[SUZUKI--GS500]

Will it be bad?

I hate those mushy front forks...

 

[ridesideways]

no. just do it and stop complaining about it and making excuses.

 

[HazzMatt]

$100 to put new springs and thicker oil in the forks.....


so....how much is a track day?



....(I'll go get the cheese for your whine) :nana:

 

[eddiemon]

:happy1:

 

[hsilman]

Will it be bad?

I hate those mushy front forks...

yeah, but you're used to those mushy front forks. In all likelihood, the stock suspension won't get you killed/make you crash when an upgraded one would have saved you, so I wouldn't worry about it. Sure, a better suspension, is obviously, well...better! But it's not like the stock suspension is unridable. Remember, people ride ninja 250s on the track, and they use our suspension as an upgrade.

 

[trunkmonkey]

Ohhh I love wine and cheese lol. I gotta do this upgrade, but if I had to choose I'd rather do the trackday

 

[fastridingman]

I've seen talented riders on Goldwings, scooters, and Ninja 250s embarrass kids on 600cc super sport bikes on the track. Don't get hung up on the suspension. When you're good enough to outride a factory suspension then you can decide on the proper upgrade. Until then, learn how to get the most out of what you have. You'll actually become a better rider that way.

Go have some fun!!!!!

My two cents, for what it's worth.

 

[OreoGaborio]

I raced an EX500 for a couple years.... granted it had an ohlins shock, but the suspension & chassis was still TERRIBLE.

With that said, BECAUSE it sucked so bad it taught me more than I ever could have expected. Mainly it taught me how to be smooooooth.... enough that a lot of my peers at the track notice & some occasionally compliment me on it.

Super soft suspension kinda sucks, BUT it amplifies your mistakes in a way that it makes you more aware of what you're doing wrong before those mistakes bite you in the ass.

Don't be afraid to ride it the way it is for a little bit if you can't afford to upgrade right away, especially in a track day environment where there's no competition. It just might teach you something.




.... Of course with that said, good tires & properly set-up suspension is worth their weight in gold.


Where abouts are you headed?

 

[Liren]

It's a track day, not a race. Ride what you got and listen to what it tells you. Heck, I race a stock ninja 250 Like Oreo said, you learn how to interpret what the bike is telling you, you learn to be smooth, you learn throttle control, and you definitely learn to giggle when you feel the front AND rear chattering at you but it's holding through the corner.

 

[eisenfaust]

Just get on the ****ed track and ride. SV is totally capable in stock form.

 

[acer66]

At Star school they go pretty fast on stock SV suspension,
waaaaaaaaaaaay faster than me on my gsxr/penske suspension equipped SV.

Ride like it is, most important is to stay relaxed on the bike and let the bike do what it does.
I think "better" suspension is a little overrated, spend your money on track days and riding schools before dumping the money into suspension.

 

[pne]

perfectly adequate for a track day. If you are really anal you can put some thicker fork oil in, but its not needed.

 

[svnubee]

I've seen talented riders on Goldwings, scooters, and Ninja 250s embarrass kids on 600cc super sport bikes on the track. Don't get hung up on the suspension. When you're good enough to outride a factory suspension then you can decide on the proper upgrade. Until then, learn how to get the most out of what you have. You'll actually become a better rider that way.

Go have some fun!!!!!

My two cents, for what it's worth.

huh!!! goldwings, scooters on the track????

 

[cfreger]

huh!!! goldwings, scooters on the track????

Of course!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSVg3Gg4LmA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpApQQ4a7QI&feature=related

 

[acer66]

I like this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nrMQ3QwyPo&feature=related

It`s not so much what you ride, it`s how you ride it

 

[svnubee]

I use a stock 08 svs for trackdays.. its a bit twitchy and the front dives on hard braking. But I came from riding a gsxr 600 and 1000 at the track so when I switched to the svs I really noticed the difference. Im used to it now.. I guess your skills will adapt to the bike that you ride.

 

[dmmcd]

My first two or three track days were on OLD neglected stock suspension with 15k miles on it.

As said before, just do it. It's not like the shock will burst into flames or anything. You'll have a great time.

p.s. - I accept no personal responsibility if the rear shock actually does burst into flames.

 

[OreoGaborio]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSVg3Gg4LmA

I work with that guy up at the track He teaches the Lee Parks Total Control ARC during the first day of our events, then rides on the track the second day.

It's amusing the first few times you ride behind him and watch him stick his "outrigger" of a leg out.... he's pretty smooth, too.


You actually see me go past him on the left just before the end of the vid at about the 2:45 mark.

 

[Amac]

One of the smoothest riders I know spent his first entire track season (12 + track days) on a BONE stock SV650. Guess what, he's **** fast now because, as someone pointed out before, he is incredibly smooth.

Go out, have fun, be smooth.

 

[SUZUKI--GS500]

Guys thanks for putting this into perspective for me...


I've never been to the track and all kinds of sh*t is going through my head. I'm super excited, but at the same time I think about stuff too much.

I'll post pictures once I get back.

I feel like I ride fairly fast (to me). I've got frame sliders, full suit, boots & gloves so I plan on pushing her a little.

I hope I keep it clean and get some sweet actions shots !!!!