well guy`s i have just booked my first trackday on my gs, have any of you ridden your bike on a track? looking forward to seeing how it holds up.
trackdays
- Thread starter kentgal
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Did a trackday at brands hatch on Monday. The limitation was me not the bike. I had a real laugh. Sports bikes will blitz you on the straights but through the twisty bits you'll keep up or they'll hold you back. It can be frustrating on a GS in that you can get stuck behind sports bikes that hold you up in the corners but which then outgun you on the straights or go only fractionally slower.
I overtook more bikes as the day went on but you have to have a lot of bravery to overtake as it usually means you're taking a different line to get the overtake which can throw you a bit if you're a novice.
The trick (which I always forget) is to relax and not try to go full whack straight from the off. You should be able to flap your arms and push your to
tongue through the space between your teeth. If you can't it means that you're gritting your teeth and fighting with the bars.
I already want to do another track day.
Which track are you going to?
I overtook more bikes as the day went on but you have to have a lot of bravery to overtake as it usually means you're taking a different line to get the overtake which can throw you a bit if you're a novice.
The trick (which I always forget) is to relax and not try to go full whack straight from the off. You should be able to flap your arms and push your to
tongue through the space between your teeth. If you can't it means that you're gritting your teeth and fighting with the bars.
I already want to do another track day.
Which track are you going to?
I marshal regularly at Oulton Park- not sure if you are going there.
If you are and its damp, watch it at Druids and Lodge. They are slippery as weasel poo when its wet. Have lost count of the number of bikes I have pulled out of the gravel there. My record is 32 in one day at Druids- was 4 a race..... Never been so knackered.
If you are and its damp, watch it at Druids and Lodge. They are slippery as weasel poo when its wet. Have lost count of the number of bikes I have pulled out of the gravel there. My record is 32 in one day at Druids- was 4 a race..... Never been so knackered.
i am going to cadwell, its my 1st time there looking forward to upsetting a few sportsbike riders. its organised through BIKE magazine its only for road bikes your not allowed the bring a van or trailer the bike there,no tyre warmers are allowed so it should make it a bit more of a level playing field.i have done croft 6 times, oulton park 11 times and anglesey twice but i have been on a sportsbike except once when i went on my old varadero, now that was fun, just imagine a cold and wet day in november at oulton a paddock full of sportsbikes and i arrive on my vara, there they were setting tyre pressures changing suspension settings trouble is supercorsa`s and racetecs are no match for tourances when the weather is like that, i spent all day riding around them.
looking forward to upsetting a few sportsbike riders. its organised through BIKE magazine its only for road bikes your not allowed the bring a van or trailer the bike there,no tyre warmers are allowed so it should make it a bit more of a level playing field.i have done croft 6 times, oulton park 11 times and anglesey twice but i have been on a sportsbike except once when i went on my old varadero, now that was fun, just imagine a cold and wet day in november at oulton a paddock full of sportsbikes and i arrive on my vara, there they were setting tyre pressures changing suspension settings trouble is supercorsa`s and racetecs are no match for tourances when the weather is like that, i spent all day riding around them.
Did my first ever track day at Rockingham last week on my 1150GS. Huge fun when I started to relax after the first session. Managed to ground out my footpegs on both sides so started hanging off to try and keep it more upright in the corners. Go at your own pace and work on your lines, turning in points, apex and exit points. You may get one or two knobheads but in the main everybody will behave themselves and pass in the right places. Take on plenty of fluids on the day, it is surprisingly strenuous. 
well guy`s i have just booked my first trackday on my gs, have any of you ridden your bike on a track? looking forward to seeing how it holds up.
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Bones
Registered user
Surely that is entirely down to the rider. There is no way that a GS is better in the corners than a sports bike.
Fact is you will have a lot of fun whatever you are riding. There will always be people there on faster bikes that are going slower than youself.
I'm talking from experiences at Cadwell and the Brands Indy circuit. Both have very twisty bits but yes i agree ultimatelly it's mainly down to the rider.
wingnut
Registered user
I recently did my first trackday at Cadwell recently (Bike magazine, road legal bikes only), it was great fun and I really enjoyed it. I did it on my ZX7R as opposed to my GS1200, just because it seemed more suitable and I dont use it as much as I should now that I have the GS. I started off a little nervously but was soon holding my own (overtaking as much as I was being overtaken) and felt that my corner speed was fine. The bikes that were reguarly getting past me were a couple of GS1200's and a bloody Triumph tiger. this seemed to be mostly aproaching and exiting corners, probably because I am braking to early and using poor lines that have me hugging the corner and accelerating too late. At my novice level it seems obvious to me that rider skill is more important than what you bike use. I would be wary about taking the GS on to the track, just because of its value, if I ever take up track riding seriously then I would probably look at a cheap SV650 or ER6 that I can learn with and find my limits on, and if I chuck it, it wont be the end of the world (then I may consider doing some sports bike humbling on the GS).
Wingnut
Wingnut
waste of time imho but have fun all the same
I took my GS round the Ring and was ok but the BHP disadvantage made me want to come back with some seriuous power - hence the Busa.
der Nürburgring isn't about power it's about knowledge. I've seen a lady instructor on a 60bhp 650 twin BMW run rings round Blades and R1's
In our group a lad on an FJ900 beat a 916 Ducati and a couple of R1's
The fastest isn't always the quickest
Gonzo
Registered user
On a track like Cadwell, one serious straight, the rest accelerating out of bends or braking hard my 12GS held it's own - it can easily out-grunt the sports bikes out of a corner..............until the straight when the whole point of a high revving 4 became clear.
The servo brakes and ABS more than made up for my lack of ability in the novice group - for I was a total trackday novice - and the initial piss-taking from the rice rocket jockeys turned to mild respect when comparing the blistered rear Tourance after the second session.
I guess rider skill does come into it but I don't claim to have too much of that.
Nothing to be taken seriously (unless you are a power ranger) and a fantastic laugh since. Have done another 3 Cadwell days since.
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