from 1000 to 750...

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VermilionX · #281 Unread post by **VermilionX** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 9:19 pm

NICE UPDATE

my mechanic called me and gave me a number of a guys he knows that has an extra space on his truck.

this is great! i'll be at the tracks this monday.

#282 Unread post by **blues2cruise** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 9:22 pm

How far away is it to the track?

VermilionX · #283 Unread post by **VermilionX** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 9:28 pm

blues2cruise wrote:How far away is it to the track?

WSIR is about 70 miles from me.

it's not a big deal if im just going there... i already went there before and watched a race and talked to some racers.

but it is a big deal if im participating in a trackday.

CNF2002 · #284 Unread post by **CNF2002** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 8:58 am

The Crimson Rider® wrote:
NorthernPete wrote:could allways put a nice chunk into your Motorcycle loan...
no not really... i have GAP insurance. and although higher than before, im ok w/ my monthly on the bike.

GAP was useless before since i made huge down payment.

i didn't make a very huge downpayment on my current a bike. i also didn't buy extended warranty since i also lost money on that before. but, i made sure to buy GAP insurance.

x2. You'd save a ton of money in interest over the longrun. GAP insurance is a waste of money IMO, if you have to finance your down payment should be at least enough to cover the initial depreciation. I can't imagine it being more than a thousand dollars on a 10K motorcycle. The money you spent on GAP you could have divided up throughout your total loan and added it to your minimum monthly payment, thereby paying down your loan faster and saving you lots of interest, instead of letting the bank collect on the interest of the GAP that you probably rolled into your financing.

Sorry PS: Glad you are finally getting to the track. Look forward to hearing about it. 70 miles each way IS a long way to go after spending 3-4 hours riding around hard on a track. I agree with trucking it.

VermilionX · #285 Unread post by **VermilionX** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 9:15 pm

10/1/06

...went to the guy i talked to and we loaded the bike on his truck.

wow! it's so hard to load a bike on a high truck like the F350. i gave him $40 for all the trouble of helping me get there.

i'll sleep early tonight... i have to wake up around 5a bec we leave early at 6a tomorrow.

i hope it's not gonna rain tomorrow at WSIR and i hope the wind won't be too strong.

big day tomorrow. im very exicited.

VermilionX · #286 Unread post by **VermilionX** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 10:40 pm

10/2/06

1ST TRACKDAY.

i met a lot of new people today. so that's nice.

there were a lot of riders who ate it today. street, intermediate, advance. all groups had multiple crashes. the worst one was from the advance group who ate it on the fastest turn of the track. the rider was unconcious and air lifted to the hospital.

there was 1 rider i was following and he ran off the track and i almost followed him but i corrected my target.

i had a close call on turn 7, IIRC. i ran wide and my rear wheel fishtailed when i hit the dirt but i didn't lose it.

it was scary when i was passed a couple of times really close by faster riders eventhough there was a 6 foot distance rule when passing.

i asked for tips from one of the instructors assigned for the street group for most of the morning, i followed him then he followed me. he said im doing good for my 1st trackday but i don't feel good. there were only a couple of riders that im faster, most were faster than me.

i was only able to hit around 120mph top speed on the start/finish straightaway. it was the 1st time that i actually had to WOT my throttle with a purpose.

overall, it was ok... i wasn't excited a lot before each session and we got delayed a lot since there were so many crashes. the crashes probably bummed me out and also how i don't feel confident.

but anyway, im very satisfied that i got my 1st trackday and since i didn't crash and i did learn some new things. i guess it's not really so bad.

our pit...

the toughest part of the track for me, the hill of turn 4a and turn 4b also called "The OMEGA" bec of the shape...

the bike of my instructor, he's part of LA sheriffs dept. he promotes trackdays and wants riders to get off the canyons...

the tracks ate my tires pretty fast, very noticeable even only after 1 session, so much wear compared to streets. the shade actually makes it look not as worn out as it looks in-person.

TR7 · #287 Unread post by **TR7** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 11:13 pm

Congrats Verm. Thats quite cool.

VermilionX · #288 Unread post by **VermilionX** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 11:24 pm

TR7 wrote:Congrats Verm. Thats quite cool.

thanks.

it's just ok. not too good, but more importantly, not bad either.

#289 Unread post by **NorthernPete** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 2:28 am

Grats Verm, you actually made it...but as for only hittign 120...thats still quite fast bra.

glad you had fun, take what you learned to your next track days!

Mintbread · #290 Unread post by **Mintbread** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:01 am

Track days are a real reality check, aren't they?
You think you are pretty fast on the road but get put back in your place very quickly on the track. Happens to everyone.

That tyre looks pretty chewed up considering you were taking it easy on an unfamiliar track. I told you they were soft...

CNF2002 · #291 Unread post by **CNF2002** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 8:37 am

Glad you had fun, V. Going to make it a regular thing?

I like the Sheriff bike. Does he actually use that on duty or is it just a personal vehicle?

PS: I never noticed before but your bike has more of the engine exposed than most other sportbikes. Looks nice.

-Holiday · #292 Unread post by **-Holiday** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 9:01 am

good stuff. So, are you going to go back?

VermilionX · #293 Unread post by **VermilionX** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 9:24 am

Mintbread wrote:Track days are a real reality check, aren't they?
You think you are pretty fast on the road but get put back in your place very quickly on the track. Happens to everyone.

That tyre looks pretty chewed up considering you were taking it easy on an unfamiliar track. I told you they were soft...

not really, i don't think im fast on the road. i just know im not slow.

it's just there are so many guys faster than me even on the street group. they probably have more experience than me. i didn't talk to all of them but the ones that i did talk to... they were riding way longer than me.

if anything else... the reality check came from the crashes from the guys who were pushing it too much.

and the tire is great... no slips whatsoever aside from the time i mentioned i fishtailed the rear when i ran wide to the dirt edge.

you did say it was too soft for the streets... the streets never did that much wear in such a short time to my tires. i dunno if it's the difference in pavement or im just not pushing it hard on the streets.

VermilionX · #294 Unread post by **VermilionX** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 9:27 am

NorthernPete wrote:Grats Verm, you actually made it...but as for only hittign 120...thats still quite fast bra.

glad you had fun, take what you learned to your next track days!

the faster guys are hitting 140-160mph on the start/finish.

i just don't have enough speed coming out of turn 9 to reach that speed and im hitting the brake markers before i can speed some more.

VermilionX · #295 Unread post by **VermilionX** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 9:30 am

CNF2002 wrote:Glad you had fun, V. Going to make it a regular thing?

I like the Sheriff bike. Does he actually use that on duty or is it just a personal vehicle?

PS: I never noticed before but your bike has more of the engine exposed than most other sportbikes. Looks nice.

the sheriif bike is just a personal bike. i wonder though if he's sponsored by the LASD.

i'll try to join the sheriff's dept if they had a sportbike division.

VermilionX · #296 Unread post by **VermilionX** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 9:36 am

-Holiday wrote:good stuff. So, are you going to go back?

i want to go back and make it regular.

and eventhough i wasn't very satisfied w/ what i did... i just know after a few more, i'll be better at it.

but of course... trackdays is an expensive luxury added to the already expensive luxury of riding.

CNF2002 · #297 Unread post by **CNF2002** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 9:46 am

Imagine how many trackdays you can go to if you save your money on that suspension and keep it for those days instead!

Motorcycling is a funny 'sport'...you can spend unreal amounts of money on it, or you can spend nothing on it. The quality of enjoyment of the experience, and what you can do with it (be it racing on a track, canyons, commuting, or weekend riding) has little to do with the amount of money you spend. The choice is up to you

VermilionX · #298 Unread post by **VermilionX** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 9:56 am

CNF2002 wrote:Imagine how many trackdays you can go to if you save your money on that suspension and keep it for those days instead!

Motorcycling is a funny 'sport'...you can spend unreal amounts of money on it, or you can spend nothing on it. The quality of enjoyment of the experience, and what you can do with it (be it racing on a track, canyons, commuting, or weekend riding) has little to do with the amount of money you spend. The choice is up to you

actually... im going to see the head of hyperclub trackdays to see if he can work on my stock suspension.

his shop is actually not that far from me.

he's also a previous AMA racer and he's currently one of the top bike tuners here.

then i'll decide from there.

and yeah... money issues depends on the kind of riding you enjoy.

CNF2002 · #299 Unread post by **CNF2002** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 10:52 am

and yeah... money issues depends on the kind of riding you enjoy.

I disagree. I could do any kind of riding and the 'expense' is all up to me. I can race a 20 year old sport bike on a stock setup or a brand new bike with 10k of engine upgrades (my performance is based on my skills, not on my bike - with the exception of me being a professional racer). I can cruise the boulevard on a cruiser with or without 15k of chrome all over it. I can commute on a 12k VStrom with hard saddle bags painted to match or an old cheap Blast. I can wear a $1000 pop-brand helmet or a $70 one from Walmart.

The result is the same, regardless of what I spend.

jstark47 · #300 Unread post by **jstark47** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 11:42 am

The Crimson Rider® wrote:i asked for tips from one of the instructors assigned for the street group for most of the morning, i followed him then he followed me. he said im doing good for my 1st trackday but i don't feel good. there were only a couple of riders that im faster, most were faster than me.

Yeah, but Verm, how many of them were on their very first trackday? You're not a Motorcycling God, but that doesn't mean you totally suck, either. Give it time, dude. Motorcycling is something you can work on your whole life. I'm definitely a better rider than I was a year ago, but a year from now I hope and expect to be better still. It just takes time and practice.