Sadly one of our members wrote about crashing his Busa on a track ride a couple weeks ago. I sure thought about that Monday when I had my first track ride on my Busa (and the first track time since a little club riding on a Yam RD250 some 22 years ago). Happily both the Busa and I were unscathed.
Yes, I was probably the slowest rider among a field of about 50 sport bikes, mostly 600s, GSXR750s, R1s, CBR900s and Ducatis. Except on the 1/2 mile front straight at Willow Springs where I'd out drag most everyone up to 140-145 by the start-finish line after timid exits from tricky turn 9. Of course, I was on the brakes way early for turn 1, so I got passed a lot at the end of the straight.
It was a wonderful experience and the bike was flawless all day. I had two goals -- don't hurt me, don't hurt the bike -- and then learn as much as I could. It definitely gave me a lot more confidence. Who knows, after a few more days on the track I might even scrub the tires all the way to the edge.
My stock rear Bridgestone was brand new, so I was super cautious the first few laps. It warmed up nicely, however, and began to show heavy scouring while sticking just fine at my speeds. Suspension setup was stock, and I even left on my accessory center stand with nary a scraping sound.
I felt that the best way to preserve both the bike and me was to rely on torque more than horsepower, so I kept the revs toward the low side in the turns and was gentle with the throttle. But as soon as I got it upright again I hammered it and was amply rewarded, as we always are on this machine.
I know its not really a track bike, and I'm not really a track rider. But it was an incredible and relatively safe thrill. I'd urge others of you who haven't tried it to do so. Just check your ego at the gate and concentrate on having fun rather than setting records. I plan to follow my own advice and get back out there just as soon as I can.
Yes, I was probably the slowest rider among a field of about 50 sport bikes, mostly 600s, GSXR750s, R1s, CBR900s and Ducatis. Except on the 1/2 mile front straight at Willow Springs where I'd out drag most everyone up to 140-145 by the start-finish line after timid exits from tricky turn 9. Of course, I was on the brakes way early for turn 1, so I got passed a lot at the end of the straight.
It was a wonderful experience and the bike was flawless all day. I had two goals -- don't hurt me, don't hurt the bike -- and then learn as much as I could. It definitely gave me a lot more confidence. Who knows, after a few more days on the track I might even scrub the tires all the way to the edge.
My stock rear Bridgestone was brand new, so I was super cautious the first few laps. It warmed up nicely, however, and began to show heavy scouring while sticking just fine at my speeds. Suspension setup was stock, and I even left on my accessory center stand with nary a scraping sound.
I felt that the best way to preserve both the bike and me was to rely on torque more than horsepower, so I kept the revs toward the low side in the turns and was gentle with the throttle. But as soon as I got it upright again I hammered it and was amply rewarded, as we always are on this machine.
I know its not really a track bike, and I'm not really a track rider. But it was an incredible and relatively safe thrill. I'd urge others of you who haven't tried it to do so. Just check your ego at the gate and concentrate on having fun rather than setting records. I plan to follow my own advice and get back out there just as soon as I can.
