By Michael GougisT
he rider at the gate in front
of me was a roll of tape away
from getting on the track.
He'd ridden to Auto Club Speed-
way for a Friday morning Fastrack
Riders event on his GSX-R, wear-
ing full Dainese leathers, boots,
and gloves, and a Valentino Rossi
replica AGV helmet, with every-
thing else for the day in a match-
ing Dainese backpack. He could
have been ready to hit the track
in minutes: Slap some tape on
the mirrors and lights, go through
tech inspection, hit the starter
button, and head for pit lane.
That's one way of doing it.
But most track day riders prefer
to transport their motorcycles to
the track, rather than riding them
there. That allows the use of non-
street-legal tires and having them
mounted and ready when you get
to the circuit. It also allows already
having all the lights taped up, and
the mirrors removed. And it elimi-
nates the need to work on the bike
in the pits as you're getting ready
for your track day.
There are a variety of ways
for a rider to do all the work to
their machine at home and get it
to the track. A lot of them are bud-
get and space dependent, but it's
actually a lot simpler than might
be expected.
The easiest way for the casu-
al track day rider to transport a
motorcycle to the track is a trailer.
Pretty much any four-wheel vehi-
cle on the road today can pull a
single-bike trailer, and a neighbor-
hood U-Haul operation can rent a
trailer for a remarkably reason-
able fee—in my area, they charge
$14.95 per day. And any trailer
shop can help set up the tow ve-
hicle of choice with a hitch and
a simple, one-plug lighting wir-
ing harness. The best part about
renting a trailer may be that you
don't have to maintain it, and you
don't have to store it. Although if
you buy a trailer, many hardware
stores carry kits to assemble a
single-bike trailer that folds and
tucks away into a corner of a ga-
rage or yard.
Another transportation solu-
tion is the trailer hitch carrier. It’s
basically a rail that slides into a
trailer hitch receiver, with the bike
loaded from one side and held in
place by tie straps. The advantage
a hitch carrier has over a trailer is
that it doesn’t subject the trans-
port vehicle to the lower speed lim-Riding your sportbike to the track
is one way of getting it there. But it
does limit you to a street-legal mo-
torcycle with street tires. This rider
is checking in at Auto Club Speed-
way for a Fastrack Riders track
day. Photos by Michael Gougis.(Above) Lots of ways to haul a bike in this shot, including two U-Haul trail-
ers, a pickup truck, a toy hauler, and a motorhome pulling a cargo trailer.
(Below) A white cargo van, American made, rear-wheel drive, with a V8.Trailer hitch rail carrier on a pick-
up, with loading ramp stowed
and eye bolts for tie straps. A
black van is in the background.(Above) One of the most popular ways to haul a track bike and associated
gear and equipment (including a pit bike) is in the bed of a pickup truck.
20—Roadracing World, Trackday Directory 2019Bike Haulers
TRANSPORTING YOUR MOTORCYCLE: