I have my first track day on the 959 at Sydney Motorsport Park (aka Eastern Creek) on the 8th of Oct! Looking forward to it. In the mean time, snaps from my last 2 track sessions, 2010 GSXR 1000 , 2014 ZX10R. I am curious to see how I go 40hp down on my last bike. I ride Green group (Fast). On the GSXR I was hitting 259 on the straight, the ZX10R 268. Expecting to see around 250 on the 959.
Third day doing track on the 959. Still new to track riding with lot's more to learn! Unfortunately not much opportunity to take good photos.
Here's a shot during my first day
8 Oct 2016 | Sydney Motorsport Park | Green (Fast) Group | 26 Rear, 30 Front, Stock bike, Race Mode 2/3/2
This is the second fastest group, the bike held up well, I couldn't keep the 1000cc back on the straights but definitely quicker than most through the rest of the track despite OEM rubber vs mostly SC / SP's and slicks.
I will say, the OEM rubber is bit outclassed in this group. Very twitchy out of the corners I suspect due to the dual compound transition when powering out.
On reviewing the footage I notice traction control (RACE mode 3) kicking in more and more as the day went on despite lap times saying fairly similar.
I thought the stock Showa / Sachs were fine (had them setup for my weight however). Better rubber might show up the suspension but the next group up is basically the semi-pro's running out and out racing bikes with all the good stuff.
Final thoughts, as an off the shelf bike for road and track, throw some Supercorsa SP v2 on it, get the suspension tunes for your weight and don't spend a penny more.
It's more than enough to do battle with the current crop of 1k bikes on all expect the straights in every group except the top tier.
@Bradley - excellent review! Thanks for the info and great pics!!
I'm a little take back by the fact you're not told to remove your tag, mirrors, kickstand or cover your lights... wow that's crazy...
They relaxed the rules a while back. Normal safety scrutinering applies and camera etc have to be lockwired to the bike. Full leathers no helmet attachments etc. Most of the bikes in yellow group upwards are dedicated track bikes (you can see in the photo) running tyre warmers anyway. The trade off with those rules is that it takes a bit longer to clear a crash :/ of which there are always several but it attracts a more diverse and interesting group to the track and good for business as a whole.
looks like i'll be at the track saturday at Hallett in Oklahoma. high of 65 so lets hope its sunny and i don't push too hard, typically i like it a little over 70 before i'll ride at the track
I know it's not a picture, but it's something! My first day back on the track in over 13 years... man was it a great feeling! Can't wait for the next event.
This was my second time out, first time was 4 laps worth no passing, just to try and remember the layout, scrub the Supercorsa V2's up a bit.. https://youtu.be/LT116J9KWL8
Heartland Park Topeka is open again after nearly 3 years of being shut down. They repaved it recently and its super smooth. Once some rubber gets down the grip levels should be fantastic, it rained all night and in the morning, This photo was from session 3 when the sun just started coming out
well oklahoma continues to **** me with wet conditions and cold temps... we had record flooding 2 days before the track day and that caused a ton of weepers to pop up when the temps came up after lunch. We still had a decent day and i got a few ok pics. i'll be back out in june and hopefully it'll be hot and the track will have more grip
also I've since added OZ Piega wheels and I felt a massive improvement in handling and braking at this track day. New wheels are expensive but so worth it.
Just had my first ever Track Day/Sport Rider Clinic last Friday at Blackhawk Farms Raceway (Illinois, USA). It was pouring rain the first half of the day but it dried up a little near the end. Had a blast! It actually worked out really well that it rained early because it forced me to be smoother with my controls and use the techniques they were teaching us. I couldn't hide behind higher traction. I'm hooked though. I can't wait to go back out!
A great Father's Day present to myself, New York Safety Track had a 1-on-1 coaching promotion, I had basically 15m on, 20m off, 7 morning sessions and I was completely burnt by the time the morning was over. I ran one solo session in the afternoon then called it quits, stamina and focus were fading fast.
Great instruction and they ran the track backwards so lots of uphill sweeping turns. Highly recommended for anyone looking to tweak their riding.
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