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    • Home
    • Thinking Of Track Riding?
    • Track & Bike Preparation
    • Track Info & Booking
    • Maintenance Guides
    • Product Reviews
    • Products We Use
    • Our Partners
    • Track Action
    • Blog
    • Mental Health Motorbike
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Home
  • Thinking Of Track Riding?
  • Track & Bike Preparation
  • Track Info & Booking
  • Maintenance Guides
  • Product Reviews
  • Products We Use
  • Our Partners
  • Track Action
  • Blog
  • Mental Health Motorbike
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

CONVERTING A ROAD BIKE

Spanner Time!

Whatever bike you decide to buy, or if you’re going to convert your road bike to a permanent track bike, ask yourself these questions - “Do I really want to do this?” “Have I got the time?” “Have I got the skills needed?” “Is  my  kettle  working”  Trust  me,  parts  come  apart  easier  with  tea  around)  Don’t set yourself up to fail.


 TOP  TIPS!


  • Photograph  everything,  nuts,  bolt,  which  way  wises  go,  even  suspension  settings.  Photos  are  great  to  refer  too  when  it  comes  to  putting  things  back  together.  Especially  forks!
  • Clear some workspace. You’ll be surprised how quickly you get surrounded by parts!
  • Join  an  owners  club  for  the  bike  you  own,  you’ll  open  up  a  world  of  experience  and  free  advice.
  • Tidy  up  as  you  go,  there's  nothing  worse  that  getting  to  the  end  of  a  spannering  session  and  you  can’t  find  the  floor...
  • Make  tea,  lots  of  tea!
  • Keep  all  parts  in case  you  decide  to  turn  the  bike  back  into  a  road  bike.
  • Stay  safe,  remove  petrol  and  any  waste  oil  if  possible.

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HOW DO GUIDES

Guides  on how  to  carry  out  specific  jobs  can  be  found  in  the   Bike  Maintenance section  

I  started  by  removing  all  the  fairings,  wheels,  exhaust  system,  forks,  rear  suspension,  radiator  and  any  road  items  I  knew  I  wouldn’t  be  using.  


I  then  cleaned  everything  throughly  and  checked  for  any  damage  or  potential  issues.  


I’d  inspected  the  bike  in  minute detail  before  buying  it  but  until  you  get  a  bike  home  and  in  bits,  you’re  never  100%  sure.


After  stripping  the  entire  bike  so  only  the  engine  remained  in  the  frame, the  only  issue  I  found  was  one  fork  spring  had  been  installed  the  wrong  way  round.  No  harm  done,  but  its  worth  checking  everying,  especially when  you  know  the  speeds  you’ll  be  doing. 

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My  plan  was  to  get  the  bike track  ready  for  my  first  outing  at  Donington  Park,  4  weeks  away.  My  first  time  only  track  in  13  years...


I  was  very  fortunate  that  everything  came  apart relatively easily,  mainly  due  to  the  copious  amount  of  tea  around  the  garage   provided by  my  very  understanding  wife.


Safety was  my  top  priority  so  straight  away  I  replaced  the  chain,  sprockets,  brake  pads,  brake  fluid,  fully  serviced  the  forks,  re-greased  the  rear  suspension linkages,  changed  any  bolts  I  wasn’t  happy  with,  serviced  the  master  cylinder  and the  calipers.


I’d  read  on  a  forum  that  the  fuel  pressure  regulator  would  probably  need  replacing  so  I  ordered  one  from  Honda  for  the  spares  box.  Forums  can  be  a  great  place  for  information  but  there's  quite  a  few  armchair  mechanics  out  there  so  don’t  accept  the  first  answer  to  a  question  you  get.  Research  the  answer  to  confirm  it  before  you  go  down  a  path  you  didn‘t  need  too....


I  then  spent  a  bit  of  time  getting  all  the  controls  setup  and  my  position  correct

Adjusting the controls on my CBR Fireblade track bike ready for Donington Park

Don’t  be  afraid  to  relocate  electrics  such  as  the  regulator.  If  your  bikes  just  for  the  track,  disconnect  all  the  lights,  indicators  and  relays  that  aren‘t  required  for  the  bike  to  operate.  You  don’t  need  the  horn  either!


You  can  then  tape  any  loose  connectors  up.  Some  people  cut  all  connectors  off  but  I  wanted  the  option  of  putting  this  back  on  the  road  if  needed  so  left  the  main  wiring  harness  alone.


Tape  up  the  speedo,  you  don’t  need  to  know  how  fast  you’re  going.



Track bike dash and controls. Tape up the speedo.

Safety first!

When  I  got  to  my  first  track  day I was  giddy  with  excitement,  but  I  was  also  aware  that  I’d  never ridden  this  bike  before ,  and  I’d  had  it  in  a  million  pieces.


I  was  150%  in  my  work  but  I  made  myself  on  the  first  laps  check  everything.  Brakes,  gearbox,  suspension,  any  weird  noises?  Everything  felt  ok  so  I  slowly  started  to  up  my  pace  whilst  also  being  careful  of  the  brand  new  tyres  with  release  agent  on  a  7  degree  track.


If  you  think  you  have  any  issues  or  are  unsure  of  anything,  pull  in.  Whats  a  few  missed  laps  out  of  the  whole  day? Its  best  to  check  everything,  doubts  at  140mph  +  aren’t  good  for  you,  or  the  other  riders  and  marshals  around  you.

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