2000 zx6r 600 srad, 1st track bike

[brett750]

hi, i dont know if this is a stupid idea but here goes.

me and my mate have been riding around 4-5years and past our test just over 2 years ago, ive got a zx6r and he has a gsx650f. we have both done 1 ron haslam race school, wich was ok but we have been looking at getting a track bike and doing some trackdays on our own. we were going to get one to share as we dont fancy using our nice road bikes on the track and untill we decide its definitely for us we thought this best.

we have seen a £1200 2000 600 srad that is a standard road bike with aftermarket can, good milage e.c.t.

do you reckon this would be ok for us as a starter or do you have any advice or help for us?

ive tried not to sound stupid but have no clue about track riding, thanks

[MaybeGuy]

raf on here will sell his srad for a grand. good nick, tax and MOT.

ive also owned a srad, and a zx6r (a J2 and currently a c1h)

if it's a J2, it'll feel pretty much srad sized as they're both pretty big bikes. may be easier to get used to.

loads of people have them as track bikes, so they cant all be wrong.
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Blue_SV650S wrote: it was a sh1te wheelie, but it proves that he can get it up in 3rd and can do angles. In summery, mattsprattuk is a gobby little sh1tebag, dopehead tw4t, but sadly for all of us, he probably isn't THAT full of sh1te!!
Kickstart wrote: Hi I tend to agree with Matt. All the best Keith

[Deano]

i rekon go for the suzuki just for the parts availability as most of the 750 bits go on it and the engines on them are bullet proof.

srad is a big old beast but doesnt feel it when riding it.
cant really comment on the older kwak as i have the newer one and have found ive been struggling for parts.
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Dean Stone #777
EMRA 2012 final standings, Formula 600s 3rd, Superstock 600s 3rd.
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[MarJay]

First off... Can we please have some capital letters in this thread? Have they been banned or something?

Secondly... Are you sure you want to share a bike for trackdays? It does mean having to either go in different groups or go to different days seperately. And then of course there is the issue of transport....

Anyway I'm getting off topic. A GSXR600 SRAD should be an ideal trackbike if sorted (if a little on the fat side perhaps) as it has about the right amount of power to be fun, but isn't intimidating and will handle well enough. Basically, with the right rider an SRAD will be able to keep up in the fast group so you aren't being held back by the bike.

If you want to track prepare the bike, you'll need to think about transport as you more than likely will be removing all of the parts that make it road legal and either keeping them, selling them or throwing them away. If you do this, you'll need access to a van or a trailer and a car with a towbar. Personally I prefer the idea of a van as I can sleep in the back when I arrive at a trackday the night before.

The first thing I would do to prepare a trackbike is service it and check over all of the consumable items - especially brake pads, tyres, steering head bearings, wheel bearings, suspension bushes and all that and replace if necessary. Then I would examine the chain and sprockets and again replace if necessary. The next step would be considering what I want to do with the standard fairing and road legal bits. If its a bit too nice to sling down the road I'd purchase a cheap aftermarket fairing and remove all the lights, indicators, mirrors, bodywork, and associated gubbins. Then fit the aftermarket parts. This is not an easy process as no doubt there will be no holes for screws or anything so you'll need to cut and drill the fairing as necessary.

Once I've done that I'd cover the speedo with black tape. You don't need to know your speed on track, and it is a distraction. so get rid of it. Don't remove it completely though as you might want to sell the bike as a road bike further on down the line.

Finally I'd consider some upgrades but only if the rest of the stuff has been complete. If the bike already has an aftermarket exhaust I'd noise test it as you really don't want to be chucked out of a trackday before you even get on track. It almost happened to me and it wasn't pleasant. If its got a standard exhaust then I'd leave it on personally.

Next you probably want to think about ground clearance, and aftermarket rearsets will help you out - plus they should be cheaper to replace if damaged if you buy the sort that is sold to racers at a club race weekend - IE the cheaper ones, not the black anodised Gilles type.

Once thats all done you can consider brake and suspension upgrades. I wouldn't personally tune a trackday bike - there isn't any point and it'll only make it less reliable.

I'm still not exactly sure what the original question was, but I hope I've helped you out somehow.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[brett750]

thanks for that

I will be getting a van in the next couple of month for work and off roading. We were going to get a bike to share and take it in turns doing track days untill we know if we want to invest a few grand each into our own track bike. We were thinking of removing the road gear but leaving the standard fairings on it and leaving the brakes and suspension mods with just braided lines. that way we will only have mabe 6-700 quid each in it. basically like having a road bike and turning up for a track day.

the origional question was if this would be a good idea on a bike that age or if you have a better idea for a cheap entry into track days

[MarJay]

[Blue_SV650S]

[brett750]

ok thans lads thats verry helpful. a 400 is no good as im 6'3''. i think thats my question answered

[Blue_SV650S]

[MarJay]

[Gerrard]

As been said, I cant see the point of sharing a bike, to me it has more minus than plus points.
But as a suggestion do a track day on your road bike this will give you a better idea of whats needed plus the opportunity to chat to guys in the paddock..

Good luck with it.. might see you at Jerez one day.
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Chillin near Malaga.
Marco Simoncelli 58

[brett750]

yeah ive been looking at the new layout for donnington. seems pretty good. might look into doing a track day around july august time. i might sell the enduro bike if i like it as i dont thing road, track and enduro is possible with only 7 days in a week

[Gerrard]

[brett750]

its not the expense its just that i dont think a road bike a track bike and a enduro bike is a good idea. theres only 7 days in a week and i dont think i can fit everything in. something has to give. iv only had the enduro bike about 8 month aswell

[skyline]

I know a few people that share bikes on track days and I got into track days by someone letting me share there bike on a track day. Theres no harm in it but there definatly are a few pit falls. If one of you crash it will ruin the other ones day for a start lol. Also you'd have to either both miss a round each time, or pick the faster rider of the 2 and see if they can hack it in intermediate. Something I probably wouldnt advise for a first track day mind but without knowing how good you are cant really say. First thing I would do mind if getting any bike is look at spending some money on tyres. Get a cheap second hand set of wets as when it does rain, which being england it does alot, having the rain ruin your day sucks! And a good set of track tyres as touring tyres really arent up to track days. Aside from that a good service and check over and then hit the track for some thraping Might be worth looking into the cbr600's as well as you can get some pretty cheap (look for fx and upwards mind alloy frame etc)