[redwhite929rr]

Hello Ladies and Gentleman,

This has been my dream ever since i was a kid. Now I'm finally in a good finicial situation to do it. I can spend about $3500 on a race bike.

Race bike: What do I go for? Of course I'm in favor of a Honda. Probably 600's. Is the 600 class a good place to start?

What about racing clubs. I've heard of CCS, but I know there is another I can't think of that is popular. I'm in Chicago.

What are some of the typical costs in racing. Tires of corse, membership fees. Anything else?

I'd love to hear opinions of the most qualified group of motorcycle people I've ever come across.

Thank you!
Paul

[luvtolean]

If the thought of piling up all the money you have, some you don't, pouring gasoline on it and throwing a match doesn't bother you, you're ready to go racing.

Costs:

Race Entry fees. This will be per race. $100-$200 weekend.

Tires. I went throw a set per race weekend, or if i stretched it, a weekend and a trackday. Tires are $350-400

You will need practice so factor in as a minimum of one trackday a month.

Gas for your truck to and from the track.

Gas in the bike.

Possibly hotel fees.

Maintanance, brake pads, fluid, oil, filters, hell cans of brake cleaner go away rapidly.

I typically spent at least $1000 month during the season.

[roadracer319]

You can get rolling for $3500.00, easy. My first bike set me back $2200.00. It was a 92 F2 with F3 parts, I bought it ready to race(bodywork, fox shock, etc.) After you pick-up a bike, you will need to attend a license school.($150.00) Then buy your license (around a $100.00 for the year) Assuming you have leathers, helmet, gloves and boots, all you need now is a fresh set of tires ($300-350) and to pay your entry fees.($100-$200 for the weekend) Keep in mind, that's not including Friday practice(another $100.00) That should cover the basics.

[abtech]

Add to that the price of decent oil, the 2 thousand little things you will need (new windscreen, the latest pipe, chains and sprockets (different tracks require different gearing), jets or a PC etc.) along with the inevitable crash repair (ranging from an exhaust can and a brake lever all the way to radiators, bodywork, engine cases, helmet, leathers, gloves etc.) and you get an idea of what "Club" racing is all about.

Oh, I almost forgot: do it for more than a season or two and by the time you are 40 years old it will take you 5 minutes longer to stand up straight, get out of bed, stop limping or get out of a chair. Do it for more than 5 seasons and don't look too closely in the mirror while you're shaving, or you'll have to look at the crisscross scars from the multiple surgeries on your collarbone and the split in your teeth from a long forgotten highside. You probably won't want to spend much time doing anything that requires precise eye hand coordination since the 12th 120 mph getoff severed a bundle of nerves in your neck and your body can't quite remember the pathway to your index and middle fingers anymore . . .

Now, factor in the price of the most incredible experiences you may ever have (short of the birth of your child) and racing is basically priceless.

[dB]

Not sure about where you live, but here the 600 class is a pretty tough place to start. Huge grids, lots of testosterone, and not always the skill to go with it. Consider a lightweight twins class, or maybe even a larger displacement class that isn't as crowded.

One of the best things you can do is start attending club races. Walk around the pits and talk to people. You'll be surprised how friendly and helpful they can be.

[symonjester]

Does someone have a link? I'm looking to put my machine on the track for the first time this year (hopefully later this month if possible). Tracks? Clubs? etc...? Thanks

[dB]

Originally Posted by symonjester

Does someone have a link? I'm looking to put my machine on the track for the first time this year (hopefully later this month if possible). Tracks? Clubs? etc...? Thanks

The local club is AFM
Check out the "get started racing" link at the bottom.

[G-Force Junkie]

Originally Posted by abtech

Oh, I almost forgot: do it for more than a season or two and by the time you are 40 years old it will take you 5 minutes longer to stand up straight, get out of bed, stop limping or get out of a chair. Do it for more than 5 seasons and don't look too closely in the mirror while you're shaving, or you'll have to look at the crisscross scars from the multiple surgeries on your collarbone and the split in your teeth from a long forgotten highside.

Man, Im not even 30 yet and only 3rd season and all that applys!

[G-Force Junkie]

Answering your questions... Its going to depend alot on the bike you plan on running. 600 and up the previous posts pretty much covered it. An option is a smaller bike like a 125. Slicks are $250 a set and you can go 2-3 race weekends on a set. They crash well, pretty cheap to repair, and easy to work on. But you got to be mechanicaly inclined and like working in bikes as your pulling the clutch apart every month, and new top ends every 300 miles. Assuming you already have gear, truck, trailer, etc You can do it for probaly $300-400 a month.

Mike

[929flyer]

For the midwest area the best race org. is CCS. You can find the schedule, rulebook and newbie info at www.ccsracing.com.

They'll have races at Road America, over at Blackhawk in Rockford, down here by Omaha at Mid-America Motorplex, St. Louis Gateway, Heartland Park in Topeka, KS. Plus you'll see races towards the east as well.

For the amount your looking to spend you can find an older 600. Probably not the latest trick 03' R6. But an older R6, F4/F3 or GSXR600 (go for fuel injected). It'll be more about what you can do with the bike than how fast the bike "CAN" be.

The SV650 route is a great way to get going. Does have smaller grids around here and makes you learn to be faster with less HP. It's kinda the 'NEW' small two-stroke learn to race machine. With usually less maintenance. A 2-stroke guy has to like the wrenching. I've seen SV race bikes down in Florida for $2500-$3000. Up in our neck of the woods they seem to go for $3500 on up. Now that's just what I've seen, but I haven't been intently looking for one. Nice thing compared to the 600 is that it will MOST likely be easier to sell if you want to move on to a bigger machine next year. The 'older' 600 you would buy just got 'older yet' when you go to sell it next year.

If you buy a stock SV650 you'll still spend $3000, or more, most likely and have quite a bit of dough to put into race prepping. Better to look for an all ready to go race SV. Only cheaper SV would be a wrecked one that opens up to a host of potential problems that you might not want to chew off.

If you have more questions just e-mail TIGERBLADE..... Or me if you need to.

[tigerblade]

There are a lot of great people in your area racing CCS. It wouldn't be a bad idea to just come out for a weekend and talk to everyone so you can get a sense of what you really want to do.

Also start asking questions here . The board is mostly frequented by racers in the Midwest/Great Lakes/Great Plains regions. There are a lot of people who can help.

My e-mail is kyounger@shelterinsurance.com if you want to ask anything without posting it for public scrutiny.

Good luck and hope to see you at the track!

[ccwilli3]

Originally Posted by tigerblade

There are a lot of great people in your area racing CCS. It wouldn't be a bad idea to just come out for a weekend and talk to everyone so you can get a sense of what you really want to do.

Also start asking questions here . The board is mostly frequented by racers in the Midwest/Great Lakes/Great Plains regions. There are a lot of people who can help.

My e-mail is kyounger@shelterinsurance.com if you want to ask anything without posting it for public scrutiny.

Good luck and hope to see you at the track!

Careful, this guy will try to lure you into his "lair"...

[RRWANTR]

Originally Posted by symonjester

Does someone have a link? I'm looking to put my machine on the track for the first time this year (hopefully later this month if possible). Tracks? Clubs? etc...? Thanks

Here's the WSMC web site. They race at Willow Springs. If you look for a post in the racers forum, I just passed new racer school and had my first race last month. Can't wait for the next one in 2 weeks. It's a blast!

[tigerblade]

Originally Posted by ccwilli3

Careful, this guy will try to lure you into his "lair"...

Do you or Mike have any complaints? No, I thought not. Now shut it.

[redwhite929rr]

Thank for the replies everyone!

Abtech: Your crazy man! But your right in a way. Racing is in my blood. I'd rather take chances in life, than sitting around wishing I did.

Tigerblade: Thank you for your email. I'll be using it.

Everyone else: Thank you!

I'm going to do some more research, and post back if I have any more questions.

[WetShrub]

Originally Posted by symonjester

Does someone have a link? I'm looking to put my machine on the track for the first time this year (hopefully later this month if possible). Tracks? Clubs? etc...? Thanks

Symon, if you are just looking to get on the track...(i.e. not race) check out a school first. DP safety school, California Superbike School, etc.

If you want a track day without a school, try here:

Track Junkie

Or try the other links provided for racing. I am starting my first season of AFM racing this month at Buttonwillow. If you plan on getting into AFM I would do it soon as the racer schools fill up quick.

-Shrub

[luvtolean]

Guys, he's in Illinois.

[nedro]

Originally Posted by luvtolean

Guys, he's in Illinois.

Ice racing

[h8mondays]

I think it was someone on the board that once said if you want a taste of racing, take a rope and drag your bike down the block behind your car. Whatever breaks off is what you will need to get spares for.

Everyone here pretty much nailed it down for you. The costs to get into racing don't appear too bad until you're there and then they pile up quickly. I typically spend a minimum of $600 per race weekend and that's if there's no problems or crashes.

Look into Light Weight Twins like an SV or something similar. 600's are a tough crowd to get started in, but many have done it and done well. Good luck in your endeavor and keep us posted. There are many of us who race, but few who've raced as long as Abtech

h8

[tigerblade]

Originally Posted by luvtolean

Guys, he's in Illinois.

Some of the responses were for symonjester in CA.

[symonjester]

Originally Posted by tigerblade

Some of the responses were for SymonJester in CA.

Yeah, that Symonjester, what a

Thanks all for the help. I'm looking into a two day course now. With only 20K of experience under my belt it's likely safer I do semi-private lessons...for everyone else on the track

[tigerblade]

Originally Posted by symonjester

Yeah, that Symonjester, what a

Thanks all for the help. I'm looking into a two day course now. With only 20K of experience under my belt it's likely safer I do semi-private lessons...for everyone else on the track

Just hold your line and be predictable and you'll have no problems. Faster guys will work their way around you.

[symonjester]

Originally Posted by tigerblade

Just hold your line and be predictable and you'll have no problems. Faster guys will work their way around you.

The funny thing is I don't have 'lines' to hold yet Will I really chew through a set of tires on a track day? That just sounds a little...well...agressive.

[lfg929]

Depends on how agressive you ride. It also depends on how much you trust your tires and how well they hold up. I have done a sprint weekend and then a track day weekend on a set of Michelin Pilot Race 2's (S2 front, M2 rear) with no problems. They seem to wear pretty well and the front never