BUYING RACE BIKE, PLEASE HELP

[GIOVANNI23]

Well, after reading all your opinions on what you experiance racers think I should do.  I decided not to get this bike as my first race bike.  I am considering a SV650 because that seems to be a better starter bike as per everyones advice.  I'm still young and I just started riding a bike about 2 years ago (wasn't allowed before that until I moved out).  I am going to the CCS races in Moroso next weekend and I am going to talk to some racers.  I'm eager to get started but I am going to get as much information as possible before I make my final decision.  Thanks for all the advice and I hope to see some of you in the near future at the track!

Thank you,
Giovanni

[MELK-MAN]

You might be special.

Regardless, bikes are a sum of their parts.  The reality is that are they set up or do they have a history of set up that makes it valuable?  

You can have all the same parts as a Larry Denning or a Robbie Jensen (guys that make their living racing for Yamaha money), but if you don't have their actual set up...what are you really paying for...

parts....

AMEN.. i bought Robbie jensens 03r6.. this is a great bike, but stil with me aboard it somehow goes 3 seconds a lap slower at JenningsGP >:( ;D
The rider makes the thing go. I was only 1.5 seconds per lap slower on my 2000F4 that was a tank compared to this bike.

PS>..  Check the classifieds of RRW.. my friend Dave White is selling a 2003R6, NEVER crashed, 500 miles, with brand new set of spare wheels, LOTS of spares including full wired subframe, Cams, milled head, 5 angle valve job, GMD suspension optimization (1,000$ or so).. shock/forks redone, etc. He is asking $9,800 or so.

[Speedballer347]

SV's are OK....but a literbike is the best.

We just shot it w/ new paint so she be lookin whip, know what I am saying???
25K on da clock says yoube learning to do a rebuild soon...ai'nt even have to go to MMI...do it at your crib....no middle man 8)

peep dis, digitdy...many offers on it already but I want you to have it.  So holla back, trick

[quicktoy]

LOL, I have ridden in Daytona for years, and have ridden with all the stunt groups around here and the most props i give was when this kid was 12ing and doing circle wheelies on an SV

[cuda]

Good job on the smart decision.  As an SV rider who started on an R1 then went R6 and now SV I can tell you that you will be happy.  And don't worry about getting bored.  If you are a fast guy you will run up front of the novice pack right out of the gate, but the top few guys will still give you a spankin so you will have the carrot to chase and not finish 23rd right away.  Plus, as you get faster, you will be scratching your head at the times the fastest experts are turning wondering how it is even possible.  It is a great class.  


Also, if you are running Novice SV you should consider running both WERA and CCS.  CCS actaully has a better class structure, but all the competition in WERA is much stronger on the SV.  I don't know why but WERA has twice as many novices as experts and CCS has the exact opposite.  As an expert either would be fine, with CCS maybe even a little better.

Well, after reading all your opinions on what you experiance racers think I should do.  I decided not to get this bike as my first race bike.  I am considering a SV650 because that seems to be a better starter bike as per everyones advice.  I'm still young and I just started riding a bike about 2 years ago (wasn't allowed before that until I moved out).  I am going to the CCS races in Moroso next weekend and I am going to talk to some racers.  I'm eager to get started but I am going to get as much information as possible before I make my final decision.  Thanks for all the advice and I hope to see some of you in the near future at the track!

Thank you,
Giovanni

[Super Dave]

but all the competition in WERA is much stronger on the SV.

Ok, silly statement since the Suzuki SV Cup winner was a student of mine that never saw Road Atlanta and raced CCS more than he ever raced WERA.  And it was a lot of work for him in the local CCS stuff.

Racers race no matter where they are.  

[dylanfan53]

 CCS actaully has a better class structure, but all the competition in WERA is much stronger on the SV.  I don't know why but WERA has twice as many novices as experts and CCS has the exact opposite.  As an expert either would be fine, with CCS maybe even a little better.

Uh oh. Here we go.  Threadjack!

Giovanni,
Good choice. As I read through this thread I was certain the next post was going to be that you went ahead and bought the R6.  Your willingness to listen to experienced advice will be a benefit in this sport. Good luck.

[cuda]

Suzuki cup is expert not novice.  I am not saying that CCS or WERA has faster guys.  I am saying (and I race yellow plate SV in both orgs so I know) that WERA has more novice SV's and CCS has more expert twins (with a lot of buells).   It may change but i am just talking about this year (although I think last year was similiar)  At the last VIR race we had 6 guys line up for the GT light and almost 30 experts.  I didn't even get contingency for the win. :(  So be it.  Wera is the exact opposite with many expert races missing tire contingency and such from lack of riders but the novices manage to get theirs in more often.  I am not telling him, escpecially on this board, to not race CCS.  I am just giving him info if he gets the bike to check out both groups because there is a current diffence in numbers.

Ok, silly statement since the Suzuki SV Cup winner was a student of mine that never saw Road Atlanta and raced CCS more than he ever raced WERA.  And it was a lot of work for him in the local CCS stuff.

Racers race no matter where they are.  

[CCSRacer114]

Giovanni,

Good choice in bike... I have a 600 and an SV, and the SV is a real blast to ride.

It's also good you said you're going to Moroso this coming weekend to talk with riders... even better choice!

I won't be there (I'll be "out of the country for a bit") but some of the others you've seen here will!  Do stop by and talk with them, they're all a great bunch of people and will truly help you out.

See you at the NEXT Moroso round on your SV  ;D

[MJFRacing]

SV is still better.

If you're really fast, then you'll be doin' in tires on the 600 at a great pace.  Best part of the tire is good for about 12 laps or so.

So, to be competitive, you're gonna drop a bundle in tires.

One of my students is a rider named Jesse Janisch.  Last year, he was doing 1:16's to 1:15's at a local race track.  His fast time on a 600 was only a couple of seconds faster.  

Bored?  Race a 125.  Race a vintage bike.  Racing is about racing.

If you've got the budget to buy a $9500 600, put tires under it all the time, and repair it.  You should do it for yourself.

Still, guys like Janisch, myself, DiSalvo, the Wood's, the Bostrom's, Mladin, Rossi...you recognize the names...did still start out road racing on "smaller" machines.  The Wood's come from a father that was a road racer himself.  Dave Bostrom owned a motorcycle dealership.  Rossi's dad was a 500cc World Championship Grand Prix competitor.

You might be special.

Regardless, bikes are a sum of their parts.  The reality is that are they set up or do they have a history of set up that makes it valuable?  

You can have all the same parts as a Larry Denning or a Robbie Jensen (guys that make their living racing for Yamaha money), but if you don't have their actual set up...what are you really paying for...

parts....

A M E N !!! Couldn't have said it better.

. . .oh! Sorry to see you wad your bike at Blackhawk today. At least you were OK!

[Lowe119]

I'm a little late on this topic, but I know how this guy feels (felt). I bought my R6 on for the street and loved the performance. So I wanted to race. I didn't want to race a slower bike - I wanted to race my R6.

I heard from everyone "start in the lightweight class," "the 600 class is cut throat," and "(in the 600 class) if you give them a couple feet, they will squeeze inside you."  THAT is what I wanted. That is the racing I wanted to do. I wanted my R6 to "make up for my lack of skills." Why would I want to have an inferior bike and have to make up for it?

Well I can't say that I would've done it any different - especially since I already had the R6 and couldn't afford another bike, but I'm thinking my next race bike will be an SV. Right now I'm having to improve my skills greatly, because my bike is inferior to almost all the other bikes in the middleweight class. It is totally stock, except for some springs and valves in the forks and my clipons.  This weekend was my first race weekend of the season and I know where I need to improve. I can probably still drop 3 seconds off my time with more practice - without buying more for my bike. When (if) I figure out what I'm really doing, then I'll try to figure out the suspension puzzle. Maybe it would be a good investment for me to take an advanced school now  :-/ :)

Just my $.02

[Super Dave]

. . .oh! Sorry to see you wad your bike at Blackhawk today. At least you were OK!

Thanks...

Really, the Yamaha parts won't cost too much to replace.  The corner workers found my gauge cluster, front fender, and my transmitter Sunday night.  I think I have some new bodywork.  Will probably run it down to http://4and6.com as they will want to check it for straightness, I think.

But it was working awesome.  Never been the guy that had the fastest lap all weekend.  That was nice....
 ;D