Another First track Day
Had my first track day last Sunday. Went pretty well overall.
I had to ride my bike to the track while my wife followed in the car with tools, gas, chairs, cooler/food and other stuff. Once I arrived, we grabbed a spot under the paddock. I taped all the plastic lenses, removed the bar end mirrors, lowered the tire psi and went thru tech inspect. I had taken the center stand off the day before.
I was able to borrow a set of leathers which worked fine. The stock BT016 (I replaced the oem rear tire after a nail at 300 miles) ran at about 28 rear and 30 front. One of the local shops who was at the track advised me to drop to 28 from 30 and it did improve traction. I don't care much for the stock front tire. It was slow on turn in and I had a tough time 'reading' it. I also have .28 mm risers on my handlebars, which I'm sure don't help with that. I will remove them for the next track day.
The track was really flat, was nice and wide good pavement. It still was much different finding a line on the track vs. a line on the street. I had no idea how different they would feel/be. They mixed the newbies in with the B group and I have to admit it was quite a little adrenaline shot when the first rider passed me on the inside. I utilized the rider coaches on all but the final session of the day. They were great, kept things simple and provided plenty of encouragement throughout the day.
It was nice to finally run my fz a little hard. I ran the stock exhaust because there was no sound test prior. It ran great all day, had no issues at all and got me home the 50 mile drive! I am looking forward to the next track day just so there are a few less new things coming at me. I'd love to hear about other experiences, especially first timers.
Thing I took to track day:
- Mini Air Compressor, Tools
- Water, Cooler, Food & Drink
- Camping Chairs, Ear Plugs
- 5 gals Gas, Chain Lube, Coolant, Oil
- Riding gear, Spare shields, Contour Camera, etc..
Things to improve future track days:
- A folding trailer so I don't have to ride to the track
- A shade canopy (in case late arrival)
- My own leathers
- Relax and don't over think things