I found these notes in my journal, thought I would share.
1. Be prepared: This applies to anything you do on a motorcycle, but since track experiences tend to be extreme it is very important here. Being prepared is more than just covering your bases in the event of a problem, it sets your frame of mind and helps you maintain focus. Anything that you are worried about is a distraction so removing distractions is always a good move. Once you have experienced being prepared, you will find that not wearing your gear or not checking the bike over are so distracting you won't enjoy the ride without proper preparation anymore.
2. Tracks Really are safer: When I got home from the track the first time I was actually uncomfortable on the street. The track is so wide, to come back to one side of a road that is a fraction of the width of a track is enlightening shall we say? When you ride the track you don't look for on-coming traffic, or animals, or scan the road surface for gravel and oil. You have to ride the track to appreciate how many dangers are on the street.
3. Motorcycles are amazing: What motorcycles can do is amazing and you're probably just scratching the surface of the skill needed to maximize them. When I first went to the track I had thousands of street miles under my belt. What I realized is that those skills I was developing either worked best or only worked in the 0-40% performance envelope I was riding in on the street. The Hayabusa really is amazing. It is not a race replica, but it is a formidable motorcycle on the track. It frustrated several Ducatis when they passed it easily in the turns only to have it zoom by on the straights.
4. Tires are amazing: You can feel when a tire gets hot. It feels glued to the ground. The rubber shreds up in little melted rolls and the tire is very hot to the touch. After a few sessions the tire changes from a normal rubber texture to a harder shell, I suppose the plasticisers are released from the tread as the tire heats and cools. Tires also work at very low pressures. The lower the pressure the more you have to ride the bike correctly to keep feeling. It's hard to think of an air filled rubber tube as a machine, at least until you've been on the track.
5. Not all track days are alike: I'm not going to give names but I was pretty uncomfortable on my first track day. There were too many people on track at to wide of a skill level. Also the coaches were the ones I feared the most, as they would buzz by and cut in front of you in turns and breaking zones. The second track day (with a different company) was awesome. I felt comfortable at all times on the track and they were friendly and informative.
1. Be prepared: This applies to anything you do on a motorcycle, but since track experiences tend to be extreme it is very important here. Being prepared is more than just covering your bases in the event of a problem, it sets your frame of mind and helps you maintain focus. Anything that you are worried about is a distraction so removing distractions is always a good move. Once you have experienced being prepared, you will find that not wearing your gear or not checking the bike over are so distracting you won't enjoy the ride without proper preparation anymore.
2. Tracks Really are safer: When I got home from the track the first time I was actually uncomfortable on the street. The track is so wide, to come back to one side of a road that is a fraction of the width of a track is enlightening shall we say? When you ride the track you don't look for on-coming traffic, or animals, or scan the road surface for gravel and oil. You have to ride the track to appreciate how many dangers are on the street.
3. Motorcycles are amazing: What motorcycles can do is amazing and you're probably just scratching the surface of the skill needed to maximize them. When I first went to the track I had thousands of street miles under my belt. What I realized is that those skills I was developing either worked best or only worked in the 0-40% performance envelope I was riding in on the street. The Hayabusa really is amazing. It is not a race replica, but it is a formidable motorcycle on the track. It frustrated several Ducatis when they passed it easily in the turns only to have it zoom by on the straights.
4. Tires are amazing: You can feel when a tire gets hot. It feels glued to the ground. The rubber shreds up in little melted rolls and the tire is very hot to the touch. After a few sessions the tire changes from a normal rubber texture to a harder shell, I suppose the plasticisers are released from the tread as the tire heats and cools. Tires also work at very low pressures. The lower the pressure the more you have to ride the bike correctly to keep feeling. It's hard to think of an air filled rubber tube as a machine, at least until you've been on the track.
5. Not all track days are alike: I'm not going to give names but I was pretty uncomfortable on my first track day. There were too many people on track at to wide of a skill level. Also the coaches were the ones I feared the most, as they would buzz by and cut in front of you in turns and breaking zones. The second track day (with a different company) was awesome. I felt comfortable at all times on the track and they were friendly and informative.
