So i want to pick up another bike for the track and just for the track, no 'here and there' street riding. wonder about pros and cons...honda vs suzuki vs yamaha. taken into account hp steering and all the other goodies that can be upgraded. Any opinions?

 

heres my opinion dude...get the same bike you have (provided you have one)now it eliminates alot of issues you will run into. its not about which bike is better its how well you can ride it...and honestlyyoure not gonna find someone whos gonna say i would get an r1/gsxr1000 here were here because we like HONDAS....no point in buying something that you wouldnt get a second of to race. you must not be too happy with the performance you have now obviously.

 

It depends on what your goals are. If your going to race it, or just have a bike to take to the track. Personally, I would stick with the 600 class bike for a track bike. They are cheaper and easier to ride on a track, less fatigue. I've always like the R6 models and would probably buy one for a track bike. My second pick would be a 600RR, third would be the Gixxer and last would be the ninja.

But, if I found anyone of those for a good price, I wouldnt hesitate to ride any of them.

this is my opinion on the four major brands.. Any of which can be worked around and year to year is different, but I think the main concept holds true. I'm basing this on what I've read and also from the bikes I've driven which have been, an 02 R6, an 05 R6, a 98 zx6R, an 03 zx636, an 04 600rr and an 05 gixxer 600.

Honda: very easy to ride,easiest to drive fast, good low end and midrange, good feedback, Honda reliabilty.
The bad: Lower top hp. ( only by a few though), a little heavy, A little too neutral feeling for tight tracks or tracks that require rapid transition. can be cause fatigue.

Yamaha. Good top end power, fast turn in, decent feedback, Yamaha reliability.

The bad: can be twitchy. no low end power, very little mid range.

suzuki: everyone has one or wants one. the best overall power delivery, low end to top end. not too much, but just enough. feedback is decent. quick turn in. probably the best all around package as long as you can put the power down.

the bad. twitchy handling. Demands constant attention to ride fast. a little body movement can have you in the gravel fast.

Kawasaki. Probably the most hp. very quick turn in.

The bad. Lack of feedback. abrupt hp delivery. (bad for traction). very twitchy. Random issues of reliablilty.

 

Absolutely, find one that is ready to go, safety wired, meets db requirements etc. I agree that the R6 is a great choice but a 636 would be a LOT of fun too.

Be safe and enjoy.

 

ihave a 636 and its a great bike ive had no problems with (except my wife dropped it 5 times learning how to ride) however....it is in fact a shifty bike when it comes to being on and off the power coming in and out of turns.. me and the front in dontseem like each other very much. but whos to say its not my front tire, or bound and rebound settings thats the cause of this.... i remember hearing something about the zx6r not meeting the specs for the ama circuits that the zx6rr did. im not sure why that is or if in fact thats a goal for you in the future of the track bike youre building. but....good luck

 

debating on making my 04 600RR a track / daily driver bike.... what can i do to make the best of both worlds?

 

I've only done a couple of track days and the one thing that I've noticed is there are alot of suzukis. I think the reason for this is because parts are much easier to find used. I kind of agree with redrocket on getting the same bike that you currently have. For one you'll be used the feel and setup and you'll also have spare parts if you do run into problems. Alot of people track the SV650s too. I'm looking at getting another CBR1000RR specifically for track, but I won't turn a good deal down if it comes buy. Commuting on the same bike you track can be a pain the butt. Gotta remove or tape all of the lights and mirrors. Can't run antifreeze. Just some of the junk you have to do to get on the track. Both of the track days I did, didn't require safety wiring anything, but they did have requirements on exhaust. It all depends on whose setting the event up and which track your at. Some of them require the stock exhaust.