Everything Motorcycle

Well.... I've got a '99 Speed Triple I'm super proud of and want to show off in our motorcycle section.

Bolt on wise, it's got a pipe, K&N filter, ECU tune. Dunno how much power it makes. I'd guess 115 hp/75 ft lbs at the crank. It's a torquey thing and an absolute monster from 0-90 or so. Then kinda runs out of steam.

time slip form my 1st time at the track, this was my 2nd pass I think. 1st pass was 12.1 IIRC. I'm on the left, GSXR600 on the right





Also has a fender eliminator, integrated tail light, clear headlight lenses from a later model Speedy.

Maintenance wise, I've done slmost everything to this bike. Rebuilt forks, new valve stem seals (without removing the head), valve clearance adjust, wiring harness overhaul (it has part of an RX8 harness), numerous tire changes/balance, rebuilt calipers, some body work, etc. I do everything with this bike. Trackdays, backroads, super slab trips, can't imagine a better bike. Except maybe a 5th gen VFR800. That's also on my short list of bikes to own.

Track Trim




Street trim



Super slab trim



Doing some body work to the front cowl. Tank is a plastic composite, and the ethanol in our fuel causes it to swell. As a result, a couple leaks/weeps popped up. This one deformed the cowl



after it as filled, sanded, drilled, primed, and painted.



This bike has taught me almost everything I know about working on stuff in general. Totally different animal from a car. So much easier, and more enjoyable. Lol.

 

Very cool! I've always loved motorcycles but my parents would never let me get one as a cheap in-town tripper during high school; now it'll be a battle with the overly-anxious wife, hahah.

 

I got my first bike when I was 18. Basically daily'd it to my catholic high school. One of the greatest feelings ever. My parents obviously didn't like it. But I showed them I was serious and really wanted to do it, and they kinda caved. My dad took the MSF course with me, thinking he'd get a bike or we'd share what I got. But through taking the course, he figured it wasn't for him. I, on the other hand, found a new love. Recently I've not been riding as much. Having second thoughts about risk vs reward.

 

I'm jealous of the Speed Triple. Green is the best color too.

I wanted a Triumph for the longest time and test rode a Street Triple Rx a few times but never pulled the trigger. I do miss my Ninja 636 from time to time, but have been more focused more on cars lately than bikes.

 

I miss the two wheel life. It was brief for me, but such an amazing experience. I sold/partially traded my 500hp speed 3 for an 04 R6. Drove that for a season, then picked up a 2012 R1 for a killer deal. Totaled that after 750 miles (dropped at incredibly low speed after hitting gravel in a turn, it hit the curb and broke the frame. I rolled off and stood up without a scratch). Got my second 2012 R1 and had it for a few years. Living in Colorado, there is a very limited amount of time you can ride, and the year I sold it I wasn't getting to ride at all because it was constantly raining during what should have been the riding season.

Got to track it a couple times and came out with a best of 11.8 at 128 (2.4 60'). Keep in mind that is at 5800asl...

Now I'm married to a worrisome wife and though she would never say I can't have one, I just don't like putting her through the worry of me being on one as I saw what it did to her while we were dating. So, some day, perhaps in another 20 years when she no longer cares if I live or die, maybe I'll get another one

 

Sweet! 128 in the quarter is cooking. Probably closer to 140 at sea level. I also love how those crossplane R1's sound.

I really want to try a liter bike. But at the same time, 100+ in 1st gear is asking for trouble if I'm on it. I can rip through a couple on speedy before I'm triple digits.

 

Yeah, mine would do 92 in 1st. You can pretty much never use that kind of power on the street... What I liked most about it though was the powerband. I never really needed to downshift to pass someone, or if I needed to power out of a trouble situation. With my R6, you had to drop a gear or two to get the revs up before it would really accelerate. You definitely have to use some restraint though because the R1 can get you into trouble pretty quickly with just the flick of your wrist.

If I was to get another bike right now, it would be between the FZ-09, or the FZ-10. I test drove an FZ-09 a while back and absolutely loved it. For driving around the street, I think it would have been more fun than my R1. Had plenty torque and could power up 2nd gear due to the short wheel base and low end torque. It was also a cross plane, but only a 3 cylinder... I love the way my R1 sounded and thats kind of why I like the idea of the FZ-10.

 

I bought my first bike when I was 18, car was still stock then. Bike is lowered, sprocketed, cammed, full exhaust, tuned, can't remember what else haha. It's a 750 but puts 1000s in their place. Had it for 4 years now.

 

What do you guys think about owning a bike just for trackdays? I guess it could be an expensive hobby, but hobbies are never cheap anyway. My wife doesn't want me to ride a bike as well because she fears for my safety. Actually I would fear for my safety too after seeing how distracted and inattentive other drivers on the road can be. So I thought, a good safe compromise is to only ride the bike on trackdays. I would love to own an R1, but I think I'd be happy even with just an R6.

 

great question. This is going from my experience.

I have several friends who ride track, and some of my friends ride exclusively on the track for the reasons you mentioned. So that isn't uncommon at all. But, most of them started on the street and transitioned over. It would probably be useful to have a little street experience, just to get used to the mechanics of riding.

Is it expensive? Kind of. All depends on how deep into it you want to get. More than likely cheaper than tracking a car of really any sort. You could probably get a track prepped R6 for $5000, +/- $2000. Depends on year, what's included, how it's set up, etc. You'll want another $1000 or so for gear (Helmet, suit, gloves, boots) The track days themselves are $100-200 a day generally, depends on the track and organization. COTA can be ungodly expensive, like >$400 per day, and there are some tracks <$100, but you get the idea. There are several track riding organizations. Ridesmart comes to mind for Texas. Sportbike track time does stuff all over. So how far you travel and how many days you do determine a lot of the expense.

Your tire choice also determines a lot of how much it's going to cost you. You can get a good $300 set of tires that will last you half the season, allow you to run some really fast times when it's dry, and still have fun if it's wet.

But.... you can also run slicks that are $500+ a set and last maybe 4 track days. You'll want tire warmers for them, and a generator to power the warmers because not every track has outlets. And then you'll want a second set of wheels ($$$) with rain tires which are another $500, in case it's raining. And maybe even a 3rd set of wheels ($$$) with street tires mounted in case it's just kinda sorta wet. You get the idea.

Maintenance on bikes isn't bad. This is really what they're meant to do. Check valve clearances every season, keep up on brakes/chains/sprockets, and that should be ok. I know guys that have 30,000 miles on bikes that are raced and the motor is perfectly healthy.

Also keep in mind track riding can still be dangerous. Not everyone there always rides within their limits which can cause danger to others as well as themselves. The control riders try to knock that shit off and keep it from happening, but they can't always prevent stupid decisions.

Trackdays are a shit load of fun. And it's really one of those things you can't do just once.

 

Throughout my life I have had the pleasure of owning several bikes but my favorite was my 05 GSXR 750. I miss that bike all the time and would love to get back to riding some day soon. I don't know if that is a possibility as I have been putting a lot of money into my car but who knows!

 

Great info! Thanks for sharing!

 

Yes the fz09 is an absolute blast

 

I recently got an FJ09. Same thing just a little different. It's so fun.

 

This is as fast as I want to go right now, but I recently eyeballed a Diavel S and may change my mind.