My first time on the salt I entered a slow and pretty much standard bike at BUB in an AMA class. I made six runs during the first meet. I had a lot to learn about riding. This was a year with wet salt and it was difficult. Fortunately I was going slow and my mistakes did not result in a crash. The fastest I went was just under 100 mph.
The first meet taught me a lot and I came back the next year with different gearing and a lot of other changes. Now we went just under 120, my Triumph and me. There were severe handling issues. I did not have the chassis set up right.
The next year I went back again with the turtle. Small changes to the aerodynamics and how I rode made a difference and we went just under 130. Finally I was learning about chassis setup and tuck and the bike handled great.
Next year we will be back with an attempt to break into the 130's.
I did what I did because that was what I could afford to do. I would have started off with a real fast bike if I had one. In hindsight, I am figuring out how to ride, aerodynamics, gearing, tire pressure, rake and trail, preload and sag, and all sorts of other important stuff at lower and safer speeds. Eventually I might get a seriously fast bike. When and if this occurs I will know the fundamentals and in the long run, I will be safer and faster.
Based on my experience, I would not sink a lot of money into the little 360, but I would ride it for a few years with all sorts of jetting, gearing, and chassis setup changes. I would move up to the big Suzook when I felt that I was riding the little bike as fast as it would go.
