Track Days with Reg bike?

[gregvhen]

I was just wondering, do most of you people that do track days, do it with the same bike you ride the streets on as your regular commuter/pleasure bike?  Or do you only use a track specific bike? the reason i ask is, because typicaly do the wrecks that occur at the track usualy put your bike out commision for a while, or do you most often just wreck pick it up, and your riding fine the next day?  Whats the most common damage done to the bike on the track?

[ineedanap]

My bikes pull double duty.  Both my GS (last year) and my SV (now) are daily riders and track day bikes.  It gives me an excuse to go nuts on the mods.  The best part is that I get nice race appropriate rubber and burn it up on the street when I'm done.  That way I usually have fresh tires for the track days. 

I heard a stat that 6% of people crash on any given track day.  My buddy has crashed 3 times in his last 9 outings, so if we disregard him then we're at 5%  

I noticed that most of the crashes are in intermediate group on the first couple laps.  A good amount of those probably happen on cold tires and could have been prevented anyway.

From what I've seen, after a crash most bikes are ridable with lever/rearset/bars/cosmetic damage.  Alot of times they'll run thru tech again and are back on the track later that day. Sometimes there's full on carnage (the ambulance and flatbed kind), but not as often as you'd expect.

I haven't crashed yet, but have gone off road a few times as well as had those moments where I have no idea why the bike was still upright.  I've only done a dozen or so track days so I'm definately no expert.  I'm sure there's lots of people who have done more on this board.  That's just my 2 cents.  

[tt_four]

Here's a video of my last crash on the GS. I was able to pick it up and keep going no problem....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF4jvLsP9W8

[Paulcet]

Here's a video of my last crash on the GS. I was able to pick it up and keep going no problem....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF4jvLsP9W8

[GSrookie500]

AJAJAJAJAJAA, you got me, lol

[gregvhen]

DANG THAT WAS YOU!!! IVE SEEN THAT SO MANY TIMES NEVER THOUGHT ID ACTUALLY TALK TO THE GUY IT WAS!!!!  good one.

[dafatrman]

First wipeout I ever had was like that, only with less speed and no fire.  I was 17 and had been riding for about a week!

[PachmanP]

A related question since it seems possible to ride your daily ride on the track.
Does anybody ride to the track, or is truck or trailer pretty much the only way to go? 

[ineedanap]

Trailer for me. 

[dgyver]

Track specific bike here. Rode my street TLR on the track once. I would not do it again with a great condition bike. May take my SV some day but swap out the tank and plastics... just in case. Still nice to have a bike that does not really matter if it goes down.

Last time I crashed at the track on a GS, only minor damage. Low sided going about 60 from sand on the track. Ground off foot peg, bent clip-on. Both easy fix with spare parts.

I would only trailer a bike. I have seen too many crashes that were not ridable afterwards.

[tt_four]

Yeah, even if your just riding your normal bike on the track, the last thing you want to do is crash and be stranded with no way home.

[Roadstergal]

Even if you don't crash - if you're doing it right, you should be pretty wiped out after a track day.  You want to be able to get out of your gear and relax a bit.

If you don't have a tow vehicle, look into renting one with a few friends.  You can rent a pickup or trailer, split the cost, and split the driving duty.  Or offer gas money to a trackday regular who already has a tow vehicle.

Then you can bring your tools along.  Not that anything would ever go wrong with your bike that you'd have to fix, but you know - in case a hawt chick in a nearby pit needs tools.