Cheapest track bike?

[Frankie675]

I am going to be picking up a track bike in the next couple of months and have been doing as much research as possible. I think I've come to the conclusion that a 2nd Gen sv650 would be the best bang for the buck.

I'm looking at:
Price
Aftermarket Parts / Price
Needs title and be streetable
Easy to work on / Easy maintenance

The goal is to spend around $2000 and have it on the track(not including any aftermarket goodies). I already have full body protection so I'm not worried there.

Are there any other bikes that I could possibly do this with? Anything else to look into?

Thanks

[Titus]

Why do you say it needs to be streetable?

I would look for a bike that's already been race prepped. That's where the best bargains are.

Have you checked the MRA for ale section?

[rybo]

Both first and second gen SV's are excellent trackbikes. There is no real reason to avoid a first gen bike, and in some ways they are better bikes than the 2nd gen machines.

early 2000's GSXR's and same generation R6's are also excellent first trackbikes with a wide availability of parts and aftermarket goodies. These bike are possibly better supported by the aftermarket than the SV, but there are plenty of bits for the SV too.

I can't think of a better first trackbike than the SV650. It's one of those bikes that is easy enough to ride that you can actually use it on your first few days and good enough that you will never actually outgrow it. One of the fastest guys in the MRA is still racing one that he's raced for years.

[Ghost]

Fwiw, I had a first-gen SV650 as a track bike, yes it's carb'd but other than that I don't think the second-gen is different enough to warrant the extra cost.

I'd find a cheap, ex-race/ex-MRA SV that's already set to go and just not worry about streeting it.

But, if you must street it then you may as well just buy an SV, swap out the glycol and just run it more-or-less stock.

[matt2778]

I race a first gen sv650. Depending on the day I can chase down some 600s

[spideyrdr]

The '03-04 Yamaha R6 is also a solid choice, and I say that not just because I ride one on the track. I say that because I ride one on the track and have seen a plethora of bikes, parts, and knowledge for that model. Did I just say 'plethora'? Oh, yes I did.

The '05 R6 is nearly the same too, with the exception being the upside down front fork which means some other nuances. The '05 is a great bike too, but since this was the only year of that design, front end parts may be harder to come by.

The slick part of the 03-04 is that the 2006+ R6s is basically the exact same bike as the 03-04 R6 so there are shittonloads of newish parts available for this bike. I spent $2700 on my '03 R6 track-ready bike in June 2010, including a bike carrier and a front stand. I've seen a number of that vintage bike come and go for around $2 to $3 grand, fully race-prepped over the last 2 years. Speaking of vintage, the '03 model will be eligible to race in the MRA's "Modern Vintage" class starting next year.

As of this year, the 03-04 R6 can run in more classes than you can shake a stick at, at least for a novice. You could literally race in 2 sprint races and 2 endurance races, if not more, on Saturday alone on the '03-04 R6 if you had the stamina and money for the tires and gas and race fees. That's a lot of racing in one day.

As far as getting a title and keeping it streetable, good luck. Not that there is anything shady with race bikes, per se, but there seems to be a lot of race bikes that are sold with a bill of sale only, presumably because they are bought as salvage bikes for the sole purpose of turning them into a race bike. Swapping track bodywork to street bodywork is not the only issue, but figure are you going to insure a bike that you're racing? At the $2000 budget, I'd personally forget the concept of making it streetable since the exhaust is probably going to be louder than you normal street exhaust, the controls are likely to be setup for the track, and it's not going to be ideal on the track if it's also a daily driver. My race bike is setup to have a push button start and a non-locking quick release gas cap - messing around with keys at the track is a huge pain in the ass you don't want to deal with. But it would make it stupidly vulnerable to theft and someone dropping a deuce into the gastank on the street.

The SV is a favorable first choice, don't get me wrong. You asked for and other bikes that you could possibly go with, so the R6 is one I would recommend.

Cheers,
Jamie

[WolFeYeZ]

http://forums.mra-racing.org/viewtop...63528c621ab799

I have an 05 that is basically the same bike. It rocks

[Wrider]

Cheapest one? Check out your local Steele's Cycle and ask for a test ride...

[Frankie675]

[QUOTE=Ghost;665577]Fwiw, I had a first-gen SV650 as a track bike, yes it's carb'd but other than that I don't think the second-gen is different enough to warrant the extra cost.
QUOTE]

This is good info! I've been trying to find the major differences between the 1st and 2nd gen besides the carb or fi.

[Frankie675]

The '03-04 Yamaha R6 is also a solid choice, and I say that not just because I ride one on the track. I say that because I ride one on the track and have seen a plethora of bikes, parts, and knowledge for that model. Did I just say 'plethora'? Oh, yes I did.

The '05 R6 is nearly the same too, with the exception being the upside down front fork which means some other nuances. The '05 is a great bike too, but since this was the only year of that design, front end parts may be harder to come by.

The slick part of the 03-04 is that the 2006+ R6s is basically the exact same bike as the 03-04 R6 so there are shittonloads of newish parts available for this bike. I spent $2700 on my '03 R6 track-ready bike in June 2010, including a bike carrier and a front stand. I've seen a number of that vintage bike come and go for around $2 to $3 grand, fully race-prepped over the last 2 years. Speaking of vintage, the '03 model will be eligible to race in the MRA's "Modern Vintage" class starting next year.

As of this year, the 03-04 R6 can run in more classes than you can shake a stick at, at least for a novice. You could literally race in 2 sprint races and 2 endurance races, if not more, on Saturday alone on the '03-04 R6 if you had the stamina and money for the tires and gas and race fees. That's a lot of racing in one day.

As far as getting a title and keeping it streetable, good luck. Not that there is anything shady with race bikes, per se, but there seems to be a lot of race bikes that are sold with a bill of sale only, presumably because they are bought as salvage bikes for the sole purpose of turning them into a race bike. Swapping track bodywork to street bodywork is not the only issue, but figure are you going to insure a bike that you're racing? At the $2000 budget, I'd personally forget the concept of making it streetable since the exhaust is probably going to be louder than you normal street exhaust, the controls are likely to be setup for the track, and it's not going to be ideal on the track if it's also a daily driver. My race bike is setup to have a push button start and a non-locking quick release gas cap - messing around with keys at the track is a huge pain in the ass you don't want to deal with. But it would make it stupidly vulnerable to theft and someone dropping a deuce into the gastank on the street.

The SV is a favorable first choice, don't get me wrong. You asked for and other bikes that you could possibly go with, so the R6 is one I would recommend.

Cheers,
Jamie

This is what I like to hear. Guess I'll have to do some research on the 03-04 r6.

[Bueller]

If you are looking for economy the SV's are great, if you want super economical and a bike that will teach you how to ride a bike close to full potential get a ninja 250. As long as your ego can handle the little bike it will be one of the funnest most educational bikes you can ride. Everything about operating one is cheap and they are extremely suited for a small track like IMI which makes track time super cheap.
I raced and R6 and an RC51 back in '05-'06 and moved to a 250 2 years ago and loved it. Wish I could have started on one. Now I am on an SV650 and trying to apply all I learned on the 250 to this bike. I still get passed in the long straights but the corners are where the fun is.

[Sean]

I found a deal a few years back on a 99 R6 that was raced by a guy in the MRA (actually, many guys in the MRA). Easy to work on, shit-ton of parts on the market, there's a ton of them out there, and you could easily make it streetable. Watch the MRA boards. SV would be an awesome bike too, just throwing out my $.02

[asp_125]

I would forget streetable. After a while any track bike gets more and more mods and less and less rideable for the street. It's easier to leave the race tires on, the track gearing, the zip ties and duct tape in place.

[matt2778]

[QUOTE=Frankie675;665594]

Fwiw, I had a first-gen SV650 as a track bike, yes it's carb'd but other than that I don't think the second-gen is different enough to warrant the extra cost.
QUOTE]

This is good info! I've been trying to find the major differences between the 1st and 2nd gen besides the carb or fi.

1gen makes more power with mods. 2gen makes more power stock vs stock

[Foolds]

http://forums.mra-racing.org/viewtop...63528c621ab799

I have an 05 that is basically the same bike. It rocks

Ha that ones sold and In My garage =)

[spideyrdr]

It's easier to leave the race tires on, the track gearing, the zip ties and duct tape in place.

Amen!

[Slo]

I had found a track bike for a friend for 1800. 04 gsxr600 with tons of goodies. Extra gas tank, plastics, levers, clip ons, rearsets, stands, warmer, clutch and pistons, even had extra dzus fasteners, and a few bags of random parts.

Was a good find, guy was moving and had less than a week to go.

[Frankie675]

This is all very good information.

I guess I'm gonna stay away from the streetable option. It was more of the thought of having a backup if anything ever happend to the triumph.

[Ghost]

This is all very good information.

I guess I'm gonna stay away from the streetable option. It was more of the thought of having a backup if anything ever happend to the triumph.

It's really not worth the PITA to have a streetable track bike.

Either you'll be a racer who hits every race and thus you need it in track trim all the time, or you'll be a weekend warrior who does the odd track day now and then and doesn't want the last-minute hassle of pulling off all the street shit, swapping out the glycol and dicking around at 3am for the 7am track day meeting.

[sag]

and bikes without paperwork are quite a bit cheaper

[r6rammy]

you just need a brake light setup, tags and a fog lamp acting as headlamps to be streetable. As long as the factory harness is untouched, then any bike can be made streetable.

[Frankie675]

you just need a brake light setup, tags and a fog lamp acting as headlamps to be streetable. As long as the factory harness is untouched, then any bike can be made streetable.

This is more or less what I meant. I'll still have my daytona for the street so The track bike will stay set up for the track.

[r6rammy]

This is more or less what I meant. I'll still have my daytona for the street so The track bike will stay set up for the track.

I was just told today that in CO, street bikes needs atleast one mirror also. Maybe a bar end mirror would work?

[Streetdoctor]

<--- SV for sure. Lots of fun to beat on the liter bikes on a little ole 650 too