Track Capability - Duke vs. RC

[mattv]

I was thinking of picking up a second RC as a dedicated track bike and got to wondering if there's anything about the duke that would make it less capable as a track bike. I think it'd be a fun winter project to do a supersport conversion on a duke, but would like to hear what you all think of the idea.

Is there anything about the duke that would make it less capable as a track bike? This is what I was thinking of doing:

• JRI shock
• Race Tech springs
• Race exhaust of some sort
• Piggyback ECU (maybe stick with powertronic, maybe try something else)
• Clip-ons
• SS fairing (maybe a super single fairing would fit?: SUPER SINGLE fairings, SUPERSINGLE BODYWORK, SUPERMONO, FORMULA 450, CONVERSION, FORMULA 450, CR450, YZ450, KX450, RMZ450, KTM SX-F, SXF)
• Custom subframe and tail bodywork

I figured the duke would have a different cam profile for more torque, but the little googling I did looks like the engines are the exact same. The only important difference I found was a blurb on wikipedia that said the RC frame was stiffer.

 

[Drstimpy]

I have a duke 690 and RC 390. My duke is enormous fun and the track but I am able to get my body position better on the RC. So ultimately the RC is faster around corners for me because it requires less lean angle for a given corner speed. YMMV because I’m just a trackday fun runner and not racing.


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[Formula390]

In a word, get the RC, not a duke.

The rake on the Duke and RC are different enough that I wouldn't advise it. If you are just going to be doing trackdays for fun, well, it'll go around in circles. I woudln't race with it tho. You're going to have a hard time with rearsets as well so your cornering clearance is gonna be crap at full lean / dragging footpeg EVERYWHERE. I'm working with a local here in Austin and am going to try and get a set of rearsets built for the Duke, but currently that's on the project list in 3rd place. The 415 sprocket kit is currently on the machining center. I'm 1 operation away from having the front sprockets dialed for production (threading the two holes for the retension clip) but the entire rest of the operations for the sprocket are dialed in! Rear sprockets will be next, and will be made from 7075 aluminum will be MUCH easier to machine... but this hardened 4150 chromolly that I'm using for these front sprockets is a damned bitch!!!

 

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Many more performance parts for the RC