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But....full disclosure...it can get expensive after the first time. It's so much fun....you'll likely go back and eventually, you'll want better gear.

This is SOOO true! I don't think anyone ever realizes just how much fun they will have. Then once they go, they want to keep going. It is really no where near as expensive as many people think. It is NOT like you are funding a racing team, which can indeed get expensive. Many people already have gear that will work just fine. There is not a lot of special stuff that has to be done to your bike. Some people will remove blinkers rather than taping them. Some track day outfits might make you avoid particular types of radiator fluids because they are SLICK if they get on the track. But, even that is no big deal.

The key is to use the track days as intended, to improve your techniques, not to get out there and try to go as fast as you possibly can. There is a great saying, "To go fast, you must go slow." If you focus on fast, you will plateau quickly because you will likely be scaring yourself and forming bad habits as a result. If you forget about fast and focus on proper execution and being smooth, you will relax. When you relax, you will go fast, often reaching a higher ultimate level of skill and confidence than if you just go out and try to blitz the track.
 
Also, everyone frets over the "What if I crash?" thing. They don't fret over that when they pull out of their driveway, and you are more likely to get into a wreck there. It's not really until you start finding limits of traction that you start risking a wreck, especially if you keep your head, be smart, and focus on the drills the classes give you to do. Almost all of the crashes I've seen were from stupidity. Things like riding off the side of the straight, trying to get their fastest lap of the day in on the first lap of the second session of the day when it's 36F outside and we've been sitting in the hot pit for 20 minutes and the tires are rock hard cold. Crap like that will get you crashed. Full disclosure, people like that around you can get you crashed but I've only had a few oh crap incidents with others, but overall the track has been very good to me over the years.
 
I guess I should mention that upfront.

I'm not looking to be advised. I'm just requesting opinions.
Curious if you pull the trigger, what do you have in mind? You've got me interested now!
 
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690 would make it easier to go further but probably not quite as agile as a 450. The Husky SM isn't street legal, I wonder if they can make it with proper tires, they get dirt bikes plated?
 
2019 Zero FXS.

You know, not a REAL motorcycle :)
That doesn't apply to me, I have no problem with E-bikes. If the Alta had hung around I would have had one. Range is still a problem but that thing hauled butt in the woods.
 
2019 Zero FXS.

You know, not a REAL motorcycle :)
BUT this is still a real problem! Range (mi): 100 city / 40 highway, 40 miles will go away in a hurry on the street playing hard.
 
I can't imagine what their bikes will be capable of in five years.
Going to be awesome, which is pretty much why I'm waiting to buy one of my own. The tech is moving along quickly and will become better and cheaper to build. Win win for us.

That said, please go buy that FXS, because they need the cash flow of sales to keep that tech moving along, I just don't have the cash or space in the garage at the moment to help that particular economy. :D
 
Yeah, it is a bummer. No long tours on this bike. But I've got two other bikes that can do that.

Talking to owners, they see 50-70 miles out of a charge on the FX bikes typically. At first I thought, no way. I can't use that. But then I went to my ride tracking app and downloaded all my rides for the last 9 months. I subtracted the pie runs and out of town trips and then averaged 78 rides together and the average mileage per ride was 47 miles. So apparently, the bulk of my rides do fall in the 50-70 mile range.

Of course, Zero makes bikes that have a 200+ mile range, but they are heavier and kind of fall into the realm of other bikes I already own. Supposedly, they are coming out with a new bike on 2/25/2019 that has more range/speed/torque than any of their other bikes. That seems crazy to me, their fast bike already makes 116 ft-lbs. of torque, but I guess folks want more and more. I can't imagine what their bikes will be capable of in five years.
I don't keep a spread sheet, but I'm sure any ride I do is more than 50 miles, heck that's almost a round trip into town from where I'm at. Generally do 35-40 miles of single track, lol.
 
I don't keep a spread sheet, but I'm sure any ride I do is more than 50 miles, heck that's almost a round trip into town from where I'm at. Generally do 35-40 miles of single track, lol.
Same here. I don't count errands in town as "rides" though. If I did, it might pull the average down. A short ride for me is about 2 hours. A normal ride is 4 to 6.

Honestly, this is more of a function of where I live though. I'm not going to do a quick lunch ride as it takes me at least 30 minutes to get to any road that I'd really be interested in riding.
 
Sounds cool. I don't want to be the guinea pig on that brand though.
I feel the same way about the atlis and rivian electric trucks in development. Specs wise they can do everything I need, short of the real heavy duty stuff and have the range I'd like to have.

But then again, I'm not the guy to spend $80-100k on a truck.
 
The AT would be fun on the track as well. It is no slouch. The VFR might have the raw power, but that is not what gets you through the corners. The weight of the VFR might make it less fun than the AT.
 
I would think the vfr being more "street" oriented would be a better track bike, did not factor weight.
 
I would think the vfr being more "street" oriented would be a better track bike, did not factor weight.

Well, that is the whole thing with the super moto bikes, basically dirt bikes with street tires/rims. The lightweight is part of what makes them so much fun ;-) Big heavy bikes are work to flip/flop back and forth through corners in a hurry.
 
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