Perspective on FAST street riding

[Lumberjack]

I've got a Ninja 650r and I think its an awesome "street bike"..

As for riding fast - I've done a couple trackdays and really enjoyed them, and I want to go back (I'm kinda hooked), but in no way did the track reduce my love of street riding.. I have just as much fun on the street, its just a different sort of fun.. There's more to enjoy on the street overall..

On the track there's so much space, that the sense of speed isn't as dramatic as it is on the street.. In other words, accelerating "briskly" on the street feels more exciting than "hauling ass" on the track, at least for me...

I ride somewhat fast on the street at times, but its well within my limits - I can get a knee down at the track but never even come close to that on the street - but taking a good clean line through a corner on the street at a reasonably quick pace is to me every bit as much fun as going super fast through a corner with the knee down at the track..

So there's definitely a balance where you can ride quick enough for it to be fun on the street without it being dangerous..

If I'm in a mellow mood and just cruising on the street, and then decide to give it maybe 3/4 throttle at a light, that little blast of speed from 0-60mph is quite exhilarating because of the contrast from how chill the ride had been up to that point..

I like to do that - mixing up relaxed cruising where I'm enjoying the scenery and just the feel of gliding along, with little bursts of "spirited" riding here and there - that way I can be at well below 100% of my skill limit and still create those fun/exhilarating feelings..

On the track you're balls-to-the-wall 100% of the time, and so the experience of it become ordinary (though still fun) - you get desensitized to the sensation of speed..

 

[vought]

I knew John....

Do you know how much "spirited" street riding I can do for the price of a "trackday"?

Fuck all that shit! Me and J. McGuinness spit on you!


As soon as trackdays cost 35 bucks I'll be there........but then so will every other dipshit. Keep it real ya pussies!:laughing

I knew J. McGuiness. He scared his girlfriend right off his bike. She was my ex-fiancee. When he died on 880, lane splitting between a box truck and a Volve at over 50mph, she was crushed. Went into a deep depression. Her kids even suffered because of it, and they'd never met the man. His boy will suffer from attitudes like yours for the rest of his life.

Wanna ask John how he feels about your comment? Oh wait - you can't anymore.

 

[Maddevill]

The track is a test of your skill, the street is a test of your nerve.

 

[RRrider]

it is amazing to see how the same post generated such a different reaction on BARF and on SBR. This thread triggered a memory for me: I was riding along 9 at a fair clip but keeping to my rule of "I think I could avoid a nasty surprise around the next (sharp) corner", when a guy impressively blew past me and with a quick flick, knee dragged around that turn at high speed. I had two thoughts starting with a big wow: between the two of us there exists a significant skill differential and judgement differential. I was impressed by the skill.... So I only partially agree with Maddevil: the track is certainly a test of skill, but I see the street as a test of judgement more so than nerve.

 

[TrackCrafter]

Not all lessons are learned

5 years and 6 months ago I crashed out on Carmel Valley road.

3 years and 6 months ago I wrote that thread.


I still ride, mostly dirt bikes to stay in shape but the big street bike still gets its share of use.


I turn 51 years old this month.


Everything I have written is fact and so is this.

I wanted to answer questions, questions I received daily. After I posted this on Andy's site I was contacted from people all over the world, most of these people seemed to echo my own thoughts and feelings on the subject of aggressive street riding.


That is really it in a nutshell. I am alive, I still have the excitement that is motorcycling in my life and I have been given a rare gift. That gift is maturity.

For the people that continue to compare me to a sober alcoholic, or a bible thumping born again Christian. I fear you do not understand that I have no agenda, and carry no burden to spread the message to the unwashed masses. I am still a sinner and still fail to come to grips with my own mortality.


Enjoy your families, your bikes, and your life.:thumbup

 

[Burning1]

RRrider,

I've come around more than one corner to find a car literally parked in the middle of my lane, on these nice, twisty back-roads. In those situations, no amount of skill is going to avoid a very serious accident.

So... Let's talk about judgement as it pertains to extremely fast riding on public roads.

 

[RRrider]

Burning1: I think we are agreeing? What I tried to say was:
(1) I was impressed with the skill (meaning he was skilled and significantly more so than me)
(2) by implication via the "....": I was NOT impressed by his judgement (meaning unlike me he was setting his speed based on navigating a turn and not thinking about what might be lurking around it). So I believe you underscored my point exactly.

relatively new to BARF, perhaps I wasn't clear.

 

[Burning1]

Got it. You seemed to be implying that superior judgement would permit someone to ride at what I would consider unreasonable speeds. I tend to agree with the comments others have made about nerve: on the street, how fast you go is usually limited by what risks you are willing to take.

To a degree, I agree that judgment permits higher speeds. But there are many significant limitations to how far that can go; it would never be safe for me to ride the street at the pace I use on the track.

 

[RRrider]

Yes looking back, I wasn't clear. For me judgment means deciding NOT to go as quickly as would be fun based on the shape of the street (that is what the track allows), but rather go only as fast as allows you to avoid nasty surprises hidden around that blind curve. In my comment above, skill differential: he was clearly better than me. Judgement differential: he was riding at a pace dictated by the shape of the road, and I was riding at a pace dictated by what I could see (or could not see around pending blind corner).

'nuff said

 

[Burning1]

:thumbup