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Need Some General Track Info

2K views 26 replies 10 participants last post by  goingtoscotland 
#1 ·
*Mods feel free to move this thread if needed.*

So I got a 2007 zx6r at a steal of a price:

http://www.kawiforums.com/newbie-corner/201647-i-have-entered-realm-kawi.html


If you read my info in the link above, you can kind of see my background. But I'm looking to turn this bike into a track bike. And yes, it will be my first track bike, but not first bike.

So i'm looking for anyone with:
some general knowledge
pointers
advice on gear(I've heard some places don't allow 2 piece suits which is what I have at the moment)
advice on mods(specificaly for the bike I have. I know the general "suspension, ecu flash, rearsets, etc.")
And anything else you want to throw in there.
 
#4 ·
Nice start to a great trackbike.
This is who I bought my track fairings from. I couldn't justify spending $900+ on farings that are going to be wrecked at some point. Optimal Racing Kawasaki 07-08 ZX6 Bodywork - Superbikestore.Net.
I know the front suspension is crap for the track. You might be able to get some new internals, I also know that people have fitted the Showa BPF to the 07-08.
A 1 piece is really nice. I wouldn't feel comfortable on the track with a 2 piece. Zippers break. The 07-08 are geared really high. so new sprockets are needed.
 
#6 ·
If you have a R1, just make it all track. The 07-08 wasn't the greatest bike for the street. It is rather uncomfortable.
 
#8 ·
That's what I am saying. I saw that you have a R1. Your other post (5) made it sound like you wanted to keep the bike street legal and ride track and street.
 
#9 ·
Ohhh, my fault. Yea I'm having one of those days... :drunk:

My only reason for wanting the zx6r to be street legal is because the R1 was just more of a project that I wanted to see if I could do, and it's not the type of bike I would ever "push" on the streets. I would LIKE to have a bike that I could have some fun with on the street curves along with the track since I have never been on the track. Like I said, it's an idea.
 
#10 ·
Never been to the track, I would suggest getting decent pit stuff. Don't have to go all out yet but get stuff you can use for a long time. You want to be comfortable and be able to relax after you get off the track. EzUp, some chairs, good cooler, at a minimum. Trailer, fan/AC, table, bicycle/pit bike etc if you want to really chill out. Make sure the forks are straight, slap some track plastics on it, rearsets, clipons, set up your suspension for you.

You are going to sign up for beginner for your first few trackdays, keep the right mindset, you will get bumped up if they think you are ready or you could ask and they will see if you are ready. I only say that because of your "will race for parts" joke. Go ahead and get a 1 piece suit since you plan to make this a habit, used or cheap is a good route, plenty of good quality cheap suits out there, boots, spare gloves and helmet. Wait to get your power upgrades, no point right now unless the exhaust is busted up from the other guy's wreck.

You have plenty of time to get it in shape for the track
 
#12 ·
Hey Flexx. I track my car and my bikes. all are 'street legal', b/c I enjoy driving them all on the street.

Here in the bay area in CA, most HPDE providers have lap times you must meet if you want to bump up a level. For example, Thunderhill, to be B+ 2:20 or better, 2:10 or better for A group.

Not sure what you mean by pointers. usually they have volunteers instructors to instruct and 'police' the track. most B+ and B- have restrictions on passing, like minimum 6 foot, and pass only on the outside (safer), in corners.
 
#14 ·
you're close as hell to the track i practically live at.. it's short notice, but if you can get to the NCCAR facility this weekend, talk to billy or mark on what you need to get out there. im a tech inspector and team tech. i won't be there this weekend sadly, but i hope to see ya there some time!

Home » Team Pro-Motion
 
#16 ·
*Mods feel free to move this thread if needed.*

So I got a 2007 zx6r at a steal of a price:

http://www.kawiforums.com/newbie-corner/201647-i-have-entered-realm-kawi.html


If you read my info in the link above, you can kind of see my background. But I'm looking to turn this bike into a track bike. And yes, it will be my first track bike, but not first bike.

So i'm looking for anyone with:
some general knowledge
pointers
advice on gear(I've heard some places don't allow 2 piece suits which is what I have at the moment)
advice on mods(specificaly for the bike I have. I know the general "suspension, ecu flash, rearsets, etc.")
And anything else you want to throw in there.
Welcome dude! Glad to see a new track oriented member.

Bare with me with my advice, im slightly hung over still. :p

A great track oriented book to read would be Keith Codes Twist of a Wrist series. There is also a video of the book available as well.

When you start out at the track, learn as much you can from control riders (such as good lines, critique on proper body positioning etc)


Bike advice:

Save a bunch of money and don't blow it all on parts. Maintaining a dedicated track bike is not cheap.

Keep the bike mostly stock aside from fiberglass track fairings and fresh hypersport tires. I say this because if your bike goes down you can always replace broken stock rearsets etc with aftermarket ones.

I highly recommend buying armourbodies or sharkskin bodywork. Its expensive but can handle crashing pretty well. Cheap fiberglass is a bitch to repair and is about as durable as primered cardboard.

Avoid buying parts for power gains or looks. If you aren't racing there's no point in buying an expensive exhaust or even a fuel computer / ecu.

If you want to invest in something that will benefit you in the long run, buy after market suspension.

I recommend different valves and proper spring rate in the front forks and an aftermarket shock in the rear with proper spring rate

For tires, I recommend some hypersport tires such as Michelin power pures, Dunlop sportmax q2's, Bridgestone s20's



Also if you have any 07/08 6r specific questions, feel free to hit me up.
 
#17 ·
Bike advice:

Avoid buying parts for power gains or looks. If you aren't racing there's no point in buying an expensive exhaust or even a fuel computer / ecu.

If you want to invest in something that will benefit you in the long run, buy after market suspension.
The more expensive parts you put on the less you will be able to put it back together cuz you're lacking of funds by the time you put that much cash into it and getting on the track,fuel and tires.

Buddy of mine thinks he can be faster by having invested in full Ohlins suspension (front&rear).
His suspension is so stiff (yes he's 230lbs without gear, but still) that his forks look extended/pushed out off the stand the same as ON the front stand.
He's bitching about his 600 not wanting to lean in corners but doesnt take any of our good advice about what to change on his setup.

The thing is, get to know your stock suspension, put some heavier oil in it (10w stock, go 15w as example),play around with it for a long time and then think about a suspension upgrade.
If you don't know what each setting of the suspension does, you wont have as much fun on the track cuz you dont know what to adjust when it's a colder/hotter day from the time when you got it dialed in.

Not knowing much about suspension, like my friend, will hurt your ego and wallet if trying to compensate with better suspension parts.


I'm concentrating on CNC machining my own 48hole base plate for rear sets so i can use stock pegs but still got the super adjustability of raceing rearsets. Don't like those stiff pegs either since I get the occasional scrape and don't intend to lift my bike with a footpeg. It's a ZZR600, so it got lower stock footpegs than the newer zx6r.
 
#18 ·
I'll be honest Flexx,
get out on the track first before you decide what needs upgrading. you really can't whack your bike on the street the way you can on a track, so IMO, you'll have to whack it first to see what you want to change, like gearing, braking, tires....

To me, this would be the minimum:
rearsets, SS brakelines, synthetic fluid, water wetter (if mandated by the trackday provider), better tires (not necessarily slicks).

riding fast on a track isn't rocket science. you want to be on the throttle as much as you can, and be on the brake as little as you can (use the shorteest braking distance, maximum braking effect).

this means you need to learn the behavior of your bike for max throttle (it can take for the track you are on), and threshold (max) braking, as well as trailbraking.

Then there is body position to help with max lean angle and corner speed, and suspension, not trying to underplay anything or oversimplify.

there's usually a suspension dude you pay to dial it in at the track. if you do a novice school, sometimes it's a free suspension tune.

If is far more elegant and difficult to ride a bike well on a track than a car, IMHO.

and even you have a fast bike, you are still the rider. most bikes stock, we can't touch or tap into it's max performance, b/c we don't have that high a level of riding skills, or balls to do it.

Personally I just want to be a better rider, that's why I track. I know already, on the street, it's saved my bacon, knowing how my bike will behave under certain conditions. it's confidence inspiring.
 
#22 ·
I'll be honest Flexx,
get out on the track first before you decide what needs upgrading. you really can't whack your bike on the street the way you can on a track, so IMO, you'll have to whack it first to see what you want to change, like gearing, braking, tires....

To me, this would be the minimum:
rearsets, SS brakelines, synthetic fluid, water wetter (if mandated by the trackday provider), better tires (not necessarily slicks).

riding fast on a track isn't rocket science. you want to be on the throttle as much as you can, and be on the brake as little as you can (use the shorteest braking distance, maximum braking effect).

this means you need to learn the behavior of your bike for max throttle (it can take for the track you are on), and threshold (max) braking, as well as trailbraking.

Then there is body position to help with max lean angle and corner speed, and suspension, not trying to underplay anything or oversimplify.

there's usually a suspension dude you pay to dial it in at the track. if you do a novice school, sometimes it's a free suspension tune.

If is far more elegant and difficult to ride a bike well on a track than a car, IMHO.

and even you have a fast bike, you are still the rider. most bikes stock, we can't touch or tap into it's max performance, b/c we don't have that high a level of riding skills, or balls to do it.

Personally I just want to be a better rider, that's why I track. I know already, on the street, it's saved my bacon, knowing how my bike will behave under certain conditions. it's confidence inspiring.
I love this statement! So true.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Knowledge for the track?

This is what I'd do, it were my bike (coming from a guy that rides the track a lot), in order.

-change out the oil, filter, brake fluid, and coolant (for water wetter). The bike is fairly new, so I'd so the fork oil is fine at this point.
-rear sets (since yours are broken)
-stock master and clutch perch (or aftermarket if you can find a good deal)
-Q2's
-track body work
*with track body work, you will probably have to get an aftermarket header that gets rid of the cat, or else it could burn through the body work - I'm not sure, but a buddy of mine had to, but he also crashed a few times, so it might've been because something was tweaked*
-aftermarket rear shock sprung for your weight (that has been serviced within the last year, or else you should probably get it serviced when you buy it) - 05-12 zx6 shocks work if they have the remote reservoir. I have an 09, the shock on my bike was actually for an 05.
-SS brake lines
-clip on's

Keep all your spares (rear sets, clip on's, etc). You never know when you might need it, or the bolt that you threw away on the rear set that was broke. Keep a container of all the bolts you take off (fairings, etc)...they'll come in useful.

Buy used.

2007 ZX6R Track Bike Complete Part Out

^^clutch perch and if you have the money, pick up the woodcraft stator cover

cmra also has a classified, but i dont think they have anything for your bike right now. Search here, search zxforums, search ebay, search other kawi forums...I try not to buy stuff unless I can find it used for 60% of the cheapest I can buy it new for (NOT retail). It can be hard to come across those deals, but they do happen.

An extra set of wheels is always a good thing. Power Commander / Bazzazz can usually be had for cheap as well, but that's something I'd buy after track plastics (on my list). You can get a new chain / sprockets, but anything not on my list should be bought after everything on the list (my opinion of course), UNLESS you find a killer deal on something.

Have fun!
-Cody
 
#21 ·
and last post, as far as gear goes. Did I mention buy used? Except for your helmet...I draw the line at helmets.

Anyway, Knox Contour back protector (or similar) is a must IMO. I wear a RS Taichi chest protector and knox multi-shorts. With that much gear under my suit, I actually have to order a size bigger for my suit to fit right. I'd say your suit, as long as it's a full circumference zipper, is fine for your first few track days. But look for good deals on other suits in the mean time.

I have Held Titan gloves which i also highly recommend. The Held Phantoms are great as well. I tend to stay away from A* gloves (and A* in general, but for other reasons), but their suits seem to hold up well.

My boots of choice are Sidi Vortice's. They're completely rebuildable, so when people are having to replace their boots because their soles have a hole in them from their rear sets, I can just replace the sole
-Cody
 
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#23 ·
lots of ppl assume I eventually want to race. car and bike. um no. contact is allowed in racing. me no likey contact.

track days and clinics and schools for me.

One example of a trackday saving my butt... my other bike is a 2011 cbr 1000rr. unfortunately my 09 zx6r was in the shop b/c an idiot rebuilt the forks wrong.
So I took my 1krr to the track for a couple of days. thank goodness I did. On my regular commute, I have a right lane exit from the freeway, I have my own lane as I exit onto a large 6 lane, fast street (50 mph speed limit)... everyday I exit this way. I commute at dawn.
anyway, farthead SUV driver, DID not look and came over into my lane. instinct is just that, and I was right in the middle of his SUV, b/t the rear door and the front passenger door, so my brain said brake, and I did.
had I not been practicing threshold braking on the track, I would not have known how hard to squeeze and my braking distance.
b/c I knew, it really wasn't a close call, as I quickly dissappeared from the smear the queer zone.

and of course I speed up to his driver's side window and waved my arm in a 'WTF' gesture. he obviously was puzzled. it was only 1 second, and then I blew out of there. but I wasn't shaken, just annoyed.

just one of many examples.
 
#25 ·
Must be nice. Jennings tech is ridiculous in that there really isn't any. You could have cords showing and they probably wouldn't catch it unless a CR was following you.

Tech in the paddock? Only if there's another rider there that has time and knows what he's doing. Suspension tech? Maybe CCS and WERA weekends, but that's it.
 
#26 ·
ohh man. if it was a TPM td there at jennings, i'd be there making sure shit was safe, as would errrbody else. lol i'll talk to the bossman and see if he can get some jennings days lined up. then i'll get down there to watch you whoolie the straight at 110mph.
 
#27 ·
Will have to be first session or last session with no one on the track. They don't take kindly to that kind of shenanigans, heh. You talk to the bossman and see if you can't get me a free track day, how about that? I'll work for it if need be. Help you out tech or whatever. I would also like the opportunity to wheelie past you on the straight ;)

When it's a JGP run track day tech is basically on the honor system, unless they're looking a lot closer than they appear to be when they check your wrist bands first session. I don't know about any of the other organizations that run Jennings.
 
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