Where's the best place to buy a race-ready bike?

[Maverick]

I'm ready to start attending track days and learning to race, but I'm looking for a race-ready bike and don't know where to go to buy one.  I've attended the Kevin Schwantz school at Road Atlanta and have been riding for about a year and a half.  I'd like to find a GSXR 1000 that is used and race ready to take to track days and other schools, but can't find where to buy one?  Are there web-sites or mags or speciality bike shops that sell used race bikes?

[Jeff]

Online & trackside are pretty much your best bets...

ccs forum, wera forum, roadracingworld, etc.

Allow me to be the first to question your choice on a starter bike...

Any particular reason you're looking for a liter bike?

[Super Dave]

And if you can, try to stay away from a GSXR1000, or a liter bike, unless you have a large amount of funds to keep tires under it.

That is going to be a major, major expense...

[Jeff]

and funding new helmets & medical deductibles from highsides...  

The first thing that will amaze you when you start racing is how little throttle control you have versus how much you THOUGHT you had...  The margin of error in the throttle department on a liter bike is incredibly small.  It's bad enough on a 600, but on a 1k, it's crazy...

[G-reg]

and funding new helmets & medical deductibles from highsides...  

The first thing that will amaze you when you start racing is how little throttle control you have versus how much you THOUGHT you had...  The margin of error in the throttle department on a liter bike is incredibly small.  It's bad enough on a 600, but on a 1k, it's crazy...

Throttle control.. its all in the elbow.   ;D

[Super Dave]

See, you're doing it wrong already....

[Maverick]

I already have a 600 street bike - and it seems the 600 class is swamped at the races - so I was looking for a class with less bikes - and a ride that required more technical skill - even if I'll rip thru tires.  Still a bad choice??

[Jeff]

Still a bad choice IMHO...

Want fewer bike classes?  Race lightweight or super-twins.

Or race up a class...  I have run 600's competitively in heavyweight and unlimited classes for the last 5 years...

On the technical skill point...  master the basics first...

[Zac]

and a ride that required more technical skill

If you are looking for a bike that requires technical rider skills, get a 125 GP bike.  When there's little power, it ALL depends on technique.

Places to look for a 125 are the forums at www.usgpru.net and www.tz250racing.com.  And all the GP bikes are race ready - they came that way from the factory.

-z.

[Super Dave]

I already have a 600 street bike - and it seems the 600 class is swamped at the races - so I was looking for a class with less bikes - and a ride that required more technical skill - even if I'll rip thru tires.  Still a bad choice??

It's very hard to take a current production 1000 and ride it faster than a 600...

600's and 750's can and do race "up" into the unlimited classes with results that often place them in front of liter bike riders at the club level most often.

Lightweight bikes like the SV650 really do offer excelent opportunities as they don't destroy your wallet through tires, they are plentiful at the track so if you need a part to replace, one of your racer friends probably has it.

Which 600 are you riding now?

[Super Dave]

Yeah, a 125GP bike is good...  Loads of fun.  Simple, efficient, and they are just way cool.

I'd like to have a TZ125 myself, if anyone knows of any...

[gpstar1]

I would say start on a lightweight bike for now to get your feet wet and then move up from there. Its a whole different ball game from doing track days to racing. I did track days for 3 years until I decided to race. I thought it was going to be easy to race, well I was wrong about that my first year racing. Just my 2 cents. To answer your question about buying a race bike, look in roadracing world or on this forum  in the classified section.