ericbrinton

So im thinking of retiring my superhawk from track day duty and going with a either a ducati 748 or even an inline.. any opinions on this. The Shawk has played well but it was never meant to be a track bike but has been alot of fun. Im stuck on using a Twin b/c its all I have known really but I just dont know what would be a better bike to build on.
any opinions out there?

EngineNoO9

well parts aren't too expensive, if you do a shock, say racetech springs in front, as well as pads and ss lines it should be plenty good. If you want to go all out do a front end swap and use new calipers as well

RCVTR

I'm looking at replacing mine with a CBR929RR. I have a friend that races and he has recommended the 929 more than once. And that comes from a guy that raced an RC51 that won the AFM open twins class.

It won't have the midrange grunt. But the one I'm buying makes 140 HP at the rear wheel. I think it will be a good compromise, because I like the torque of a big bore bike, but don't need 160+ HP. The 929 chassis is very nimble, much like a 600. I think I'll like it.

EngineNoO9

no offense but everyone I've talked to says the 929 is such a dog compared to the new bikes. Almost everyone would rather have a 600 then a 929 on the track. With that said just get a 1000rr which is leaps and bounds better then the 929

RCVTR

Hmmm...
Well that's good to know. I definitely didn't like it as a street bike, but that was because it lacks midrange torque and the brakes felt like wood and wouldn't slow the bike down.

I thought it would be a good track bike. But it's true, you don't see many of them. the bike I'm looking at is all set up and has a fresh motor. And the price is right. but I've had this nagging doubt about whether I will love the bike. Mostly I thought it was an easy way to get back on a bike.

What I really want is an RC51. I guess I should just be patient. that was going to be a fun project. and I do still hang out on a Honda V-twin forum.

Thanks for the warning.

Hawkrider

Eric,

I don't know what you've done to your S'Hawk, but with a good fork setup and a real shock out back you can do some pretty amazing things with the bike. I have 3 bikes to choose from in my garage: 04 CBR1000RR, 05 CBR600RR, and the 98 Superhawk. In the tighter twisty stuff I'm actually faster on the Superhawk than either of the CBRs, partially because I've ridden about 40k miles on it and know the bike very well, and partially because it just plain turns better than the other two. It's light, skinny, and has very good balance. The only thing I wish I could change is to get more weight over the front. Stock, it has like a 40/60 split front/rear. I've got that closer to 50/50 by lowering the front and raising the rear, but over high speed bumps cranked over, VIR North kink on the front straight keeping a tight line for example, the bike gets unstable. Backing off or really climbing onto the tank helps a lot, as does a full tank of gas. Other than that, I couldn't ask for a better track bike. Unfortunately I sold my plastics to a buddy of mine to get plastics for the 1000RR, so now it's strictly street.

swordfish

I don't know if you've thought of this or not;(I've never done a track day) but I have vortex racing clip-ons on my hawk and when I installed them, I deliberately set them at a shallower angle than stock. this stretches you over the tank more and isn't as comfortable for long rides but in the twisties at speed its very confidence inspiring since you have to be hitched forward. the angle also gives you more leverage on the bars. just my 2 cents

RCVTR

That's the way I felt about mine. I haven't ridden a lot of other bikes. But with my limited experience, and based on how quickly my riding improved and how I was able to get by riders on everything else, I thought it was a great track bike for a non-racer. I LOVED that bike!

Swapping front ends for a more rigid fork with less triple clamp offset (more trail) helps with stability when you steepen the head angle. After I did that, the bike felt like I was riding on rails. Bigger brakes also come with the deal and is very beneficial on the track. If you sell your front end, the swap doesn't end up costing much.

RCVTR

But that said. I also tried to ride with a guy from our club on a tuned up CBR1000RR. I could stay with him in the corners, and even reel him in if the gap wasn't too big. I got by him once when he almost highsided. But once we broke out of the technical sections and on to the straight, there was no way.

superhawk22

I'd have to agree that the SH is a GREAT track day bike with a little suspension help. The track I do my days on doesn't have a lot of long straights so I can hang with and pass most of the guys in the intermediate group. I've been doing track days for a little more than a year now and regularlly smoke bikes I have no right passing, the new front end and shock really do make a big difference. I moved up to advanced and now I'm starting to get my *** handed to me by some but I just think of it as motivation.

My point is until you get REALLY fast there's no need for anything else but if you have an itch you just have to scratch here's my short list in no perticular order. GSXR750 RC51 Triumph 675 None of these are too extreme and yet have plenty of tourque and horse power to get the job done.

ericbrinton

yeah thats kinda what I was looking for yall.. thanks for the info.. I do kinda have that itch that needs to be scratched but I LOVE this bike. So maybe I will do the front end swap and get a good rear shock for now. The goal is to get enough riding time and schooling in next year to work on race license but well see. I wasnt sure if I should just look into a 600 or stick with what I have for now. I couldnt see dumping money into this if in the end ill be on another bike anyways.
thanks yall

slo1

Just my first year of track days, but got in about a dozen. Fortunatly there are alot of guys that I get to swap bikes with, so I would say that list is very close to mine I did like the Ducati 900 better than the rc51 I rode, but the duc was track/race spec and the 51 wasn't. Still prefer twins, and I am faster on them, but the gsxr and 675 were great.

My SH is stock except race tech front, Fox rear, 2bros high, and jet kit, so I have arrived at the front end swap point, and some rearsets would be nice. Still love the SH on the track, confidence inspiring, and alot of fun.

slo1

superhawk22

See now that's a different story, if you are going to do more than track days I would think of moving on. If you're going to race, the 600 class has the most races and you could use the track days to get use to the 600 because it'll be ALOT different.

superhawk22

Those 2 made the biggest difference in improving the bike on the track IMO and the shock helps too. Of course it would be nice to have that extra 25 horses the RC has stock.

That's a lot of track days in a short amount of time, you've almost caught me. Do you live close to a track or just that hooked?

slo1

1 hour from Millermotorsportspark.com :-D and the days are typically $150-$230, depending on the provider and configuration.
i even got in several weekdays, with only 20-30 riders.

The track is pretty high speed, but I am not trying to be competitive, just having fun, building skills, and enjoying the ride.

slo1

RCVTR

Good luck track junkies!
I'll let you know when the '51 happens.

I want to thank y'all for keeping me company while i've been stuck in a hotel room in Houston f'in' Texas for a month.

Fixin' ta head back on home ta the family and the real world.

superhawk22

My father inlaw lives outside Houston, the only place more humid then south Fla.

EngineNoO9

i'll sell you my superhawk. needs a little minor work but comes with most stuff already done

superhawk22

Would you make up your mind already.

EngineNoO9

if it would run for a week without something new popping up I'd probably never think about it. I even had a harley owner tease me saying I work on mine more then they do theirs....

superhawk22

Sorry but that's funny right there, I think your bike was made either late Fri. afternoon or early Mon morning. I've had mine since Nov. of 2000 and I think I've been stranded once.

EngineNoO9

hence why at this point if someone offered me a decent amount I think I might let it go. My frustration level has reached a new all time high... I'm thinking about talking to the triumph dealer and seeing what they might give me on a trade in for a 675. Either that or take it to a shop and just say fix it...

marmaladedad

#9 - Don't do it mang. Keep the Superhawk. Part of me regrets selling the bike. I will always miss the Superhawk.

superhawk22

I hate to say I told you so but.....Did I tell you so?

marmaladedad

Off with his head!!! =P

To soothe the pain of departing with my Superhawk, I took the KTM for some wheelies up and down the street. Definitely rankled the neighbors. Good thing the wheelie-action was on my friend's street.

superhawk22

Nice!!!! Nothing like pissin off the freinds neighbors.

vitter

there is a guy on cycleforums who raced a CBR929RR successfully until last year(he stepped up to a CBR1000RR in 2005). He was beating GSXR1000s, 954s, and R1s, and finished 2nd in his class on a 2001 929.

superhawk22

I've found on the track it is sooo much more about the rider than the bike. Just my .02