I love small bikes. Full stop.
While part of that might be because they fit me (a smaller person) pretty well, and I might feel differently if I was super tall, part of that is also the fact that the power feels more controllable. It's that whole "slow bike fast" philosophy at work, perhaps. Or maybe it's that I just love an underdog. Honestly, a psychologist would probably have a field day, but I digress.
In the latest video from Jeremiah over at the Big Time YouTube channel, he takes his project Kawasaki Ninja 400 and puts a few key upgrades on it so he can take it to the track. But they're not just any old random upgrades, and it's not just any regular track day, either.
The first part of the video consists of Jer heading over to the legendary Graves Motorsports to get their professional assessment on what would help the little Ninja that could the most. While he points out that many of the mods (gorgeous slip-on titanium exhaust, ECU mod, stiffer clutch springs, clutch plates, velocity stacks, and etc.) are things you could do with a few tools (and maybe a buddy or two) at home, that's of course not what he does.
No, instead, he gets to do what probably a lot of motorsports geeks wish they could do, and he gets to go in the Graves garage and act as a junior mechanic on his bike, being bossed around by some of the best in the business.
Are you just a tiny bit envious? Yeah, me too. What an experience that must have been!
And that's only the first part of the video. See, this little Ninja is destined for the track, and becoming a comfortable, capable little track machine that can also be ridden on the street. But it's not just any regular track day; it's a Compact Octane track day at Streets of Willow.
What's that mean? For those unfamiliar, Compact Octane only exists in SoCal at the time of writing, unfortunately for those of us who live elsewhere. The premise is that small bikes can (and are) a ton of fun to take to the track. Also, bigger bikes (and lack of access to things like a bike, and proper leathers, and so on) can be a major barrier to entry for those who haven't tried a track day before, as well as shorter riders (and women who ride, too).
The main point of Compact Octane is to remove those barriers and make it a lot easier for the track day-curious to get out and try something new. Need leathers? They have some there for you to try and ride in. Need a small displacement bike to see if doing a track day like this is for you? They've got those for rent, too. Instructors? Oh, yes, they've also got some great folks lined up to help you learn stuff in a friendly, welcoming, non-aggro environment. I haven't done a Compact Octane event myself yet, but if I lived closer, I absolutely would. I'll have to just stick that on my list of dream goals for the moment.
In the meantime, that's exactly where Jer headed after the boys at Graves were done helping him modify his Ninja 400. Although it only added about 5 horsepower and a few more torque than before, the power curve smoothed out considerably, and apparently so did the riding experience. Video editing is video editing, I know, but what we see in this video looked pretty good and confident out on track.
Isn't that what it's all about, at the end of the day? Your main competition at a track day is supposed to be yourself; it's not a race. You're trying to improve your own skills, break down barriers that you (and maybe your bike) have, one by one. Attain that sense of accomplishment that only working hard to achieve something can get you.
