Ken is author of "Motorcycling the Right Way” and "Riding in the Zone" (book and blog). He is also the "Street Savvy" columnist for Motorcyclist Magazine, and former longtime author of the Proficient Motorcycling and Street Strategies columns for Motorcycle Consumer News. Ken is Lead Instructor for Tony's Track Days, a 20 year Motorcycle Safety Foundation instructor, and owner of Riding in the Zone Motorcyclist Training.
Some people think that they need a dedicated track bike to do a track day. But, this simply isn’t true as long as you have a motorcycle that has a reasonable amount of cornering clearance. This includes most standard, sport, sport touring, adventure, and even touring machines. Cruiser motorcycles are probably the only machines that are not really appropriate for fast cornering and spirited riding.
Im an owner of a 98 Ninja ZX6R and a 03 GSXR 1000. Ive been riding for about 10 years and have always dreamed of racing and one day going to the Isle of Man TT races(where anyone can enter to race). So I am looking into getting into some track days and while its not what I had in mind, it will have to do because racing on the street is just stupid, even though Im guilty of that too. LoL anyways. thanks for the various articles, I enjoyed them very much. I also thought it might be worth mentioning somewhere in this article on the best track day bikes… Sometimes its more fun to have a smaller bike, like the saying goes, “Its funner to ride a slow bike fast than it is to ride a fast bike slow”. I believe that can have truth in it. Though dont get me wrong. My 1000 is my #1.
The Kruz K673’s 3+2 design on the case improves handling and adds to the carrying capacity of your ride. So, when you’re cruising for long distances, you'll fill your saddlebag without worrying about the added stress on the tires. You'll also love the way this tire handles any weather condition thanks to its wide grooves. The H-rating on this tire means it will perform excellently, even at a speed of 130 mph, with exceptional traction. Did we mention that the price of this tire is unimaginable when compared with other tires of similar performance?
Not precious- Many new track day riders suffer undue stress over the anxiety of crashing their beautiful, high-dollar, chrome and carbon laden street bike. Thankfully, it’s easy not to crash at a track day if you ride within your ability. So, if all you have is your pride and joy, go ahead and bring it to the track, but at some point when you start pushing harder, you may want a dedicated track bike that has less sentimental value.
