1977 gs 750, track days

[npntransistor]

hi all, was looking at taking my gs to track days at the local track, im planning on doing a mild rebuild this winter ( paint, give the engine a good going over, and new intake / exhaust)

First q, for the air filter, K&N stock replacement or K&N pods? is there that much more of a gain with the pods?

second, i was looking at macs 4 into 2 part number 003-0308 g is how much better does this flow over stock? and what air filter would match best with it?

im going for closest to stock with minor tune ups. advice on a jet kit would be also good. im kinda lost and looking for direction.



thanks!

[salty_monk]

Mac's are reported to flow no better than stock. You want K&N pods, 4:1 from V&H, Kerker or simlar & a Dynojet kit.

Presumably they do one for the 750, not 100% offhand.

In my experience it makes a big enough difference to notice, especially up the rev range which is where you should be on track....

Dan

[bwringer]

Got suspension? That'll make a much bigger difference on the track than farting around with the carbs/exhaust.

[brveagle]

Have you ever been to a track day? Do you have experience at all?

[80GS1000]

Are you thinking drag strip or road course? What track do you have in mind? If it's road course, I'd highly suggest you buy an older GSXR 600/R6/CBR600RR trackbike/racebike from a racer because it'll already have track plastics, suspension, and motor work done. If you look around it won't cost more than $2-3k, and it's easily REPLACEABLE. Your GS750 is not. If you're pushing it at all on the track, it's a matter of when, not if, you wad it up.

The modern 600s are up 20-40 HP on your 750 and have all the latest brakes, suspension and handling to be the best tool for the job on the racetrack. Your 750 is a fine streetbike but will be a sitting duck out on the track.

If it's drag racing, disregard all the above, put some good suspension/brakes/tires on the 750, hop up the motor, and have fun.

[76FJ55]

I say Take the GS to the track. Just keep in mind that it isn't a GSXR, CBR, or... Isn't the purpose of track days to go out and have fun and learn what you can in the process. I understand it will not be competative with todays bikes, but het back in the day it would have been just as competative on the track as any other 70's street bike. He said track days not full on race the old bike.

If the bike is needing a little work and you want a little more out of it, I say go for the pods, pipe and jet kit. They will serve you on the road just as well as the track. Ride the bike, have fun and be safe. know your limits and the bikes. Then in the future if you decide you want to make more out of the track than what you can with the GS, pick up a dedicated track bike.

[gbw]

Mr npntransitor,

Like you, I have a 77 GS750. When purchased it had the stock exhaust and K&N pods. I have since gone back to the stock airbox and filter in an attempt to improve gas mileage and simplify jetting.

My understanding is that pods alone do not accomplish much. To really make a difference you need to combine them with a more free flowing exhaust.

My experience to date with the stock airbox and exhaust is that the bike is still a lot of fun to ride. I don't notice much, if any, difference in performance. But, I do miss that nice snort the old K&Ns give when you open up the throttle

I plan to take my 77 GS750 to the ARC next year followed the next day by a track day. My goal is to learn to corner better on MY bike. I have no intention of racing my bike on a track, but I understand that there is no better way to improve your cornering skills than participating in track days. And why would I want to improve my cornering skills on any bike other than the one I ride everyday?

Good luck and keep us posted on your mods and riding.

[willycrash]

my name is willycrash, and i'm a crasher

heh. never taken a 70's era bike to a road race track, but I have taken more recent, and sometimes really inapropriate equipment-took my v strom a couple months ago. I think suspension and tires would be a better place to start prepwise, but I would add that you might need to safety wire the bike as well. wire the oil fill cap and drain bolt at a minimum, and quite possibly the brake lines as well, depending on the regs of the track or track day organization you use-expect extra scrutiny if you show up on a older( 30 years) bike, since your bike puking oil on their track will not go over well. You probably need to tape up or remove the lights and signals ect-definetyly check the rules. One problem I have had with older bikes is, if you really pound the brakes, as I tend to do on the track, they sometimes go away on you without a ton of warning, espcially if your brake fluid is old or contaminated. it's a lot to think about. can't say what the best thing to do is, but a used ninja 250 might be a better bet for a 1st track bike. or not. sort of depends on whether youre a complete extrovert or not, and the track as well. the 250 wouldnt be so fun at willow springs/road america, probably pretty fun at blackhawk farms/gingerman...also, i had a 78 GS550 that had low miles and looked quite spiffy. people told me it would take anything I could dish out, but one 60 mile ride trying to keep up with with guys on modern 1000 cc sport twins and i blew it up.

Personally, i broke some bones at my 1st track day (sv650)and I doubt riding a different bike would have helped because i'm sort of a maniac. maybe using a stock gs750 would have slowed me down as it shook and bounced its way around the track, but I doubt it. track riding is super fun but its pretty natural to pick up quite a bit of speed over the course of a day-a slow track pace often being faster than you have ever gone on the street, and i'm pretty sure the old GS would begin to show it's evil side before too long, or pop. unless you are quite able to control yourself...and what fun would that be?

[willycrash]

ps, if you get rid of the airbox and go with pods, you need a catch can for the crank vent hose so it doesnt spew oil on your rear wheel or the track. not a big deal; i prefer redbull cans, but some like hormel chili..a k&n crank breather filter might be ok as well.

pps, before i ever went to the track i spent a little too much time at the "thumper list" reading about things I would "need", while ignoring quite a lot of good advice...about just getting out there and doing it. instead, my 1st track bike project was a honda ascott into which I dropped a lot of money on things I didn't strictly need, like a white brothers race motor, big carb, clip ons, a NT650 front end, a pipe and shocks and race bodywork, ect. after engineering myself into a corner, it's still sitting in my garage 10 years later...unrun and unwanted, so there is that...

[Old Colt]

As mentioned above, Brakes. I have run these 70s vintage bikes on the track, but that was a long time ago when they were new.
I had about 20 minutes of front brake available due to caliper flex. This did not matter if we were running a sprint race or a 4 hour enduro, it was 20 minutes of usable brakes.

[slow_heavy_750]

If you do the V&H 4-1, watch out for cornering clearance on right hand corners. On my bike i tend to drag it quite a bit...which is why I now have booger welds patching up the hole it created

[Baatfam]

I hate these track day threads....

'cause I start thinkin' and lookin' at ebay and findin' cheap track/race bikes....
Ready to go stuff, not so expensive and I have a trailer and I have leathers and gear and I've always wanted to race a road bike and, and, and, and...

Ahhhh....

And I'm 52 and don't bounce like I use to....

Arrgghh

[Old Colt]

And I'm 52 and don't bounce like I use to...

A few years ago I was driving at Watkins Glen and met up with a guy I used to road race bikes with 25+ years ago. he kept up with bikes till about 5 years before this meeting. I told him I have a strong desire to get my knee down again and was looking into going into vintage racing.
He looked at me and said, "Charlie, we are round now, you don't tumble like you used to". I have been thinking about that ever since.
I recently took a tumble off my bicycle, dang that hurt, and I was only going 18.

[Mark M]

And I'm 52 and don't bounce like I use to...

It is in your control, you know. I am about to turn 40 and I took up MX racing this year after a couple of summers of riding at the local MX track. Also did my first two track days this last summer on my 06 GSXR1K. Don't let age be your excuse, just wear gear and stay away from the crazy 18 year olds.


Mark

[triffecpa]

I roadrace vintage bikes regularly. I'll be 50 next June. We might be round, but that means that we roll more than the skinny guys...

Get out there and give it a try. All that a vintage bikes needs for fun at a trackday is decent tires (I've used Pirelli Sport Demons on trackday bikes), 20wt oil in the forks, tapered steering head bearings and some decent shocks (I've used the Forsa/Midi ones off Ebay for less than $100 a set).

If anyone is in the Albuquerque area, we run monthly trackdays and monthly races from April thru Oct.

I've almost always got a spare bike that I'm happy to loan out for races or trackdays.

The key is to ride within your safety zone. Scaring myself silly isn't as much fun as it used to be and I make sure to not let any of that Red Mist get caught inside my helmet.

Tracy