7 Incredible Track Day Bikes For All Budgets

1. Suzuki SV650S - Under £2000

The 1999 Suzuki SV650S looks like it would be more at home on the daily commute than on the race-track, but underestimate this bike at your peril. The little Suzuki might only pack 69bhp from its 635cc V-twin engine, but that compact motor is super reliable and loves to rev. The bike also has fantastic handling from the factory and it’s fairly light at only 169kg dry.

Companies like JHS Racing have campaigned SV650s at the Isle of Man TT and they stock plenty of performance parts. You can pick up early bikes for around £1000, but we’d shell out a little more to get a cleaner and lower milage example.

2. Yamaha R6 - Under £4000

Launched back in 2006, the Yamaha R6 was packed with high-tech goodies, and quickly demonstrated that middle-weight supersport bikes should be taken seriously; very seriously. The R6 made 131bhp from its 600cc inline-four engine, revved to 15,800rpm and went on to a top speed of 165mph. Numbers that would shame late-90s litre superbikes.

Fly-by-wire throttle helped give the Yamaha class-leading throttle response, and the highly agile chassis ensured that the bike’s on-track dynamics were lightyears ahead of the competition. The bike dominated group tests, won at the Isle of Man TT and proved itself by winning almost every major supersport championship. The bike was given minor updates over the years, further improving the brilliant package. Great reliability and fantastic on-track characteristics have led to racers and track day regulars converting a number of road bikes into full track-spec machines.

As a result you can find plenty of well prepared track day R6s for around £5000, but you can get un-fettled road bikes within the £4000 budget. If you want a full-blown race ready bike, race teams often sell their machines at the end of the season, but expect to pay a pretty penny…

3. Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K5 - Under £5000

The K5 is widely considered to be the best GSX-R ever produced. Released in 2005, the K5 blew the competition into the weeds. With an all-new chassis design the Suzuki had fantastic weight distribution, allowing the litre bike to handle like a 600cc. But it was the monstrous 999cc, 176bhp inline-four that helped make the bike a real weapon. With 82lb ft of torque and a weight of 166kg, the K5 had phenomenal drive out of corners, making it a brilliant road and track machine.

The K5 has now become something of an icon, due to the fact that later GSX-Rs became increasingly heavier and bloated. It’s also one of the last analogue superbikes with no fancy ABS or traction control systems. Thankfully, the market hasn’t woken up to the fact that this bike is a future classic, with loads of cheap track ready machines currently on the market. You can secure a pretty beaten up bike for £3000, or a machine with plenty of go faster goodies for closer to £4500.

4. BMW S1000R/HP4 - Under £10,000

When the BMW S1000RR was released back in 2010, it ushered in a new era of electronically advanced superbikes. This was BMW’s first attempt to break into the sportsbike market, and the Munich-based development team was not content with releasing a half-rate superbike. The S1000R received a ballistic 999cc 200bhp inline-four motor, a racing specification stacked gearbox and a sophisticated electronics suite. When the press finally got to ride the finished product at Jerez, they were stunned. MCN summed it up succinctly: “From now on the world is a different place” - it had genuinely moved the game on five years.

The bike received minor updates over the next few years but it took a new model, the 2014 S1000RR HP4, to move the game on once more. For the first time in history a superbike received a semi-active suspension system - Dynamic Damping Control (DDC). The system worked by using a number of advanced sensors to monitor how hard the bike is being ridden. This information is then used to automatically tailor the shock and fork damping on the fly. Perfect for a track-day newbie who struggles with suspension set-up.

Early bikes can be had for under £8000, but if you’re prepared to shell out an extra £5000 you can secure yourself a full Isle of Man TT specification superbike. Now that’s what we’re talking about!

5. Yamaha R1M - Under £20,000

The Yamaha R1M is the perfect compromise between usable road bike and ballistic track day special. Granted, the standard £14,999 R1 is one hell of a bike, but the R1M takes things to the next level. The biggest difference is that the M receives advanced Öhlins Electronic Racing Suspension (ERS) over the standard bike’s adjustable KYB forks. The ERS basically works in conjunction with the bike’s gyroscope to constantly adjust the shock and fork rebound and compression settings. The system also works with the bike’s ABS and traction control to allow the rider to slide the bike out of corners in a controlled manner; yes really.

With a 998cc 197bhp crossplane four-cylinder engine, dedicated data-logger and a Yamaha Racing Experience, it is the ultimate track-day purchase. The bike also receives a stunning carbonfibre fairing, lacquered aluminium tank and polished swingarm for your extra £3750. Then again, you’ll probably want to buy a cheap set of race fairings if you’re really serious about track work.

Unfortunately, the whole UK allocation has already sold out, so you’ll have to wait until a few hit the second-hand market.

6. Kawasaki H2R - Under £45,000

Historically, track-focused specials have been restricted to glorified road bikes like the Panigale R, and MotoGP replicas like the Honda RC213V-S. Kawasaki decided to buck this trend by creating a boosted special for its halo bike, designing the Ninja H2R from the ground up to be a supercharged track-only weapon. Unbelievably, the H2R produces a buttock-clenching 310bhp and 121lb ft of torque from its 998cc inline-four. This gives the bike a top speed of over 206mph and enough power to lift the front in every gear!

You can buy yourself one of these monsters for £41,000; not bad for a limited-production technological showcase. However, you’ll have to factor in servicing costs because the bike will need a tolerance check after only 10 track days (every 15 hours ridden over 8000rpm).

6. Honda RCV213V - Under £150,000

Based on Honda’s championship winning RCV MotoGP bike, the RCV213V is one seriously exotic machine. Its 90-degree 999cc V4 engine, carbonfibre airbox, sand-cast aluminium crank cases and nickel-plated bores are all derived from the Grand Prix bike. Granted, the stock RCV213V only produces a puny 159bhp in road-trim, but you can buy an official Honda Sports Kit (ECU, free flowing exhaust and quickshifter) which raises power to a much more respectable 215bhp at 13,000rpm.

The bike went on sale back in July 2015 at an eye-watering price of £150,000 with all bikes quickly selling out. But if you want one, you could always call John Brown, a motorcycle dealer form Manchester who received the first UK bike. You’ll probably have to offer him more than list price, but come on, surely it’s worth it?