track day - getting there on the bike

[divil]

Does anyone do track days without another vehicle to bring the bike to the track? Just wondering if this ends up being a lot of hassle. I'm hoping to do my first track day soon, and there's an event at my local track in a couple of weeks. It's about 40 miles away and I don't have a vehicle that can carry the bike. It would be nice to be able to bring the swingarm stand and other things, and I suppose I could always rent a truck or something. But I am thinking of just riding out there with whatever I can carry in a backpack (mostly water I suppose). Anyone know of any reason I can't do this?

[Sirref]

I see it done sometimes when the track is nearby (under 45min drive)

if you do it have someone else come with a car and all your supplies and have a plan (people will normally help you out) for if you are exhausted at the end of the day or if you go down

[verboten1]

There is no reason you CAN'T, but when I am doing something more than just BS'ing at my destination (riding off road, usually, for me) I like to have a way home just in case.

[nickjpass]

I wouldn't recommend this. I've seen a couple people show up on their motorcycle, quite often from a long distance. I don't know whether it's just bad luck or what, but they crash quite often. When you do, how do you get home? Can a buddy come pick you and the bike up? Can you afford the towing cost? Will the tow cost more than a rental van from Uhaul?

I have saved someones track day and they were able to get home just because I happened to have a spare rear set that I gave to them.

I also agree with Sirref. You need a lot of supplies for even a single track day. You need water, food, extra clothes, tools (if you have them), etc. You won't be able to carry it all on your bike (if you do I applaud you for the effort and success).



Just some information to consider.

[csmith12]

I am going to focus on the positive here. Your first track day is best spent with a friend or two that will celebrate in your success with you. Help is one thing, having stuff is another, having someone to make a few memories and smiles with... is priceless.

If you do go alone, make it a point to go out and shake a few hands. I am pretty sure you will come back +1 or more new friends.

Good luck and don't forget to have fun!

[nickjpass]

Originally Posted by csmith12

I am going to focus on the positive here. Your first track day is best spent with a friend or two that will celebrate in your success with you. Help is one thing, having stuff is another, having someone to make a few memories and smiles with... is priceless.

If you do go alone, make it a point to go out and shake a few hands. I am pretty sure you will come back +1 or more new friends.

Good luck and don't forget to have fun!

Yes! People notice when you walk around the paddock You can make lifelong friends. There's nothing like talking to someone who has the same passion as you

[divil]

Well I was hoping that crashing would be fairly unlikely. I can afford towing costs etc. if it comes to that. Assuming I was ok, I'd be more concerned about the damage to the bike than anything else at that point.

[nickjpass]

Originally Posted by divil

Well I was hoping that crashing would be fairly unlikely. I can afford towing costs etc. if it comes to that. Assuming I was ok, I'd be more concerned about the damage to the bike than anything else at that point.

Personally I'd find out exactly how much a tow would cost. The plan is not to crash, but sometimes things come together, literally. I've personally been in an incident that resulted with another rider going down due to my inexperience and negligence. My purpose isn't to discourage or scare you, rather to inform you of possible outcomes.

[divil]

Good point. I will definitely find out towing costs.

Thanks for all the input so far everyone. I'm just looking at prices now and it looks like around $100 to get a pickup truck from U-Haul for the weekend. That's not bad and I doubt I would get the bike towed home for that, plus having the truck allows me to bring anything I want.

[divil]

Originally Posted by csmith12

I am going to focus on the positive here. Your first track day is best spent with a friend or two that will celebrate in your success with you. Help is one thing, having stuff is another, having someone to make a few memories and smiles with... is priceless.

If you do go alone, make it a point to go out and shake a few hands. I am pretty sure you will come back +1 or more new friends.

Good luck and don't forget to have fun!

I don't really know anyone who's into this stuff now, but hopefully that will all change when get to the track!

[nickjpass]

Originally Posted by divil

Good point. I will definitely find out towing costs.

Thanks for all the input so far everyone. I'm just looking at prices now and it looks like around $100 to get a pickup truck from U-Haul for the weekend. That's not bad and I doubt I would get the bike towed home for that, plus having the truck allows me to bring anything I want.

Check if they have vans, maybe it's cheaper? Don't forget that you'll need ratchet straps, a ramp, and a friend or two during the process of getting the bike on the truck/van.

[divil]

Originally Posted by nickjpass

Check if they have vans, maybe it's cheaper? Don't forget that you'll need ratchet straps, a ramp, and a friend or two during the process of getting the bike on the truck/van.

They have vans for the same price - but they might be easier to get the bike into and out of. I have a wheel chock for the bike but I'm not sure what the options are for non-permanent installation in a van or truck. I'll read up on that.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by divil

I don't really know anyone who's into this stuff now, but hopefully that will all change when get to the track!

That's the thing, they don't have to be into "this stuff". They just need to be into "you".

[nickjpass]

Originally Posted by divil

They have vans for the same price - but they might be easier to get the bike into and out of. I have a wheel chock for the bike but I'm not sure what the options are for non-permanent installation in a van or truck. I'll read up on that.

Make sure the van is tall enough, inside. Removing a windscreen isn't hard...

[adouglas]

If you go the truck/van route, make sure you figure out the logistics of loading and unloading in advance. 5 am the day of your first track day is not the time to learn how to get a bike up the ramp, especially by yourself. Search videos on motorcycle loading fails to see why.

Alternative 1: If you can access a vehicle with a hitch, rent a u-haul motorcycle trailer. $14.95 a day and it has a ramp built in.

Alternative 2: Contact the track day organization and see if they're on social media or any rider boards. Send out a call for carpool help and you very well might get willing assistance.

Alternative 3: If you do ride to the track, see if anyone there would be willing to help you out should you need a way to get a crashed bike and yourself home. You're only 40 miles away, so you should have no trouble making that happen. I'd do it in a heartbeat.

See, we're all addicts and we love getting people hooked....

But yeah... a good idea to have someone go with you in a car with supplies. It'll make life much easier.


Pretty much everyone who's gone to the track has faced this issue at some point. For all the excellent reasons given above, I chose not to ride to my first day.

What I wound up doing was buying a hitch and the cheapest trailer I could find, which I still use.

Rationale:

- I was fairly sure I'd get hooked and want to do more track days. But even if that were not true, I could resell the trailer and probably the hitch too. As it happens, the trailer has proven to be really handy.

- The cost of rental, assuming more than one track day was in my future, argued in favor of purchase. That u-haul trailer for $14.95 a day is actually closer to $50 per trip, because you need to get it the day before and you won't be bringing it back until the day after. Three days. Renting a whole vehicle for 3 days plus outrageous per-mile charges... non-starter for me. But people do it all the time.

[divil]

Originally Posted by adouglas

If you go the truck/van route, make sure you figure out the logistics of loading and unloading in advance. 5 am the day of your first track day is not the time to learn how to get a bike up the ramp, especially by yourself. Search videos on motorcycle loading fails to see why.

Alternative 1: If you can access a vehicle with a hitch, rent a u-haul motorcycle trailer. $14.95 a day and it has a ramp built in.

Alternative 2: Contact the track day organization and see if they're on social media or any rider boards. Send out a call for carpool help and you very well might get willing assistance.

Alternative 3: If you do ride to the track, see if anyone there would be willing to help you out should you need a way to get a crashed bike and yourself home. You're only 40 miles away, so you should have no trouble making that happen. I'd do it in a heartbeat.

See, we're all addicts and we love getting people hooked....

But yeah... a good idea to have someone go with you in a car with supplies. It'll make life much easier.


Pretty much everyone who's gone to the track has faced this issue at some point. For all the excellent reasons given above, I chose not to ride to my first day.

What I wound up doing was buying a hitch and the cheapest trailer I could find, which I still use.

Rationale:

- I was fairly sure I'd get hooked and want to do more track days. But even if that were not true, I could resell the trailer and probably the hitch too. As it happens, the trailer has proven to be really handy.

- The cost of rental, assuming more than one track day was in my future, argued in favor of purchase. That u-haul trailer for $14.95 a day is actually closer to $50 per trip, because you need to get it the day before and you won't be bringing it back until the day after. Three days. Renting a whole vehicle for 3 days plus outrageous per-mile charges... non-starter for me. But people do it all the time.

Yeah the rental cost does add up, especially the mileage. My trouble is that I live in an apartment complex and I already have 2 cars (neither of which is set up for towing). So I can't really go buying trailers and things like that. In fact I'd rather not even have to deal with having a loading ramp in my apartment, but it looks like there is no way around that. Would something like this with a pickup or van do the trick? I have one of those big motorcycle wheel chocks too.

If I end up doing it a lot I could look into getting set up to tow stuff. Then I wouldn't mind $50 a weekend for the u-haul trailer.

[nickjpass]

Originally Posted by divil

Yeah the rental cost does add up, especially the mileage. My trouble is that I live in an apartment complex and I already have 2 cars (neither of which is set up for towing). So I can't really go buying trailers and things like that. In fact I'd rather not even have to deal with having a loading ramp in my apartment, but it looks like there is no way around that. Would something like this with a pickup or van do the trick? I have one of those big motorcycle wheel chocks too.

If I end up doing it a lot I could look into getting set up to tow stuff. Then I wouldn't mind $50 a weekend for the u-haul trailer.

Loading ramps can be foldable just like trailers, and just about any car can tow a sports bike.

[adouglas]

Yep.

PS: This is misleading. This was my first track day trip... since then I've gotten a draw bar with more rise to it, moved the chock back and put more stuff on the trailer instead of in the car.... it all rides a lot more level now.

[adouglas]

I'd bet cash money that you'll wind up making a friend at the track who'll be happy to help you get to and from in the future.

You're gonna love this.

[BoBO]

Never go to the track with just a bike. You need to have a trailer or truck at a minimum. Trackday on a car is a different story though. My first trackday, I rented a trailer for $50 at uhaul. It's a lot cheaper than buying a truck. You can find a cheap trailer on CL. It's too risky just riding the bike to the track. The whole time your leaning the bike, you're worried about crashing and being stranded.

[InvisiBill]

For whatever it's worth, my buddy used one of the U-Haul rental trailers when he bought a bike a couple states away. After using it, he said he's never putting a bike in the back of a truck again.

They have the smaller Motorcycle Trailer, and they also have a 5'x9' Ramp Trailer (for an extra $10) which is a little bigger with taller sides. That might work well for holding your supplies too (but if you're towing a single bike, you probably have room in your vehicle for that stuff).

If you do a lot of bike hauling, I thought it might be cool to own one of those trailers. From what I can tell, U-Haul may auction off old equipment after it's passed the point of no return, but it doesn't seem like you can get them new or even in decent condition. A standard flatbed trailer may be more useful for stuff other than the bike too.


I'm in a similar boat, as my local track is only 20 miles away. I'd be tempted to ride there, except for all the other stuff you need to bring.

P.S. If anyone comes to Grattan, let me know.

[divil]

Originally Posted by InvisiBill

For whatever it's worth, my buddy used one of the U-Haul rental trailers when he bought a bike a couple states away. After using it, he said he's never putting a bike in the back of a truck again.

They have the smaller Motorcycle Trailer, and they also have a 5'x9' Ramp Trailer (for an extra $10) which is a little bigger with taller sides. That might work well for holding your supplies too (but if you're towing a single bike, you probably have room in your vehicle for that stuff).

If you do a lot of bike hauling, I thought it might be cool to own one of those trailers. From what I can tell, U-Haul may auction off old equipment after it's passed the point of no return, but it doesn't seem like you can get them new or even in decent condition. A standard flatbed trailer may be more useful for stuff other than the bike too.


I'm in a similar boat, as my local track is only 20 miles away. I'd be tempted to ride there, except for all the other stuff you need to bring.

P.S. If anyone comes to Grattan, let me know.

Just out of curiosity, what other stuff do you bring?

[InvisiBill]

Originally Posted by divil

Just out of curiosity, what other stuff do you bring?

Personally, nothing, because I've never done a track day. I was just referring to the things people already mentioned - food, clothes, tools, etc. If you could fit all that stuff in the trailer with the bike, it might be helpful for having an all-in-one "track day setup" ready to go.

[algs26]

Can you rent a bike at the track? That's what I've been doing. The rental bike is better set up than mine (power commander, quick throttle, rearsets, etc.). I just drive there and literally hop on.

[divil]

Originally Posted by algs26

Can you rent a bike at the track? That's what I've been doing. The rental bike is better set up than mine (power commander, quick throttle, rearsets, etc.). I just drive there and literally hop on.

That would be cool! I don't think the organization I'm planning to go with does that, but I don't know for sure. I'll definitely look into that.

[Dave Wolfe]

Originally Posted by divil

Just out of curiosity, what other stuff do you bring?

Gas can
Ear plugs
Ez up canopy
Folding chair
Cooler n water n ice n soda pop n whatever
Towel to dry off head
Towel to wipe bugs off of faceshield
Sunblock
Bug spray
Rear stand (i take off kickstand)
Bicycle pump
Pressure gauge
Tools
Paper towels
Spray cleaner
Masking tape

Really half of it is just to be comfortable sitting in sun for half of the day

[nickjpass]

Originally Posted by Dave Wolfe

Gas can
Ear plugs
Ez up canopy
Folding chair
Cooler n water n ice n soda pop n whatever
Towel to dry off head
Towel to wipe bugs off of faceshield
Sunblock
Bug spray
Rear stand (i take off kickstand)
Bicycle pump
Pressure gauge
Tools
Paper towels
Spray cleaner
Masking tape

Really half of it is just to be comfortable sitting in sun for half of the day

You're looking for this

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/show...ight=checklist

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by nickjpass

You're looking for this

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/show...ight=checklist

Thank you. Hope it helps someone.

Don't let the size of that list freak you out. It's what I bring and it's comprehensive; you don't actually NEED all of it, but it sure can be nice to have.

For me, the list is just right. There isn't anything on there that I haven't used at the track at least once, and I've never needed anything I didn't have. (And yeah, it all fits comfortably in that small car.)

Also, a lot of the list is just a full breakout of stuff that could be a single line item -- e.g. Dave Wolfe's "tools" is my long list of what's in the tool kit.

If I were to strip that list down to the essentials, it'd be

Stuff with which to cook, eat and hydrate
Stuff to service the bike
Stuff to keep you comfortable
Stuff you need in order to ride
Stuff to get everything to the track

See? It's really just five things....

What's in each category is driven by what you personally want to bring.

For example, "cook eat and hydrate" for you might be nothing more than stuffing a couple of 20s in your pocket and buying everything from the roach coach at the track.

"Stuff to service the bike" might mean borrowing everything from the guy in the next pit. Etc.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by adouglas

"Stuff to service the bike" might mean borrowing everything from the guy in the next pit. Etc.

Oh... that guy....

[adouglas]

Now, of course, if you're Chris Smith, what gets brought is a bit different. A couple o' bunch of spare bikes just in case someone needs to borrow one, gourmet food, a pit crew, miscellaneous furniture, fire pit... you know, stuff like that.

Basically about half of the Williams-Sonoma catalog, but redneck-style.

[csmith12]

I bring enough to support 3 people living out of my trailer for a week. hahahahahahahha

[AwDang]

Originally Posted by csmith12

I bring enough to support 3 people living out of my trailer for a week. hahahahahahahha

speaking of that.....
you need to put together a team of AFJ's for the enduro this year.

[csmith12]

On it!

[nickjpass]

I always bring more than I should. I try and cover any possible incident. That's why I have three sets of rear sets, many many levers, distilled water, oil, etc. I'd like to start bring a spare bike or two some day.

[jkv45]

As far as the OP's question - I wouldn't even consider riding to the track.

S*** happens, and you need to accept that. You may step over the line, and it doesn't take much to make your bike unable to make the trip home.

As others have mentioned, there are numerous things that you will want to bring with you as well.

I drove to the track by myself one time when racing karts, and ended up in the hospital with a broken collarbone. Luckily I had friends at the track that came and picked me up from the hospital (the ambulance is a 1-way trip) and also packed-up all my gear at the track. By the time I was out of the ER the track was closed and everyone was gone. Stuff you don't really think about. A friend even had to drive me home because I could shift my manual trans.

See if you can find someone in your area that you can go with and split some of the costs. It's more fun with a buddy or 2.

[divil]

Originally Posted by jkv45

As far as the OP's question - I wouldn't even consider riding to the track.

S*** happens, and you need to accept that. You may step over the line, and it doesn't take much to make your bike unable to make the trip home.

As others have mentioned, there are numerous things that you will want to bring with you as well.

I drove to the track by myself one time when racing karts, and ended up in the hospital with a broken collarbone. Luckily I had friends at the track that came and picked me up from the hospital (the ambulance is a 1-way trip) and also packed-up all my gear at the track. By the time I was out of the ER the track was closed and everyone was gone. Stuff you don't really think about. A friend even had to drive me home because I could shift my manual trans.

See if you can find someone in your area that you can go with and split some of the costs. It's more fun with a buddy or 2.

I hear you. Maybe I'm naive about the likelihood of crashing, but I'm more concerned about being able to bring stuff I might need. I track a 25 year old car, and I always drive it to the track. I would think nothing of driving up to Watkin's Glen (600 miles) and back for a track event, and I have done this many times. Yes anything could happen, but considering how often I've gotten away with it, it has still been worth it even if I end up needing a tow next time. If things were going wrong so often that I felt the need to tow the car every tiime, I'd take that as a sign that I'm doing something wrong, or that I need a different hobby. Of course, I can bring everything I want in the car - jack, stands tools etc. and although I've never needed them it's nice to know they're there.

Now, I realize the risk of something happening to the bike is greater, but again if I can't finish the great majority of my track days with the bike still in ridable condition, then it's not for me.

[adouglas]

Likelihood of crashing is more dependent on your attitude than anything else. Needing a tow "every time" is super-unlikely unless you're convinced you're Rossi. The guys who bin it on the first day are there to go fast, not to learn. Their priorities are backwards. Speed is the byproduct, not the goal.

As speed increases, the risk rises as people start testing their limits. You'll have more "moments" and if the dice fall the wrong way, one might lead to a crash. But routine? Not if you've got your head screwed on right.

The saving grace here is that you live so close to the track, making post-crash recovery of bike and you far simpler. I'm sure you could get away with it with a friend bringing the stuff you need, but you'll soon find that it's a lot better to hedge your bets.

Recognize that your first day is going to be more like a really great weekend road ride than anything else. If you're doing it right, you'll be riding well within your limits and go home hungry for more.

It's a balance of risk, cost and practicality. If your immediate goal is to just give it a try and see if it's right for you, then keeping it simple and riding to the track might be worth the risk. If... no, WHEN... you get hooked, the balance is likely to move the other way.

[adouglas]

Problem solved.

[AwDang]

If I could find a hitch for my Tiger. I'd soo do that with the ninjette

[Dave Wolfe]

Originally Posted by adouglas

Problem solved.

So much wrong with that pic I dont know where to start