ZX6R.com

Mud · 02-19-2012, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvilTwin

If I sell my beloved 636 there is no way in hell I'm buying an SV650. The only reason I would get a newer bike is b/c my 636 doesn't meet the cc restriction for supersport middle weight. In addition I put an 09 front end and an 05 swingarm on it, so I'm pretty sure its not counted as stock any more. I know I don't need a newer bike to be fast, in fact I'm faster on my 636 than my 07. So my reason for wanting an 09 to race is partly to have a 600 and partly b/c I dont want another P model. And I'm in love with the Showa BPFs, I've got them dialed in on my bike now and really don't feel the need to put aftermarket internals in them yet. I'd be pretty happy on an 03-04 zx6rr, but those aren't easy to come by.

the 636 will be able to be used at CVMA middle weight. The race director said it is fine. You would have to talk to the race director to see about the front forks. Im not sure about that

EvilTwin · 02-19-2012, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tgold

I was just pointing out the cost of racing a 600 supersport is a lot more than the SV. And there's plenty of things that you can do to make an SV an excellent racebike. When I traded my SV for the '05 636, I traded a bike that was extensively modified and weighed less than 330 lbs with few spares straight up for a bike that has excellent suspension and a big set of spares. The previous owner of the 636 had won multiple championships in his first novice season and he recognised that racing a 600 supersport is much more expensive than the SV and that's why he traded with me. My reasons for trading was that I don't race as much, so the cost is not as big a factor. Also when I'm instructing race school students, they are mostly riding 600's and when I see them making mistakes I want to get back around them quicker to show them what to do. Not hard on the SV, but easier simply because of the extra power of the 600.
Believe me, you can go plenty fast on an SV if you're good, and you'll beat a lot of guys on 600's. I did.
Regardless, if you want to race a 600, your current bike will do fine.

I guess in my lack of racing experience I'm just not seeing how an SV can be so much cheaper than a 600. Where do you save the most money, tires, gas, brake pads? I feel like at the end of the day its all about the bike you're the most comfortable on, and that's why I want to race the 636 because I just love the way that bike handles.

L8RSk8R · 02-19-2012, 05:12 PM

Apparently tires are the big savings.

tgold · 02-19-2012, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvilTwin

I guess in my lack of racing experience I'm just not seeing how an SV can be so much cheaper than a 600. Where do you save the most money, tires, gas, brake pads? I feel like at the end of the day its all about the bike you're the most comfortable on, and that's why I want to race the 636 because I just love the way that bike handles.

Feeling comfortable on your bike is no small deal, so I don't discount that part of the equation. Rider confidence is huge. IMO an SV bike is easy to feel comortable on, but I also remember riding my friend's '03 636 on the track and I felt comfortable on it right away. (Hopefully my '05 will feel similar.)

A reasonably well set up SV is cheaper to begin with and cheaper to repair when you crash. Besides the bike, tires are one of the biggest expenses. With a full race schedule it's easy to use a set or more per weekend on a 600. With an SV you can get two or three weekends from one set. Also, the SV is a very forgiving bike with regard to rider input and setup. A 600 is generally less tolerant of mistakes and more costly to repair.

The there's the 600 classes themselves. I've heard the 600 novice class called the "meatgrinder class". 600's are popular streetbikes, so that's what new racers tend to want to race. Not saying you have this attitude, but he races can be especially hairy with new racers thinking they are going to set the world on fire and turn pro the next year. I've seen a single 600 race red flagged and restarted four times and finally cancelled because of first lap incidents. The SV classes tend to be a little less frenetic but there is still some good competition to be found.

I'm not trying to scare you off of racing, just trying to make you aware of some things. It's the most fun sport I've been involved in and I've been doing it for something like 27 years when the when the average "career" of an amateur racer is two years.