Track day preparation?

[Gubb]

I tried a quick search, but couldn't find anything.

What do I need to do in preparation for my first Track Day in February?

My gear is sorted, i've got a two-piece zip-together Quasi leather skin, helmet gloves and boots, so I assume i'm OK there, what do I need to do to the bike to get it ready?

Is it just a matter of taking the Mirrors off, and taping the headlights up with cloth tape? Do I need to cover the entire light, or will a 'X' suffice?

Anything else I should be aware of before I hit the tarmac?

I'm somewhat anxious, but please come and say Hi if you see me at Taupo.

[dilz]

hey mate,take your mirrors off and you only have to tape your light if its glass.If your bike is up to w.o.f standards it'l be fine.Ask the scrutineers what tyre pressures the think you should run,the are friendly as and now what there talking about.Relax and have fun!you'l have a blast and it wont be your last!

[jrandom]

You don't need to tape over anything if it's not glass. I expect that the Striple's lights all have plastic covers.

Unscrew the mirrors before you go out on the track. Mostly because you don't want to be getting distracted by anything behind you.

Make sure your tyres have a reasonable amount of rubber on them, your brake pads aren't too worn and your chain slack is correct.

Tyre pressure wise, what tyres do you have, and what pressures are you running them at on the road? I'd be inclined to go out on the track on your bike with 32psi rear / 30psi front.

And, for your first trackday, forget all the technical bullshit about the details of riding and lines and braking points and all that. Nobody's watching, there are no prizes for objective standards of awesomeness. Just ride and relax.

And plan on doing at least one trackday a month for the rest of the year.



Which trackday are you going to?

[Gubb]

Moto TT on Feb 27.

Running Dunlop Qualifiers at the mo' (OEMs). Will look into the tyre pressures.

May pack a few odds and sods tool-wise as well.

I've already decided that I don't give a toss how fast I get round the track, as long as I have fun doing it. Lap-times don't apply to first-timers.

I suppose they'll make me wear pants as well huh?

[Usarka]

Just remember everyone on the track has gone through the same anxiousness at some stage.

And also remember upper body weight transfer is more important than hanging-ya-arse-off stylz. If you can do both then all good but no point getting the arse off and keeping the body in line with the bike.

Run before you can walk or whatever it is. :K

[Mikkel]

I would make sure that the oil was reasonably fresh and that the brake fluid and coolant checked before hand. Never hurts to be on the safe side. On the other hand, it's a new bike so I guess you can rest easy.

Was about to suggest bringing some cable ties to hold the fairing in place with the mirrors gone - but then my brain re-engaged and

Other than that, make sure to keep yourself hydrated and carbo-loaded.It can be surprisingly hard work out there. Also, just concentrate on being smooth and having fun. Give yourself a couple of laps each session to make sure your tyres are up to temperature before really getting into it.

[Gubb]

Cheers guys, all helpful advice.

[discotex]

What jrandom said.

Tyre pressures don't need to be spot on to begin with. Low 30's like jrandom said is a good start and the MotoTT guys usually have good advice for most tyres if you want to get specific.

I'd suggest sharing a garage (will let you know what I do if you want) so you have somewhere out of the sun. Not totally essential but it's cool to meet some people that way.

I ride down the night before not first thing in the morning. You'll be surprised how knackered you can be after a 20min session so better to conserve strength.

[Cr1MiNaL]

Mate you could have just asked me yesterday when I was having a wank...
All good advice, but lines are crutial to have fun (ie. knee down) on the track. Ask Kiwifruit or Uncle nicely (or me if I'm not giving the super motards the learn) and they'll show you the best lines around to get smooth and confident.

Seriously though body position is key key key. And looking through the entire corner. I usually take a glance round the whole thing, then the apex, then the point where the two lines meet. And think think think about where you want to position your bike.

Sounds hard but after a few sessions it will become natural.

Trailler down together then? I might have some race fairings by then too

[FROSTY:Me]

Dude Ive been involved in a couple of track days.
best advice is do NOTHING to ya bike cept what the people trackside make ya do.
Do bring along a 20l of gas as well as a 3/4 full tank.
Then think of it as 4.5km of open road. Riding with 20 or so of ya mates.
Once you have a couple of sessions under ya belt then either carry on as ya were or play with tyre pressures n suspension settings n stuff.
The way I see it t the bikes behaving for ya just fine how it is so why change what ya know works

[Mikkel]

All good advice, but lines are crutial to have fun (ie. knee down) on the track.

Even better advice: Leave ego at home and don't worry about getting your knee down, it gets down when it gets down. Just focus on having fun without pushing anything any faster than it comes by itself.

Hakuna matata - no cops, speed cameras or soccermoms. Just focus on riding your bike like you want to without all of these external distractions.

[Quasievil]

QUASiMOTO Customers get to share our garage for free BTW.

First in first served and all that.

can take up to about 2 more bikes (total 3 incl mine)

[jrandom]

And also remember upper body weight transfer is more important than hanging-ya-arse-off stylz.

Not that I like to blow my own trumpet (ah, who am I kidding) but here's me doing that while I tiptoe my way around Manfeild on prettybillie's GSXR600 on Sunday:



Of course, in my mind's eye, I looked more like this:



Observe how Stoner leads with his head and shoulders, and the position of his arse and legs on the bike just follows from that. Think consciously as you ride about:

(a) looking through the corner to your exit point; and

(b) moving that head and upper body over toward that point you're looking at,

and, while your knee may not be down everywhere, you'll find that you're getting around the track just as quickly (or, usually, much more quickly) than the guys who are all about sticking their bum and knee out and desperately hoping to hear the magic scritchy noise.

Remember, your body's center of mass is somewhere around the solar plexus. The further out from the bike's centerline you get that point, the quicker it will turn at a given lean angle. That's the main thing that matters when it comes to body position in corners.

[nodrog:Me]

#1, bring bourbon for me.

#2, dont worry about tools, you can use mine if you need (see #1)

#3, dont worry about bringing extra gas, fill up in taupo in the morning and you will be sweet. if for some reason you forget to change out of 1st gear and manage to chew through a tankload i will sort you out (see #1, again)

#4, dont give me the learn (if you do, double the quantity of #1)

[jrandom]

Oh yeah, nodrog's right about the gas. If your bike is road legal, the BP is only 2km up the road from the track entrance. (And if it's not, the BP is still only 2km up the road from the track entrance... ahem.) And you get an hour in between sessions, so it's pretty straightforward to pop down and fill up.

You'll probably do about 160km on the track throughout the day, and you'll get about half your usual fuel economy. I can't manage five 20 min sessions at Taupo full track on a single tank of gas in the 1400. I doubt many bikes short of actual tourers could.