Quote:
Originally Posted by Misti
I think it helps to ride different bikes for sure!!! Think about it like this; riding a variety of different bikes and different tracks gives you more overall experience- different perspectives etc. I LOVE riding different bikes, different disciplines (motocross, flat-track, sportbikes, cruisers, track days, racing, single track.....) if it has two wheels I want to ride it and so many of the skills translate.
For sure, some things can mess with your head, like if you are used to riding litre bikes with all the bling electronics, then switching to a smaller bike without such slick electronics can mess you up a bit. (I seriously forgot how to up and downshift manually once when I jumped on an old R6 after riding the Superbike School BMW S 1000's.) And some lines are going to be slightly different, like riding a litre bike tends to be a little more point and shoot than a smaller bike where corner speed is key to going fast. But, with experience on different bikes also comes the ability to switch back and forth easily- as you said, riding the 300 helps you ride the 400 better.
I think that riders that have experience on all different kinds of bikes tend to be faster and better riders overall than riders that stick to just one. It's similar to having SUPER FAST club racers that only ride on one or two tracks....they show up to race somewhere else believing that they are amazing racers because they win at their home track all the time- but find out that they actually suck compared to racers that have experience on many different tracks- they tend to be able to learn tracks much quicker.
So, that was the long answer....lol. The short answer is, ride them all! 
What do you think are the key points or things to keep in mind when you are switching bikes? What things translate and what things don't? |
I feel like I can write a BOOK on this topic! Well you did ask.......... one of the things I have to be mindful of when I go from the 300/400 to the 750 is the power! I almost lost the rear a few times coming out of a turn too hard on the throttle
My 750 pulls crazy hard
On the smaller bikes you can be much more aggressive on the throttle ALL THE TIME! AND you can brake much later in the turns, specially on the tracks that have a decent front straight. That’s where the smaller bikes have the advantage and make them so much fun, is the late braking. You have to brake much sooner coming down from 150 as opposed to braking at 120 on a smaller bike. On the bigger bikes you can let off and reel in other bikes with the power. On the smaller bikes if you let off, you are DONE! Specially the 300, if you are not WOT you are losing ground. A fast small bike rider told me, “either you are on the brakes or you are on the gas”! Even though the 400 has around 15HP more than the 300 it feels like much more. I like riding the 300 for a few sessions then jump on the 400 and try to ride it WOT like the 300. The 600 is just different, you can’t let up too much and it’s harder too reel other bikes in with power. Riding the bigger bikes is definitely more tiring. I can ride the smaller bikes for a whole day at the track and not feel as tired or beat up like I do with the bigger bikes.
Looking forward to my season opener at NCBIKE, end of March. I will be taking the 400 and the 300.
