Perspective on FAST street riding

[VaderSS]

Wow!

I used to be crazy like that myself, but luckily, I was on a 1982 Suzuki GN250 at the time. My first big crash and broken leg "broke" of that.

The main reason I have no interest in getting a sport bike is because riding the GL1800 through the twisties is such a challenge at close to legal speeds. My Burgman does not get taken out now, because riding it at a challenging speed through the twisties puts me well in excess of the speed limits. I can't imagine what it would be like on a sport bike.

And I'm not very skilled yet...

 

[ragnarok]

Pushing the limit in the hills is very dangerous- doubling the speed limit tear'n past cars is like russian roulette, sooner or later you WILL "find the loaded chamber".

This is perhaps the best sentence I've read in a long time.

And wow, that was a very well-written post to the OP.

 

[}Dragon{]

The main reason I have no interest in getting a sport bike is because riding the GL1800 through the twisties is such a challenge at close to legal speeds.

The older I get the faster I was.

I'm looking at an ST1300 for a challenge in the hills.

As far as "canyon carving";

-Don't out-ride one's sight lines.
-Expert the worse around a blind corner (animals, gravel, stopped truck, etc.)
-If you are hitting a corner so fast that you can't stop/change your line, you are going too fast.
-Even on a road that you have "think" you have mastered, conditions change.

 

[Emmanuel]

My first track day has screwed my street riding... (chaas67)
I started out with a few track days, and like you, street riding lost it's luster. So I started racing, and gave up street riding entirely. I may get back on the street someday, but with limited time (2 young kids), my free time all goes to racing.

Why wait until August to get back to NHIS? There's a race weekend June 11th. Penguin rents Ducati Supersports, boots, leathers, helmets, everything! You can just show up and take the school, and if you're hooked, race the next day.

 

[KeNNyG]

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

Good for you! Your speeding tickets help pay the courts so our justice system works.

 

[XcombatryderX]

That was a good article..alot of wisdom was shared and some great personal experiences....I gained something from reading that..thanks...

It kinda reminds me the look my wife had on her face when she saw me limping up to the house...calling my boss to tell him im not gonna be in the next day cuz I took a good spill out in the canyon...yup...anyways..good article..good info..

 

[number441]

not a new problem

Interesting to read this thread. The main thing for me that I notice missing from responses is that track riding is WAY more FUN than street racing. That should be incentive enough to take it to the track. There is no fear involved like on a street ride. If you think you're riding fast on the street it is nothing like race track speeds. The track was all grins for me when I raced back in the 1980's. It most definately caused me to see street hazards much more clearly, and thus slow down a bit.

Gold Wing not my style, but an old BMW is my choice of street ride. Not much power,decent brakes and fun to ride slow on. This is another key to sane street riding. Ride a bike that is fun while going slower. To you youngsters, believe it or not you can have loads of fun going slow. Go catch a ride on an old Triumph Bonneville (pre-Hinckley) and I'm pretty sure you'll be grinning from ear to ear well under triple digit speeds. No experience on a litre bike, but I'm pretty sure they're not that fun to go slow on. Probably holds true for a 600 SS also.

Anyway, it's all about the fun right? To me it's way more fun on the street to ride a slow bike fast than a powerful bike slow. It's fun and satisfying to nail corners perfectly at well under 10/10ths and not so dangerous. These thoughts are the results of decades of street riding and racing. I realize that some of the youth of our sport don't listen to sage advise. I know, I was there many years ago myself. Riding way too fast on the street isn't anything new. Been going on for decades. Perhaps with time (and luck) the wisdom comes.

 

[GAJ]

Interesting to read this thread. The main thing for me that I notice missing from responses is that track riding is WAY more FUN than street racing. That should be incentive enough to take it to the track. There is no fear involved like on a street ride. If you think you're riding fast on the street it is nothing like race track speeds. The track was all grins for me when I raced back in the 1980's. It most definately caused me to see street hazards much more clearly, and thus slow down a bit.

Gold Wing not my style, but an old BMW is my choice of street ride. Not much power,decent brakes and fun to ride slow on. This is another key to sane street riding. Ride a bike that is fun while going slower. To you youngsters, believe it or not you can have loads of fun going slow. Go catch a ride on an old Triumph Bonneville (pre-Hinckley) and I'm pretty sure you'll be grinning from ear to ear well under triple digit speeds. No experience on a litre bike, but I'm pretty sure they're not that fun to go slow on. Probably holds true for a 600 SS also.

Anyway, it's all about the fun right? To me it's way more fun on the street to ride a slow bike fast than a powerful bike slow. It's fun and satisfying to nail corners perfectly at well under 10/10ths and not so dangerous. These thoughts are the results of decades of street riding and racing. I realize that some of the youth of our sport don't listen to sage advise. I know, I was there many years ago myself. Riding way too fast on the street isn't anything new. Been going on for decades. Perhaps with time (and luck) the wisdom comes.

Track riding for me is different than street riding; not necessarily "better."

But "street racing" is insane, to be sure.

I'm not sure I've had more fun in my 35+ years of riding than when I bought my DRZ400SM in '06.

The literbike talks to the Battery Tender while I'm out wringing the neck of that little sucker which couldn't hit 100mph if I rode it off a cliff! :laughing

 

[number441]

GAJ- Your DRZ400sm is the ideal street riding tool in my book. The bikes I raced about on years ago were also thumpers and were so fun. The lust for powerful engines seems sometimes to overwhelm good and common sense. I think a 40-50 hp thumper would make better, safer riders out of so many of us, and we'd all be having way more fun, not scaring ourselves silly. JMHO

Just an aside- check out recent columns and writing of Rupert Paul of Brittain's BIKE magazine. A more skilled, confirmed speed junkie there never lived. Even he is questioning the sanity of riding new litre bikes on the road and has found some new riding happiness on a 1962 BSA A50!! "Riding this 47 year old relic is so head swimmingly delightful that the idea of recreational speed never enters your skull." Words to think about.
Steve

 

[GAJ]

GAJ- Your DRZ400sm is the ideal street riding tool in my book. The bikes I raced about on years ago were also thumpers and were so fun. The lust for powerful engines seems sometimes to overwhelm good and common sense. I think a 40-50 hp thumper would make better, safer riders out of so many of us, and we'd all be having way more fun, not scaring ourselves silly. JMHO

Just an aside- check out recent columns and writing of Rupert Paul of Brittain's BIKE magazine. A more skilled, confirmed speed junkie there never lived. Even he is questioning the sanity of riding new litre bikes on the road and has found some new riding happiness on a 1962 BSA A50!! "Riding this 47 year old relic is so head swimmingly delightful that the idea of recreational speed never enters your skull." Words to think about.
Steve

:thumbup

And, by the way...:newbie

We need a few more "seasoned" riders around here!

 

[Norbs]

Excellent read. Especially post #49! WOW!

Thanks I almost missed that... Very moving.

 

[mean dad]

a self-described idiot racer boy has the wool pulled from his eyes, and he's a fucking messiah??!!??
how about a big dose of self control?

and it's been mentioned that he still hauls ass, on a 'wing! how is that changing, exactly? now that he's on a bike that wasn't built for the track, it's ok, cause it doesn't say XXRRZ12 on the side?

call me an asshole, but it sounds like self righteous postulating.

 

[Skarthi]

Glad this thread came back up as I had been meaning to search for it.

The most import thing to consider when riding on the street is the OTHER PEOPLE you share the road with, period.

For me, the most import thing to watch out for when riding on the street is the OTHER PEOPLE you share the road with. The most important thing to consider, is my family waiting for me to get home.

call me an asshole, but it sounds like self righteous postulating.

I would, but it would get banned for a personal attack.

 

[jjslye]

is that Gary Busey?

:applause

...on your your avatar? There has got to be a prize out there somewhere for that!! Gary punching into infinity...:rofl

Oh and what with the attacks on the splendid post by the OP. We see it often here, but in this case it seems out of place as he wasn't being even slightly preachy. Is IGNORE a big part of BARF culture?!

 

[mean dad]

attacks?
an opposing view point isn't an 'attack'. it is an opinion, just as other's view that he's bitchen cause he now hauls ass on a 'wing instead of a built-to-the-hilt rc51.
how many years did he ride like that? enough to be competent, at least. how many people now have a shit negative view of motorcycles, because of his dy passing, wheelies in traffic, etc.?
i don't know this guy, i don't know many of the riders on this board. what i read is a self-postulating confession, complete with heart-tugging references to friend and family.
sorry it didn't hit me in the soft spot like it did you, but i'd hardly call my post an attack.

 

[DataDan]

The meta-discussion ends here.

The topic is realization of the risk of fast riding (which all of us come to sooner or later), understanding the effect on friends and love ones, and finding ways to deal with our weaknesses.

 

[Coffae]

The meta-discussion ends here.

The topic is realization of the risk of fast riding (which all of us come to sooner or later), understanding the effect on friends and love ones, and finding ways to deal with our weaknesses.

Thank you Dan.

As children we react to our wants and desires. As adults we make sense of, and rationalize our wants and desires, as well as learn control. As mature adults we learn our effect on the others around us; first our loved ones, then our neighbors and then the world around us.

The subject of the story has taken a big step; a step that many will never accomplish in their lifetime.:thumbup

 

[Carlo]

Is this topic still open? I missed it when it first came by a year ago.
I never read the original SBR post either. Not that I don't necessarily agree or disagree. I had my own epiphany many years ago. I couldn't keep up with the really fast guys, and I finally quit trying.

Wasn't kabazauls a subject of one of the RIP threads last summer?

 

[StevenDavisFoto]

i thoroughly enjoyed your post SP. you didn't come off as preachy at all and i laugh at all these silly people who get all butt hurt and feel a need to insult you. you made the choice that was right for YOU and your family. anywayz, i don't even have a bike yet, but i fully respect and understand your decision.

 

[afm199]

I slowed my street riding down to less than spirited about six years ago, when I high sided on Redwood Road and went across the yellow into the dirt. I realized then that only luck had kept me from being a hood ornament. I'm Mr. slow guy now on street rides.