[SALVAGE YARD RACING]

I'm still thinking about it just don't if I will or not. If got a lot of other things to take care of before I actually commit to doing it. Mojoe you make a good point

[soulpatch]

I have to disagree with you, and here's why....maybe it will make sense, or not.

The kat is a pig. they is no denying that when it comes to track use. And if he has to ask if the kat will keep up, or any other "basic knowledge" question, according to those with a bit of track experience, then you have to assume he does not have a lot of experience. So why use a kat instead of a gix? because 60, 70, 80...100mph, is going to feel a lot faster on the kat. 50-60mph in a curve is going to be more of a "work out" on a kat. This in turn is going to make him use a bit more caution. I gix can get away from you a lot easier than a kat. So, as a beginner, I really do think a katana is preferable over a gixxer for a beginner.

plus he already has a kat. and it's cheaper to wreck a kat.

also, if he can master the kat on the track, he will be able to ride the piss out of a gix once he upgrades.

but hey...that's just my 2 cents.

Disagree with you on pretty much every point. If he is looking to race or become a track rat than you pick up disastrous habits from the Kat. It is overly heavy and not set up to handle transitions well through a chicane or decreasing radius turn. It is less forgiving of high speed mistakes in that it does not have the brakes nor light weight nature to scrub speed quickly as a RR. The lines you would ride would also be more shallow in nature teaching early turn in.


If one wants to just go out and have a blast then sure take the Kat out and get it up to its limits. If you anticipate making the switch and especially if you wish to race I would suggest not doing it. The muscle memory and line management you will learn initially would be wrong and cause issues moving forward as you have to break habits.

[Ronny]

Disagree with you on pretty much every point. If he is looking to race or become a track rat than you pick up disastrous habits from the Kat. It is overly heavy and not set up to handle transitions well through a chicane or decreasing radius turn. It is less forgiving of high speed mistakes in that it does not have the brakes nor light weight nature to scrub speed quickly as a RR. The lines you would ride would also be more shallow in nature teaching early turn in.


If one wants to just go out and have a blast then sure take the Kat out and get it up to its limits. If you anticipate making the switch and especially if you wish to race I would suggest not doing it. The muscle memory and line management you will learn initially would be wrong and cause issues moving forward as you have to break habits.

That's assuming he's a delicate and sensitive boy who has to wait until the atmospheric pressure is correct and there isn't an R in the month before he'll even think of getting on a bike. Consider the Dunlop dynasty for example, they're well known for winning races in multiple classes on the same day and they're not unique. They are/were hardly worried about muscle memory or "line management", indeed all they care(d) about was moving forward literally, rather than metaphorically.


What matters is being on the bike, learning and developing. The more bikes and conditions you ride and experience, the more versatile you are and the more likely you are to react properly when the situation demands it.

[soulpatch]

That's assuming he's a delicate and sensitive boy who has to wait until the atmospheric pressure is correct and there isn't an R in the month before he'll even think of getting on a bike. Consider the Dunlop dynasty for example, they're well known for winning races in multiple classes on the same day and they're not unique. They are/were hardly worried about muscle memory or "line management", indeed all they care(d) about was moving forward literally, rather than metaphorically.


What matters is being on the bike, learning and developing. The more bikes and conditions you ride and experience, the more versatile you are and the more likely you are to react properly when the situation demands it.

What are you talking about? The Dunlops raced in various classes of engine but they were all race set up bikes. It is not the engine size that is important in this instance but that the bike has the rake, weight ratios, ect to properly handle the situations at the track.


What matters for street riding is getting on a bike and going. The same does not translate to the track. Muscle memory and line management are crucial when tracking a bike ESPECIALLY if you have any aspirations for racing.


I ride the track and am thinking about my race license this year. If I had taken the Kat to the track I would have had to try to forget everything I learned on it since it is a sport tourer and rides different then you would want at the track.


But hey what would I know. I only track constantly and hang out with those who race and track their bikes constantly...

[rk97]

The best bike to race is the one you own and won't cry if you wreck.

I did my first track days on an EX500, then bought a honda F2, then a 600RR. I was progressively faster on each, but I wish I had stopped with the F2. Tires were cheaper. Parts were cheaper. And I wasn't racing against guys on bikes 10 years newer than mine (unless I wanted to).

The 600RR was no doubt a better tool for speed, but it wasn't any more fun, nor did it teach me any more than the F2, or even the EX500. Frankly, I have learned the most from banging bars at 30mph in a spec XR100 class.

The crashes just aren't serious, so you can take more risks, and find the bike's limit much more easily (and at slower speeds). Finding the limit on my 600RR was a 90mph ordeal that ended with a long tumble and a lot of repairs.

The katana isn't a perfect track tool, but it's not digging a hole with a spoon either. Any shortcomings it has will only make you appreciate a more sport-oriented bike more later.

[soulpatch]

rk - All of your bikes are the same really with the only difference being power. Same benefit as the Dunlop dynasty. They are set up with proper brakes, rake, ect to go to track. They are not overweight whales with rake meant for comfort as opposed to cornering.

[rk97]

I fail to see what an air cooled single with dirt bars and drum brakes has in common with a supersport chassis, liquid cooled I4, with clip-ons and brakes that will lift the rear wheel by accident.

Even the EX500 and the F2 were quite different. The clip-ons alone change the seating position a ton. Engine braking with a twin is way different than an I4 as well.

[Ronny]

But hey what would I know. I only track constantly and hang out with those who race and track their bikes constantly...

Exactly. It's no different from any other fanboi activity.