mrTickle
Registered user
I finally got to take the HP2 over to the Nurburgring on the 6th-8th of July. It was a cracking weekend, the weather perfect and the track was open from 2pm Friday until 7.30pm on Sunday.
I loaded the bike into my van & caught the Friday 2.50pm Eurostar, arriving around 9pm local time
The trip was very last minute so we decided to tent it. It was great... lovely views and free
Woke up next morning to a beautiful blue sky, cooked some brekkie and made our way to the circuit which opened at 8am
I bought an 8 lap ticket for € 124.00. I was going to buy a 15 lap ticket as the more laps you buy the cheaper it gets per lap. I'm glad I didn't get a 15 lap as I only did 10 laps ( although tickets are valid for a full year if you're going back again ). With my ticket in hand, I was off for my first lap. You go through a ticket barrier with 2 dedicated lanes for bikes and cars... don't get in the wrong one... it causes all sorts of chaos
Because I was there early, the track was nigh on empty and probably my best lap. Unfortunately I didn't have my GPS on the bike for the first lap but I reckon it was under 9 minutes which is pretty good. Time to celebrate
After a little rest I went out for my next lap. This time I put the GPS on so I could time myself. By now the track had got a little busier with more cars and bikes arriving
I did my next lap but because of extra traffic, could only manage a 9 minute lap
In fact it got busier and busier throughout the day and it proved impossible to better my two first laps. I had to wait until early Sunday morning for a nice clear track and crack the 9 minute mark again
I managed 7 laps on Saturday and 2 laps on Sunday. I did one lap at a time and then had a rest. I could've done two laps or more in a row but it was much more relaxing coming in for a rest, looking at the cars and bikes and then going out again
I found that the Conti tyres on the HP2 overheated and the bike was sliding quite badly. For my next visit I think I'll get some stickier tyres
My conclusion of the HP2 performing around the 'ring is this:
It goes through corners noticeably faster than sports bikes
It can stick with anything up to 120MPH after which sports bikes/cars out accelerate it. I took my Adventure there 2 years ago and I could corner faster than the sports bikes but they'd overtake me on the straight bits - this didn't happen on the HP2 - it accelerated as fast as them and in fact I even overtook most of them in a straight line. Only the experienced ringers who know the circuit extremely well passed me. They could keep their power on for longer and reach much higher speeds than the HP2. The highest GPS speed reading I got was 127MPH and my fastest lap was just under 9 minutes. I found it a bit frustrating knowing I could be faster on a sports bike and swore I was going to flog my HP2 when I got home and get a GSXR thousand. But then when I got home I took the HP into London traffic and all was forgiven
... there's no way a GSXR goes through London traffic like an HP2.
I also forgot to put on my mirrors and that was a serious mistake. The fast cars are FAST! They can do 8 minute laps and you better get out of their way as they hammer it. I kept looking over my shoulder but it was hard to judge their speeds - cars are much faster than bikes through the corners but (most) slower on the straights. Without mirrors it was hard to judge and I ended up worrying about being in the way. Mirrors next time
Ahhh fuel consumption. Fifty five miles or 4 laps to an empty tank hehe
I've enjoyed this trip so much I'll be making a return visit at the end of July. The track is open for a full weekend so if anyone fancies it let me know and maybe we sort a trip out.
I loaded the bike into my van & caught the Friday 2.50pm Eurostar, arriving around 9pm local time
The trip was very last minute so we decided to tent it. It was great... lovely views and free
Woke up next morning to a beautiful blue sky, cooked some brekkie and made our way to the circuit which opened at 8am
I bought an 8 lap ticket for € 124.00. I was going to buy a 15 lap ticket as the more laps you buy the cheaper it gets per lap. I'm glad I didn't get a 15 lap as I only did 10 laps ( although tickets are valid for a full year if you're going back again ). With my ticket in hand, I was off for my first lap. You go through a ticket barrier with 2 dedicated lanes for bikes and cars... don't get in the wrong one... it causes all sorts of chaos
Because I was there early, the track was nigh on empty and probably my best lap. Unfortunately I didn't have my GPS on the bike for the first lap but I reckon it was under 9 minutes which is pretty good. Time to celebrate
After a little rest I went out for my next lap. This time I put the GPS on so I could time myself. By now the track had got a little busier with more cars and bikes arriving
I did my next lap but because of extra traffic, could only manage a 9 minute lap
In fact it got busier and busier throughout the day and it proved impossible to better my two first laps. I had to wait until early Sunday morning for a nice clear track and crack the 9 minute mark again
I managed 7 laps on Saturday and 2 laps on Sunday. I did one lap at a time and then had a rest. I could've done two laps or more in a row but it was much more relaxing coming in for a rest, looking at the cars and bikes and then going out again
I found that the Conti tyres on the HP2 overheated and the bike was sliding quite badly. For my next visit I think I'll get some stickier tyres
My conclusion of the HP2 performing around the 'ring is this:
It goes through corners noticeably faster than sports bikes
It can stick with anything up to 120MPH after which sports bikes/cars out accelerate it. I took my Adventure there 2 years ago and I could corner faster than the sports bikes but they'd overtake me on the straight bits - this didn't happen on the HP2 - it accelerated as fast as them and in fact I even overtook most of them in a straight line. Only the experienced ringers who know the circuit extremely well passed me. They could keep their power on for longer and reach much higher speeds than the HP2. The highest GPS speed reading I got was 127MPH and my fastest lap was just under 9 minutes. I found it a bit frustrating knowing I could be faster on a sports bike and swore I was going to flog my HP2 when I got home and get a GSXR thousand. But then when I got home I took the HP into London traffic and all was forgiven
... there's no way a GSXR goes through London traffic like an HP2.I also forgot to put on my mirrors and that was a serious mistake. The fast cars are FAST! They can do 8 minute laps and you better get out of their way as they hammer it. I kept looking over my shoulder but it was hard to judge their speeds - cars are much faster than bikes through the corners but (most) slower on the straights. Without mirrors it was hard to judge and I ended up worrying about being in the way. Mirrors next time
Ahhh fuel consumption. Fifty five miles or 4 laps to an empty tank hehe
I've enjoyed this trip so much I'll be making a return visit at the end of July. The track is open for a full weekend so if anyone fancies it let me know and maybe we sort a trip out.
