Hi all, just a quick one but wanted to share. I did a trackday at Brands Hatch Indy last week on my trusty Fazer. Weather was beautiful and had an absolute blast.
It really held it's own. The suspension played a big part with the cartridge emulators and R6 shock (thanks to Kebab ) making a noticeable difference since my last trackday. A recently fitted 14T front sprocket also suited the circuit (as well as road riding in general imo). The bike had enough oomph to keep up with more powerful bikes on a short, technical circuit like this and despite it's comparitive lack of ground clearance, Wingrack, crash bars and other unsporty accessories, I enjoyed embarrassing much more exotic machinery in the corners.
For the first time in 3 years and 30,000 miles of ownership, at several points during the day I felt the limiting factor in my riding was the bike rather than me. Goes to show how much the bike has taught me in that time, though it got me thinking about perhaps getting a new bike this year.... but I'm going to find it very difficult to say bye to the Fazer as it just does everything so well. We'll see.
You can do so much with this bike, it's versatility amazes me. I think it's ease to modify to suit your needs is a big part of it's success. I have however reached a point where there is nothing more I can think of to add to the bike... but boy, what a damned good bike the Fazer is!
I agree somewhat with BBB above. An upgrade to a thou might be a smart move. However, is the boxeye really a limiting factor ? On the track maybe yes but I'm guessing the majority of your riding isn't on the track.
If you feel that you are exceeding the capabilities of your bike on the road then that's a different story.
Nice picture by the way
Yamaha Fazer 'the only bike you'll ever need' maybe ???
Come to Brands again in June, us Foccers are trying to get a few of us together for the Kent Fire Bike ride skills day there (see the events thread on this forum). £50 for a whole day of training + 2 X 20 min track sessions.
Money doesn't buy happiness, but it buys beer, and that helps!
(10-03-14, 09:16 AM)Lez72 link Wrote: I agree somewhat with BBB above. An upgrade to a thou might be a smart move. However, is the boxeye really a limiting factor ? On the track maybe yes but I'm guessing the majority of your riding isn't on the track.
If you feel that you are exceeding the capabilities of your bike on the road then that's a different story.
Nice picture by the way
If he continues doing track days he will need to change......on the road I agree is a different matter but the upgrade to the thou is a must anyway regardless
The bike i not normally the limiting factor, even if it feels like it is.
I've kept with and shown up plenty of so called 'big bikes', on track, using 45bhp tzr250's and 60bhp Ducati Monsters.
10-03-14, 01:09 PM (This post was last modified: 10-03-14, 01:13 PM by Fuzzy.)
(10-03-14, 09:38 AM)HarryHornby link Wrote: Come to Brands again in June, us Foccers are trying to get a few of us together for the Kent Fire Bike ride skills day there (see the events thread on this forum). £50 for a whole day of training + 2 X 20 min track sessions.
Thanks, I might do that. I'm doing a Met Ride Skills day at Castle Combe next month and have done similar stuff with IAM but if I'm not robbing people of a place it'd be fun to do. Did Biker down with the Kent fire guys, they were good.
Yeah, on the road the 600 is more than adequate, as most bikes are unless you ride like a loonie! It does everything well, whether it's commuting, town work, luggage, two up or touring. Having said that, it would be nice to have a more powerful bike like the Thou. On the track, there are bikes that are better suited to that environment and I think I'd get more out of the experience on one of them. I guess that's the point. That's not to say there isn't any room to go quicker and better on my bike, in that sense as dcurzon says it's not the limiting factor - after all there will be plenty of people who'd lap faster than me if I gave them my bike. Still, that doesn't stop one from wanting a change.
Sounds like I need a Thou and a trackbike :evil If only! Weather was gorgeous on the day, can't wait for more of that this year... we all deserve it after the last few months....
Having had a Gen1 for ten years (50k miles) and now an FZS600 I'd say stick with the baby brother. I loved the Gen1, but for everyday riding the 600 does it all and is way more fun due to its relative lightness and flickability. I also find it much easier to filter through London traffic on and have never found the 'lack' of power to be a problem. :lol
If you've turned into a track day God then maybe ride the 600 to the track and then rent something there?
That's interesting Wookee, thanks. I live in London and the size & weight of the thou is perhaps the biggest thing which has stopped me from getting one before. I'm only 5'6 & 10 stone so it could be ott for me in town although they are gorgeous bikes. The 600 is cheaper to run too. Not a trackday god :lol wish I was... maybe a cheapo SV650 with suspension mods would be a good way to learn on track.
I'd stick with the Fazer for the road and if you fancy more track days then get a sports bike. I'd suggest a 600 and there are plenty of cheap 600's around. A dedicated track bike will be pretty cheap. The only mods you may need to do is suspension. Decent suspenders are what makes going fast easier and should be the first thing you spend any money on.
That's the way I did it as I can't get on with a sports bike on the road. Nothing to do with age, I've never enjoyed it. But they make perfect sense on track.
Word of warning though. You might get hooked on track days and then that can lead onto racing. And that is HUGELY addictive. But sooooooo much fun.
10-03-14, 07:21 PM (This post was last modified: 10-03-14, 07:27 PM by Fuzzy.)
Ha, yeah I was also warned by my friend with many years of racing under his belt who ended up hooked like you! He manages fine with his ZX10R for everything 365. Can't imagine doing that with a sportbike, let alone something like his old ZX6R B1h which was a model I was interested in... too used to the practicality of the Fazer.
PS Noticed you have a ZRX1200R Ruby, now that is a bike I'd love to own. Guess you might take something else to the track but the coolness of turning up on one of them must be hard to beat!
I agree with Ruby Racing, the best plan would be getting a second bike.
The Fazer os great for the road, but if you have a sportbike for trackdays you can enjoy the best of both worlds.
13-03-14, 07:37 PM (This post was last modified: 13-03-14, 07:40 PM by Fuzzy.)
Yes, if only I could afford another one right now! It's not just the bike, it's all the other costs that I'd need to budget for and at this point I wonder if I'd be better off spending some of that money on more training & trackdays. I'd also end up spending on suspension and other basic mods because I can't help myself so I'd be broke in no time. All said, that won't stop me from having my eyes peeled this year for a bargain bike though :rolleyes
Here's one more Another one at Druids, I was scraping bits there so need to work on hanging off more next time.
Getting a second bie just for the track may come cheaper than doing futher upgrades to the Fazer.
Plus, if you upgrade your suspension for the track you'll lose the street riding that you have.
As you say, the best option is to explore what you have and spend you money on track time and training.
When you "upgrade" your riding, you can get a better track bike and take full advantage of it.
If you buy a bike with the suspension already on, you just need to set it up. Then go ride. :b
Trying to get a Fazer to handle well on track is almost pointless because of where you're starting from. That isn't stoping me with my current build mind you! But that's being done more for the looks. The racing part is just an extra and I know it isn't the best way to get a track bike.
I'm not spending anymore on the suspension on the Fazer, it took a lot time to get it to where it is now and it's vastly better than standard. I'm happy with the set-up and anymore would be pointless for me. Can't make it too track focused cos I take luggage and pillion on the road etc, it's a good compromise how it is.
A sportsbike will have decent suspension to begin with but throw in a shock & fork service, possibly respringing and it'll cost a couple of hundred at least. Then it's tyres, brakes, caliper servicing, possibly pads & braided lines and that's before you get to the engine & bits that need replacing or repairing! I know what I'm like, I'd spend too much money & time on it as I've already done on the Fazer. Tinkering is too much fun, as Ruby probs would agree? Insurance and space to park & work on the bike can be tricky in London too.
Until I can justify another bike, I'll hopefully embarrass a few more sportsbikes on track with my little barge
(13-03-14, 08:44 PM)Fuzzy link Wrote: [size=78%]Until I can justify another bike, I'll hopefully embarrass a few more sportsbikes on track with my little barge[/size]
) making a noticeable difference since my last trackday. A recently fitted 14T front sprocket also suited the circuit (as well as road riding in general imo). The bike had enough oomph to keep up with more powerful bikes on a short, technical circuit like this and despite it's comparitive lack of ground clearance, Wingrack, crash bars and other unsporty accessories, I enjoyed embarrassing much more exotic machinery in the corners.
![[Image: 300668.png]](https://badges.fuelly.com/images/sig-us/300668.png)
But sooooooo much fun.
Insurance and space to park & work on the bike can be tricky in London too.