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Tips For Every Adventure: Track Day Trauma
We love a motorcycle track day here at TouchUpDirect. The screech of tires, the metallic smell of iron particles in the air, the fun atmosphere of being surrounded by fellow motorcycle enthusiasts. But track days can pose a great danger…to your paint job. Today, we’re talking about the unsightly damage a day on the track can cause and what you can do about it.
What’s a Track Day?
If Fast and the Furious has taught us anything, it’s that there is a slippery slope from street races to getting into tank battles with terrorists. Thank God for track days! A track day is an event where vehicle enthusiasts or amateur drivers can take their own vehicles to a race track to drive at higher speeds than typically allowed on public roads. Driving in a controlled environment during these track events allows the driver to indulge their need for speed in high performance machines while also being safe. Whether the track is offering time trials or open track sessions, you’ll be surrounded by a like-minded group who can share knowledge, tips, and a passion for driving. Find the right track events on an instruction day and you could even get lessons that rival what you’d learn from many racing schools.
Want to get on that bike and burn rubber? Check out your local race tracks to see if they have any upcoming events. Even world famous tracks like the Laguna Seca in California and the Circuit of the Americas in Texas, host racing days. Many track days cater to a wide variety of bikes, so search for a track day that caters to your type of motorcycle. You will need a working motorcycle, obviously. Your bike will likely be inspected before the event for safety and to make sure that your bike is track ready. Make sure that core elements like the brake system, fluid levels, throttle and clutch are all working properly because they will check that. Take a look at your tires and change them if they are too worn or damaged. You’ll also have to remove or tape over your lights and mirrors so that the track doesn’t get littered with glass in case of a crash. While they’ll check that the exhaust system is working, they will also make sure that it’s within the track’s noise limits. Make sure to bring your motorcycle license, a valid ID, and your event registration information. You should also have a helmet, riding suit, gloves, and boots that will protect you while you’re on the track. Maybe add a little folding chair and some snacks for when you’ve got a break. Got your motorcycle? Got your license? Got your snacks? Grab your helmet and you’ll be doing time trials in no time.
Track Day Issues and How To Fix Them
We want you to have full enjoyment of your track days, but people have expensive wheels out there and we’ve gotta look out for you. Here’s a few things to look out for after a day out on the tracks.
Rock Chips and Debris
Just like on a regular road or street, your paint job is at risk of getting hit with rock chips and debris on a track. It presents even more of a threat as vehicles on this road are moving at a much higher speed, kicking up these small damaging rocks. Rock chips are an easy fix. We would suggest using the TouchUpDirect Pen applicator when applying touch up paint to such a small area.
Scuff Marks and Paint Transfer
We want you to have fun on the track but be careful. When you’re going that fast on a course, there’s always the chance of your motorcycle scraping up against something. You could swipe a barrier or brush up against another vehicle, causing scrapes and scuff marks. You could even get a bit of their paint on your vehicle. We have different applicators and kits depending on how deep or extensive the damage is.
Brake Dust
Brake dust is a byproduct of brake pad and rotor interaction during braking. It consists of tiny particles of metal, carbon fibers, and other materials from the brake pads and rotors. Excessive brake dust and track grime can accumulate on the wheels and lower parts of the vehicle. It can affect the paint finish and cause corrosion on the metal parts of the wheels if not cleaned properly. Clean your wheels with soap and water and rinse with a hose. Then spray a wheel cleaner designed to break down brake dust on the wheels. Use a soft bristle brush or wheel brush to agitate the cleaner and loosen brake dust deposits.
We want you to have an amazing time out on the track with the other drivers. Have fun and make that dirt fly. Just make sure you’re taking care of those bikes. Clean and care for your vehicles and they’ll pay it back in full when you’re out on the track showing off your vehicle to the world.
From our factory out on the West Coast, TouchUpDirect will have your road weary cars, trucks and bikes looking their best once more. In addition to our amazing paint and applicators, we have incredible accessories that will help you get that professional shine for your vehicle. Still a little confused on how to apply paint for that stone chip repair? Don’t worry about it! We’ve got step by step instructions that will help you get the best coat possible for your vehicle. Between our blog posts and the giant library of instructions we’ve created, we’ve got touch up paint walkthroughs for everyone. And if you don’t want to read, check out the many instructional videos on our YouTube page.
