To sell or not to sell - experience of life after NC30?

[spanky]

I've owned my '89 nc30 for 7 years. I finally got round to doing a couple of trackdays this year and had an absolute riot; embarrasing a fair few bigger, faster and more expensive bikes..tyres right to the edge, knee down, hero blobs gone, you get the idea.

Here's the dilema: It's a 20 year old near standard bike and needs a few quid spending on it if I'm going to carry on tracking it - think hoses, clutch, suspension upgrades, ground clearance, rearsets, shock linkage etc.

My head says flog it off and buy something newer like a ZX6R but I'm wondering if I'll regret it and never have as much knee sliding peg dragging action again.

Interested to know of others experience of going from an nc30 to a newer/bigger bikes on the track and opinions on where I should spend my cash.
Cheers....

[Jaybewan]

Tough call.

I did nearly the same a few years back.

I now ride a ratty ZX6r after owning two NC30s.

I'd say after a year of owning and riding the ZX in all weathers it is the perfect all rounder for what I need. The problem is I haven't as yet properly gelled with it if you get what I mean. It's performance limits are quite a bit beyond what the NC's were, in terms of acceleration etc it is in a different league. However I don't feel like I'm fully at ease with it as I was with the NC, where before I was fully aware of where the bike's and my own limits were, I'm still tentatively finding where those limits are with the ZX.

Thing is I am enjoying riding the ZX and finding out what it can do, although I can't help feeling I'm letting it down as my limits are much lower than it's limits. It's just leaving me a bit cold at the moment where the NC's were always more involving and characterful.

Thing is you'll never know what you'll prefer until you try it out.

I'd say see whether you can test ride some bikes to see what you think of them. If they don't feel as fun as the NC then don't buy it.

One day I'd probably buy another NC or perhaps (in dream world) an RC30, as I really really enjoyed how they ride/feel. Though before I end up buying one again I am determined to try as many bikes as possible before that!

In an ideal world, keep the NC and have a ZX along with anything else that I fancy!

[PirateJafa]

I've always found myself coming back to the V4 400. Bigger bikes are only superior on the track - the VFR is perfect for communting, thrashing around the countryside, or pretty much any "real world" purpose.

The ONLY reason I am selling my mint VFR400R is to buy an RVF400. Sick of my mate complaining I only win due to power.

[spanky]

Thanks for quick replies. That kind of confirms what I'm thinking - that the VFR is flattering me and a ZX6R would be quicker, but probably harder to ride as well as the VFR. Faster would be good as it's frustrating going round the outside of someone only for them to pass you back on the straight. On the other hand, the vfr isn't that slow and I guess I'm slightly less likely to break bones when I outbreak myself from 100 rather than 120.

Like you say, riding a few is the only way to tell but I'm not sure I'd want to go testing the limits on someone elses bike. Maybe I should just go for both...

[arsey30]

If you can afford both, then do what I do, buy your next chosen bike, but keep the old one until you decide which of them to keep.

You may end up keeping both, as I have done at times, but one can always be sold on later if required.

Dave.

[mick.mh2racing]

What a dilemna. I had a similar one and sold out to the darkside for a ZX6R. First time out at Donington I wished I hadn't, wished I still had my NC30 that had been rebuilt from the ground up and had blood sweat and tears in it.

DON'T DO IT!

[spanky]

Mick - interesting reply, tell me more. What did you miss about the nc30? Purely emotional attachment or actual enjoyment on the track?

[CMSMJ1]

You'll find that an NC30 is a high quality bike and that the ZX6 is a low quality, made down to a price pile of crap...

If you want high straightline speeds then get a bigger bike than a 600..

to note that this year I raced at Cadwell on an NC30 (that I built fomr the gorund up) and also on an FZR4/6 hybrid.

The F400 race produced faster laptimes 1m.37s than the Pre injection 600 (up to 2002 R6s) which was a 1m.40s

That pretty much says it all for me - A 400 riding faster than a newer 600 around a track like Cadwell...hmmm Why get a 600.

So, I sold my hybrid and will stick to the 400s.

for the records - i got a 1m52 on my 400 and a 1m49 on my 600 - so I was faster on the 600 but not by a lot..

[Cammo]

A lot of people ask me why I don't own a bigger bike (I have in the past, including a cbr954).

I don't have a simple answer for them, all I know is the nc30 is so enjoyable to ride, and I don't need any more power on the road (or track!). It sounds horn, looks fantastic for a near 20 year old bike, rides lovely, does everything I ask of it, and is able to be fully pulled apart and built from the ground up without shitting itself when back on the road.

IMO the nc30 is from a manufacturing period we're unlikely to ever see again. A mass produced small capacity bike with extremely high build quality, that oozes character*. Sadly we'll probably never see that combination for this (current used) price again!


I would recommend you go out and buy a bigger bike. Regret is a sin in my book. You can always come back to an nc30!




*That's what really does it for me!

[spanky]

Still undecided...
I reckon sorting mine out is going to cost close to £1000 once eveything is done so I could swap for a 7yo 600 for about the same money.

But like everyone has said, its not just about the straight line speed and if I'm honest I don't think I want to be going much faster. The other option I have is to let someone else spend the money and buy a ready track-prepped bike, or even a later model and sort that(Mine is a K so old type forks). But that wouldn't have the same emotional attachment as this one.