Track vs Street & going the latter

Strongly considering doing the opposite of what I've read other folks doing to their SD's...turning it into a street-only bike.

I'm generally new to the track and that's probably part of the dilemma, but having had 2 recent "small" offs on the SD at the track this year, it's been apparent that it is not sustainable to patch this thing together routinely. My first crash caused my "relay lever natural 07" to twist up. Managed to get the bike to shift decently, but it's not ideal. I've been waiting for a replacement for over 2 months. My second fall bent the clutch-side mirror bracket. I'll also likely have to wait a few weeks to get this imported/shipped in by KTM USA from what I've been told. Scratches on the tank panels and battery fairing, pricey to replace, haven't checked on trying to take it to bodyworker for repairs...

The bike crashes well alright, got the bike working and back on track by lunch for both days, but the aftermath is a pain.

I've only been riding 15 years and have fallen thrice, mostly accidental slips in parking lots and my garage. I love twins, maybe an SV would be a good track bike to toss around!?

I don't know how well you ride on track (since 15 years says nothing about fast riding or track ability) but isn't a track training a better option?
Invest some cash on suspension and setup and some crash protection and you're ready to go

I feel your delima... I saw pictures of your bike and I can also see you have pride in ownership. A road racer friend of mine told me back in the 80's that if you can't aford the price or stomack to see your bike fall over in your garage you have no busness riding that bike on the track. I was starting to get my road race liceins back then, came in third my first novice race, and was board stiff wating for another round. I had to prep my 600R Ninja street bike, drag it 100 miles one way, and sit and watch others race till my turn. So I am sitting there watching my weekend burn away when I usually would be out riding the full day, getting home before dark. That was the end of that. I live in a special place that I love. I can make a 100 mile loop out my door without going thru one traffic light. You on the other hand live in the Bay Area I believe and my guess is it's at least 45 min riding to get up on HWY 1 or eq. So I can see the sasfety of a track for you.
The Suzuki SV would be a good bike to start on,it's not real fast...then move on to a 600 in line four. They are cheap and plentful un-like your cherry non-belly button SD. ( belly button bike = everyone has one)
If you want to really learn how a bike handles on the cheap, get down and dirty with a dirt bike.
Let the fire works start.....

@ Jermo, ur right, my 15 yrs of road riding has mostly just instilled in me the respect and danger for riding in traffic, but has really not added anything to my ability to ride fast. If anything, I learned to have fun by riding "slow". I'm just thinking I could get the same benefits of practice on track with a bike I can bear to make mistakes on.

Guessing I'm in the minority to say the SD is the only bike I've track experience on.

@ doug, it IS a hassle to ride at least 30 minutes before hitting any worthwhile twisties from SF, even a farther haul for dirt biking as I recall.

Dirt bike is a good option. It doesn't hurt the ego or wallet as much. You can ride close to home if you get a street legal dirt bike like a DRZ or even better an EXC. Supermoto is like describing an orgasm to a virgin.

I've found that when riding in the SF Bay Area, street or track, that you will probably have equal chances of the bike going down. We have hundreds of miles of backroad mountain twisties here with ever so changing road conditions-from chip seal, tar repairs, gravel, and debris on the less travel roads. Also not to mention all the 4 wheel drivers not aware of our existence. I had a guy with a blow horn scare the hell out of me yesterday because I passed him while splitting lanes in stopped traffic. I've done 3 trackdays on the SDR without incident, just to come home and have it fall over when trying to put it on a stand. Why not just let the Duke do double duty and use on both the street and track. Might as well enjoy what the bike has to offer and use it as much as possible.

BTW..let me know when you get it on the street..we can meet up at Alice's and hit up the backroads

true, it's a dangerous world out there without any guarantees that I or the bike won't (knock on wood) immolate. So many pros/cons of street/track riding, could be a thread in its own right. I'm sure there will be more falls in the future and if I had to pick my poison, I'd prefer to drop it in my garage or sub 60 mph into an open pasture (without all the cow pies). Being a big wuss on the street has kept me rubber side down for a while, should probably try to put that mentality towards my track riding too since the last 2 crashes were me getting a bit too exuberant (passing outside on an area of track riders rarely go, trying to cut too aggro a race line and slipping on the raised candy stripe).

cdlabate, virgins can SO be given orgasms

One of my favoret finds in Cali.... Not looking at the map at the moment, so for memory, North of San Fran on Hwy 1, go to Stewerts Point, then take the little road that heads inland. Its a small one lane for miles. It will eventually lead you to a water resevor dam. The road near this dam is to die for. Lots of elevation gain and loss. Nice corners. Frikin race track in the woods.
Yep, the dual sport bikes are a hoot, and cheap. Do some dual sport rides. Lot's of bang for the buck. Lot's of seat time. Hell of a lot of fun, and you get to keep your drivers licinse.
Over the weekend I thought you might want to pickup a spare SD for the track. Shop e-bay for parts and build one on the cheap....lots of options.

The road west of the dam, and it must be good road for 10 plus miles, maybe 20 or more. I never seen speed limit signs posted the way it is on that road. Both sides of the road and painted on the pavement. I think the speed limt was 35 or 45. Bull shit. Just be ready to hand your money over as road tax, and go for it. The road signs must be 5 feet tall. The road just sucks you in and you just have to wick it up. The road enginneers must have had road race experience. It is a real hoot. Hope it is still as good as the last time I been there which has been 5 plus years. Check with passionit ??? web site..it will be listed.
Do take care, you are a long way away from a meat wagon ride.

Stewards Point-Skaggs Springs--the yellow high lighted road ...das da one......sorry.. work getting in the way...Monday at that....still recovering from weekend. 350 miles back road, (ex logging roads) blast to Mt. Hood Saturday on the SD......150 yesterday on the 950 KTM Adventure..had to mount rear tyre first on Adventure Sunday morning. Turn 'n burn.

Heck! Why don't we make it 4 of us [/quote]


I'm down for next weekend . i'm usually there bout 11:00 am . who's in for saturday or sunday or both next weekend ?[/quote]

That'd be something wicked
Unfortunately have an all-day commitment Saturday and the earliest I could make Alice's on Sunday would likely be 11:30.[/quote]

This weekend has already turned out to be a bust for me as well ........ both Saturday AND Sunday ... I'm bumm kicked.
Was at Alices today tho ( Tuesday ) for a bit.
I"m not hearing any interest from the others either .. BAH HUMBUG !

The "vs" should be changed out to "and" .
I am not sure how many spare and or replacement parts you could purchase for the dosh you lay out for a track bike. Suffice it to say it would be far less than what you have spent on the two track kissing counts listed.
What snaps on a track bike which renders useless is likely to snap on either the orange one or the blue one.
The track is the place to infringe upon the limits of yourself and your carrier.
There is not a tyme, at least I hope there has not been, when you explored those limits at anywhere near the extent on the street as even your fifth lap around a track.
You have track plastics from spares and therefore need not personalize any more plastics.
The SD has depreciated to a value that makes it damn near the perfect track bike.
Most would be hard pressed to get more than six grand out of a standard SD.
So you get a track bike and a hell of a good street bike for the price of paint and plastic.
Considering the amount of knowledge you walked away from those excursions with, you should be much obliged for the SD teaching you the fine art of rapid pavement placement.
Lee Parks
November?
San Mateo?
Slow down, dont slack off.

I don't have much advice to put forward beyond what others have already stated; PBRnr, don't give up on one crash. Invariably better to crash at the track, than on the street. And that's the best place to learn what 9+/10ths of a motorbike's performance limits are - NOT the street.

Hey Dribbler, you ever been to a track, let alone ridden on one? Kinda judgmental (and fascist) of you to suggest that only one opinion matters. Somewhat contrary to the purpose of a "forum". And you can spare me the intentionally misspelled, thinly veiled string of barely intelligible double (+) entendres. We all know you can bash out words in a straightforward manner.

While I agree with most of Mr. Hotbrakes remarks, I don't come away that he's qualified to write a book based on that single internet forum post. He appears to be affiliated with a trackday org (?), and clearly has no shortage of track time under his belt. If so, I am encouraged to read that there is at least one person affiliated with TrackTactics that isn't a total fooking moron. Must be better folks out east - because out here, if TrackTactics was the last trackday org there was, I still wouldn't roll with them. Rephrase: I'd prefer a purgatory of riding up and down the 405 a thousand or more times, than risk death doing a trackday with them. Maybe things have changed, but historically they had only clowns associated with their show. Very dangerous clowns.

So kudos to you Mr. Hotbrakes, for breaking the mold with some intelligent thoughts.

Riding a bike is all about confidence not where or what you ride

If you lose your confidence on a bike you need to get it back, I lost it once when I fractured my spine, took me about a year once back on a bike to build it up again,the best way is on an old beater (Americanism) or a dirt bike

thx for all the feedback and appreciate the votes of confidence. I'm definitely sticking out this season on the SD and am looking forward to getting back to sears pt, which I'm more familiar with. Wish I could find a good mentor for track riding, as the track day "instructors" vary quite a bit in their feedback and riding styles etc. Any Bay Area folks want to adopt a track lackey??

Thx bro! Currently in the upper pace of B-/C depending on what company I track with. If I went up to the middle group I'd likely be amongst the slowest riders...I think my times at Infineon were only around 2:13. Next up for me is 8/13 and 10/15 with Keigwins at Infineon, maybe I'll see you out there.