you need a couple of deep pockets!

Yep thats sad and ive only just got into F3 aswell It was good to see 18 F3 bikes on the grid at the last Pacific Club round... and to have 36 bikes in total on the grid..... made for some hectic racing

Hey tz tony, what number is your race bike?

[k14]

It would appear to me that F3 is a dying class, no new bikes in that size have been released by the factory in a long while, MNZ dont appear to support the class and most of the bikes are old now, 125 bikes are maintanance hungry needing new a piston and ring every couple of meetings so you need a couple of deep pockets!

Nah, it isnt as bad as it sounds. If someone is using the rs125 for just f3 every month or so, they could run the piston for about a year. Yes the performance will drop a little bit, but its not as though it matters at club level. Then at the end of every year you just need to put in a new piston, rings etc (about $300 to $400 depending on who you know), then you need to get the crank rebuilt aswell, which is about another $500.

Apart from the aformentioned the other maintenance is very basic. Just gearbox oil and tyres, brake pads etc.

[tz tony]

Yep thats sad and ive only just got into F3 aswell It was good to see 18 F3 bikes on the grid at the last Pacific Club round... and to have 36 bikes in total on the grid..... made for some hectic racing

Hey tz tony, what number is your race bike?

My bike is number 50, its red and white, round two of the pacific club meeting I entered f3 and the classics, finished first overall on the day with one first place and 2 seconds in the classic class, a great day

[svs]

I'd say - go the SV, but I'm biased Either that or stick with mella yella. You wouldn't be able to sell it for anything like what its worth to you and the big bore kit would be fun. As for a 600 its the running costs that would be a problem - they eat tyres far faster than an F3 bike. I'm sure mella yella isn't that slow a bike - you weren't too far behind me at pukekohe and the 400 should be nimble round the corners, you just got to carry that speed and work on the starts. Best thing is to keep going as long as you enjoy it (and make sure the shoulder is fixed)

Getting a road SV race ready is really just sorting the suspension - leave the engine stock, apart from a decent exhaust. But that isn't cheap. Keep an eye out for bargins - there may not be much around at the moment, but once in a while a stunner will come up.

As for F3 being a dying class - I don't know. There still needs to be something below the F2 and 600's and I really don't want to see all the sport bikes being replaced by motards. The superbike lite in the states are dominated by the SV's now. And I guess that there'll be more and more in F3 here as time goes on. It's a shame that Tim Gibbes' SV series didn't keep going (due to MNZ making SV's F3 legal) or the Pro Twins B Class isn't more widespread.

[That Guy]

hmmmmm. Thought about an RGV250? Ha ha.

Must admit the more I ride the GSXR600 on the road the more tempted I am to convert it into a race bike....even though I know I'll get smoked in F2. For me I'm gonna stay in F3 on the RGV and get more (relatively cheap) experience. Once I can comfortably get into the top 5 or 6 with it I'll look at getting the 600 out. In the meantime it's very staisfying passing SVs etc on a 13 year old smoker.

I reckon you should get one more year under your belt in F3 Frosty; don't bother with engine upgrades or SVs - just keep the tyres fresh and bike in good order and ring the nuts off it. Then F2....

[TwoSeven]

Can you not run an older 600 in F3 these days or must you compete in F2 with them.

I guess it comes down to if you are looking to develop your technical capability for self improvement as well as have fun - in which case a 600 of some kind (that can be modified and improved over time) would be the way to go, or if you are looking to have fun with your mates on the cheap in which case probably any old dunger would do.

If I ran a 600 i'd probably put aside a few thousand dollars for the year to pay all the costs and remove the hassle factor which at the end of the day is what stops most folks from going down the track. Quite a few of my mates save thru the winter and race during the summer - but they are what one might call enthusiastic - me these days, i'm more than happy to spend the money on beer, sit in a deck chair and watch someone else go round in circles

[Motoracer]

You could do what I did. Buy a second hand 6 hundy like mine.

It's hassel free racing at it's best. I just have standard sprokets geared about right for Pukekohe that I use on all tracks with a sturdy big fat o-ring chain so it'll last long and I don't have to stuff about with changing it all the time. I just got the standard rear shock, manifolds with a Two bros pipe from Bruce's TL1000, etc etc. Yet the bike still goes great. It is still capable of race pace. All I do is just change the oil in it and fill up the tank with fuel for each race meeting and it'll be ready to roll.

So far, my expenses have been just fuel, tires and oil. I am sure you could do more than what I do to improve your times like setting up the suspension (which I haven't touched at all since I bought the bike).

I reckon if you wana come into F2, you definetly should. It's fuck loads of fun!!

[Racey Rider]

So why do you want out of F3?
Are you bored with winning all the time?
Have you mastered it and are ready for the next step up?
Or do you just think your bike is slow?

If you want to ride a faster bike, buy a 600+ and ride it as fast as you dare in Clubmans.

You think your bike is to slow for F3?
Surely, unless you spend mega bucks, a 600 you buy is going to be slow in the F2 class anyway.

Are you looking for the fame of being a F2 rider?
Well if you've got the money - go for it! But from what I've read, you may get to ride in F2,, but your not yet ready to be a F2 rider!

Stick with F3 and learn race craft. If only because most KB'ers race in this class, so we can have the fun of racing each other.

[FROSTY:Me]

Id reread what I posted then change your post!!!!
Clearly I'm not satisfied with all aspects of my riding. that was never an issue.
The issue is deciding what to do from here --and certainly F2 is ONE concideration of many
quite simply put Im looking at my NEXT move. As it looks to me F3 at club level is well supported but at national level isn't so good
To compete at national level in f3 seems to me to be a similar price to f2
My next move is going to be my last for a very long time so I need to as much as possible future proof myself.

[Racey Rider]

Re read, (re readed?).
Fair enough.

Feedback here would be apreciated.

No need to change my post.

[Hoon]

To be honest Frosty my advice is to stop throwing money at the bike and address the root of the problem......THE RIDER!!! Sure a faster bike might be worth half a sec but learning to ride faster would give you 2-3 secs!!

I'm not saying that you are a slow rider - we all feel slow and want to be faster but getting a faster bike doesn't fix the problem - all it does is try cover it up. If you are aspiring to compete at a national level then you will need to make sure your riding is at a national level too as you can't rely on bike upgrades to close the gap like you can at club level.

Next year I'd like to compete in the NI Nat rounds. I know my ZXR isn't an SV beater but it has shitloads left to teach me. When I feel that I can't learn anymore from this combo and am happy that I've utilized all its potential then I will move on to F2 and no sooner. I see F3 as a training ground and I wouldn't concentrate on winning the F3 title as I think that money would be better spent on an F2 or F1 effort.

If it's any consolation I put a lot of effort into my riding especially the mental/preparation side. I have heaps of books, notes, data, turn books, track videos and read lots of theory. I also have my own "psyching up" ritual which begins the night before a race to ensure I arrive on the grid ready for business. So don't be disillusioned by the mellow maori dude who just rocks on up and seems to do alright. Theres no such thing as natural talent in racing - only hard work!!

[FROSTY:Me]

point taken hoon but again bro -ya missed the point .
Im talking about my next move.
I agree totally with your comments about rider improvement.Fuck ive got a lonng way to go.
Ohh and ditto re race day prep -I TRY to be relaxed so i clown around a lot -doesn't work for everybody but the serious navel pondering just doesn't seeem to work for me.
Actually to a degree thats bullshit--I love seeing you young guys getting better.
That said mate i know Im qucker than some folk out there and at least Im not bench racing.

[Racey Rider]

... at least Im not bench racing.

I'm still thinking of something to say!!!!!





and get that Shoulder looked at again would ya!

[Ghost Lemur]

Personal opinion (and in no way experienced advice)...

In your position I'd go for option 4. You seem to have a knack for finding deals, and with the season just finishing there should be more of them.

So if, a 600 comes up for the right price then of course you should take it, stepping up a level (following faster riders) may be the motivation you need to get the better performance out of yourself. Only you know how you'll react in different circumstances.

Either way, have fun.