How much does it cost to convert a bike to race ready?

[GMR]

Two thing I want to do are get wheelies down solid and get a track bike. I don't want to greatly increase the risk of dropping my R6 while learning wheelies, so have been looking into cheapie bikes to get and practice on, and probably make for track next year.
Looking at something like this
http://denver.craigslist.org/mpo/4157380788.html

How much is it going to cost me to get it track ready? Or is it cheaper to buy an already track ready bike?

[matt2778]

To be race ready can be done real cheap. Turkey pan for belly pan, some cheap number plates, drill and safety wiring to more or less free. Bigger cost is case covers, steering damper if doesn't have one. That would be bare min.

[rybo]

So, lets refine the question a little,

convert to track bike or convert to race bike?

track bike = $20

take out all antifreeze replace with distilled water
replace brake fluid with fresh make sure tires, brake pads, chain and sprockets are in good condition
remove mirrors
disable brake light

done

race bike

considerably more involved. If this is what you are looking to do let me know and ill provide a detailed list and additional resources.

-scott

[GMR]

So, lets refine the question a little,

convert to track bike or convert to race bike?

track bike = $20

take out all antifreeze replace with distilled water
replace brake fluid with ffresh make sure tires, brake pads, chain and sprockets are in good condition
remove mmirror
disable brake light

done

race bike

considerably more involved. If this is what you are looking to do let me know and ill provide a detailed list and additional resources.

-scott

Track bike. Don't you need to remove headlight for some reason as well?

[sloridr]

Track bike. Don't you need to remove headlight for some reason as well?
Just for track days I believe you just have to tape up all the lights.

[rybo]

Track bike. Don't you need to remove headlight for some reason as well?


No, taping over the lights is acceptable at all tracks in Colorado. Blue painters tape is the material of choice.

[One-ops]

Until you crash then your gonna wish you had race body work on it cause street plastic and headlights are stupid $

[asp_125]

It cost me $2400. I bought a race bike: salvage title, race plastics and safety wired. Sold it for $2K. Would do it again rather than risk my street bike. But yeah, if you want cheap, what Rybo said.

[rforsythe]

To be race ready can be done real cheap. Turkey pan for belly pan, some cheap number plates, drill and safety wiring to more or less free. Bigger cost is case covers, steering damper if doesn't have one. That would be bare min.

Though no longer in absolute context for this thread, be careful with the turkey pan thing. It's been acceptable as a one-time, new-rider "get me through my first date with the tech inspector" solution, but not beyond that. Not required at all for track days, but for any kind of racing beyond Super Street you will end up needing an appropriate belly pan, which generally implies appropriate race bodywork as well.

[slo lee]

GMR, another thought about getting a race ready bike. If you have track experience and have raced before with a club, then, if you get your bike, you're ready to go. But something tells me in the way you asked the question about race ready bike that you don't have that experience just yet. In that case I'd recommend that you get to know the racers in the Motorcycling Racing Association of Colorado (MRA) and start talking with someone who can explain the entirety of what's required for racing. Scott, who's posted a response to your question, is an excellent resource and can help you immensely. Track experience and racing is a lot of fun. Hope you'll follow up with your questions and find out about it.

[matt2778]

Though no longer in absolute context for this thread, be careful with the turkey pan thing. It's been acceptable as a one-time, new-rider "get me through my first date with the tech inspector" solution, but not beyond that. Not required at all for track days, but for any kind of racing beyond Super Street you will end up needing an appropriate belly pan, which generally implies appropriate race bodywork as well.

Really? I raced a SV with more or less a modified turkey pan for 1/3 of a mra race season

[Bueller]

It is supposed to be a very limited fix, usually for bikes that don't have bodywork available yet.

[blaircsf]

As someone who just did the turkey pan:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockymtnphotos2012/9681936333/in/set-72157635404667940
I can tell you about the only reason it got past MRA tech was because the race bodywork wasn't available yet. I'm fairly sure that since I have race bodywork now, the turkey pan won't fly next year. Race bodywork also has the advantage of being way easier to get on and off, allowing much easier coolant and oil changes and maintenance.

As other have said, it depends what you want to do. If you just want to ride it on the track, some blue tape and water will get you there.

[Bueller]

Get a prepped bike, it will pay off in the long run. Get a used MRA race bike and it will have most of the crap on it that you will end up paying for anyway. It is a never ending quest to build a more capable machine. Some people like to try to buy speed with all the latest bits, but there are some things you will end up buying.
Full exhaust, clipons, rearsets, tank grip, fuel control, body work, gearing and such. If you ever want to race you need case covers for the inline 4 motors.
If you are smart you get a prepped bike that will pass tech inspection. Let some one else pay for your goodies because they sure don't hold any resale value :)

[GMR]

I'll never actually race, my kind of job doesn't allow for the scheduling like that. All I'll get around to are open track days when I'm lucky. Somebody made mention of getting race plastics because headlights are really expensive if broken, so does that mean it's a fairly quick job to switch between race plastics and street plastics/headlights? If not, I don't know why it would matter or not if the headlights get smashed at one point or another

[Bueller]

If you plan on riding stock body until you crash (which will happen), might as well pull it now and sell it while it is worth something and use that $ to buy race body (fixable).

[matt2778]

It is supposed to be a very limited fix, usually for bikes that don't have bodywork available yet.

I believe yes and no. On one side if bodywork is no available is one thing. But I have seen a few sv's with only a belly pan. I, myself raced without official bodywork. A couple of riders from around the country race without bodywork only a windshield and belly pan.

[The GECCO]

No, taping over the lights is acceptable at all tracks in Colorado. Blue painters tape is the material of choice.

This isn't even required at HPR. The practice of taping up the lights goes back to the days when things were actually made of glass and the idea was that if the glass broke in a crash then hopefully the pieces would stick to the tape rather than end up all over the track. Totally unnecessary now, but people still do it because "that's how it's always been done".

But, to answer the original question - the best advice is to buy a used racebike that is already sorted out for track use. If it was done right it will already have all the bits n pieces that will make it survive the inevitable crash better (fiberglass bodywork, case covers, billet rearsets, etc).

[tarded400]

Sounds like you want a dirt bike. Wheelies super easily, incredibly cheap to fix after crash, cheap track days, cheap to buy.... But I may be biased. I've done sportbike track days but after crashing a dirt bike I can't imagine how expensive it would be on an SS. Not going to risk that.

[asp_125]

I remember seeing a tarded out dirtbike running in MRA races last season or the season before.

[GMR]

Sounds like you want a dirt bike. Wheelies super easily, incredibly cheap to fix after crash, cheap track days, cheap to buy.... But I may be biased. I've done sportbike track days but after crashing a dirt bike I can't imagine how expensive it would be on an SS. Not going to risk that.
A dirt bike is in my future. But first a truck to haul it. Hopefully I don't crash my current bike before I get the chance to practice around on a dirt bike

I'm never going to buy a house, am I...

[rybo]

I remember seeing a tarded out dirtbike running in MRA races last season or the season before.

We've had a variety of them over the years.

Chuck Shettsline on a modded CR500 between about 2002 and 2006
Chris Weed on a CRF 450 last year
Aaron Fisk on his KTM this year.

[BadR6Man]

the cheap thing to do is not to break rule #1 which is dont crash :)

[Slo]

I think the cheapest and easiest thing to do is buy a track prepped bike to begin with, also will benefit you to buy a 600 rather than a 1k. For the price of that bike, plus mods for the track, brake pads, lines, rearsets, just things so that you are not limited on the track, you could have a great track bike from the start.

2500-3000 or so could get you something that you could learn from over the years, just may not have a title (bill of sale only). Titles are a rarity for bikes that have significant track time and been sold a couple times or more.

[madvlad]

Keep your eye out on WERA classifieds and the MRA forums, there's some killer deals for race bikes sometimes. There was a 2007 CBR600RR full on race that went for $2500 with a title and extras, so just gotta be patient sometimes. I landed my race bike for $500 that needs minor work.