Prep for my 1st trackday

[capriccio]

I've just registered for 1 st trackday on April 27. I have all the gears for myself but don't know where to start with the bike.

The Association required "oil tight". What kind of modification do I need ?
Also, there is a requirement for water instead of antifreeze. I can do this but I'm planning to ride to the track (about 120 mile) and back. Should I add water from home and just ride it or water should be added at the track only ?

[CC Cowboy]

I've been to Capriccio's Restaurant many times. Do you own it? Had many a bottle of Dom there.

Oil Tight- belly pan, possibly safety wired.

Water and "Water Wetter" in radiator. Possible punk bottle for any overflows.

Do all work at home. It sucks trying to play catch-up at the track.

Are you going to Loudon?

Which Association? They should have more specific requirements.

I used to live in EG.

[Alex]

There's a basic wiki article on trackdays here:

http://www.ninjette.org/wiki/Trackdays

with some links to related threads. For a trackday, I'd be surprised if they required any safety wiring, but check with the org to make sure. You can definitely flush the coolant before you go, and replace it with water + water wetter or similar additive at home. Just make sure that the bike isn't in any freezing conditions before you're able to replace it with a coolant mixture again.

Here's a DIY thread for changing the coolant:

DIY: How To Change/Replace Your Coolant w/ Pictures

[Rexbo]

Originally Posted by capriccio

I can do this but I'm planning to ride to the track (about 120 mile) and back. Should I add water from home and just ride it or water should be added at the track only ?

First, beg/steal/plead someone to use their pickup to take it to the track or piggyback with someone, I'm sure theres bound to be someone with space. Track days are tiring, and trust me you'll want to be lounging in a car seat for the drive back. Second, its really cheap insurance in case you drop the bike (you gotta assume it's bound to happen, ESPECIALLY as a beginner).

Third, the water + water wetter replaces your normal coolant. Drain your bike and flush out the system with distilled water so no more green stuff is in it. Then fill it with a water + water wetter (or blue ice) per the instructions on the bottle. Done. Now you're good forever, unless you leave the bike in the snow and the block freezes. Then bad news. If thats gonna happen, move south.

Last off, have a SHITLOAD OF FUN! Be prepared to get high off the adrenaline rush for a solid week.

[csmith12]

Here is the short list and you need to confirm the bike/class specific rules from the track day organization you purchased the track day from.

Your gear
Full leathers - normally 1 or 2 piece suit (some orgs allow textile in novice but DON'T DO IT)
Full over the wrist gauntlet gloves
Full street/race boots (such as Sidi/A* and other brands)
Full Face helmet, normally no flip ups (I recommend a clear shield just in case they have a problem with smoked)
Back/chest protector may be required depending on class (most of the time not for novice but GET ONE! you back with thank you)
Have a go pro? Charge it!!!!!! and check mounts

Bike
2 Keys (and leave one with your socks in your clothes bag, other goes with the bike)
NO LEAKS!!!!!
Safety wire the following; oil filter bolt and oil fill cap (check track day org for class specific rules on wiring)
Water wetter or equivalent for coolant, even flush the reservoir (green = fail)
KNOW where you stand with your oil's mileage - a track day is harder on your engine with crap old oil. Change it if you need to.
Kickstand removed or safety wired closed (remove if you can)
Passenger pegs safety wired up or closed (remove if you can)
Tape mirrors (remove if you can)
Tape turn signals (remove if you can)
Remove all reflectors
Remove license plate
Remove peg feelers/scrapers
If track day org or track itself requires an "oil tight" setup. You will need a bottom fairing that will pool oil in the bottom in case of a leak
Good full charge on a solid working battery
Rear spools and a stand go a long way in the pits.... not required but ijs....

Check on the bike
Torque of front sprocket nut
Torque of front and rear axle nuts (pinch bolts)
Torque of ALL brake nuts/bolts
Fluid level of brakes
Clutch adjustment within spec
Throttle adjustment within spec
No air in coolant system
Engine oil is at proper level

Tires
Play it safe and have a new tires put on or at least have 80% of tire tread left on your tires or you fail and have to buy new at the last minute or your day is over before you even start
Wheel weights must be taped over with duct tape or equivalent (these CAN/WILL fly off even when taped, so be mentally/$$ prepped to visit the tire guy onsite at the track)
Learn what air and temperatures do to tires and their pressures, in general - hot = lower starting pressures, cold = higher starting pressures
Your air pressure will be a personal riding preference

Lights
Its always best to just remove all lights
Tape up all lights use painters masking tape (recommend 2 layers)
Pull headlight and taillight fuses or unplug them (use zip tie to secure dangling plug)

Suspension
By far the best adjustments that can be done to effect the rideability of a bike is setting the suspension to the riders weight and/or preferences.
Some track day orgs will have a suspension tech available (free or for a fee) Take advantage of them if they are present.

Transportation
Plan on hauling your bike there. It's not recommended to ride it.
Beg, borrow or rent a trailer/bike hauler to get this done UHaul has bike specific trailers for less than 25 per day + deposit

Supplies
A EasyUp or equivalent pop up canopy
A folding chair or two
A cooler with ice, drinks, sandwitches or anything else for personal use (NO LIQUOR!!!!)
5 gallon gas can full of gas
A few quarts of whatever oil your running in your bike
A tool box with enough tools to handle most between session repairs/adjustments, wrenches, sockets, allens, screwdrivers ect...
A container of brake fluid
Zip ties (large and small)
Painters/Duct tape rolls
Tire pump or 12v air compressor

Extra stuff
ICE (In case of emergency) info is shared with someone with the track day org or a friend
Phone
$$ for; pictures, various other needs
A change of clothes for each day your at the track
2 pairs of extra socks
1 extra pair of underwear (for those O SH*T moments lol)
Camera

Mental Prep
Watch TOTW2
Have Fun
Be prepared to learn from "control riders" or "rider coaches" TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE RIDERS!!!!!! DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS!!!!
The track is not the street, use all of it's width
NEVER stop on the track!
Go with/take a friend so you have someone to share your experience with and can keep you company in the paddock/pit areas

That should get you started.... hahahahhaha You will have a blast and please take some pics and let us know how it goes.

[csmith12]

Also notice I didn't say squat about pace or dragging knee. That is not important, doing your best and coming out a better rider is what it's all about.

MAKE A NEW FRIEND ALSO!!!!

[Trailerboy531]

WOAHHHHHHH

While I agree with many things Chris is saying... This is your first track day - and it's important to remember that it's not a race. While that's important to remember on the track you can also keep that in mind while prepping your bike.

You apparently need water wetter, so do that. Flush your coolant, mix the wetter with distilled water as per the bottle's instructions, and add that in. You don't need to do the safety wiring that Chris mentioned. Don't remove your lights or your kickstand, just tape them over (USE PAINTERS TAPE). Like Chris said DO remove the fuses for your tail lights, head lights, turn signals, and horn. remove the mirrors also, it takes about 1 minute. Just unscrew the one bolt holding the mirrors in their mounting brackets.

It's true that it's best to get a ride there if at all possible, post up on your local forums to see if anybody can help you out if you share in the gas money or something. The track is very taxing, especially on your first visit. That being said it's the most fun you can have with your close on and you will be high off of the experience for a long time - like Rexbo said.

Chris is pretty straight on with the supplies. If you ride out there you will need gas and the track should have it. It will likely be more expensive than your local gas station though. If you get a ride in a truck, trailer, whatever; fill up your tank and you should be fine on gas. I did 2 track days back to back on one tank and had a little less than a 1/4 left at the end.

Everything he said as far as mental prep is a good idea, especially using the control riders. They will help you and you'll easily feel the improvement. The encouragement is great for your ego as well.

Have fun, PM me if you have any questions! My next track day is this Friday

[capriccio]

Wow, you guys surely know a lot about trackday.
I ordered water wetter which will be here in 2 days. My tires are pretty new though, about 1000 miles. Do I need to worry about those ? I have new EBC HH brake pad for the front. New brake fluid and ss brake line.
The bike can use some new oil though. I'm still kinda confused about the oil tight. Should I safety wire it or not, belly pan or not ? what belly pan should I get ?

I will definitely ask someone for a ride. Adding a trailer hitch and rent a trailer is another option. At first I thought it's gonna be my bike and myself. Never know that there are so many things to bring. Thanks Chris

Regarding gears, I have leather jacket, pants, SP-2 gloves, SMX5 boots (all A*). My helmet is Zox (forgot the name) but has DOT and SNELL2005, about 2 years old (yes, I bought helmet before I bought my bike ). I have this back protector, which I don't know if it is enough.

@CC Cowboy: I'm going to Loudon and it's Penguin school. My wife is working in EG so I ride by from time to time. Nice area. I wish I own that Capriccio restaurant, but my name has nothing to do with it.

@Everyone: thanks for advises.

[CC Cowboy]

Alex, the Penguin school is great. I took it in 1982 at Loudon and have been a friend of Jerry ever since. I even had him as an teammate in an 6-hour endurance race at Daytona Speedway. You will love it. Just remember; NO CRASHING. It will ruin your day.

[csmith12]

Alex - This is what your reading for bike requirements right? http://www.penguinracing.com/pages/1...quirements.cfm Meh.... kinda vague. I would call to confirm the details of oil tight. But since they allow riders to wear work boots!!!!!.... then I presume the safety wiring and belly pan will not be required. Maybe blue or red silicon will work on the oil filter bolts and fill cap.

Your gear and tires should be ok and you really don't need the ss brake lines but do change your pads if they are really needing it as they will teach you brake hard (This isn't MSF braking lol). I don't read that back protection is even required so what you have will work as well (personal requirement for me).

In the end there is a difference between going to a track day and REALLY enjoying the entire experience vs just enjoying the riding. Some of my most fond memories at the track are from the pits. Being prepared is key to not having to sweat the small stuff like "I need a screwdriver" or "A snack would hit the spot". The buddy system makes this waaaaayyyyy better. For example; This Friday, me and 5 other local riders are sharing a large trailer and pits at Putnam Park Indiana. Each person is responsible for "some" of the items on the list. This relieves the need for all of us to bring the entire list and we just share. Which is why I said "Make a new friend" and maybe he/she will be your buddy for next time you hit the track.

[CC Cowboy]

Don't forget to bring something to celebrate with when you are finished.

[Mocha Man]

You guys are making this sound like so much fun! It reminds me of when I raced my dirt bike when I was younger and got to meet a lot of amazing people. None of which I talk to anymore, sadly, since I stopped racing and only ride dirt bikes for fun now.

But yeah, if what you guys say about meeting people is like how it was at the dirt track, then you'll have a blast. I can't wait to go to my first track day someday. Once I have the correct gear...and a bike... ugh. Darn you, crappy economy!

[Trailerboy531]

I hope your jacket and pants are both leather and zip together. Otherwise you will need either a one or two-piece suit.

[Alex]

All oil tight means in that context is that the bike is not currently leaking oil. No need for safety wiring or anything else on top of the stock motorcycle.

[capriccio]

On a second thought, I might need a new front tire. It looks pretty good to me, but definitely have around 6500 miles on it. What do you think ?



Rear tire is Shinko. Cheap but good (at least for me).



@Trailerboy531: The pants and jacket can zip together, so I'm good. Have fun on your trackday

[Trailerboy531]

Thanks man!

and yeahhh.... new front tire...

[Alex]

New front, consider new (and matching) rear.

[Rexbo]

There's a running thread about how amazing the new pirelli diablo 2s are... haha

[Havok]

Get new tires you will thank yourself for it in the end. Other then that DO NOT ride to the track! Bum a ride, rent a truck/trailer what ever it takes but don't ride there. First off you will be exhausted at the end of the day and riding home will he a birch, you won't have enough space or way to bring all the stuff you need (water,food,chair,shade ect.) and god forbid you go down and are SOL on getting home. It is just not a good way to go to the track.

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by Havok

Get new tires you will thank yourself for it in the end. Other then that DO NOT ride to the track! Bum a ride, rent a truck/trailer what ever it takes but don't ride there. First off you will be exhausted at the end of the day and riding home will he a birch, you won't have enough space or way to bring all the stuff you need (water,food,chair,shade ect.) and god forbid you go down and are SOL on getting home. It is just not a good way to go to the track.

I second this statement. It is way to far from Providence to Loudon (and back) after an exhausting trackday (and you will be exhausted). Besides, riding up will make you tired before you even start your trackday. It used to take me about 2.5 hours each way from EG. Find someone else who is going and hook up with them to get the bike up there or rent something. You won't regret it.

[675Raisinator]

those tires have plenty of street life in them ... dont track the stock tires. .. just dont ... seen too many folks crash on em

[capriccio]

So my track day was on Friday. At last minute, I was able to borrow a van an put my bike in there. Best decision !
I had so much fun at the track. The 1st "follow the leader" session scared me **** less. After the 1st corner, I already forgot what gear I was in. After the instructor started talking about lines, apexes, body position, where to brake... I felt much better.
When I got a little confident, I low sided. It was during the 1st lap of the 4th session. I think I went in the turn wide then had to lean more to compensate. Then I could feel the bike slide away from me, and there we go, right into the stone + sand mixture. The instructor ran right behind me said that it must be the cold tires. It was around 40F that day. Yikes. Lucky for me, the bike was intact. Nothing was broken, just the fairing was rash pretty good. So I was able to continue.
It was so cold that on the next session, there were 5 more crashes in my group (of 14, 15). After I saw bike after bike went down, I just slowed down and ended that session. Anyway, I did the next sessions more carefully, tried to learn the reference points on the track and worked on my body position.

To sum up, it was many fun moments and scary at the same time. I can see that my bike can be pushed a lot more until it's limit. But on straight line, people just flew by me.
The track was great, I learnt a lot from the instructor. I met some cool people and saw a whole bunch of awesome bikes.

[csmith12]

I am so glad you got that van.

Nice! Earned your crash stripes on your first track day. How did you hold up after the crash? Sore?

How well did your gear hold up? And depending on damage, your might be able to sand and paint your fairings, rather than buy new. Got any pictures?

And last questions.... Was it as fun as you thought it was gunna be? You going to go back?

[Rexbo]

glad you had fun! when you goin back?

[capriccio]

Here is a picture

I feel fine. The crash was actually less scary than I thought it would be.
All the gears were fine too. The leather was not even scratched. Just dirty.
The bike flew and stopped by sand + stones. Besides the turn signal, nothing was broken. Just scratches on the left fairing, upper fairing and some on the rear fairing.

Now that I had my 1st time, I want to come back. But I have to postpone it a little because honestly, it is an expensive hobby. So, maybe June

[csmith12]

Good to here your a-ok!

Hit that a bit with the buffer (be gentile) and rubbing compound, then hand polish. I bet near 90% of that will come out. With a little bit of elbow grease to clean up the rest a bit and you will be ready for the next. And for you turnsignal.... now you see why I take em off. But on the plus side, you get to buy some flushmounts.

psssttt.. a little tip for next time.... loose the irc's and get some rosso's or bt003's.

And yea... It's expensive. Wanna buy some cats?

[capriccio]

At least my bike is a cheap one. In that group, one Duc 848, one Duc 748, one R1, were dropped. The guy with the MV Brutale even dropped it twice, at the same spot.

And can you give me more detail about that hand polishing thingy ? I would definitely do that.

My preparation for the track day was a little over the standard. Some guys still have the passenger pegs, mirrors,.. They just taped them and go.

[csmith12]

Buff by hand followed by a healthy coat of wax = hand polish. Good luck and take some pics when your done please.

Twice in the same spot aya, that sucks. Best of luck to him, those parts are not cheap.

Hmmm... I have a high standard I guess. Plus no need to replace parts that can easily come off. Sure tape and go gets you past tech but getting past you wallet is a whole other level of tech.

[TGRIFF]

Congrats on your first track day! Glad to hear that you were ok and your bike as well, like another member said you should be able to buff most of that our.

[capriccio]

Chris, I have to admit I'm clueless about buffing and polishing. Do you think something like this will work ?
What kind of wax do you recommend ? :0

[csmith12]

Well,

What your need to do first is watch some youtube vids on buffing. Buffing cars and bikes is pretty much the same procedure but with plastics and thin paint, you have to be less aggressive with your buffing pressure.

Here is your excuse to get more tools! Get a 3 inch buffer, 3 inch wool pads (2 should work) and rubbing compound.





And QUALITY buffing pads (wool is best). 3M brand will be fine but you will use a couple of them to finish the job you have ahead of you.



BE GENTLE AND START SLOW! Buffing works by getting the paint warm and soft to blend the paints back over the scratches. If your to aggressive with the buffer, you can do more harm than good.

As far as wax goes. I use the same wax as I use on my cars, simple old Turtle Wax.

[Nny]

Hey Alex, I was in your group that day. I was the redhead on the black R6. Glad to see you and your spirits about track day are still in tact. That day was awful for traction. Almost had a spill myself in the bowl early in the day due to cold tires. Wait until you get an 80 degree weather track day in and I think you will surprise yourself on how capable you and your bike are. A warm track makes a world of difference.

And P.S. Welcome to the addiction
P.P.S 3 weeks for track day pics to come up on Owens web site. Spoke to him before we left for the day.

[capriccio]

chris: Thanks. I will try that and we'll see.
zach: Hey man. Good to know that you were there. I guess you had a couple track days already right ? You looked pretty comfortable. I have already surprised with the bike. There were some turns that I thought I could not make it through, but the bike did. I also red lined it much more than on the street (mostly because I forgot what gear I was in ). Anyway, I hope to come back when it is warmer. When is your next trackday ?

[Nny]

Yeah, I have been on that track 4 times now, all with Penguin Racing School. My next track day is going to be with Tony's Track Days on May 21st. It looks like there is more track time with them in a day but from what I hear, in comparison the instruction from Penguin can't be beat. We'll see .

On a side note, two things were different about that track day. They usually have a bike set up on stands where everyone in the class would get on the bike and Scott would personally show each student where and what to do different with their body position.
Also, John Owens usually has at least one set of photos of open session where Scott will go over body position with each student.
Really informative part of the class and I am definitely glad I went back to the track experience multiple times.
However, we were kind of off schedule that day and it was really hard to gauge when we were going on track next. So I am sure that's why that portion was missed.