1st Trackday!
 

Finally spent some money and did a Penguin school at NHMS (Loudon). Did it on April 24th, but wanted to wait until I had pics. Worth every penny, and very addictive. One of those things that just when you get comfortable and start pushing it, the day is over. Class started at 8:30am, and our last track session was at 6pm. Time was mixed between classroom and track, next time it'll be a straight trackday, but I'm glad I did this first, helped clear up a couple of things. Kind of funny, when you think you're really flying, an instructor comes around on the outside, one handed, knee down, looking back at you to see how you're doing. Kind of a reality check. Saw 3 or 4 crashes, 2 right in front of me - great target fixation practice, I almost followed the first one off. No matter how much you go over things in your head it doesn't really click until you experience it. Anyway, here are a couple of pics. Most were taken in the morning.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...6846resize.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...g/_D4N3143.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...g/_D4N4615.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n..._D4N4676-1.jpg

Looks like a blast Doug.
Maybe one day I'll get the chance to pull in a track day. Bike looks good, and I have heard that track days are very addictive. Only thing left to do now if make the next track days reservations:D.
Bill

Looking good, man!

Haha, now you are addicted :D
So much fun !!

my god... look at that curbing :shock:


tim

you have to add the after pics of the tires....so we know how far you took the bike...

Here you go... they have about 150 miles on hem since the track so most of the crap is worn off the center.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n..._6950sized.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n..._6951sized.jpg

Hey I see chicken strips on that dunlop ! Needs mustard !
Thats the same tire I ride with on the street.

nice! You gotta ride hard or no use riding at all:)
RC

Crack days are very addicting. I am headed to NHMS on 5/25 (possibly)and 5/26. I will also be doing a few more days though out the summer. This is a bad addiction. :evillaugh:

So I just got back from a track day at loudon. It was my first time going there to watch. Wanted to pick up some tires too. I made the mistake of bringing the girl along. I said, "man that looks like fun! that will be me by the end of the summer." She said, "No way." and shook her head. Little does she know that the pair dunlop sportmax qualifiers that I picked up will see more than just the streets of the north east. Muahaha! BTW. anyone who lives around here, go to track days to get your tires!! I paid $50 for me and her to get in, and then another $25 for the pair of sportmax qualifiers which still have the blue lines on 'em. I am so pumped! Am I late on the bus for getting this insane deal!? who else has discovered the sweetness?

they were probably pulled off a converted race bike... which means they are OEM tires.

tim

so you say it like its a bad thing! And... they are the tires that came on 08 CBR1000/600, OEM.

Go get em! As you can see the hawk is a fun and very good trackday steed!

Welcome to the addiction!! I did penguin a few years back, good people, if you want some constructive critisim let me know but I'm sure the instructors probably already told you what I have to say anyway, good times good times. :D

Congrats! The VTR is a great track bike. You can go a long way with it. And it's good to be on something besides a screaming, generic i4. I had the only RC51 at the track on Saturday. I love these damn twins!

If you can get over the idea that needs to be perfect, you won't need to buy another bike for the track. You can set that one up really well for the cost of another bike.

PS - don't worry about chicken strips. Ride your ride. The speed will come.

It's not that I don't like it on the track, I thought it was funny listening to everybody else shift constantly to pull through a turn (now I realize how bad the suspension is), I just have a huge paranoia about dropping it, it's too clean for that. I honestly think that was my main concern on the track. I wasn't worried about myself, just the bike (is that bad?). Maybe because my other 2 vehicles are 17 & 18 years old and falling apart, I don't want to ruin the 1 good one. The more I'm thinking about this the more I think I need help.

i very jealous ha

youre using more of the tire then me my friend! looks like you had a blast!!

doesn't matter what bike it came from an OEM tire is not the same as it's aftermarket counterpart. the differences are hard to track down but increased mileage always seems to be at the top of the list from the bike manufacturer. ( ie harder compound )

tim

What trinc says is true, I know because I sell tires daily. ;)