decisions on racing

I am currently working on getting involved in racing the streets are just to dangerous having walked and rode away from 2 100+mph crashes I am counting my blessings and determined to get to the track where I can get my speed kicks without cars and curbs! The problem I am having is that my tlr is busted up I was going to replace the broken stuff with racing after i totaled everything together it was $7000 just to get the bike up to race entry. Would it be smarter to just by a used gixxer 1000 and make it my race bike and keep the tlr for the street I really like the tlr I have kicked alot of tail on it but is it competitive on the track. The vtwin sounds great I love it but the only twin out is ducati(I'd rather pee on it than ride a high price italian peice of $%^^)I love competition if I can compete on my tlr thats what I really want, but If I could spend close probably a little more money with the gixxer I like those too. I know the inlines have crazy redline capabilties I had a f4i for 3months and that thing was fun for a six hundred and my freind who owns it now can keep close to me and even pass if I make one mistake, in the back of my mind I think he wouldn't have a chance if I were on a gixxer 1000. If anyone cares tell me what you think I should do and if theres anyone out there from wera thats league i would be entering I know they have vtwin class but I want to do superbike class if you guys or girls can help with any info out there it will be greatly appreciated.  

I bought a salvaged zx636 that I race at our local club. I paid 2100 for it and put a couple grand more in to it and it's freekin fast. I would recommend getting a 600 to race until you get comfortable on the track. Many of the first time track riders that come out for a track day think just because they are on the track they can ham fist a 1000. Needless to say many of them don't ride there bikes home, had they been on a more forgiving machine it might have been a less expensive day.  

thanks for the reply how do obtain a salvaged bike i never thought of that. I feel real comfortable on a 1000 even but I think thats because I've been one of those riders your talking about and learned my lesson on entrance speed into corners a 1000 can sneak up on you with the power but I learned through droppin knees through the canyons it's all about smooth corner entry and 40/60 weight tranfser to hold the line personaly I feel that there is no difference but top speed between the two only through personal experience because crashes I had been through would have been the same result it wasnt the bike it was me. I would have crashed either way. sr went off and I frose up there is no bike that is forgiving to that. That sounds like a great idea though I'm in Tucson, AZ if you know of a good salvage bike place close to me please drop a line, gotta go my new sport rider just came in and it's on vtwins no sv on there though gotta see whats going on!  

Not sure how to get a salvaged bike in Arizona I get mine from a fellow racer who has a dealer license and goes to the auctions. Might want to check around and ask some local motorcycle shops or even some guys out at the track.  

thanks for the info i'll be looking into that tomorrow. Do you race or just have fun on track days?  

I believe WERA has a rule against novices on a 1000 but go to wera dot com for details.  

That is correct about the novice rule but if you are skilled, ballsy and willing to learn with more than your share of hard knocks you can advance out of novice pretty quickly.

Now to Mr. tlr. I hope your not a troll because I want to be helpful here and I don't like wasting my time. If you do track days on the tlr and have the opportunity to get a lap timer, time yourself on some of the tracks that WERA runs. Then compare your best time to say the 10th place finisher in a WERA superbike race. You might find it eye opening. You may be very fast but if you have never raced before, I promise you that the superbike guys will eat your lunch. You are talking about jumping into the top of the top just below AMA pro status. If you are not a racer now you will only be in their way.

That said, I would really encourage you to get into road racing, just in a lesser class to start with. If you need a race bike then check out the WERA bulletin boards and the classifieds at roadracingworld.com. You can usually pick up a good used race bike in the +/-$4000 range. It doesn’t have to be new to be fast and you will only end up spending too much money if you go for the latest and greatest bike out there. CCS and WERA are both very good organizations and honor each others licenses and certifications. If you like riding the tlr check out the heavyweight twins, formula 1 or formula 2 classes. You can also run the GSXR-1000 in the formula classes. The tlr is still competitive if you’re good and there are plenty of guys out there still riding them. That is important because you will need to draw on their knowledge to be competitive. After you get out of novice class you can go into superbike but be prepared to loose big….a lot. Have patience and work you way up through a few of the other classes first and when you get to superbike you will find it much more rewarding. Watch out for the 600 classes. They may be small bikes but the ferocity of competition in that class will have you wetting your pants after the first lap. The really good thing about the 600s is their relatively cheap to run. Liter bikes = *** race budget. Also if you line up on the grid and see a 250GP bike, be aware that he/she is probably going to be your toughest competition. Also remember, after you get a taste of raod racing, you won't care about anything else. It's the best sport in the world. Get a bike and get out there this year, if not sooner.
 

You can also find sevral options in purchasing a salvaged bike on the web.  Ebay, cycle trader, etc.  

Thankyou wera is the place I'am looking at going and I did read the rules but must have misunderstood they had a superbike class for novice and thats where I planned to go but as I read it again you are limited to 750 but thanks for letting me know I almost started going in to fix my tlr for track and I would wasted my time. But I do beleive in my search for a salvaged bike I'll go with a gsxr 750. You said for me to get out this year. If I can I will but realisticly my first race season will be 2007 and thats if I reach all my goals for 2006 thats obtaining a track bike and mad trackdays and a couple of keith Codes classes and working out regularly after that I'll know if I can compete and of course I mean in novice for now. I'm not trying to jump the guns I know those guys are good and I can't go in and just be as good first race but I feel I am good and with practice I will be able to compete with anyone but I'm sure we all feel like that if you don't your not a competitor.