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Hello everyone. Just thought I would try to relate my day today, as my third trackday ever, at the same track, all 3 on my Kat. I'll try to present this for the people that have asked about Kat specific issues for trackdays, and just general info about this particular track.
For starters, there's the track map. Look at it. I'll be referencing the turn numbers.
Turns 2a, 2b, and 2c are used for going from pit lane and entering the track. Once you're on the track, you bypass the extra curves there. It makes turn 1 a rather fast turn, despite the fact that you're on the brakes and engine braking from the long straight. Turn 2 is a blind turn over the crest of a hill. I think it's for that reason that I like turn 2 as much as I do. You already know that if you made it through turn 1, you'll make it through turn 2, so you just lean it over, shoot for the inside of the turn that you can see on the top of the crest, give it throttle and hope the pavement is still there on the other side. I've never had it be missing yet.
Turns 3a, b, and c are used as a chicane, and those are also a fun set. You're already setup from turn 2 to go right into turn 3a, and then you get to float over the seat as you move from one side to the other, preceding the actual lean. I'd say that I'm likely just about to get into full "hanging off the side of the bike" position for turn 3b right as the bike is transitioning into straight up and down to change directions. It's like a dance where smoothness and timing will make even an overweight bike like the Kat easy to get through there. It's one of the areas where I can really gain ground on the other riders in my group.
Turn 4 is the turn that no one in the novice group takes anywhere near fast enough, and they don't follow through with the correct line going all the way to the outside of the track. Turn 5 is one of the two really sharp turns that freaks them out, so they go slow through turn 4, stay to the right, to be setup for turn 5. When I'm feeling really good, I can get by people there, but it splits enough of my concentration that I feel pressured by shooting past someone, hammering the brakes while downshifting 2 gears and slaming the bike onto it's left side to make turn 5 just after passing someone. Because of the challenge, turn 5 is fun, but it's not easy on the Kat. For reference, someone went down on that curve 5 feet in front of me, on the very first lap of the day. Weeeeee.
The straight between 5 and 6, just forget about passing anyone there if you're on a Kat. Their bikes will out accelerate you, and you won't be able to flip the bike over in 5 and carry enough speed to slingshot past, and you won't find a great gear for driving out of that turn.
Turn 6 is fun, because you can take that turn at almost the full speed you can get up coming from turn 5.
Turns 7 and 8 is a double apex turn that novices mostly can't get the grasp of, and they stay to the inside of the turns. That really screws them over for turn 9. If you use the line right, you carry a lot of speed through 7 and 8, hitting the second apex late, then stand the bike up and scrub speed fast so you can lay the bike over hard right for turn 9, and then dance over the bike for 10.
THIS is where the best passing area is for me and my Kat. I think I passed maybe 15 people today by using the right lines (going further out makes the line longer than staying on the inside of 7 and 8, so I can carry more speed than the people staying on the inside, and set myself up so that after they slam on the brakes to hit 9 from the wrong angle, I can pass them EASILY on the outside of the long turn 10. I hope all those people understood that they were passed in the middle of a turn by someone on a Katana!
The rest of the turns are hardly worth mentioning. If I pull off the passing on turn 10 well enough, I'm far enough ahead of them by the long straight that I don't get passed again there. It works out good.
Okay, now for the short comings of the bike. My bike is setup with RaceTech springs and emulators on the front, a post 750 shock rebuilt with a proper spring for me and the RaceTech gold valve in there. The rear is raised about 1.5", and the front is lowered about .5". I am 6'1" with a 36" inseam. All of this is relevant for the fact that when slamming the bike down for turn 9, and then passing on the outside of turn 10, I was scraping my toes, WITH THE BALLS OF MY FEET ON TOP OF THE PEGS. This was my first trackday leaning the Kat over far enough for this to be a problem, but it's not really due to my form. It's due to how low and forward the pegs are compared to the bikes that are made to be leaned over that far.
Another thing to consider is the profile of the tires. I'm running Q2's, and they supposedly have a profile that allows more of a lean angle. To me, Michelin tires seem to have the profile of a wide 'V' with the center rounded. The Q2's are more of a "U", giving continued area to hit with leaning over further. Compounding that is the fact that I have a 170 rear on there (it was because I got a nail in my previous 160, had a road hazard, and 170 was all the store had in stock. It is rated to fit on a 4.5 though).
All in all, I had a great time. I found it very pleasing how well I could do on a bike like the Kat. But, I was continuously outgunned in any and all straights. There were many times I couldn't pass the people that were slower in the turns just because of how heavy and under powered the Kat is.
Is it worth taking the Kat to a trackday? Hell yes! But once you start getting used to track speeds, you'll quickly realize having the right bike for the job would make it a little less frustrating.
Dan
For starters, there's the track map. Look at it. I'll be referencing the turn numbers.
Turns 2a, 2b, and 2c are used for going from pit lane and entering the track. Once you're on the track, you bypass the extra curves there. It makes turn 1 a rather fast turn, despite the fact that you're on the brakes and engine braking from the long straight. Turn 2 is a blind turn over the crest of a hill. I think it's for that reason that I like turn 2 as much as I do. You already know that if you made it through turn 1, you'll make it through turn 2, so you just lean it over, shoot for the inside of the turn that you can see on the top of the crest, give it throttle and hope the pavement is still there on the other side. I've never had it be missing yet.
Turns 3a, b, and c are used as a chicane, and those are also a fun set. You're already setup from turn 2 to go right into turn 3a, and then you get to float over the seat as you move from one side to the other, preceding the actual lean. I'd say that I'm likely just about to get into full "hanging off the side of the bike" position for turn 3b right as the bike is transitioning into straight up and down to change directions. It's like a dance where smoothness and timing will make even an overweight bike like the Kat easy to get through there. It's one of the areas where I can really gain ground on the other riders in my group.
Turn 4 is the turn that no one in the novice group takes anywhere near fast enough, and they don't follow through with the correct line going all the way to the outside of the track. Turn 5 is one of the two really sharp turns that freaks them out, so they go slow through turn 4, stay to the right, to be setup for turn 5. When I'm feeling really good, I can get by people there, but it splits enough of my concentration that I feel pressured by shooting past someone, hammering the brakes while downshifting 2 gears and slaming the bike onto it's left side to make turn 5 just after passing someone. Because of the challenge, turn 5 is fun, but it's not easy on the Kat. For reference, someone went down on that curve 5 feet in front of me, on the very first lap of the day. Weeeeee.
The straight between 5 and 6, just forget about passing anyone there if you're on a Kat. Their bikes will out accelerate you, and you won't be able to flip the bike over in 5 and carry enough speed to slingshot past, and you won't find a great gear for driving out of that turn.
Turn 6 is fun, because you can take that turn at almost the full speed you can get up coming from turn 5.
Turns 7 and 8 is a double apex turn that novices mostly can't get the grasp of, and they stay to the inside of the turns. That really screws them over for turn 9. If you use the line right, you carry a lot of speed through 7 and 8, hitting the second apex late, then stand the bike up and scrub speed fast so you can lay the bike over hard right for turn 9, and then dance over the bike for 10.
THIS is where the best passing area is for me and my Kat. I think I passed maybe 15 people today by using the right lines (going further out makes the line longer than staying on the inside of 7 and 8, so I can carry more speed than the people staying on the inside, and set myself up so that after they slam on the brakes to hit 9 from the wrong angle, I can pass them EASILY on the outside of the long turn 10. I hope all those people understood that they were passed in the middle of a turn by someone on a Katana!
The rest of the turns are hardly worth mentioning. If I pull off the passing on turn 10 well enough, I'm far enough ahead of them by the long straight that I don't get passed again there. It works out good.
Okay, now for the short comings of the bike. My bike is setup with RaceTech springs and emulators on the front, a post 750 shock rebuilt with a proper spring for me and the RaceTech gold valve in there. The rear is raised about 1.5", and the front is lowered about .5". I am 6'1" with a 36" inseam. All of this is relevant for the fact that when slamming the bike down for turn 9, and then passing on the outside of turn 10, I was scraping my toes, WITH THE BALLS OF MY FEET ON TOP OF THE PEGS. This was my first trackday leaning the Kat over far enough for this to be a problem, but it's not really due to my form. It's due to how low and forward the pegs are compared to the bikes that are made to be leaned over that far.
Another thing to consider is the profile of the tires. I'm running Q2's, and they supposedly have a profile that allows more of a lean angle. To me, Michelin tires seem to have the profile of a wide 'V' with the center rounded. The Q2's are more of a "U", giving continued area to hit with leaning over further. Compounding that is the fact that I have a 170 rear on there (it was because I got a nail in my previous 160, had a road hazard, and 170 was all the store had in stock. It is rated to fit on a 4.5 though).
All in all, I had a great time. I found it very pleasing how well I could do on a bike like the Kat. But, I was continuously outgunned in any and all straights. There were many times I couldn't pass the people that were slower in the turns just because of how heavy and under powered the Kat is.
Is it worth taking the Kat to a trackday? Hell yes! But once you start getting used to track speeds, you'll quickly realize having the right bike for the job would make it a little less frustrating.
Dan
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