Converting to a track bike

[LordShaftesbu...]

What would I need to do to be allowed to take my ER-6 onto the local racing track? I mean for club racing, not for trackdays.

I know I need lockwire on things, do I need anything else? For example do I need to remove the headlight?

I'm pretty sure I don't need to take the numberplate off. I'm hoping to get a daylight MoT so I can ride it to the circuit and back.

[Slacker24seve...]

[lihp]

For racing?

No lights (unless class requires them)
Lockwiring
No anti-freeze in coolant, water only
Stainless Steel brake lines
Catch tanks for any breathers
Belly pan must be fully enclosed capable of holding 50% of engine capacity of oil and water
Stand removed
Lower chain guard
A lot require LH switch gear to be removed

ACU license etc
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covent.gardens: lihp is my most favourite member ever

[LordShaftesbu...]

[lihp]

https://www.acu.org.uk/uploaded/1/documents/ACU-HANDBOOK_2013.pdf

You want to check that out for specific technical regulations for whatever class you choose to race. But be aware that the organisers may have additional rules so check with them also
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covent.gardens: lihp is my most favourite member ever

[G]

Minitwins says no headlights, some classes do allow them to be taped up (despite that they're all plastic these days anyway.)

However, racing tends to involve a lot of sitting around and a teeny bit of riding.

Not ideal for riding the bike there.

Nevermind that tyre warmers are very nice and the like.

[LordShaftesbu...]

[garth]

How much track riding experience do you have?

[Matt B]

[Red Devil]

Best off getting a set of race fairings which come with an oil catch tray already, you will crash at some point so no point wrecking your road fairings.
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Thundersport Pre-National Sport 600 2014 #92
EMRA Roadstock 600 2013 - 3rd
www.facebook.com/MattJohnstonRacing

[LordShaftesbu...]

[LordShaftesbu...]

[Red Devil]

Thought I would put a list together of some of the stuff you might want to consider if you’re serious about starting club racing:

A van. I have a little dispatch which does the job that I bought for £900, I’ve fitted a wheel chock to hold the front wheel behind the passenger seats which keeps the right side clear for other ‘stuff’. A SWB or bigger transit etc. would be better though! You can sleep in the back of the van if it is a 2 day meeting or a long journey so you head up the night before, not many people arrive the morning of a race meeting as it’s much better to get set up and get the bike through scruiteneering the night before. That way you have time to run around like a headless chicken when something goes wrong with your bike and you need to find the parts from somewhere in the paddock.

Generator – anything around 2kw+ will do the job of running warmers and a low power kettle. If you’re racing with a decent size club you will rarely/never get a power point.

Paddock stands (under yoke front stand might be best in case you ever need to remove the suspension – still need to get one myself).

Jerry cans – 2 x 20 litres (metal) is about right and should last the weekend (4 races) running the bike & genny. Make sure they have flammable stickers on them as you can be fined for not having them as per the ACU rules.

Fuel jug – cheap 5 litre one off ebay will do, you don’t want to be splashing petrol everywhere each time you fill up. Also useful for measuring how much fuel you need for each race/session.

Pump and tyre gauge for pressures.

Tyre warmers.

Gazebo/awning of some sort. The cheap ones from ebay tend to blow away/bend in to all sorts of shapes very quickly so it’s worth investing in a high quality one. I use the awning on my camper personally and it’s pretty strong. If you are going to be on grass (cadwell meetings) then get some flooring/wood for the paddock stands to go on).

Transponder. You can pick one up for around £250 second hand and it won’t lose its value or pay £25-40 depending on club to rent one each time.

Tools and lots of them! You need to be able to do a wide variety of jobs whilst in the paddock, whether it’s repairing crash damage or an unexpected problem. A table to pop everything on is always handy.

Something to cook food on. If you’re away for a couple of days hot meals are always good! A little gas cooker or an electric grill (limits what you can cook though) is perfect for the job.

Tyres…lots of them! When you first get started good scrubs will be fine to use but you’ll very quickly struggle to keep up on old tyres. Don’t worry too much about using new fronts but a new back tyre per meeting is a must to be on the pace, 2 if you can afford it!

Spare set of wheels with wets on. Get good at doing fast wheel changes in case it starts pissing it down 20 minutes before you’re out.

As many spares as you can get, levers, bars, casings, fairings, rear sets…all the usual stuff that goes first in a crash.

Different sprockets to gear the bike for different tracks. You want a 14/15 front and a selection of rears at least to begin with. Really you should have a longer/shorter chain to use when doing big changes in gearing to keep the wheelbase the same but if you’re poor like me then you won’t bother…make sure you chain can cover all your possible gearing options.

Spare helmet (gloves as well is a good shout) would be handy in case you have an off and it takes a whack (they WILL check it). I personally don’t use a £500 helmet for racing, I have a £35 LS2 one which has a 4 star safety rating and is comfortable as my more expensive Shark was.

The above is a just a rough guide to get you started, you’ll discover a lot more things as you go along and I’m still building my kit up which I take. It’s not a cheap hobby club racing but it’s quality, I only started this year and I’m hooked already. Just be prepared for it to take over your life! I don’t go on big nights out on the piss anymore and only rarely go out for a few beers as it’s just wasting money I can put into the next meeting/tyres/fuel. Most of my money each month goes into racing as I’m doing a couple of meetings per month at the moment to get in as much track time as possible in preparation for next season.

If you do decide to go for it you’ll love it, very little matches the buzz you get. Feel free to drop me a PM if you have any questions, more than happy to help where I can.

Matt
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Thundersport Pre-National Sport 600 2014 #92
EMRA Roadstock 600 2013 - 3rd
www.facebook.com/MattJohnstonRacing

[LordShaftesbu...]

Awesome stuff, that lot's a goldmine.

For the moment I'm most interested in the absolute bare minimum required to get me on track, rather than what I need to be competitive