cost of roadracing?

I have always wanted to give roadracing a try. I live somewhat close to barber motorsports in birmingham al.. I was wondering if some of you that have started out could give me a rough idea of what the cost would be to get started. I would assume starting with a bike like a 500 ninja or even the 250 ninja is the best way to start. So assuming I had a stret legal bike similar to one of those what kind of money am I looking at? And do you have to gvo to one of the schools first? Any info would be really appreciated it. Thanks

 

Ok well you'll need the following things

Race plastics
Brake pads
tires
Brake lines
Safety wire
Suspension
and a few other miscellaneous items considering you already have all your gear.

 

There is an old question...

Know how to make a small fortune in racing?

Start with a large fortune!

Racing IS expensive, no way around it. However, I would suggest getting on the WERA site and posting your question there. You can also find used bikes, parts, and gear there.

 

Ok. Thanks I will. Try wera

 

Take a $100 dollar bill from your wallet, step outdoors and light the bill afire, then do it again, and if you don't feel a little sick, you may have what it takes to go racing, but how long will it last ??

You'll know you're in deep trouble when you start paying entry fees and buying tires on various credit cards.

In comparison, track days cost very little, but without very good health insurance, neither track days nor racing make sense to an adult mind.

 

Obtain the rule book first. This is helpful on what class you may want to run, if your gear is in compliance to use, when they will offer their Novice classes, etc. This information will tell you basically how much it will cost you. Good luck on that addiction.

 

It can be to some guys, and credit card abuse is a sure, early sign.

The best presented guys with the best bikes in the paddock usually come from family wealth, investments, small business backing, a few with serious prospects and just starting; the rest are just racing addicts, mostly, and know they're spending too much but still can't figure out WHY ???

 

This is something I've been giving alot of thought to.

 

I raced WERA and CCS from 80 to 84. Then it was 56 dollars for the first class then 28 for the second and less for the third. If you wanted to race more than 3 classes, it was free. If there was not an endurance race on Saturday, I would sign up for 5 classes. Race them all on Saturday then usually do 3 on Sunday. The races were short.

If you want some miles sign up to do endurance races. They were 4 hours on up. A two rider team ensures that you get 2 hours of racing then sign up for the sprints on sunday.

The trouble is that street riding becomes mundane. When I ride on the street I am going way slower than I can go but am faster than 80-90% of street riders. A friend of mine used to race a TZ750 and he is even more conservative on the road. I am conservative but mostly when it comes to politics.

Don't sign up for track days, go racing.

 

Instead of starting a new thread thought I would just ask here. How much aproximately would I be looking at to do track days? I know you need your bike set up safety wise and have good protective gear.. but other than the bike and gear what type of costs are involved. Thanks

 

A lot of misinformation here. To clarify, you can ride barber with your VFR as is for $225 with NESBA.com you will need leathers (1 or 2 piece with zip), full gauntlet gloves, tires (any will do) with more than 50% tread and no Highway slab flat spot. You will have to remove your mirrors and tape over your lights and reflectors. Would advise removing fuse on headlights so the tape doesn't cook on. Blue painters tape (3-4 layers) is fine. You will need a number - again blue painters tape. Choose 1, 11, 111 or 7 for ease of number creation. You will need a full DOT helmet with a manufacture date of no more than 3 years ago.

Route 2: sign up for California superbike school. $450 on your bike $675 on theirs. If you crash at CSS it's because you are a muppet and shouldn't be riding a motorcycle, it's run at 75% of "race pace" and the goal is to learn and go fast at your own comfort level.

Pm if you want to talk, these pussies here are afraid to ride on the track and are really missing out.

 

Racing is not cheap, nor is it for the faint of heart. If you're not going fast enough to scare yourself, you're probably not going fast enough to be competative. I raced WERA for about four years, but just couldn't handle the money pit. Joined a mini-racing club where we raced YSR50s at go-cart tracks. All the aggression and adrenaline of racing big bikes for a fraction of the price. Cornering speed is EVERYTHING on a 50! If you slow down, you're toast. As for big bike racing, being competitive cost money and being a backmarker sucks. Tires, fuel, license fees, gate fees, class fees, and travel expenses all add up fast. You MUST take an approved roadracing school before any sanctioning body will let you come race with them. If you crash and pop a collarbone or a femur, can you afford to be off work for 3 or 4 months? Not being a "pussy", just trying to present the realities of racing. If you've never been on a track before, I'd suggest doing a track day or two on an *insured* rented bike at the track. As was alluded to earlier in this thread, if you think you ride fast on the street, you're in for a big eye-opener. You cannot go *fast* on the street. There are always some fast guys at track days, if their pace scares you, racing might not be for you. If you think you can/want to learn how to go that fast, take a track school. Find out if it's really what you think it is before spending a bunch of cash on a racebike, or possibly wadding your nice street bike at the track. And track days are NOT the same as racing. You can ride comfortably fast at a track day. Now go back and re-read my first two sentences.

 

Dave and Betarace said it all............My little brother is a racing nuts and he always broke.

 

Wow, great posts guys.

That being said, you have already stated you want to start on a 250 or 500 Ninja. Good starting point. There is no reason to go buy a $6,000 race bike and wad it in one weekend and be f*cked. I was going to race a Ninja 500 this year in our local club series here in Ohio. Of course, reality set in, a strong job didn't come through that should have been a lock, and I just dont have the money to do it again this year. The good thing about the 250s or 500s is you can get into vintage racing "relatively" easily and "realtively" less expensive. And usually those categories dont carry the money or ego that some of the other classes carry.

Of course your bike will be the starting point. You can find a race prepped Ninja 500 for in the $2000 to $2500 range. These bikes are usually already safety wired, have race fairings, clip ons, rearsets, exhausts, and any suspension work the owner may have set to his/her weight. If you are close to the weight... cool, you might save yourself some $$$ for the first year. If not, thats up to you how important that is. Don’t spend a lot of money painting your bike, remember at anytime it can become disposable. Lots of people say the best way to get to know your bike is to build it and safety wire yourself. True, but when built bikes are so cheap. The series owner once said about your first year...

"As far as tips and advice, don’t spend any money on the bike other than body work, safety wire, and fresh tires. Keep your bike as stock as possible, a jet kit or power commander is about as much as I would do if you "decide" change exhaust systems. Don’t waste money on expensive race gas, it will only get you a tiny percent more horsepower, unless you are competing for money forget it! Learn to ride first then invest in suspension upgrades."

A rider of a 500 once sent me a long email. When you start jumping to bigger bikes, the more you chew through tire money. A 500 is a saint on tires compared to 600 supersports. This is part of what he said about keeping the costs down.

"For example, I have a 1989 Gs500 that I vintage race in three races classes, plus usually help out with teaching all day saturday. This year, I replaced the oil every other race (should be every race but I have to drop my exhaust to change the oil and I am too lazy to do that after every race). I had a slight carb problem with an o-ring that needed replaced, but that was it. No breakdowns, no nothing. I ran the same set of tires all year, I probably could have replaced the tires halfway through the season but really did not have to. The vintage bikes may be old, but they are simple to maintain and do not have a lot of parts that can go wrong compared to new, modern bikes."

If you can go a whole season on one set of tires, doing 3-4 races a weekend. Fantastic. You probably want to stay fresh, so tire useage is subjective. Our series is $80 for the first race, and then it goes down from there depending on how many races you are in. You also have to think about fuel costs. Right now... gas is almost worth its weight in gold. How much fuel will the bike be going through? Then there are transportation costs. Do you have a truck, a trailer? How far do you have to drive? Will you have to hotel on the way there or back? How about food costs, whether out on the road, or packed in coolers.

Here is a list of stuff you will most likely need. Do you have it all, or will you have to dump a ton of money to build your list?

-Prepare extra ice cube trays a few days before to fill up your coolers, or be prepared to buy it
-ear plugs, they actually make you faster
-Pack a medical emergency kit such as Aspirin and allergy medicine and band-aids, Kleenex, saline eye drops (my contact lenses dry out fast from the wind in my helmet), etc
-A notebook with a pre-race checklist and to record suspension settings and other stuff
-Rain coat, just in case, and spare socks, T-shirt, pants, a spare sweat shirt, the drive home will be miserable in wet clothes if it does rain
-Towel and wash cloth and soap and shampoo
-A piece of cardboard, carpet, or rubber mat to change on, the grass can be wet even if it hasn’t rained in weeks, not to mention rocks
-A map of the local area around the track, in case you stay the night you can explore or find a nice restaurant or just even the closest gas station
-A dry erase board to use as a pit board to communicate with the rider on track, use a neon or “safety” color spray paint around the border so it is easy find for the rider, on the back side paint “IN” to signify the rider to come in
-Some strong coat hangers to hang your leathers and helmet and gloves to air dry, you will sweat even if its 40 degrees and overcast
-Sunglasses that fit comfortably under your helmet or both a clear and tinted visor
-A spray bottle with mild detergent and paper towels to clean your visors
-Good quality tie down straps for transportation
-A rear stand, and a front stand if you can swing the front
-A ten pound fire extinguisher
-An easy to read tire pressure gauge, the digital ones can be hard to read in the sun (I like the whip type, easier to get to the valve without burning my hand on the brake rotor or getting greasy from the chain)
-Plenty of zip ties in assorted sizes and duct tape and a wire coat hanger for emergency temporary fixes
-Cordless drill with a spare battery and bits, especially extra safety wire sizes such as 1/16 and 3/32”
-A small tool box for quick use with safety wire pliers and wire, zip ties, duct tape, shop rags, hammer, 8,10,12mm wrenches and other common sizes such as axle nuts
-Approximately 15 gallons of fuel- fill the gas tank and bring two five gallon jugs just for racing, for the school you will probably go through 7 to 10 gallons
-Sports drinks like Gatorade (I like G2, less sugar), not energy drinks like RedBull, last thing you want is twitching eyeballs and muscles on the bike
-Light snacks, pretzels and chips have too much salt
-Sun screen (I like to use spf 90, that way when I forget to re-apply I don’t burn as bad, and it will wear off fast with your collar and helmet moving on and off)
-A loud portable radio, so you can hear all the announcements, with all the generators and other noises it can sometimes be hard to understand or hear the announcements sometimes, don’t want to miss a session
-If endurance racing don’t waste your money on tire warmers or a generator, you have 3 hours...
-DOT tires, if it rains your not screwed with changing tires and they are the cheapest and most reliable
-An on-board lap timer, you can watch your lap times to see if what you do is helping, I like the XT brand, small and very reliable, and the manufacturer actually races, get the longer cord it gives your more places to mount it
-Spare clip-ons, levers, foot pegs (ESSENTIAL)
-An EZ pop up tent, you will want to bring a tool box and ice cooler or spare tires or rims to use as weights to hold it down, the ground spikes don’t work and you can use the tie down straps that held your bike in transport to attach the tent to the weights, also attaching the tent to the pit wall or truck or trailer works
- 3x7 fold table from wallmart. Saves losing parts on the ground
-1 large duffle bag for rain gear, change of clothes, shower toiletries, and med kit
-A gear bag with leathers, back protector, gloves, boots, spare knee pucks, ear plugs, duct tape, spare sunglasses, and coat hangers
-Spare visors
-A clip board with pre-traveling checklist so you don’t forget even the smallest things such as chewing gum and a water bottle for the drive
-A camera
-Camping gear if camping overnight
-A race transponder... either buy one or some org rent them....

Its not cheap in the least bit, but it could be managable with the right bike. Go to some track days, take some racing schools and go have fun. Your not going to be Valentino the first year so don't let anybody talk you out of it, but you will have to push yourself, and you will have to take some risk. But I wish you the best of luck with wherever and whatever you end up doing....

'Chop

 

VERY comprehensive list! But I sure would have put tent/canopy a LOT closer to the top of the list. That's a MUST HAVE!

 

When I first saw the title of the topic I had to chuckle. Because there's an old saying of "racing is nothing but a bottomless hole you dump money in to".

All the above is good info. Beware though if you get in to racing and really like, it becomes like a drug. You need another shot in the arm! and another and another.:heh: For a beginner it would it would be better to start like your thinking on a smaller/mid sized bike. It's less intimidating and the power will not get you in to trouble like a big motor bike will. The main thing though is you have to learn cornering and how to carry your speed through the corners in order to be smooth and fast. Learn how to take corners first and don't worry about speed. Once you learn cornering, the speed will come. Then when you start beating bigger bikes with finesse you'll know your on your way.

Read books like Keith Codes "Twist of the Wrist & Twist of the Wrist 2". Very good in explaining how, why and physics of racing. There are basically three types of corners. 1-Coming off a straight, 2-Coming on to a straight and 3-Corner between corners. Learn how to master each and you will go fast. Learn braking!! Do it all before the corner. This will set the corner up to exit with power on before or at the apex. Did I say learn cornering. Don't try to learn the whole track at once at speed. Do it corner by corner first.

As was said endurance racing can teach you a lot. Because you have lots of time on the track. You go 10 tenths then back off a tenth when beginning racing. Time is on your side. Like an hour at a time instead of sprint racing were it's balls to wall for 10 or 15 laps instead of 40 at a time. Plus you can split the cost with your racing partner/s. Sprint racing is a great way to hone your skills once you get the basics down and get comfortable with going fast. Get a mentor if you can. Someone that is good like in the top ten of the class. Make them your friend. You'll be surprised what you can learn from them if they are good.

Start with a bike that you can get tons of parts for cheap! You may need them. Don't worry about the latest go fast parts at first. Just a very good basic setup of suspension for cornering. Speed will come don't worry about that. If you feel rushed or working your ass off out on the track then your not doing things right. When you get it right you will feel relaxed, have time to think (actually know) about the corner coming up and may even think your going slow. You'll be surprised to find out your turning your fastest lap times.

You can go racing on the cheap, sorta speak, by keeping things simple. Don't worry you'll spend big bucks later if your really get in to it. The main thing about racing is to enjoy it. If it becomes a hassle or your worried out there on the track then stop. It will weigh on your mind and that will take a lot of concentration away from learning and being smooth. The reason being and the MOST important is racing is 50% mental!!
If your head/thinking isn't in the right spot then there's no reason to get on the track. In order to go fast you need the right mental attitude and thinking before you need go fast parts. Go fast parts will not make you go fast if you can't think right to get around the track SMOOTHLY.

Good luck to ya and remember to have fun. If it's not fun then get out.

 

Guy I sold my EX500 is selling it now, bear in mind I sold him this bike in maybe 2000? Smaller bikes are saints on tyres period. Ninja 500, Ninja 650, Ninja 250 would be ok choices. First choice being the best as they sold the shit out of em and they are bullet proof, end of story. (side bar, I still have one for the street.)

Track days replaced (became more popular) than the sanctioned racing events that I used to do at the club level here in south FL/Moroso (which is called something else now) and Homestead Speedway have "track days" they still require you to drain out the glycal out of your radiator and replace it with H20 along with maybe some water wetter (additive) and safety wire your oil drain plug along with with your oil filter cartridge.

This is just me, but I wanted to race in a santioned event and not get my rocks off as a tourist going around the track. When I raced, I knew maybe 30 or more people in different classes and it was a blast! I still have small 2 stroke that I can take to a go-cart track and drag my knee if I wish, and ride on the street 5 days a week pretty much. I am faster on my EX than people with Hayabusa's believe it or not...anywho, enough self congradulatory hy-perbole...

If you wana race, DO IT!!! If you dont try it, one day your gona regret it, I promise.

 

Yep. A fast guy on a slow bike will beat a slow guy on a fast bike EVERY TIME.

 

It is not in any sort of order of importance. I mean things that you would absolutely need like a transponder are all the way down at the bottom. I guess I could sort the list into "Absolutely need barebones list", "You really should have list", and the "If you have the money for list"..... but I am too lazy. Lol

 

Some other things to think about as far as the cost of racing. Are you married? If so does your wife agree with your racing wants? If not that will cost you in a relationship hassles. Kids? Do you have medical insurance? Better have because sometimes you get hurt when you fall down and go boom. Can your employer do without you for a while if you can't go to work? Or can you be replaced at a drop of a hat? Can you afford to wad up a bike and have to start over? Do you have the time to spend night and day prepping your bike and full weekends racing, traveling to tracks, buying a trailer or truck to haul it? Ignoring your duties around the house fixing things because your to busy with the bike or being gone? Not seeing your friends during racing season because your gone all the time or working on the bike? These are just a few things you may have to deal with depending on how you want to race. I think you get the idea. Then again don't over think it other wise you may not get in to it.

I love being an optimist........................