New Racer, Preparing for 2015 season + move to Edmonton! Requesting Advice

S

smurf

New Member
Hey everyone, I'm new here so here's my intro. :)

About me: Canuck, moving to Edmonton in October, looking to join in on the fun with 0 racing experience under my belt (apart from track days a few years ago).

Since I'm new to both Edmonton and Racing, I have a few questions that I'm hoping to get some input on:

1) My bike - SV650 or a supersport (gsxr/r6/675)? I'd like a supersport but know that starting on something with less power is the smarter choice. Have others started on supersports without issue? Also, do most people have dedicated track bikes or do some of y'all convert your bike back and forth to allow use on the street too?

2) Storage - House with garage or apartment with underground parking? As I'm looking for a place to stay (currently looking at the area near Whyte ave for the younger crowd and selection of bars/restaurants) one concern of mine is where I'd keep my bike & work on it. I have the option of finding a house with a garage or I could look at apartments with underground parking.. Concerns of mine are preparing the bike for storage during the cold winters as well as having a peace of mind for the bikes security..

3) Transportation - Bring my RWD car from Vancouver or buy a 4WD vehicle? I'm considering 3 options: 1) Put winter tires + a block heater on my RWD car back home and bring it to Edmonton (will it survive the roads?). 2) Buy a 4WD Subaru 3) Buy a truck.

For the first two options, my plan would be to rent a motorcycle u-haul trailer and bring the bike to the track that way. For the 3rd I would just load the bike onto the back of my truck

4) Race Weekend Schedule - Could someone explain how a typical race weekend goes? Is it a day of practice and then 2 days of racing?

Cheers in advance for your guys input!

- Harp
 
teejay

teejay

Member
Id personally go supersport, i had no race experience at all and i started off with my gsxr 600 and loved it. you can ride all the 600 classes as well as the open classes if you like. practicality wise your better off with a truck especially if your going to be racing, yes rear wheel might be fun at times in the winter but you'll get tired of it pretty quick. I'm kinda in the same boat as you ideally its best if you have a garage for your bike to prep, work on, etc. Im younger and store mine at my parents place and its kinda a bitch so if you can find a place with a garage do it. race weekends are typically track day friday evening, practice all day saturday, and races sunday. we do have double headers where we have races on saturday, sunday. and i think we had one that was races sunday monday. still sorting out the new track. but welcome to the club you ll love it great group of people, everyones willing to give you a hand wheather its lending gear, tire warmers, stands, even bikes and this is coming from my personal experience couldn't ask for a better group of people.
 
SetUpSixRR

SetUpSixRR

EMRA Executive Member
Teejay pretty much nailed it.

I'd go supersport as well and work your way up to a fast pace however feels comfortable. Just because the bike has more power doesn't mean you have to ride like a beanbag right out of the gate. But with a supersport like a 600RR/R6/GSXR600 etc you have a lot of classes you can race in and get more time on track that way, plus when you ARE competitive you won't be hindered by your choice of getting a SV650 because those aren't competitive in as many race classes.

A house with a garage is always a better idea.

Transportation is really up to you but a truck makes the most sense, period. There's always guys at the track willing to help you load/unload it into the truck if you have problems. Always ask. Like Teejay said, its a great group of people out here.

Practice days offer a lot of seat time for a good price and then you've got a day or two of racing afterwards. Practice is good because on a race weekend its ALL racers, you'll always find someone to tag behind and learn a thing or two from.

When you get here have a look into the On-Track-Performance riding schools as well, they're top notch race schools with great instructors who really want to teach guys/girls the stuff to help them go fast out there on the race track ;)
 
J

Jason Henton

Active Member
I ride an sv650, there's a couple other guys too. Definatly not as competitive as the 600 classes, but still eligible for alot of track time, probably more than a 600. Some of the reasons I chose to learn on the SV is because they are relatively cheap to run and they handle quiet well. I have ran at least 8 race weekends on a set of tires. They are also known as a stable bike, meaning that they self correct well when you do screw up. Best advice is to just find a bike you are comfortable with and that handles well, and don't cheap out on riding gear, it's the most important thing you will buy.
 
RockThePylon

RockThePylon

Member
I'll throw in my 2c.


smurf said:
1) My bike - SV650 or a supersport (gsxr/r6/675)?
Click to expand...

The Supersports are superior bikes. Even bone stock, they will be competitive in the Expert class. There's no excuses, you know it's you that's slow, not the bike. :p

The Ninja/SV650 will be cheaper to operate, but only really competitive in their class.
More fun for trackdays. You can hamfist flog the poor things, which is a hoot, where you have to be more careful and delicate on the supersports.

Converting between street/race trim will get old fast. If you want to race, get a dedicated bike. For occasional track days, riding your street bike works fine. Smashing up OEM plastics makes people cry, though.

2) Storage - House with garage or apartment with underground parking?
Click to expand...

House with locked garage.

Too many bikes go missing from shared parking areas. And most apartments don't allow you to work on your vehicles.

3) Transportation - Bring my RWD car from Vancouver or buy a 4WD vehicle?
Click to expand...

Winter tires are a good idea on any vehicle.

I would get a truck. If money matters, a used Ford Ranger will get you anywhere with acceptable fuel economy.

If money is less of an issue, the creature comforts in a full-size pickup make them nicer for the daily drives.

Trailering is a pain if you don't own one, and have a place to keep it.
 
T

the_fornicator

Active Member
You'll need something to haul all your stuff to the track with so unless your RWD vehicle is a truck, I would suggest something that can hold a bike (i.e. a truck) or to invest in a trailer (open-deck if you're on a budget) and something that can haul the said trailer.

I borrowed a friend's SUV and trailer set up and, surprisingly, I filled damn near the entire enclosed trailer up with stuff. I did not realize that I had I hauled that much shit to the track.
 
DEFBOY35

DEFBOY35

Well-Known Member
i agree with everyone saying go with a supersport, take it easy while you learn, and once you do learn you wont be looking to upgrade bikes as fast. dont get me wrong i am sure there is a lot of fun to be had on the sv's and such, but the more competitive classes would be better off with a 600 as they are still close to the litre bikes at castrol. and if you get hooked like everyone else, and want to start making your way south to the larger faster tracks, the 600 will already be working to keep up on those tracks, where as a sv would probably really struggle is my guess.
as for the living situation, you could always look for a garage to rent and or split with someone, there are guys on here that do that.
and having a trailer to haul everything is nice, can be a pain in the ass though if you have no place to keep it.
epending on the car, there may be times out here in the winter when you will be cursing not having a truck with 4x4. but as long as you dont drive like a bean bag any car can be driven in the winter. lol
 
S

smurf

New Member
Thanks for all the responses!

I'm relieved that there seems to be a consensus that it's alright to start on a 600!

As for storage and transportation I still have a good amount of time for figuring this out.. With the track being a 30 minute drive away from the area I want to stay at, I am sure I could figure something reasonable out in terms of getting the bike down.. I am hesitant to buy a truck due to the fact that I am not sure how long I will be staying in Edmonton. As a result, I don't want every decision (including my place of stay) to completely revolve around my hobby just yet.

One more question for you guys: It seems as though there are 5 race weekends in a year. In addition to this, I think I read somewhere that there was another organization that hosted track days. Do you guys feel as though you get enough seat time on the track?

Cheers again,
Harp
 
Fireman

Fireman

Well-Known Member
smurf said:
Thanks for all the responses!

I'm relieved that there seems to be a consensus that it's alright to start on a 600!

As for storage and transportation I still have a good amount of time for figuring this out.. With the track being a 30 minute drive away from the area I want to stay at, I am sure I could figure something reasonable out in terms of getting the bike down.. I am hesitant to buy a truck due to the fact that I am not sure how long I will be staying in Edmonton. As a result, I don't want every decision (including my place of stay) to completely revolve around my hobby just yet.

One more question for you guys: It seems as though there are 5 race weekends in a year. In addition to this, I think I read somewhere that there was another organization that hosted track days. Do you guys feel as though you get enough seat time on the track?

Cheers again,
Harp
Click to expand...

You'll find more than that in 2015 including a canadian national round. As long as people are filling up trackdays the number of dates will grow.
 
S

smurf

New Member
I will be visiting Edmonton next week in search of a room to rent downtown (jasper/oliver/glenora area). If anyone has or knows somebody with a place, PM me!

Also, since I'm new to the city I'm open to meeting new people. Always up for a beer if anyone's looking to wind down after a work day. I'd love to hear more about the racing scene!

Cheers,
Harp
 
S

smurf

New Member
Quick Update for anyone interested..

I've been considering the following two options lately:

1) Buying a race bike this winter and diving head first into racing.

or

2) Buying a street bike and getting track time via HardNox & OTP Schools.


I ended up bringing my car down to Edmonton from Vancouver and as such getting a race bike to the track has been my biggest obstacle. Because of this, I'll probably go with option 2 since I'm not about to buy a truck just for transportation to and from the track..
 
RockThePylon

RockThePylon

Member
Street bikes don't crash as well as a race bike. So, just don't crash and you're good.

You could always get a little trailer for a track bike.

That's how I got from Calgary to Edmonton.

 
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SetUpSixRR

SetUpSixRR

EMRA Executive Member
Dive head first. I mean it.

Best decision I've ever made was getting a track only bike and getting into it. Other hobbies are just cute.
 
S

smurf

New Member
SetUpSixRR said:
Dive head first. I mean it.

Best decision I've ever made was getting a track only bike and getting into it. Other hobbies are just cute.
Click to expand...

Honestly, I want to. I have the money, I don't have any big responsibilities/debts, I'm competitive + love bikes, and I can make the time. It's just right now the obstacles are outweighing the benefits.. :(


Do you guys know of anyone in EMRA that may be willing to transport an additional bike in their truck/trailer? I am not sure how much of an inconvenience this would be (I live by the river valley), but I would definitely be willing to give them some cash (amount can be discussed) for helping me out!
 
S

smurf

New Member
RockThePylon said:
Street bikes don't crash as well as a race bike. So, just don't crash and you're good.

You could always get a little trailer for a track bike.

That's how I got from Calgary to Edmonton.

Click to expand...


I've crashed a street bike on the track before, I already know the feeling! :p

I would definitely get a trailer if my car would accommodate one, unfortunately though it doesn't. So that leaves me with the option of getting a rental truck for each weekend or somehow finding a friend with a truck and trading cars with them for the weekend. Option 1 is expensive, option 2 is possible though unlikely since I hardly know anyone in Edmonton and I'm travelling for work the majority of the time.
 
S

smurf

New Member
RockThePylon said:
My Subaru is not meant to tow, the owner's manual even specifically forbids it.

Buuut, with a $150 hitch and a $30 wiring kit, you can do whatever you want!

Mine is made by CURT
http://www.curtmfg.com/

I purchased it from http://hitchdepotusa.com/. Free shipping, so that's nice.
Click to expand...

I've looked into the CURT hitches, they along with other brands are not compatible with my car since my exhaust gets in the way.

However I am looking into another possible option at the moment that might take car of my transportation issue :)
 
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