Converting my GS into a track day monster!

[sumguitardude]

Hey guys, I bought a '95 GS500 for 500 bucks, and am turning it into a track bike. So far I have put new tires, a katana rear shock, sonic springs in the forks, and put on clubman handlebars. I was wondering what else should I do to make this bike the best track day machine I can? any suggestions are appreciated. I also don't want to spend a ton of money so if anyone could help me out with suggestions that would be awesome!

Thanks, Kyle

[Big Rich]

Find out the track rules and regulations first. I've heard some tracks have very specific rules.

Ditch the clubmans and go with clip ons. Clubmans weigh more and "disconnect" your feeling from the front end. And aftermarket clip ons can be had for around $80. Ditch any unnecessary weight, add a small fairing if possible, and make sure the engine and drivetrain can withstand the abuse.

[burning1]

Remove everything that isn't strictly necessary; I have a 20lb box of parts from my GS500 sitting in storage.

Candidates include: Rear grab handle, rear rails, center stand, side stand, all the lights and turn signals, tool kit. I also replaced the stock petcock with an aftermarket unit from motion pro. Doing so will require finding a way to cap off the standard fuel nipple on the bottom of the tank.

IMO, a fairing is not necessary. I haven't run the bike using clubmans, but I don't think they will have as much of an impact as Rich Suggests - hell, I ran bar end weights on my 600.

As Rich suggests, you should make sure you run through all the mechanical stuff. Check the chain. Check your air filter, plugs, and oil level. I suggest you do a valve adjustment ASAP, since it's required every 4000 miles on the GS, and a lot of people don't keep up with it. I suggest setting your exhaust valves to .12mm, rather than the .8mm advised from the factory... From what I've seen, the exhaust valves will hold their clearance much better that way.

If you haven't already, set your oil level and viscosity up at the front of the bike. Keep in mind that with sonic springs, you may not be able to go above a 90-100mm oil level. Emulators are a nice improvement to this bike, but for the cost of emulators, springs, and oil, you might want to consider a full front end swap.

You can also consider doing the Katana rear wheel swap. Doing so will permit you to run full race tires on the GS. BT003RS (what I hope you have on there) are awesome, but there's even better stuff available.

[sumguitardude]

thanks for the tips guys
i have pirelli sport demons on there, i got a real good deal on them.
I am only a novice, i have only done 1 track day in my life
i bought the GS because it is so light and i would not be so upset if i crashed on it.
my question is would it be able to keep up with other bikes on the track?
it seems really slow but im sure i would make up for the speed difference in the twisties right?

[burning1]

Wear out the Sport Deamons, but for your next set of tires seriously consider BT003RS.

To answer your question... I'm not sure what the trackdays are like where you ride, and I don't know what bikes are common. Here in the bay area, 600s are the most popular trackday bike. If you're riding here, no, you should not expect to keep up with the other bikes at first.

Don't get disheartened... You learn a lot riding a GS500, and if you keep with it you will pickup speed. With a stock engine, I can get around our local tracks faster than at least half the track-day riders out here, despite the huge power disadvantage.

[sumguitardude]

yea here the 600's are big here too. heres the track map, http://media.photobucket.com/image/joliet%20autobahn%20course%20map/Hornswoggler/Car%20pictures/Analysis/segment-North-map.jpg

so what you are saying burning, is that at first i will get dusted, and once i get better, i will make up for the power disadvantage in the turns?
i just dont want to look stupid out there trailing a mile behind everyone else.
also will i be giving the bike full throttle-3/4 most of the time due to the power disadvantage?
i bought the gs because i figured it would be a good learning tool, my first track day on my buell 1125 i was really nervous, lets just say i got real good at learning how to ride on the grass lol
i heard low powered bikes make you a lot faster than starting off with say a 600cc I-4, so i thought id give the gs a try.
i dont care if people beat me in the straights, anyone can go fast in a straight line, i just want to be able to catch up to them in the curves

[sumguitardude]

http://www.usgpru.net/images/tracks/autobahn-south.jpg

here is a link to the south end of the course.
do you guys think i would be better off learning on the south?
it seems more technical and tighter turns

[burning1]

That's pretty much it. Most of the C group, and B group riders aren't carrying nearly as much cornering speed as their bikes are capable of. If you work at it, you'll be able to make up for the difference in straight line speed through the corners.

Around here, I can put down 2:13s around T-Hill on my GS. That's solid B pace for anyone on a 600, and fast enough to ride in the A group.

One thing the GS will really teach you is to use the throttle while cornering. You'd be amazed to see how far over I get with the throttle wide open.

[sumguitardude]

yea on the buell i was barely giving it any throttle in the turn, i was scared i guess and i think it was too much power for me at first.
on the gs i feel like i could give it a lot of gas throughout the whole turn and not be scared of sliding out or anything, plus i can lean the bike over a lot further too probably

do you have any more suggestions of mods to do to the bike? or is riding time all that i need?
i already changed and check all the fluids, air filter, chain, plugs, basically i ran through everything on it as far as routine maintenance goes.

[burning1]

Suspension, tires, seat time is what I typically recommend.

You could spend $300 on an exhaust system that might be worth a second a lap, or you could spend $300 on a trackday and gain several seconds a lap. With that said, there are a few other inexpensive mods I've made to my bike, that you might wish to consider:

1. PM Buddha about a fork brace and signal rotor cover. Inexpensive parts, and the cover really helps reduce crash damage.

2. Consider installing a short throw throttle. You're going to spend a lot of time at WOT... Might be good to make it easy to get there. I have a 1/8th on my bike, but it takes some wrist strength. You can swap the throttle tube out very inexpensively, or you could do as I did and go through the process of installing a custom throttle with a custom cable.

3. If your bodywork and tank are pretty, consider selling them, and using the cash to buy cheap replacements.

4. I strongly recommend EBC Extreme Pro brake pads on this bike. The OEM stintered pads tend to overheat and fade when run at a fast pace, and are very harsh on the stock rotor. The EBC pads have actually saved me a lot of money on pad and brake rotor replacement costs.

5. I strongly recommend stainless steel brake lines up front. When you install them, I recommend using super high boiling point fluid, in the range of 500+ degrees dry boiling point.

6. If you have a 1996 or earlier bike, install the right side brake caliper from a SV650. They are cheap to buy on ebay, and seem to work better than the older stock calliper. Upgrade is bolt on. Remember that a new calliper will require new brake pads.

7. Consider swapping out the master cylinder for something more agressive. Of the above mods, this is the only one I haven't done.

8. Build a bin of race spares. Anything you might break at the track, you should have a spare of. This includes levers, engine covers, rear-sets, gaskets, clutch plates, brake pads, and rotors.

[burning1]

FWIW, my engine is stock from the air filter to the exhaust tip.

[sumguitardude]

thanks a lot burning for all the help
i cant wait to get the GS on the track in april.
I will post up and let you guys know how it was and i can even post up a video from my gopro.
thanks again. 

[fastedmiami]

Burning- is that a 1st gen or 2nd gen sv caliper change?  Also, I have my rear grab rail still on.  It comes in handy when putting/taking the bike on and off the stand by yourself and when you crash, it gives the corner workers a nice and easy way to handle your bike.

[burning1]

By the way... I'm planning to do a full GSX-R front end conversion on my GS500, and a full RGV250 rear end conversion. I have the forks, wheels, and brakes in my office next to me. I'm thinking that ultimately, the full front end conversion may be the best choice if you don't plan to race in a production class. So far, the cost of the clip-ons, emulators, springs, and brake bits looks to be nearly as much as doing the full swap.

[burning1]

fastedmiami: As far as I know, the SV calipers are the same, gen1 to gen2.

I did some digging... It looks like Suzuki updated the SV650 caliper in 2003, so that is probably the best one to find.

[The Buddha]

Believe it or not, I've seen a katana 600 that the guy started to convert into a "cruiser" It had ape hangers and some other crazy crap before he gave up ... However he never explicitly gave up, it was like man I ran out of $ and now you can finish it.
So when I see "converting" I think of that.
Cool.
Buddha.

[bill14224]

I'm not a racer but from what I've learned from those who have raced you made an excellent choice.  It's cheap so crashing isn't as expensive.  More importantly, you will learn how to carry more speed through the corners better and faster with a lesser powered bike.  Once you're experienced you'll want and need more power, but by starting with less power you won't get into the bad habit of relying on your throttle exiting corners in the attempt to erase your mistakes.  By developing good fundamentals you will be able to carry a lot of cornering speed.  Having a lot of power from the get-go actually slows down the process and can even prevent it.  Having less power makes your mistakes show-up more so you'll have a better opportunity to correct them.  When you're racing a low-powered bike every little mistake shows-up and when you're learning that is very valuable.

By being patient and sticking with your GS until you've mastered it you can then move-up to a 600.  Then you can be a track tiger right away because you'll be a well-trained and practiced rider with great fundamentals who is not as dependent on horsepower as others.  On many road courses, particularly the shorter ones, races are won and lost in the corners. (and the pits, make sure your bike is well-prepared)

Don't worry about looking foolish.  There's nothing more foolish than trying to keep-up with better riders on a bike that's more powerful than you can master at the moment.  That is a recipe for bad crashes.

Check out the Racer's Corner on this website.  See what Dave Johnson managed to do with his bike.  You won't feel lame after you check out what he has to say.

[The Buddha]

On one small point I am going to contradict bill.
You learn a lot of bad habits on the street. There are Idiots in lumbering SUV's, transit busses that run empty, bicycles, pedestrians etc etc that really are things you start learning to avoid or stuff like that ... on a true race track in a real race, usually you dont have clueless Idiots who dont know what they are doing. Of course you get in a beginner race and all bets are off ... well, you still dont have suv's and busses, but there could be slow clowns not getting off the racing line etc etc.
Anyway that's it, the rest as they said.
Cool.
Buddha.

[burning1]

What I've found is that I actually have two riding styles; one for the street, and one for the track. The street style is mellow, planted and reserved. The track style hangs way off the bike, and can be very aggressive.

Regarding the novice classes: Slowpokes sticking to the race line can be a real drag, or a real lesson depending on how you look at it. In a competitive race, you have to be flexible, finding alternative lines through a corner to work past your competition. In that way, the slow pokes are helpful - they are slow enough that most any line will work to get past them, whereas with a faster rider, you need to find an approach that can pass, and block them from passing you back.

Agreed that you learn more on a GS. For one thing, you learn how important it is to stay on the throttle. With a properly tuned GS500, you won't believe how far you'll have the bike over with the throttle WFO. It would have taken me a long time to learn to get that hard on the gas riding a 600.

[werase643]

crash bars are cheaper than the ignition parts on the RS engine cover....