A not-so-interesting post on a BMW forum has generated some interesting (to me) replies. A guy is worried about taking his s1000rr on his 1st track day and dumping it, since it's likely his insurance won't cover a trackday.

Seems like a valid concern to me. But some of the replies seem to be chest thumpers with too much money in their bank accounts asking why he bought a 190 hp bike and is scared to use it for its "intended" purpose (yeah, heated grips were prolly the 1st mod motogp racers demanded their mechanics put on). Some of the replies are downright belittling.

I own a s1k and she hasn't seen a track yet. My particular concern isn't about dumping Yolie without insurance (NJMP offers trackday insurance to my knowledge). But the replies are starting to rile me up a bit. The "RR" stamped on the sides of even our 600s stands for Race Replica. And anyone that's honest with themselves will admit anything above a 250cc bike has more power available than can be reasonably (and legally) be used on the streets. Yet very, very few ppl go out and buy a brand new 600 or 1000 to turn strictly into a track bike.

Most everyone here rides at least a 600. So unless you're at the track every weekend, do you feel like you're wasting your bike? Again, seeing how our bikes have more power than the streets call for there's some validity to the "intended purpose" argument. Yet our bikes also come with many features targetting the streets, a huge spotlight in reviews falls on street performance and strangely enough none come stock with racing slicks

What's your take?

 

I ride a 250, so no, I'm not wasting it

But when I finish building my 600 it'll be a stunt bike, in which case again no, I will not be wasting it.

 

First of all, the purpose of the S1000RR was for BMW to sell it and sell it they have. Did you know BMW could and would possibly void your warranty if they knew it was on a track? Now that I have done a few days my S1krr, yeah, it feels like it's a bit of a waste as a commuter, but it's not gonna stop me from doing it as my RC51 is undergoing "stage 2" of development. I've been loving my heated grips this past week, btw.

These bikes aren't very practical as commuters considering the maintenance costs and power, but hey, it's your dough.

 

^ LOL - good one TGIM - too funny

Kuro it's an interesting question - thing is though you can get to 60 faster than
some jock in a muscle car & we know how great that is - so it's not all wasted man

 

Correct, standard street insurance does NOT cover trackdays.

There are valid concerns regarding taking *any* bike to the track. While you can control what you do (or should anyway), you still have to worry about the other riders.

I was on turn 3 at Willow when another rider decided they could pass me after the last cone of the braking zone b/f the apex. I had to go off line & off track to not hit them. If I'd had little to no experience on the track, this would've been a bad scene w/ the speeds at that track. Point is, it's not always your actions that might cause you to crash but b/c of someone else's mistake.

When you take it to the track, you have to acknowledge that anything can happen...& might. That's just part of track riding. Sure, there are rules, track officials, control-riders, etc, but ultimately it is what it is. So -yes- it's a valid concern no matter what bike you're on.

It's an individual decision whether someone takes their bike to the track or not. Anybody else's criticism regarding that decision means zero. They can make up their mind what they want to do w/ their bike, I'll make my own decision as well.

Further, to ans your question... No, I'm not "wasting" my bike(s) b/c they are used the way I see fit...whether that's track, twisties, daily commuting, sport-touring, etc. Anything further, see previous statements.

 

I think the original guys post has a valid point. Even with pristine conditions situations occur and if he's not sure about insurance coverage he shouldn't use it. But is it wasted because he's not willing to end up with a 15000 dollar lawn ornament. No.

All it boils down to is a bunch of internet professionals giving him undue b.s. we all have toys that are more than what is necessary, does that mean they are a waste?

I have rifles that could kill anything that moves from a mile away. Because I don't take mile long shots with them is it wasted? No. It serves the purpose I intended it to and that is good enough for me.

Should be good enough for him.

 

But it's a great commuter! Yolie can easily knock 10 minutes off my 20 min commute But she also makes the commute safer, as she demonstrated when the rear started to slip on leaves of all things. Seriously, that chit is almost worse than sand. Traction control kicked in and she smoothed right out.

Something else I've firmly held since ABS was introduced on the CBR 600RR and 1000RR: the point where ABS and Traction Control systems kick in are according to tolerances set by engineers. But a good racer can and might exceed those tolerances without crashing, gaining seconds over someone who is using those systems. So who is the target audience for the systems: the track rider or the street rider? ABS and TC are becoming major selling points on bikes now.

Yolie can accelerate so fast she literally makes a blur of blurs. Cbr1000rrs, ZX10s, R1s and the Panigale are fractionally behind according to the reviews. I know I don't have what it takes to handle that type of power even on the track. On any of the liters. The guys that can use the full capacity of a liter bike, and even the 600s, do... on tv. So I doubt most ppl who say someone is wasting 190 hp realize they do so as well.

I just think most of us are Enthusiasts, like it says on OUR forum header. Don't see how ppl can knock someone on how he chooses to use his bike when they themselves can't wring their bike's neck without it snapping theirs like a twig in return.

 

you may find my thoughts about it interesting..please read!!
in 93 i bought my first 900, before that i owned four 600's and one 750, but the first nine i ever drove was like "oh my god" i've race'd lots of cars and obviuosly bikes.. not lately, when i was young.. but the power of anything over a 750 and i know its a animal... so much so, that i've always wanted to, if i had the money and space in my house... to put one of those original nines up on a mantle, in my "man town" area of the house.. why, well just because.. thats why.. and if someone desides to streetfighter their machine, including their bmw's well thats between them and the bike and its their business.. just like me and my mantle... i would say : **** off.. whats on your mantle???
and by the way if some of those rich a-holes on the other site need something to spend their money on, you should tell them we have a american soldier over here on this site, who just lost everything in a fire and isnt even allowed home to take care of his wife and whats left to his belongings...
other than that!!! i really have no strong feelings on the subject

 

i kinda have mixed feelings about this, no i dont think hes wasting the bike by not taking it to a track. but i dont see why he would get such a powerful bike with so much potential and not take it to a track. yes there are risks in doing so, but a track is a much more controlled environment than the street is. and unless the guy is braindead, he wont take the bike near its full potential on public roads.
but personally, i dont really see a need for a superbike for the street, my 14 year old 600 is more than enough for the street.

 

TBH, if I can't get to the low 1:30s around Thunderbolt @ NJMP next year, I plan on selling the S1000RR next year for a 600rr. Is it because I'm "wasting" my s1000rr with my limited talent? Yeah, a bit. But it's also because I'll probably learn to be a fast rider at a faster rate on a 600. And yeah, she does well enough as a commuter, but I still prefer my street fighter where 100 mph feels like 100 mph rather than my s1krr where 100 mph feels like 60.

And consider how many people even on this forum hate on people who extend swing arms and chrome out their wheels/frames. I've had plenty of people tell me how they really feel about what I did to my RC51, but meh. To them I wasted a piece of racing heritage. To me, I took a terrific platform and made it a hundred times more user friendly in terms of commuting and long distance traveling. Different strokes for different folks... I say you should just ride your own ride.

BTW, I better see you down at NJMP next year.
Don't worry about the insurance coverage, I've got Rider as well and they told me that as long as it's not a "timed event", you're covered. That track insurance just means you get your trackday payment back if you have mechanical issues or rain.