question about racing gs's

[paui]

what class would u race in with which....organizer(is that what u call it?)?
is the gs competitive? i heard they kill in ultralighweight classes bc theyre up against 250 ninjas but i dunno which race organizer thats with
i check ccs and wera and i dont think they would be competitive with either of them

[bbanjo]

Ditto on that question. I could kick novice ass.

[Bob Broussard]

First you have to find out which orginization you will be racing with.
Then you can check out the classes and the rules for each class.
As far as the GS being competative. It depends on the type of track, rider skill and of course the other bikes your up against.
I've seen guys on 250 ninjas tear up guys on bigger bikes.
The primary goal should be getting experience. It takes time to learn the ropes. There's new rider school, registration, practice groups, tracks to learn etc.. Then there's bike setup (gearing, suspension, etc.).
There's more to it than just going out and kicking ass. I don't care how fast you are on the street. There are things that happen on the track you probably haven't encountered. Like someone chopping across your front at 120 heading into a corner.  :guns:
Just go out and have fun first, being competative comes with experience grasshopper.  

[paui]

thanks bob

[paui]

another question....
before skill comes into play, which bike would be the most competitive in the class the gs is in?

[Bob Broussard]

In the AFM we have a specific class for 500 twins. The SV 650 run in the 650 twins class. Other orginizations have different class structures like middleweight, lightweight etc.
You should be able to find out the class rules for each org.
Check out the race results. Sometimes they say what bike was being ridden.
Whatever the case, the GS is an excellent way to start racing.
You can check out the competition and upgrade to another bike anytime.

[dgyver]

In WERA, the GS is in the Clubsman class. JamesG could list some specific bikes that race in this class.

Here's an excerpt from the WERA rulebook:

CLUBMAN EXPERT & NOVICE (all below based on Formula rules except as noted)
Unlimited displacement 2 & 4-stroke singles
Up to 605cc 4-stroke water-cooled twins
Up to 650cc 4-stroke air-cooled twins
Up to 250cc 4-stroke water-cooled multis
Up to 600cc 4-stroke air-cooled 2 valve per cylinder multis
Up to 570cc 4-stroke air-cooled 4 valve per cylinder multis
Up to 410cc 2-stroke air-cooled multis
Up to 373cc 2-stroke water-cooled multis
All Vintage 4 machines
Honda Hawks are allowed but are limited to Superstock modifications
Air cooled Ducati 750’s are allowed but limited to Superstock mods.
All 250cc 2-stroke GP replica machine (TZR, NSR, RGV, etc..) must conform to Superstock rules with the exception that slicks are allowed., no Ducati Supermono, no Aprilia Cup machines. 125cc & 250cc GP machines are not allowed.

[Pam G]

In recent WERA years the GS500 has not faired well against the competition in the Clubman class, no matter if it's the novice or expert division.  Probably the best finisher had been an expert in 2001 (Ray Hixon) but he had a "breathed on" motor and it blew at the GNF at Road Atlanta.

Some of the other WERA classes that the GS500 can race in, like Lightweight Twins & D Superbike - forget it.  SV's are in that class and will blow you away.

Now in 2001 in CCS there was an expert that raced a GS500 that was the Midwest & Great Plains regions champion in the Lightweight Sportsman class, but there were not a lot of challengers & SV's are not allowed in the class.

This year at Fasttrax in northern OH there was a novice (Rich Taylor) kicking butt in a few classes on a GS500, but a lot of his competition was other GS500's in the novice class, and he would usually finish ahead of a few experts.  One was an EX250 and one or 2 GS500's.  SV's were not allowed in the classes he raced in either.  Not sure if EX500's were allowed.

In reality the GS is a good bike to learn to race on.  And you can have fun racing it if you want to have fun.  Just don't expect to win any/many championships and races on it, especially if you are a novice.  In most situations the lack of hp hurts it's chances, depending on the competition.

If you go to the WERA website (www.wera.com), results are posted with the type of machine the rider was on.  I think CCS lists that also (www.formulausa.com).

[JBix]

Much to learn you still have, young pedowan...