BMW HP2 Sport

[sdiver68]

In 2007 I picked up a used SV650 for $4500, back then LW used to be the "poor man's" class my $4500 motorcycle was fairly competitive at that time.  Since then the class has slowly become the exotic class with the most expensive motorcycles on the grid showing up to race.  It started with Ducati SS's and then limited production motorcycles by Pierbon and Bimota became legal.  Grids used to be pretty big in LW classes, now many times it is a challenge to get enough people on the grid to qualify for contingency in expert races.  In my opinion, the loosening up of the class rules is a big part of the reason. When you have guys dropping 40g's for a bimota or 80g's for a Pierbon that put out 120hp, it takes the wind out of the sales of guys racing 75hp SV's.  I'm surprised that the BMW HP2 is singled out for some reason when these other bikes are not but what can you do.  I still have my SV and I'll race it for fun or run track days but I got out of the LW class and am focused on a middleweight bike again.  Lots more just leave the sport all together.

It costs $12k to be competitive with the Duc Hybrids and Bimotas.  Less if you can do the work yourself.


Having said that, it would be nice if lightweights truly were again.  250 class is exploding but I'd like to race a bike that requires at least a small amount of throttle control and braking.

[sdiver68]

It costs $12k to be competitive with the Duc Hybrids and Bimotas.  Much less if you can do the work yourself.


Having said that, it would be nice if lightweights truly were again.  250 class is exploding but I'd like to race a bike that requires at least a small amount of throttle control and braking.

[Gino230]

It seems like we always end up on this topic, what should be allowed, what shouldn't Fine by me as a month is too long between races so we need to entertain ourselves somehow after all the oil has been changed, fairings waxed, brakes bled, etc.....(well, some of you clearly have never waxed your fairings but that's another story).

It's a tough question. The SV was dominant, then the Ducati 1000 SS came out and it became a bike that had more potential than the SV, if enough time and money was invested. The SV crowd has never been happy since.

I'm sure the Hawk and EX500 guys were upset when the SV came out, too. Such is the nature of racing. You can't expect a platform to remain the most competitive for 13 years, but the SV has. The SV still wins a majority of LW races nationwide.

Are the NCR, Pierbon, Bimota an advantage? Sure they are. But are they unbeatable? Heck no. I raced my 1000DS for years and most of the Bimotas finished behind me. And that was with an SS legal machine. The guys who beat me, they would have beat me on anything.

And there are SV's that have beat us all so the bike is still competitive, 13 years later.... in the right hands.

As far as LW being the "poor man's class" I think that is a little disingenuous. I started in LW with a $4500 Ducati 750 that was at least 8 or 9 years old. The bike was competitive right off the bat but back then you could also get a mid pack middleweight machine for about $5 grand. So the costs are still relative, I believe.

Nowadays you can build a VERY competitive expert LW machine for about $12-15K, and the argument is you could spend the same for a competitive MW machine.... I say that has always been the case and it's simply a choice.

As for small LW grids....well, come to FL where the LW grids are often as large as any other field, if not larger.

The bottom line is this is club racing, there is a class for every machine....so there's going to be some differences in the level of competitiveness, that is the choice we make. If you think it's a big disparity here, you should go to a car race or track day. You have a guy in an '85 BMW in the same race with a $500,000 Porsche GT3 Cup car. We have it good by comparison!

[twilkinson3]

I'll just add one small thought - why are bikes that out HP a middlewieght bike and may even out HP a Heavywieght bike...listed as Lightweight.  That one part has always been my one question...

Oh and honestly I think it's cheaper to race a competitive 600 than any LW bike in this day and age

[apriliaman]

I would think racing a 600 is cheaper once you get all the parts you need to race..But getting the best suspension work is alot.Well there are plenty of used parts for sale on ebay for those bikes.Racing an SV is about half the price as racing my Ducati in the same class,but I am 2 seconds a lap faster on the Duc compare to my Supersport SV.

[Gino230]

I'll just add one small thought - why are bikes that out HP a middlewieght bike and may even out HP a Heavywieght bike...listed as Lightweight.  That one part has always been my one question...

Oh and honestly I think it's cheaper to race a competitive 600 than any LW bike in this day and age

If you're referring to Thunderbike or LW F40, those classes are not LW classes- they are sportsman classes that are meant to span LW and MW rules. They don't count towards overall points.

[Gino230]

I would think racing a 600 is cheaper once you get all the parts you need to race..But getting the best suspension work is alot.Well there are plenty of used parts for sale on ebay for those bikes.Racing an SV is about half the price as racing my Ducati in the same class,but I am 2 seconds a lap faster on the Duc compare to my Supersport SV.

To build a competitive expert MW machine is a lot more than you think. Graves SS R6 is $25k. It costs about the same to build an 848 for AMA competition. It looks easy but when you start adding up all the small parts, SS engine build, suspension components, chain,sprockets, sub frames, ecu, chain guard, etc. it adds up!

[Cowboy 6]

Thunderbike-no  but, last I checked the "LW" in LW F40 stands for Light Weight......

[LWT Racer]

But for the small price of $25,000 you can buy your way to the top. :)

http://weraclassifieds.com/ads/ducati-1198-air-cooled-conversion/

If 127hp isn't lightweight then I don't know what is.

If you're referring to Thunderbike or LW F40, those classes are not LW classes- they are sportsman classes that are meant to span LW and MW rules. They don't count towards overall points.

So lightweight f40 and middleweight f40 aren't what their names make them sound like. Interesting.   Shouldn't it be called Thunderbike F40?

[roadracer162]

CCS on a whole is billed as sportsman racing. Sportsman racing to me isn't about bone stock racing but putting differing packages together and taking it to the competition.

F40 and Thunderbike are sportsman classes. F40 are more from the GP basis and Thunderbike is from the older production motorcycle.

[apriliaman]

To build a competitive expert MW machine is a lot more than you think. Graves SS R6 is $25k. It costs about the same to build an 848 for AMA competition. It looks easy but when you start adding up all the small parts, SS engine build, suspension components, chain,sprockets, sub frames, ecu, chain guard, etc. it adds up!

I wanted to say racing a 600 could be less if you keep it stock engine not a built one other then suspension and normal mods and just race it for fun not to win every race.

[LWT Racer]

People race to have fun mark? bollocks