Track Ducati's ????

[sevenfourate]

Right.Have just sold my fantastic 748 road bike i order to finance a track only Ducati hopefully.(plus trailor,tyres,genny etc etc)

When looking at a race/track bike what the hell do i look for ??? I understand it may not be cosmetically perfect and wouldnt expect it to be.But how do i tell the difference between a well looked after but used track-bike and an absolute dog ????
What should i and shouldnt i be looking for and what questions should i be asking.I mean i cant even take it for a test ride can i.Now this is scary...........


Regards Syer.

[paulk]

Aside from the 'for sale' section here where one or two have been advertised recently - Have a look on bemsee (http://www.bemsee.co.uk) in for sale section to see what bikes and bits are kicking about and they also have forums. Its also worth having a flick through Bikesport News mag (website here (http://www.bikesportnews.co.uk)), as there are loads of track bikes for sale in there private and dealers. (Eg - '98 Duc 916 with 996 engine, Ohlins shock, recent over haul etc. £4300 ono .... 2000 Mille 1000R, immaculate, MRO eligible, lack of funds forces sale. £4,375 ono - Both private ads)
Have you considered a Mille if you want to track a v-twin?? A lot more bike/performance for the money allegedly. The guy I bought my gixxer 600 track bike off bought a Mille to race on Sound of Thunder and is very impressed with it.

[sevenfourate]

Thanks for the info Paul.May have seen one that catches my eye.......

Syer

[Guido]

Syer,

There's a 748R on Ebay at the mo with loads of track spares.

Might be worth a looksee.

Guido

[pguenet]

Ask for what maintenance has been done to the bike and when. Guys that look after the bike will keep a book of everything that has been done inbetween meetings, trackdays, etc. Ask for their schedule of oil changes, etc...

If they give vague answers to that question, walk away you are on to a dog or haggle seriously because of maintenance they have overlooked. Anyway, once you look into the engine you are likely to find some stuff to do like valves clearances, etc... You cannot tell from the outside but it is likely that they have not gone into that expense just before selling the bike. So probably budget that into your purchase.

Also with track Dukes you will find some basic 748 / 916 / 996 that have essentially a bulk standard engine and few special track bits in the £5000 range or you will find a competitive racer (955, 996Corsa, 748RS, 99*RS)... those have little in common with a standard bike and would cost you the best part of £15K to £25K. Maintenance would be also fairly steep on those.

As for track bits, look for race exhaust, if possible full system, improved Master cyl (brembo GP), cast iron fully floating discs are a popular choice, rear sets, etc. If you buy off a racer, try and get some spares like spare body work or wet on wheels.

Finally look carefully what they've done with the loom (especially on the right hand side next to the battery). Mine is a complete mess and lucky that Nelly likes a job well done and looked after it. Ideally you would want a race loom but that discounts the idea of the bike easily making it back on the road.

[sevenfourate]

Thanks for all the advice on what to look out for and what to ask.
Just spoken to a friend of mine who used to race 400's and has just moved up to steel framed (pre-1998) CBR600's in Bemsee.He said the 600 class can get very over-subscribed at times and sure is hugely competative.So he advised that if i wanted to get a trackbike with a view to racing it later i should get a 400.Im 6'3 and know a ZXR400 is about the biggest out there.He said one with much less than 70hp wont be at all competative and perhaps over 75hp may be needing engine work too frequently for a relative novice who's not in need of a couple of extra hp desperately.So between 70 + 75 hp is looking good.A standard one is about 58 i gather and a can and jetting gives about 62/63,and as far as i know it is supposedly fairly to get the 10 or so hp needed to get to 72/73 (£800 im told).
Does this sound more sensible for a trackbike than a 748.Running costs are going to be WAY different arent they ?
And do i need it.......???

So who knows of a nice one for sale......

Shuv.

[paulk]

I guess it just depends whether you are doing track days with the sole intention of racing or not really.
Im over 6ft and 14.5 stone. I bought my gsxr600 simply to enjoy track days - and its working a treat. The bike is quite tall (so comfy) and 600cc is plenty of power to get me into and out of trouble!! ;)

If I got good enough to consider racing I'd have a re-think and would probably sell the bike for something a bit better - or a class not quite as full on as 600s. But for now thats a far away thought - Its just fun fun fun!!

[sevenfourate]

Weeksy,
Dont know about the costings exactly - its just what i was "told".However 82 - 85hp sounds possible.My M8 said his was 62 with just end can and re-jetting and few othe bits and he was more than 18hp down on some bikes on the grid - WOW what a good feeling that must be on the grid !!!!

Looks like Rookies for me then.Cant wait for the long blond haired,leggy blond coming round the outside.Bound to do wonders for ma confidence..............


Syer.

[andy bentley]

6'3''?! You'd be better starting off with a penny farthing mate.

[sevenfourate]

Tw@t ! Clearly further to fall from a Penny Farthing after a high-side !!!

Actually i had a ZXR400 as a road bike after i got back into biking.Not that bad.No better or worse comfort wise than a 748/9*6.Come to that what is ?.....

Shuv

[skidlids]

Firstly, Thanks for plugging my 916 for me Weeksy, maybe I should replace the Road body kit and lights etc with my race bodywork and a Ohlins shock, may get a bit more interest in it that way.
Not sure why people avoid 600s these days, Steel framed CBR600s are excellent value for money, especially ones that are properly sorted for the track and are fantastic at surviving big crashes, any Ram air version with sorted suspension and a stage one tune will easily be capable of a 57 sec lap around Brands Indy. And as for the R6 a incredible bike, as known by some of you out there I built a couple up to production spec out of damage/repairables for this years TT and have recently raced one of them myself at Darley Moor and last Saturday at Donington, where I managed to lap on it faster than I did on my 916. I opted to ride the 600 in the powerbike class against R1s, GSXR1000s etc, but could also have raced it in the Open class or the 600 class or even the streetstocks.
At any one meeting with North Glos club I would be allowed to enter it in the 600 (2 grids), the Open ( 2 grids), the Powerbike (1 grid) , the Streetstocks (1 grid) and for other riders they may also be able to take part in the Novice Open. That could add up to 8 races a day for me and 9 races for a Novice. So although 600 races are heavily subscribed to, there are 2 grids available so upto 80 places for the 600 race and the same again for the Open class. At around £3000 for a road legal, track prepped 100 bhp R6 its not a bad way to go about trackdays and racing.
Kev

[paulk]

Skidlids - Great post/info. Thanks for that.

[Monty]

The other alternative is to buy a proper race bike-GP250 class like my TZ, mind you at 6ft 3in you may find them a bit of a tight fit. I use mine for track days and it will easily keep up with a CBR600 or R6 on the straights and then absolutely murder them round the corners. 80bhp and 103kg on slicks will do that for you. There is a guy who has made a 350 conversion for the TZ 'V'twin which I am considering, that will allow it to run in the open class with 95 bhp. On a tight twisty track like Cadwell it should be ok amongst the R1's and the like.
Whatever you decide just enjoy it. I got the TZ 'cause it only cost me £2000 which I can afford to throw away if I wreck it. A simple lowside will cost me more than that on the duke.

John

[sevenfourate]

Yep.Ditto the great post Skidlids.
R6 race prepped + road legal for £3k sounds great to me.Where do i find one ??

Syer.

[sevenfourate]

Got one.Spoke to a guy today who imports 400s.Buys them in winter and does them up and then sells in summer.K plate NC30,any colour you like (he puts on new panels and then new paint inc wheels and all laquered - getting repsol rep),2 new tyres,12 months mot,full service,delivered.Just over 2K.

If you dont like when he turns up you just say no.His words not mine.

Cant wait.

Shuv.

[sevenfourate]

Weeksy,
Many thanks for the offer to thrash the **** out of my new track-bike.One hell of an offer.
Seriously mate - any time,any place,any where - hell i sound like the Martini man even if i dont have the looks.

Will will meet at a track-day soon im sure.
Your welcome to a go.Thanks for the info for the Bemsee sites etc.Appreciated.

Shuv.

[brollygirl]

Cant wait for the long blond haired,leggy blond coming round the outside


I can't wait to shuv it round the outside of you, honey!

;)

[Scaramanga]

Syer,

have you been and had a look at www.400greybike.co.uk

Good forum, lots of advice with special racers section. NC30s are good reliable workhorses. Bit more difficult to tune than the ZXR and FZR 400s but the engines really are very robust.

Have fun.

Cheers,

Simon

[skidlids]

Originally posted by sevenfourate
Yep.Ditto the great post Skidlids.
R6 race prepped + road legal for £3k sounds great to me.Where do i find one ??

Syer.

Could well be selling this in the near future.

Yamaha R6, 1999 T reg
Road and Track bike fitted with Race body work, Art race can, Penske shock, Ohlins fork springs, Toby steering damper

£3,000