Track Days

[VMAXXIMUM]

Well brothers and I hope some sisters it's that time of year again and I thought I'd share an insight I had a couple of weeks ago after a day at Palmer Motorsports in Palmer Mass. First I feel compelled to repeat that not only is it about the most fun you could have for the money but the training and ultimately better riding skills that you develop cannot be understated. I don't care how long someone's been riding if you've never had some proper training on a race track you riding skills will be improved, resulting in way more fun not to mention safer riding. I'd also like to mention at a vmax can turn, just ask the sport bike riders following me around the track. I'm not suggesting that a properly skilled rider cannot beat a vmax because they will gain every corner but I will say that no one in my group could get around me because on the motor they just don't have what it takes on the short straights between corners. In fact the straight at Palmer is not really straight. There is a slight right hand dog leg about mid way. The straight is only good for about 125mph and no one and I mean no one could get past me on the motor, including the BMW S1000 RR. Of course if it were longer he would have gotten past me and pulled away....but it isn't and he couldn't.

Now for my insight. I think the race track is the ultimate expression of our muscle bikes more so than the drag strip. Here's why. I've owned muscle cars and as we all know generally speaking they are not the best handlers. You know lots of motor and straight axle's...None of that ever stopped me or my friends from hammering it between corners and doing our best to get around them. Now I lined up at every opportunity for a good drag race but as I started to think about those glorious days I realized the the majority of time me and my friends were out cruising around hammering it between corners not, lining up all night long. Like I said we drag raced but not nearly as much as we drove around the back roads doing our best to get around corners and hammering it in between. Well guess what that is exactly how I ride my vmax and it's exactly what I do at the ...you guessed it, the track. My turning skills have improved exponentially since I started doing track days and you have not lived until you've railed a corner or 10. But...as much as my skills have improved and I believe our bikes can handle better than most give them credit for, they are not sport bikes designed to turn. So I don't try to ride it like a sport bike. I ride it like a muscle bike that can get around a corner with the right inputs. That my brothers is how I terrorize the other riders at the track. Get in front and unashamedly use the motor to stay there.
It's a sight and sound to behold. There are some good sounding bikes but nothing and I mean nothing sounds like a well tuned vmax with a proper exhaust. So find yourself a local track and an outfit to ride with and pull the trigger you will not be dissapointed.

 

[VMAXXIMUM]

I'll be at New York Safety Track 6-26 and 6-27 with Tony's Track Day's. New York riders should come and check it out.

 

[desert_max]

Glad to hear this. I'm not surprised because I find my VMAX can more than keep up with a lot of my riding partners here in the back roads of Arizona - with far more modern and supposedly capable machines. May not be the track, but let's just say we do some spirited riding. In fact, the last time I mentioned this, it was not received well here.

 

[VMAXXIMUM]

Well desert_max, we do have some interesting members that just love to point fingers with no regard to the three pointing back at them. I’ve most certainly been irresponsible and likely dangerous in my younger say more impulsive years. I still like to, as you eloquently put it, ride spiritedly but with a much larger dose of consideration for conditions, traffic …. It does however highlight some of the great benefits of the track like no traffic, or police and predictable road conditions. Good luck over the coming weeks with the heat. I’ve never experienced anything close to what your going thru and don’t envy the discomfort or danger. Pack up a bike and come east for a while. Although I live in Rhode Island, Connecticut has some of best roads anywhere and my wife and I own a restaurant for end of the ride food and beverages.

 

[sdt354]

It's all a testament to what we all as a group have achieved modifying our bikes. The straight line only rep. has been proven wrong. Radial tires, suspension improvements and more have given us something beyond what Yamaha produced. My birth bro has a k1200 or 1300 Beemer and he certainly can do damage up on the top end. But, in practical street riding I put him in the rear view in our power band. And handling on the twisties, the old heavy Gen 1 is right there with him. Of course riding with my vmax Bro is my preference always.

 

[Coastal Grey]

Vmaxximum
That was well said kinda the same situation in life
since moving to the east coast I’ve really been looking at the ride weekends offered at Bikes – Atlantic Motorsport Park
Im not big on the dragging as much as I like dragging the bitch into twisters out chasing my sporty buddies or solo mayhem
they are generally quite shocked that a bike that big is biting right up their ass and blowing by them coming out of turns I’m going to try really hard to get there this year for a weekend if not I will keep spiritedly pillaging the Nova Scotia coastline in my area and maybe next year it is definitely on the list of headspace events
again nice head jolt

thanks
Peter

 

[VMAXXIMUM]

Thank you CostalGrey. I must add that I’d love to join you on what I can only imagine are some spectacular costal roads and the opportunity to try some of your Nova Scotia honey. I’d like nothing more than to meet up with all of my Vmax brothers for a ride and a fire pit. To that end if your ever up for a road trip, my home and my restaurant are always open.

 

[Dansmaxresto]

Agree with everything you said Vmaxximum!! I did the Peguin Motorcycle Roadracing School at Mid-Ohio and it was not only the most fun I've ever had on any bike but the most informative also. I learned that the Vmax and myself are capable of way, way more than I ever thought possible. In the first track session we played follow the leader and as he picked up speed I thought "Holy cow I hope he doesn't go much faster 'cause I will never make it around the turns". I realized by the second and third sessions after the classroom time that those first laps were so slooooowwww, lol. The last session was wide open, pass in the corners if you want, safely, etc. Oh my gosh, what a blast. I had been riding street bikes about 15 years before my first track day and increased my riding knowledge by 10 fold in one day. The Vmax performed well beyond my expectations!!! I was approached by several sportbike riders afterwards who were as shocked as I was that a Vmax could do that. One guy on a CBR600RR said he was trying to get around me the last 3 laps and couldn't do it. Granted it was only a 600 but still...
Anyway, I agree, if you have never done a track day or a roadracing school you owe it to yourself to do it. I cant express in words how much fun it is.

 

[apsolus]

as a cmra novice racer i loved having the vmax on the track. but it wasnt at all quicker than the other bikes out there. not even down the straights. def not quicker than a liter bike.

 

[FREERIDER]

Finally you guys show up. I was saying these very same things about railing a Vmax around corners in the canyons over 10 years ago. Now to get some of you out here to SoCal to ride with me. More roads than can be riden. There's some tracks too.
I've never done a track day on a Vmax. I always had mostly stock bikes until recently. Now Ive got one with a USD front end and converted rear wheel. The handling differnce is massive once you get raidal tires. BUT, its to low. Even at stock hieght I would grind as low as the foot peg mounting bolts. So this new bike with the USD front is just to low. Im getting it resprung with RaceTech bits and gonna stretch out the forks in the extentions as much as I can.

Which brings me to a topic I was gonna bring up shortly after I hear from Roland Sands Inc. Have you guys seen the Super Hooligans race at Lagona Seca? The Hooligan flattrack races with Roland Sands and friends got going at Return to Del Mar (San Diego where I live). I took my Vmax and raced in some of the Hooligan flattrack races against some of the same guys that were in that Super Hooligan race at Lagona Seca. I had made comments to them that if we were racing on asfualt it would be a totaly different outcome. I did not do so well on the dirt but I had TONS of fun. The Super Hooligan rules for bikes does not fit the Vmax in there.
Here are the Rules-
-Open to all manufactures 750cc multi-cylinder and above Street Bikes. Bikes must run 19” flat track wheels and tires front and back and weigh a minimum of 400lbs. For Road Race events bikes can 16"-19" front and rear wheels with DOT Tires. Bikes must maintain stock frames with no fabrication allowed to change the neck angle. No cutting subframes or fabricating shock relocation mounts. No front brakes on oval tracks, dual front disc brakes are mandatory for Road Race track.
-Production high-bar street bikes only. Motorcycle must have come stock with top mounted risers and upright handlebars. No clip-on bikes permitted.
-Twin cylinder 4 strokes, in any configuration, above 750cc
Three cylinder 2 strokes above 750cc permitted
-Electric street legal production motorcycles with maximum 80 kW single motor. No MX or dual-sport type electric bikes allowed. Must conform to all other rules
-Maximum claimed production horsepower rule of 125HP or less
-Same bike to be used in all races, if a different bike is ridden rider will be penalized 10 points off Championship. VIN # will be checked.


Which is ********! The Vmax was the origanal street Hooligan. Its close though, kinda. Roland Sands Inc has not responded to my email about getting the Vmax in there. I may call them to day. I really want to race on the road tracks against the Harleys and Indains and if theres more than just me who would join in on this we would have a better chance of them letting us in or creating another class for us to race in.
Excuse me for hijacking the thread but I think you guys are the ones who need to know about this most. Bump it if its not appropriate for this thread. A new thread can be created if theres interest.

 

[apsolus]

hell yeah! this bike belongs in the hooligan class!