Gearing up for first track day..

[mjfink420]

At the track days I've done (including a few at CMP), while there were usually a few with overactive egos, the vast majority of guys and gals were there just having fun on their bikes and working on skills. I found most happy to help, give advice or just plain chat. Enjoy your time on the track and in the pits!

Awesome, thank you for the feedback.

What group did you ride with at CMP? Seems that EvolveGT and PRE both hold events there, just wondering if one is better than the other.

Also, if you don't mind, can you explain the pit etiqutte to me? Do you just setup anywhere you want to (obviously not in the RV spaces)? Is there some specific way you're supposed to park? What about power (specifically at CMP)?

I did get myself a pop up canopy, I'm running street tires, so no need for warmers, but just wondering if it's kind of just a free for all (setup whereever you want) or if it's more "group A here, B here, slow guys here" or "this is where team "We're fast" set up, you don't know that you moron?? Move!!".

 

[mball55]

I did most of my track days with Sportbike Tracktime and have no complaints with them. They always had helpful classroom sessions for the beginners class and on track coaches available on request all at no extra charge. At all tracks I've been to, parking/camping was pretty wide open (except for garage space and RV spots which require a fee) with no apparent "exclusive neighborhoods." CMP's website has a lot of good information about the facilities.

You did well to get a pop up canopy as shade is usually at a premium at the track. You'll appreciate a comfy lawn chair (and one or two extra chairs for anyone who may drop by). Drink plenty of fluids - nonalcoholic, of course.

I should mention that CMP is very sandy and your tires will likely pick up that sand. Organizers usually started the day with a reminder that there probably will be some sand on the track from the start area through the first turn or two. It shouldn't cause a problem for you, though.

 

[mjfink420]

I did most of my track days with Sportbike Tracktime and have no complaints with them. They always had helpful classroom sessions for the beginners class and on track coaches available on request all at no extra charge. At all tracks I've been to, parking/camping was pretty wide open (except for garage space and RV spots which require a fee) with no apparent "exclusive neighborhoods." CMP's website has a lot of good information about the facilities.

You did well to get a pop up canopy as shade is usually at a premium at the track. You'll appreciate a comfy lawn chair (and one or two extra chairs for anyone who may drop by). Drink plenty of fluids - nonalcoholic, of course.

I should mention that CMP is very sandy and your tires will likely pick up that sand. Organizers usually started the day with a reminder that there probably will be some sand on the track from the start area through the first turn or two. It shouldn't cause a problem for you, though.

That's why I rode down there first, I wanted to see what I was dealing with; and, for me, sitting in the sun all day sounds about as much fun as a root canal. A canopy was top of the list (and it appeared almost everyone else had figured out the same plan). Already have a few good lawn chairs for camping in the RV, so was planning on taking them. Have a small kit of tools I'm going to take with me, just the basic stuff, full set of torx/allen keys, some spare bolts, a small socket set, a few wrenches, zip ties; simple stuff. I could change the oil, get either/both tires off, any fairings off, stuff like that, not tear the bike down to the engine!

I actually talked to a really nice lady at CMP today to ask my dumb questions. You provided the same answers, basically park anywhere you want as long as it's not an RV site or a garage (extra fee required). No designated areas for A/B/C group. She was super nice, really helped set my mind at ease.

Now I have to decide if I'm going to load the bike in my truck or pull it on my (kind of big) landscape trailer. Trailer has a BIG leg up in loading ease, but pulling a trailer kind of sucks, so... Not sure yet. I pull all the time (we have a toy hauler), so no issue driving a trailer, but it's a lot of country roads with potholes, lots of intersections, etc. Still not 100% sure which I'm going to do. If I like it, I'm sure I'll start pulling the RV down for a weekend, but would like to be able to get there without the RV too for a quick 1 day trip. My truck is a F450, so not exactly the easiest to load into, but I would really like to get profecient at putting a bike in there (for a lot of different reasons, not just track days). Just not too keen on having 100 people watch me try to unload it when I get there.

 

[omega man]

For tall truck loading, I like-
Extra wide full traction (punched aluminum) loading ramp attached to the truck to avoid kick-out.
Use any rise in topography to cut the load angle that is available.
I like to drive up when loading. The extra wide ramps allow to “catch” yourself if needed.
Coming off the truck backwards- engine off, bike in 1st gear..using the clutch and front brake gives best braking control….of course, legs down with good foot traction and keeping ankles in front of the pegs.
Nice and slow, in control, you will be fine.
OM

 

[98lee]

Uhaul rents a nice low 4’ x 8’ motorcycle trailer with a ramp gate for only $15 a day. EZ load EZ tow. You provide tie downs.

 

[kbasa]

Uhaul rents a nice low 4’ x 8’ motorcycle trailer with a ramp gate for only $15 a day. EZ load EZ tow. You provide tie downs.

Worth every penny. You can load it by yourself really easily. At the end of a day of track time, the last thing you’re gonna want to do is push a bike into a pickup bed.

I rented one to drag the /2 to Monterey. It tows invisibly. Good call, Lee.

 

[mjfink420]

Tomorrow is the day. I have to get up at an ungodly hour to get there for tech, so I wanted to get everything I could get done today. I did go with the truck as the transport (rather than the trailer), if anyone cares, I posted the load/unload and the stuff I used in the other thread I have about loading a bike in a pickup.

Did the tech stuff required for novice group; taped off all the lights, mirrors off; stuff like that. Trying to get as much done as I possibly can before I get there to keep the last minute scrambling to a minimum. Bike looks pretty funny, tape makes it look like a Craigslist special. Sure there's a way to disable the lights, but I couldn't find it easily and figured tape is cheap, just get it done.

One piece of advice. It takes a LOT of blue tape to keep the lights from showing through. After layer 5 or so, I got smart. Do a layer of painters tape, cover that with electrical tape, than painters tape over that. 3 layers, and you can't see any light through it at all.

I just pulled the mirrors and license plate, both of them were very easy to remove.

There's some mention in the riders manual about chain tension (should be looser than normal for the street)? I'm not sure what they consider too loose or too tight, so I left it alone, but I need to figure out what size the axle nut is on that bike and make sure I have it with me. I keep a monster wrench in my top case on the XR to pull the rear tire off, but it's a different size on the 660, so guess I'll have to get one to throw into the bag of tools I'm taking with me.

Other than putting a cooler in the truck in the morning, I think I'm pretty much ready to go. Excitement and terror levels both about pinned.

 

[mjfink420]

For anyone following my adventures.. Just got back to the house. Man am I whipped, that was a solid 15 hour day!

Absolutely off without a hitch. Loading/unloading was great (other than my wheel getting stuck to the chock at home, my tire was so soft and chewed up from the track that it just "fused" with the chock)! Canopy was a very good plan. Tech was a breeze. Good time; I'll post a more detailed "beginners view of a track day" when I have some more time, but, in general, it was fun/eye opening and absolutely something I'm going to be looking to do again. I was so much faster and more comfortable by the end of the day than the first session; if I could improve like that every session (and I know, you cannot, there's a huge jump early on in any new endeavor, then the pace of improvement tapers off dramatically).

Just a shout out to EvolveGT, their beginner instruction was nice; taking us on the track following them, explaining where we're supposed to be all the hand signs/flags/etc and basically just getting us introduced to track riding. One thing I will say, there was one person in our group that was new to riding motorcycles; this class is not geared for that person (even though some of literature indicates it is). They were terrified on the track, they did fine and felt better by the end of the day, but I'd NEVER recommend this for someone who's not a really comfortable street rider. I saw triple digit speeds on my 2nd or 3rd session (with the class/instructor leading us). I remember my first trip up to ~75 on a motorcycle on a straight, wide open road. It was pretty butt puckering. Can't imagine hitting a track and cracking 100 without at least a year or two of riding street (or a lot of time on dirt bikes).

Don't think that did anything good for my tire life!