Talk me out of an R3

Aaron Meade

New Member
I am more and more interested in lightweight bikes on the track. I don’t see any downside really, except perhaps at the advanced level when riders are more capable of utilizing the power in a bigger bike.

I was out on some of my favorite roads on my FZ6 this weekend and asked myself if I could truthfully use the roughly 90rwhp on tap if I were unlimited by laws and a responsibility. I’m pretty sure horsepower is not the limiting factor, and won’t be for a long time.


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Motofun352

Control Rider
Light weight bikes are great learning tools. What they teach in learning conserving corner speed carries over to the higher classes.
 

Dom17

Intermediate Intermediate
I certainly wouldn't talk you out of getting a 300. They are fun however I don't have the personal experience of living with one. I do know that there is a person with our organization who has an r3 that is very well prepared that he will rent to people if they want to use it for a track day.

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Aaron Meade

New Member
I certainly wouldn't talk you out of getting a 300. They are fun however I don't have the personal experience of living with one. I do know that there is a person with our organization who has an r3 that is very well prepared that he will rent to people if they want to use it for a track day.

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Awesome, good to know! I think I have seen posts from that member before. I'll keep that in mind.
 

Dom17

Intermediate Intermediate
Just something else to consider, if you are interested in getting a dedicated track bike sometimes you can find a pretty well setup SV650 with all the track parts on it already for a really good deal. L Not sure where you are on your track addiction yet.

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HondaGalToo

Control Rider
I rented Bobblehead Moto's R3 once when my 600 broke. It was fuuuuun. I still like my 600 for the track, though.
A well set up SV650 is a great option. Can be had for not an exorbitant amount. Plenty of info on set up and spares availability.
 

bmart

Control Rider
Unless you're going to run Patriot a lot...I'd go with the SV or a 600. Current day (2003-present) 600s are very tractable motorcycles and you don't have to use all of the HP. I never hit redline on mine...and they're cheap.
 

Aaron Meade

New Member
Unless you're going to run Patriot a lot...I'd go with the SV or a 600. Current day (2003-present) 600s are very tractable motorcycles and you don't have to use all of the HP. I never hit redline on mine...and they're cheap.

I do love the motor in my FZ6. It has two personalities; up to 8K it is relatively docile, 10K-redline it is a different animal entirely. I rarely get it over 1oK for more than a few seconds.
 

D-Zum

My 13 year old is faster than your President
Consider your MiniGP scene where you live.

If you’ve got a mini track by you then consider something under 125cc like a CRF, Grom, TTR or XR100 for cheap seat time that’s a ton of fun, and you can further refine your riding fundamentals.
 

TimTheAsian

Fresh off the Boat
Staff member
Control Rider
Consider your MiniGP scene where you live.

If you’ve got a mini track by you then consider something under 125cc like a CRF, Grom, TTR or XR100 for cheap seat time that’s a ton of fun, and you can further refine your riding fundamentals.

The mini guys around me and Aaron, all they do is ride minis and talk about riding big bikes :) Lets get him into the N2 environment now, before those miniheads get a hold of him.
 

tdelegram

Control Rider
Aaron, lots of good info above I'll try not to repeat but can't guarantee anything. I bought a 2015 390 in 2016 and sold it midway through this year and here's my experience. Prior to the 390 I was a big bike person with either liter bikes or big twins on track all the way back to 2011. End of 16 I got the 390 and in 2017 I spent a lot of time on it in the A group and it was fun, frustrating and a great learning experience. The pro's included
1 I was never worried about throwing the 390 down the road and it crashed well
2 Pushing to the limit of traction is not as frightening because speeds are down
3 Playing on track with other 300's in tight groups is a blast
4 Racing it was plain awesome both sprints and endurance
5 It made me a much better rider and helped me develop my cornering speed and technique much faster
6 It allowed me to feel the limit of tires and frames without getting in over my head
7 Super cheap compared to larger bike in fuel, tires, brakes and other wearable items
Lots of pro's and it truly was a fun bike some of the time, the Cons:
1 without other 300'srunning at my pace track days became somewhat boring and I would climb on my rc8 or r1
2 catching bikes parked in turns working to get past them only to have them motor past is frustrating to say the least
3 not passing people and being passed by lesser riders can be hard on your ego
4 Passing people is just fun and you won't pass nearly as many on a 300 especially early in your track day riding career

My recommendation would be this, if you're really excited to get out on a 300, do it. You'll learn a ton, and can get into the A group on a 300 but as you advance it will be come harder because your passing opportunities are more limited. There are many track prepped models that are selling for under 5K with tons of spares on the WERA/13x forum so you shouldn't have a problem finding one. I am 6' 205 pounds, these bikes are designed for 100 pound riders and the frames are made with spaghetti so if you're over 125 pounds know at a fast intermediate pace you'll start to get frame flex and start to reach the bikes limits in certain turns. If any of this is swaying you, find a used SV650 or older 600 track prepped on the wera board and roll out on one of them. Alternatively, get one of each and see what you like the most.

Tom
 

Aaron Meade

New Member
Awesome advice from everyone. I am taking it all into consideration for winter time day dreaming. I'll be keeping an eye on the classifieds.
 

Mike:p

Don’t be a Hero, be consistent.
I wouldn’t change from riding the FZ6 at the track. I did my first 7 track days on my FZ6. Then I bought a dedicated track bike and I began to have problems. Switching from a standard riding position to a more aggressive sport riding position had a negative effect on me. I began making mistakes that I never made on myFz.

I’m not blaming my track bike on my poor track riding skills. I’m simply stating that my skills at track riding were not ingrained enough for me to switch to a different bike. I ride my FZ6 close to 8,000 miles a year commuting and back road riding. I would only ride my track bike at the track for a couple hundred miles in a weekend. Now I’m willing to bet someone will say that the skills are the same and they are but riding an unfamiliar bike at a level that requires more skill and finesse was not the best choice for me.

I understand that going from a FZ6 to a 300 probably won’t be that big of a change in riding position and it might not affect you at all. I also understand that you don’t take anything to the track that you are willing to throw away. So you might not want to risk your FZ6 getting damaged or destroyed. I totally get that.

That’s just my opinion, which isn’t worth much compared to the very skilled riders already commenting on this thread, and in the end you are they only one that can decide what is right for you.

You will have a blast no matter what bike you ride.
 

Aaron Meade

New Member
I wouldn’t change from riding the FZ6 at the track.

This is becoming a more and more likely option as I mull this over. Firstly, I've already got the bike. Second, I'm not terribly concerned about it going down. I didn't pay much for it, and while I've had to sink some money into, it still hasn't been a big investment. And third, being the middle-aged man that I am, a new sport-touring or sport-oriented ADV bike is calling to me for the street. In that case, the FZ would be relegated to track use. I could make some inexpensive changes to make body position better, as it is quite an upright ride currently. It's already got Racetech springs and gold valve emulators tuned for my weight, and brand-new bridgestone hypersport tires on it. It's a quick but not overwhelming bike that I think I could go far on.
 

Dom17

Intermediate Intermediate
People throw on fz1 bars on the Fz6 to give you a little bit of a more forward position. I think they are something like 25$ if you want to change the ergos. I think is it surprisingly capable as it is.

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D-Zum

My 13 year old is faster than your President
The mini guys around me and Aaron, all they do is ride minis and talk about riding big bikes :) Lets get him into the N2 environment now, before those miniheads get a hold of him.

I was under the impression that he was already riding with N2 and looking for additional ways to improve his skill set on smaller displacement machines.

I’ll be on my Ohvale this weekend. :)
 

tdelegram

Control Rider
I was under the impression that he was already riding with N2 and looking for additional ways to improve his skill set on smaller displacement machines.

I’ll be on my Ohvale this weekend. :)
You should dust off that R1, the ugly ravens one, and ride at barber!
 
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