(this is the short version - full article coming soon!)
Flew to Vegas Friday
morning - sign up for bikes were that evening and lesson learned last year was
"on time" was "too late" so we aimed to get there early. We still weren't early
enough. I signed up for 5 bikes for Saturday but most of the higher displacement
bikes were already spoken for. Once I focused on the fact that we were there for
fun (and that we still had Sunday to go) I realized what a great time I was
going to have.
The rules were simple: these aren't our bikes, treat them as such. Pass other
riders only in the straights and keep a 6 foot 'buffer zone'. Many of these
women - more than 50% - had never been on a track before.
My line up for Saturday:
1 - kawi 636R
2 - MotoGuzzi Breva
3 - Kymco Venox
4 - Ducati Monster620dark
5 - Kawi Ninja 250
Impressions:
1 - kawi 636r - Sportbike - Fun bike for an inline 4. I'm still partial to twins
so the lack of sound as well as throttle response (torque? I like to let off the
throttle and FEEL the bike slow...and then, maybe, use the brake). It was easy
to corner, seemed to stay in the expected path that I planned on (not so much
the case for later bikes) and had enough pick up and go to pass most other
bikes/riders on the short straight where passing was allowed. Still not a bike I
think I would like to own or race but still one I would recommend to other
riders.
2 - Breva - 1000cc tourning oriented - upright seating and VERY soft suspension
made it a decent but not optimal ride on the track. I bottomed the bike out
several times - not the suspension, the BIKE itself. If I took a corner too
sharp or hit one of the dips in the track, I was sure to drag the bottom of the
exhaust header - NOT a pleasant feeling and for that reason I took this session
pretty easy.
3 - Kymco Venox - entry level 250cc cruiser - Ok, honestly, this session was for
shits and giggles. I rode one of these last year and couldn't wait to ride one
again. Myself and 2 friends (Azoom and MistressH) took Kymcos out for this
session to "race" them. I couldn't ride one of these on a regular basis but I
recommend them to anyone getting into riding and wants a cruiser. At $4k brand
new and plenty of bike for most, it's a great bike!! On the track, we drug the
pegs but took it easy on the exhaust this year (I told the rep that I drug the
peg and he said "that's ok, last year some woman brought it back with the bottom
of the cans flattened" he blushed when I confessed that was me as well).
My sides ached from laughing for the entire session - we took turns who led so
that the pictures would show each of us "winning" at some point. Great bike!
(top speed: 130mh indicated! yes - a 250cc that goes over 100mph!!) I locked up
the front tire on about half the corners but it never strayed - it was a Great
bike to abuse!
4 - Ducati Monster Dark - 620cc sport touring (my best guess) - this was by far
the worst bike I rode all weekend. Physically, it's a TINY bike - with no weight
over the front tire and not enough "grunt" power to get safely around a corner
at the track. The handling was the poorest I've ever experienced and the only
bike that I could honestly say NEEDED a steering stabilizer. I was happy when
the session ended. It was a "jumpy" ride with very unpredictable handling. I
know some people swear by them but not me. I hated it.
5 - Kawi Ninja 250 - 250cc sportbike - I figured since I was racing one in the
2007 WMRRA season, I should probably ride one while I had the chance! What a
great bike and I am so amped up to race one! I didn't have enough power to get
out of my own way on the straights but it was by far the best cornering bike
I've ridden to date. The "grip" on the track was comforting, I hardly used the
brakes at all, and I LOVE revving the bike up over 12,000 rpms and feeling the
surge of "power" (FSVO). I had to break the rules and pass in corners, by the
end of day 1, the other women were still hesitant in corners but had gotten
braver (and faster) down the straight. I couldn't overtake anyone in the
straight but I could go around everyone in the corners -
liter bikes included. It truly was an exercise in momentum...something I've
learned well with my FZR.
Day 2
Registration of Sunday was bright and early. I'd watched many women take "my"
ducati 999 out and I was determined to ride that bike!! So we dragged our driver
(Ducky's hubby) out of bed at the crack of dawn and got to the track nice and
early. I got a few higher displacement bikes.
sunday line-up:
1 - Aprilla Tuono (the RSVR was spoken for early on...sigh...oh well)
2 - ducati 999 (or the "mineminemine" as I like to call it)
3 - Ninja 500
4 - Kawi 650R
5 - Kymco Xciting 250cc scooter (yes ladies and gentlemen - a SCOOTER on the
track!!)
Impressions:
1 - Tuono - 1000cc sport touring - the upright seating is the difference between
this and the Mille - it's quick and sporty and I LOVE the throttle response of a
twin. For track purposes, it's difficult to get off the seat at all but still
corners very well without that. I love this bike - touring brother of the mille.
It was one of the only bikes I didn't scrape the pegs on, another plus. And
passing was a breeze...
2 - Ducati 999 - sexy Sportbike - I've heard the dry clutch - Love the sound -
but nobody told me it would feel so good from above it. A whole new level of
respect for this bike. I knew I would love this bike. So I felt a little biased
as I headed out to the track on it. I was determined to find all its flaws.
Really, I was! As I took the first right onto the track, it was amazing. I felt
like I was drawing lines with my eyes and the bike followed. There wasn't
steering or counter steering involved. I swear it was all mental nudges that
moved the bike. I took the first lap nice and easy, getting used to the clutch
(a flaw! I found a flaw! it's a tough clutch to pull in...But I could get used
to it) and generally getting a feel for the bike. Second lap a little hotter,
third lap picked up a little more, passing quite a few people. Fourth lap, I
realized
that I was a little scared. I was fully aware of a few things: I could easily
get in over my head on this bike - the power was intimidating. I could easily
love doing track days on this bike – if I had unlimited funds. And finally I
realized that this bike cost
more than all of our cars combined. I scaled it back a bit. about 3 laps before
the end, I felt like I'd been pushing my luck and was anxious for the checkered
flag. This was a phenomenal bike. And quite intimidating. I've never been able
to say that about a bike that I've ridden before.
3 - Kawi 500R - 500cc Sportbike - I liked this bike - it was similar to the 250
but didn't handle quite as well - I wasn't as sure of my "grip" in the corners.
I was a little less able to push it around the other riders (as passing in the
straight was out of the question). I scraped peg on this bike several times and
was generally unimpressed. not a bad ride, but not great either. I was
admittedly getting tired as well...and keeping my mind "in the game" was getting
harder.
4 - kawi 650R - sport/touring/not sure where this fits - This bike was a very
easy bike to ride. My mind wasn't wandering anymore; I was having fun riding
this bike! It cornered well despite the touring position and upright seating. I
tried a few times to get off the seat but it was awkward at best. But even
perched on top, this was a very stable, quick bike. I liked it better than the
636 sport version - it felt more "sure" on the track, cornered smoother (despite
me being tired) and really was a fun bike to ride. I found out later this bike
is a twin – no wonder I loved it, I’ve got an affinity for twins!
5 - Kymco Xciting scooter - 250cc scooter - another fun Kymco experience!! I was
surprised at the get up and go of this 250cc scooter. There's no shifting and
the front left lever is a linked brake (front right is a front brake) so I had
to really concentrate on not pulling the "clutch" in or I would go over the
bars. The turning radius on this made it a less than optimal "track scooter" but
I was ready - I took all the corners on the outside (and left the "race line"
for passing). Surprisingly I wasn't passed as much as I thought I would be and
was able to keep pace with the other scooters on the track - the 500cc ones! The
corner workers were cheering for us and the laughter contagious as the
spectators cheered me on as well!! I would "tuck" on the straights - not for
wind resistance but just for giggles and managed to eek about 90mph out of this
underpowered scooter. It was surprisingly stable - by that I mean that when I
was trying to get it to go as fast as I could down the straight and the first
corner kept sneaking up on me, I could lock up both tires and not feel the
slightest wobble - the squeal of the tires was unmistakable but that bike was
SOLID!
A great end to a great weekend!!