Motorbiking History
I passed my bike test in April 1997 and have gone through a variety of machines (and race tracks) the meantime. Here's a summary.
Suzuki GSX-R400R
My first bike (not counting the Kawasaki KH100 that was eventually stolen from outside my house - they could have just asked for the keys!), a Suzuki GSXR400R. It was black when I first got it, but a quick trip to Dream Machine turned it into Kevin Schwantz's number 34. If only.
Ownership: April 1997 - 1998
Suzuki GSX-R400R SP
Another Gixxer, the 1994 Suzuki GSXR400 R SP was faultless in every way. Well, as long as "every way" excluded "comfort". Only held back by its top speed, and its arse-numbing lack of comfort. To this day I can remember a magazine reviewing the riding position as "torturous".
Ownership: 1998 - 2000
Kawasaki ZXR750 J1
I bought this 1992 bike for a couple of grand after been away from bikes for a few years. Aside from a few carb issues it served its purpose and proved surprisingly chuckable and willing for its age and weight. First bike I cracked 150mph on... on a private road Officer...
Ownership: August 2003 - May 2004
Kawasaki ZX6R
A 2003 Kawasaki ZX636R A1P. I was in a dealer looking for a bike for Jeanette (the other half) and saw this. 837 miles on the clock from new - a bloke in his fifties bought it, scared himself with the power and promptly traded it in for a Z750... after he had added the hugger and double bubble black screen. Thank you very much.
Ownership: May 2004 - July 2005
Suzuki GSX-R600
An eBay purchase, with the idea of using it during track days. Not wanting to risk smashing up the GSXR750, I bought this slightly shabby (cosmetically) 1997 Suzuki GSXR600 V. I got a couple of 'less damaged' panels from eBay and added some R&G protection. It got used on three trackdays but in the end I traded it in against the Honda XLR250.
Ownership: January 2005 - May 2005
Honda XLR250
I got this 1993 Honda XLR250 by trading in the GSXR600 and taking some money in return. I wanted something for some offroading but couldn't justify (or afford) another bike in the garage. This was eventually sold to help finance (and make room for) the R6 trackbike. It was good fun but just didn't get the use that a trackbike would. Maybe I'll have another when I win the lottery and have a bigger garage...
Ownership: May 2005 - October 2005
Yamaha YZF-R6
An eBay purchase was this 1999 Yamaha YZF-R6 customised trackbike. After my crash at Rockingham and the subsequent damage to the GSX-R750, I decided that if I was going to do so many trackdays a year a dedicated trackbike was sensible. This was after I had sold my GSX-R600 trackbike!
This time, rather than buying a road bike and using it on the track I bought a fully prepped bike that had everything not needed removed. Enter this 1999 R6, bought from eBay (with 4 seconds remaining) for £2,750. Quite a lot of money for a toy, but I figured why buy a cheap bike and then spend a fortune modifying it?
Upgrades included:- Forks with full Ohlins internals (oil, springs and re-valve).
- Ohlins rear shock with remote pre-load.
- Extreme Tech steering damper.
- Harris clip-ons, fairing brace and clock mount.
- EBC kevlar clutch plates.
- Braided hoses with EBC HH sintered front pads.
- Tsubaki 520XRG gold chain and renthal sprockets.
- Full Viper race system and Harris exhaust hanger.
- Race Products rear sets.
- High flow air filter.
A £150 respray and some decals sorted its final look. Eventually sold to help fund my wedding!
Ownership: September 2005 - summer 2007
Suzuki GSX-R750
A 2003 Suzuki GSXR750 K3, with 1600 miles, tinted double bubble screen, crash bungs and an Akrapovich race can (with original). The bike ended up being shod in R&G protection, which worked admirably when it was highsided at Rockingham. Hit a varified 171.2mph on the runway at RAF Woodbridge. As with the R6 trackbike this was sold to help fund the wedding, although in truth both were seeing little use due to racing photograhy commitments.
Ownership: October 2004 - summer 2007
Trackday History
18 trackdays completed to date, although the list stopped growing after my heavy involvement with British Superbike race photography began in 2006.
2004: Llandow (May), Castle Combe (June), Donington Park (August), Silverstone (October)
2005: Cadwell Park (February), Donington Park (March), Rockingham (April), Brands Hatch Indy (May), Donington Park (June), Rockingham (July), Oulton Park (August), Mallory Park (September), Silverstone (November)
2006: Silverstone (March), Jerez (May), Snetterton (June), Brands Hatch (July), Donington Park (August).
A selection of pictures from my various track exploits can be found here.
Not a trackday, but still fun, was doing some drag runs at Santa Pod in May 2004 aboard the ZX6R. Although I was hammered by all the big-bore hyperbikes running turbos and NOS I still managed an 11.8 second quarter of a mile at 121.5mph.
Another day, away from public roads, was an event at RAF Woodbridge in July 2005. The two mile runway was equipped with a speed trap and a collection of people nailed their machines up the tarmac in an attempt to achieve terminal velocity. My four runs: 168.7mph, 171.2mph, 170.4mph and 170.0mph. Top speed on the day was a staggering 222mph.
I also created a onboard video montage from various trackdays at Brands Hatch, Donington Park and Rockingham. It's about 30Mb and can be downloaded here.
For those curious about trackdays, I created a motorbike trackday FAQ at Motorbike Sport to answer all the normal questions.
Copyright 2009, Damon Spencer - All rights reserved