Calling St. Louis area riders.....

I'm looking for anyone willing to trade a ride on my '04 KTM 625 SMC for a ride on their supermoto... preferrably something lighter, like a CRF450, KTM 450/525 or Yamaha 450, but basically I'm up for anything.

It sucks living somewhere where supermoto isn't so big (I've still never seen another supermoto on the road here). I've been thinking about getting a lighter bike and taking it to track days. I would like to ride some other bikes before I make a decision, and see if I would even like something smaller. I had a DRZ400 before the KTM, and the main thing I like more about the LC4 is its torque. I know the 450s make as much HP as my KTM, but do they pull as hard? Anyway, anyone in the STL area up for getting together and comparing rides, shoot me a reply!

you can take a spin on my crf450 to see if it's something you want to get into(which it will). location is a problem. i'm going to try to do an open track day at springfield in a couple of weeks if possible.

I too am hoping to make it up to Springfield some weekend, hopefully a weekend when Nick is there too. I'm in O'Fallon, and I race a YZ426. Not much chance you can try it out on the public roads... it's way loud and way illegal. I hate to even start it in my driveway for fear of making enemies of my neighbors.

Also, to answer your question about power, the middleweight motocrossers don't have the wide spread of torque that an open class bike has... but they have more "hit" on top, making the bike feel faster at WOT, high rpm. In some respects, for actual supermoto racing, this can make things easier. I tend to spin the tire pretty bad in the dirt on an open class bike, but not so much on a middleweight. I think the open classer is easier to ride fast on the asphalt though.

banda,
you set the date and i'll be there.

Thanks for the replies, guys. If you are heading up there for a track day, let me know. I would love to get my bike out there, and try out some others. Count me in!

"April
Event
Special Rules

2nd
Controlled Practice
10 am to 5 pm

3rd
Points Race #1


9th
Route 66 Sprint Series practice day
practice 10 am to 5 pm

10th
Route 66 Sprint Series
Route 66 Series at Mid-State

17th
Points Race #2


23rd
Arrive & Drive
11 am to 4 pm"

anyone up for taking a day off during the week? they are pretty booked up for weekends unless we do it on the 18th. who's in? you know you want to knock the cobwebs off before the first race.

I would love to go, but some questions first:

1. What do I need to do to my bike (how stringent are they?) I'm sure I would need a catch can, but what about safety wire? Running water/water wetter instead of anti freeze? Anything else?

2. I've never been on a track. I've been riding for about 4 years, am I going to be in everyone's way? I want to get out there sometime when I can go my own pace and not hold other people up.

I'm definitely up for it, just don't want to look like a complete novice (which I am) out there. What do you guys think?

this is not the offical word by any means. but i doubt you'll need to have your bike prepped for an unofficial track day. that being said, i don't want to fall in your fluids. if we go, there will probably be 3 or 4 people tops. you may look like a novice. it's no big deal. i'm no pro as i fell on my first lap on a non trackworthy set up machine. like nike says, "just do it." i could always use someone else to ride with.

I'm at Putnam Park this weekend with my brother on street bikes.

I'm up for a weekday ride at the Springfield track. I'd like to do it some time between the 11th and the 18th.

Only 3 or 4 people?!? Even I can stay out of the way of 3 other people....

I'm in! You won't fall in my fluids. I'm not worried about running water/water wetter and throwing on a catch can. I would prefer not to do the safety wire thing until I see how much I enjoy this.

Let me know when you guys want to go. The only thing that could stop me is that I'm currently waiting for rims to come in for my bike (I switched from the stock Behrs to Excels, and they are taking their sweet time getting here), but other than that I'm in.

Water wetter in your radiators. Carb and crankcase vents into a soda can. Silicone sealant on your oild drain plugs, put on at least a day in advance. Remove as many mirrors, turn signals and light lenses as you can, tape over the rest.

Got a trailer? If not, wanna go with me? I've got two rails.

Let's review: Go buy a sixpack of soda, a dozen feet of fuel line to fit your carb vents, a tube of silicone sealant and a roll of duct tape.

I was going to throw the bike in the back of my truck, but I'd be happy to ride with you!

One more question, does this place have a dirt section? I'm not going to lie, dirt scares the crap out of me (on street tires).

out of curiosity, where did you purchase your rims from?

There's a dirt section for races only. Since the track is shared with karts, it can't be used during normal track hours.

I'm up for going on a Wednesday night in April.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by backdrifter &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">One more question, does this place have a dirt section? I'm not going to lie, dirt scares the crap out of me (on street tires).</TD></TR></TABLE>

There is a dirt section, but we only use it on race days because it's a pain to prepare and clean up, and if we're sharing the track with any kart drivers, they don't appreciate the mess. When I say "share", we're never on the track with them at the same time... we take turns.

Dirt sections are easier than you might think. It's what happens when you get back on the pavement from the dirt that is really exciting.

but if we go during the week, chances are no one will be there. we can bring the tools to sweep it up.

East Coast Wheels... before I heard about all the problems they are having with their anodizer. And I got the blue ones, which of course are the ones taking the longest to arrive at their shop. Who knows how long it could be. They told me within 1 week.... 3 weeks ago. They have said definitely by the end of this week, but I'm not holding my breath. I bought the rims only, to lace to my stock hubs. In the mean time, during this beautiful 75 degree weather, my bike is on a stand in my garage with no wheels.

One more quesion... Anyone have a link to a website for the track we are going to?

you can get all of the info here. click on mid state kart club

http://www.gatewaysupermoto.com/

if you're waiting on those rims, i doubt you'll be ready for a track day soon. i don't know about blue rims. but i got a quick turn around from these cats.

http://www.factoryproracing.com