Who hits the track?

metload2 said:

So, looking to buy a CBR 250 in about a month!

I was wondering.... do any of you guys go to the track? I started looking in my area (norther IL) and it seems like for any track event it's around $200. That's a lot of money just to ride around.... Do any of you track your bike at a reasonable cost?

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Once you get into it, it will be addictive. It is an expensive hobby. Don't hit the track pipe unless you want to keep coming back for more.

If that $200 doesn't include instruction, walk away.

It's a lot more than "just riding around."

Here's a great vid by our own HoPMiX which I love love love.... Stay tuned for the middle section where the guy explains it in very simple terms. He makes it sound like it's just "riding around" - but there's reasons why it's different and better than the open road, and one that he doesn't touch on is instruction.


And... to get a first person view of the action... Watch Stewy tear it up...

But if the expense of the track days themselves make you think twice, consider the fact that you'll need better gear than you're probably wearing now, and depending on the track and organizer, there may be certain changes that need to be made to your bike (usually those would be things like special non-glycol coolant, safety wire on your oil cap and drain, etc... not all require it, but some do).

Again. if the price does not include instruction, find another organizer.

metload2 said:

Well I should probably clarify some things.

Yes this is my first bike, experience = 0! Unless you count a Ruckus lol

My thinking went like this: Riding on the road gives me great road experience, but on the track I am able to push the bike to its limits and learn things I couldn't try learning on the road to gain experience. I was hoping to maybe do this a couple times a week for a while, but that would be about $800/month. That's a small mortgage....

Maybe there is a more cost effective solution? I don't care if I'm racing, I just want a good environment to push the limits of the bike.

And I live pretty close to Blackhawk Farms!

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Well... another option would be the more advanced riding classes available through places like MSF. Or, read read read, watch vids, practice what you can on the road or a parking lot.

You may be hard pressed to find a "couple times a week" trackday events.

Typically a couple a month, and depending on how many tracks there are in your area, the organizer you go with may not even be organizing a track day at a track that's a reasonable distance from you.

It costs thousands (sometimes tens of thousands) per day for organizers to rent a track for track day events.

That's mainly why it's an expensive ordeal.

The higher the price, either you have a more popular track or an organizer who is more likely to keep participant counts lower. This could mean more sessions per day or longer sessions, but who knows.

You should call the organizers in your area and see what their track days are like. Most will let you come observe in case you're uncertain if you want to participate in their events, and some may even open the track for the lunch hour so that observers can get a taste of track riding. Every track and organizer is a little different. Find out what equipment and what you might need to do to your bike to participate. Most will post this on their websites. There will be more than one track day organizer in your area, pretty well guaranteed.

Definitely shop around, and definitely ensure they have a good instruction program available to you for the cost of admission. You do not want to go out on the days when they let any numbskull with a bike and $100 onto the track.