man, thats a list and a half.
the 360 you could run in wera's v1 class. with some porting, a cam, and an iggy, some big carbs and valves, you could probably do ok. the fastest bikes in the class are the honda 350's for the most part. putting something like 50hp to the ground. im sure there are a few fast 350 ducs too.
they are a great bike and they have a 6 speed that drops right in if you dont have one already. the cj is the one to look for. no electric start, but a 5 speed. the t has the 6 speed box, i think. anyway...mikeo used to race one and did well on it. it was bullet proof. he flogged the crap out of that thing. if you run that, you will have fun on it.
anyway, that with a 550 front end and some ferodo race pads will hook you up. mike used to lift the rear wheel on occasion and apparently in canada used to do it quite often at one of the tracks. then some race compound tires and youre set. pipes, clip-ons and other stuff can come as youre more into it.
you'll need to drill and safety wire some things. oil drain, fork oil, axle bolts, and a list of other things. you'll need a belly pan with wera. people use everything from turkey pans to slick kevlar and resin deals.
so, what you need, first. you need,
leathers and armor, a good newer fullface helmet, boots, and some decent gloves. you can get leathers cheap now. about 400 a set if youre not picky. a helmet you can get for 100 bucks at the bottom of the scale. go for something about 150-200 though. remember, it could hit the ground your first weekend/day/race and be toast.
then you'll need to take the school. they run from around 300 and up. you'll get a ton of track time and instructors who will teach you the racing line, terms, techniques and critique your form. it is a blast. if you have a modern bike you can use, its better than showing up with a vintage rig. or, you can make the trip to nhis for some of the hawk schools just for vintage. its not bad, just more fun when there are a couple of vintage bikes to run with as opposed to 40 gsxrs and cbr's. ed bargy runs one at summit i think, and maybe even pocono. could also be at beaver run out near pitt.
once you complete the school, you are eliglble to run with any club. join the club, and youre free to race with them. wera is 100 a year, and then you need to sort out the transponder issue. you can rent for 40 a weekend, or buy one for like 350, or rent to own for 400. i bought one. they are cheap on entries, like 60 or something for the first race, then 30 for the additions ones. and 90% of the vintage races are on saturdays, which is nice.
so its not a cheap hobby to start. and some weekends you'll want to throw everything you have into a dumpster. but god damned its alot of fun. you'll get hurt doing it sooner or later, knock knock knock, but it wont stop you. the people are great, and super nice and the vintage guys are all alot of fun. its probably too late to start planning to race for this season for you unless you have alot of spare time and some serious extra cash. shit like just figureing out how to get your bike to the track is enough of a challenge if you dont have a trcuk/van/or trailer setup. then you need camping gear, tools, etc etc etc....you can make do with the minimums, but being self sufficient is the way to go. you'll be looking for enough parts and food and other crap while youre at the track even being totally prepped.
so, what id suggest, if youre serious about looking into it, go to your local track, which is probably either beaver run, or summit point, check out some of the vintage races, take pictures, look for other 360's (rare) ask alot of questions,and tell people who you are, and your plan. take every piece of advice with a grain of salt. see what people are using for tires, and suspension, and everything else.
this is the uber basic rundown. its best to have a mentor. someone whos done it. to help guide you. there are always questions you need to have answered, and its nice to have a person who you can just ask.
anyway, we're all pretty much hooked on it. people have described it like a drug. you just get hooked. better than smoking pot, or doing coke, or acid. the speed, the adrenalin, the smells, sights and sounds. and just the rush are really hard to describe. its like nothing else you'll ever do. it makes roller coasters seem boring. its the ultimate thrill ride. at the same time the intensity and concentration aren't like anything ive ever experrianced. you can get off of your bike after 8 laps and be physically and mentally wasted. really.
anyway, check the links page, there are links to clubs and sites relating. see the penquin school, and ed bargy if theres a link there. also the uscra, and wera. make the trip to summit in 2 weeks. see what its all about.
later
j
Edited by - joe c on Apr 02 2004 11:50:53 PM
the 360 you could run in wera's v1 class. with some porting, a cam, and an iggy, some big carbs and valves, you could probably do ok. the fastest bikes in the class are the honda 350's for the most part. putting something like 50hp to the ground. im sure there are a few fast 350 ducs too.
they are a great bike and they have a 6 speed that drops right in if you dont have one already. the cj is the one to look for. no electric start, but a 5 speed. the t has the 6 speed box, i think. anyway...mikeo used to race one and did well on it. it was bullet proof. he flogged the crap out of that thing. if you run that, you will have fun on it.
anyway, that with a 550 front end and some ferodo race pads will hook you up. mike used to lift the rear wheel on occasion and apparently in canada used to do it quite often at one of the tracks. then some race compound tires and youre set. pipes, clip-ons and other stuff can come as youre more into it.
you'll need to drill and safety wire some things. oil drain, fork oil, axle bolts, and a list of other things. you'll need a belly pan with wera. people use everything from turkey pans to slick kevlar and resin deals.
so, what you need, first. you need,
leathers and armor, a good newer fullface helmet, boots, and some decent gloves. you can get leathers cheap now. about 400 a set if youre not picky. a helmet you can get for 100 bucks at the bottom of the scale. go for something about 150-200 though. remember, it could hit the ground your first weekend/day/race and be toast.
then you'll need to take the school. they run from around 300 and up. you'll get a ton of track time and instructors who will teach you the racing line, terms, techniques and critique your form. it is a blast. if you have a modern bike you can use, its better than showing up with a vintage rig. or, you can make the trip to nhis for some of the hawk schools just for vintage. its not bad, just more fun when there are a couple of vintage bikes to run with as opposed to 40 gsxrs and cbr's. ed bargy runs one at summit i think, and maybe even pocono. could also be at beaver run out near pitt.
once you complete the school, you are eliglble to run with any club. join the club, and youre free to race with them. wera is 100 a year, and then you need to sort out the transponder issue. you can rent for 40 a weekend, or buy one for like 350, or rent to own for 400. i bought one. they are cheap on entries, like 60 or something for the first race, then 30 for the additions ones. and 90% of the vintage races are on saturdays, which is nice.
so its not a cheap hobby to start. and some weekends you'll want to throw everything you have into a dumpster. but god damned its alot of fun. you'll get hurt doing it sooner or later, knock knock knock, but it wont stop you. the people are great, and super nice and the vintage guys are all alot of fun. its probably too late to start planning to race for this season for you unless you have alot of spare time and some serious extra cash. shit like just figureing out how to get your bike to the track is enough of a challenge if you dont have a trcuk/van/or trailer setup. then you need camping gear, tools, etc etc etc....you can make do with the minimums, but being self sufficient is the way to go. you'll be looking for enough parts and food and other crap while youre at the track even being totally prepped.
so, what id suggest, if youre serious about looking into it, go to your local track, which is probably either beaver run, or summit point, check out some of the vintage races, take pictures, look for other 360's (rare) ask alot of questions,and tell people who you are, and your plan. take every piece of advice with a grain of salt. see what people are using for tires, and suspension, and everything else.
this is the uber basic rundown. its best to have a mentor. someone whos done it. to help guide you. there are always questions you need to have answered, and its nice to have a person who you can just ask.
anyway, we're all pretty much hooked on it. people have described it like a drug. you just get hooked. better than smoking pot, or doing coke, or acid. the speed, the adrenalin, the smells, sights and sounds. and just the rush are really hard to describe. its like nothing else you'll ever do. it makes roller coasters seem boring. its the ultimate thrill ride. at the same time the intensity and concentration aren't like anything ive ever experrianced. you can get off of your bike after 8 laps and be physically and mentally wasted. really.
anyway, check the links page, there are links to clubs and sites relating. see the penquin school, and ed bargy if theres a link there. also the uscra, and wera. make the trip to summit in 2 weeks. see what its all about.
later
j
Edited by - joe c on Apr 02 2004 11:50:53 PM
