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Brutale on Trackdays?

5K views 30 replies 18 participants last post by  saab 
#1 ·
Alright, I am about to invest in a Brutale S -04. (almost made up my mind now...)

I am coming from a Ducati 999s and usually go to some 10-15 trackdays per year, where the Duc is excellent.
However, the Duc is gone and now I am almost ready for investing in a Brutale 750.
As I still want to go to the track every now and then, I am curious about your experiences with the Brutale on racetracks!

How is the handling?
Ground clearance?
Power?
etc.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I bought a 750 brute and did 3 trackdays last year. Rode over, took the mirrrors off, thrashed around all day and rode home. I've been racing and trackdaying for donkies years and have to say the Brute is so easy to ride its untrue, nothing nasty lurking and easy to ride at the front of the middle group on short circuits (I did cadwell - novice to try it out, mallory & rocky inters). Big fast ones.... think you will struggle in the faster groups.

You wont be the fastest on the day, but who cares, every time you pass a trackday special you can have a good chuckle and Brutes are just such fun and give great confidence.

I set mine to the track settings in the manual and they worked fine with a bit of tweaking (although I am now a fat bastid).

I had done 3 trackdays since a bad bad accident in 2003 and was ready to give it up as I didn't enjoy any of them, the Brute has made me raring to go again.

Go for it
 
#7 ·
I can't say about the 750 but the 910R is blast on the track for sure. I took mine out to Firebird East a few weeks ago and will do the West track next Sunday. :f4:

I don't care about hitting top speed down the straights, I just take a breather there and let the litre bikes blow on by, then pick them off again on the back side! :moon:
 
#11 ·
I have very little to add to the previous posts. I have +/- 10 trackdays per year and the Brutale is amazingly fun to drive.
I remove mirrors, blinkers, licence plate holder, rear foot pegs and sometimes headlight (still looking for a good alternative).
I'm rather small (1,72 m and 62 kg) and put my chin on top of the fueltank on the straights. But as Koop said; the advantage of the Brutale is the handling in the corners.

Convinced ? ;)
 
#14 ·
PeGe said:
Alright, I am about to invest in a Brutale S -04. (almost made up my mind now...)

I am coming from a Ducati 999s and usually go to some 10-15 trackdays per year, where the Duc is excellent.
However, the Duc is gone and now I am almost ready for investing in a Brutale 750.
As I still want to go to the track every now and then, I am curious about your experiences with the Brutale on racetracks!

How is the handling?
Ground clearance?
Power?
etc.

I just got back from a track day on my 04 Brutale (Nesba @ VIR North). I've used mine for over a year now on the track and love it. It has the great mid corner stability that I liked when I rode my buddy's 748R and yet with much better flickability, especially after I put on some lightweight wheels. The only time I had ground clearance issues was when I wasn't hanging off the bike enough, my fault, not the bike's. The power is good enough to be lazy in shifting compared to a 600 and then walk away from them on the straights. No issues with the brakes, plenty strong and great feel. The only issue that I've come across is also something that also makes it fun - the riding position and lack of a fairing. Of course you're more upright so sometimes you have to consciously move to get weight over the front wheel and you have to try to tuck in behind the clocks on a long straight. But the riding position is easier on the wrists which is important for me.
And then just having the only Brutale and often the only naked bike at the track is a plus too :)
 
#15 ·
Wow, I've been thinking about using the Brutale for my first track day, but have some concerns. Since it feels like I'm about to get blown off the bike at 90, I wonder how it will feel at 140!

How do you deal with the wind blast at those speeds? I've order a little mini-fairing from emoto but haven't installed it yet, though I doubt it will make as much difference as I'll need.
 
#18 ·
JCM0165 said:
Wow, I've been thinking about using the Brutale for my first track day, but have some concerns. Since it feels like I'm about to get blown off the bike at 90, I wonder how it will feel at 140!

How do you deal with the wind blast at those speeds? I've order a little mini-fairing from emoto but haven't installed it yet, though I doubt it will make as much difference as I'll need.
Hey that parachute effect is free extra braking power :) One track near me has about a 3000' straight and you do see 140+ before the brake markers. Like the guys above mentioned, slide back, duck down. I thought I'd need a fairing too, but just went ahead and tried it without. If you can tuck in low it's really not a problem. I'm 6'1" and manage to find room.
 
#21 ·
dave h said:
My buddy Dutch from N.E.S.B.A. said to say hello. He was going to be at V.I.R. that weekend but got sick. He said he will see you next time.
Wow, small world, that's cool :) Yeah, me and Mr. Leitner were wondering where he got to. I'll be at Summit Main on 4/8, hope to catch up with Dutch then. Any chance you'll be there with the 910?

PS - the name in your registry rings a bell too, any chance you went to Cardinal Dougherty High in Philly back in the late 70's early 80's?

Bob Weinhardt
 
#22 · (Edited)
One thing I did for trackdays on my 750 was fit a 120/70 front and Forza made two little brackets to lift the front mudguard as I bought a set of wets (they tend to be taller). No problem with the wheel hitting the pipes.

Raised the rear to compensate and it feels uttely planted.

Only other thing I've done is get a second set of standard pegs from ebay to cut some grooves in the footrest end, my feet have slide off twice now when rolling my foot around the peg.

Oh and fitted R&G crash protectors all round.

When I did a trackday on Fafnirs what hit me was you dont have to go out buying lots of bolt on extra's or down gearing, it all just works in harmony together, to me a sign of a great design.

Edited to say I would get your dealer or check you FI set up is balanced well, Forza balance mine as often as I ask (5 min job) else it can be a bit violent from off throttle to on, not what you want as you get near the apex!
 
#24 ·
dave h said:
I don't have enough miles on the bike yet. I will go to a few track days after the 1st oil change. As for high school I went to harriton high school outside of phila. in the early 80's.
Re. high school, oh well, worth a shot.
OK, cool, look forward to seeing you at the track, I'm sure Dutch would enjoy that too if he's not twisting your arm already. I should be easy enough to spot. Good luck with the new bike.
 
#25 ·
both bikes

I have a 04 Brutale 750 and an 03 999s, I don't claim to be fast and haven't done track days but have noticed some traits. Brut doesn't lean in as easily but is more fun to blast out of turns. Can get a little squirrly but is pretty forgiving. It feels a bit like the back tire is a bit too wide......

The 999s leans in so easy I question myself......but stays stable. Both fun. I could see the Brut being more fun on shorter twistier tracks....

Maybe I should get out on a track.....guys let me know if that seems about right.
 
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