Poll - Track vs. Street Crashes

[Trashed 600]

Secondly, why do you think people crashed? Lack of skill, Peer Pressure, Trying something new out, Bad riding conditions, Unfamiliar territory, or just because they bought some fancy riding gear & wanted to test out the durability of it?

Why the Poll???? =->>

Okay, so a buddy of mine went for his 2nd ever track day & bailed making his bike inoperable for the rest of the day; so he got to watch everyone else having fun for the day. He said he felt the excitement/pressure of being at the track with lots of other riders & he just pushed himself too hard on unfamiliar territory. For him it was possibly unfamiliar because it's just too costly & time consuming to make it to a track than to hit some well know back roads.

I posted this in the skills sections; because maybe we could help each other out with some insight on what caused us to go down.

 

[Charmed]

Riding above your head is probably the most common cause of crashing on both, but I think the pure number of street riders vs. track makes the answer easy. That and the significant number of hazards on the street.

 

[flying_hun]

Ben!!!111111

Considering I've done at least 20000x as many miles on the street as I have on the track... Uh let me see, divide the product, and carry the 7, and wait, wut?

 

[stangmx13]

u should prob update the poll to include some reference for the comparison.

if we are talking per rider or per miles travelled, track.

if we are talking total crashes, street obviously.

 

[budman]

u should prob update the poll to include some reference for the comparison.

if we are talking per rider or per miles travelled, track.

if we are talking total crashes, street obviously.

Agreed. I went with
Per mile in my head and that to me is the track.
Waaaaaaaay more street riders out there so you need something to define the madness.

 

[SuperMike]

I could only answer for myself. I've crashed on the street more times than I have at the track.

 

[budman]

To reply to Mikes reasoning I am three times more likely to crash on the track with 1/50th - 1/500th of the miles. Two street crashes in 40 plus years.

However I will admit I never hit a horse trailer on the track.

 

[Butch]

I think that is an "apples and oranges" question. Track crashes are largely (er, my case} just going too hot. Street crashes are kinda out of your control, if you are a smart rider. I suppose the same is true for the track.

My score is two street and one track. Many miles of each. None were my fault. Or perhaps, all were my fault.

 

[latindane]

Right, I also went on "per rider (who rides both street and track)". I'm 1 street to, ummm, 4 track if I remember correctly.

Why is this in "Riding skills"?

 

[afm199]

I think both crashes share similar roots.

Lack of attention is the primary. The instant we stop looking ahead, scanning, and analyzing is the instant that our behavior becomes dangerous.

On the track rushing corners is a primary, on the street probably not so much, though aggressive riding certainly plays a part.

I ride far more on the track and thus crash more there. My last street crash was probably 15 years ago.

 

[stangmx13]

I think that is an "apples and oranges" question. Track crashes are largely (er, my case} just going too hot. Street crashes are kinda out of your control, if you are a smart rider. I suppose the same is true for the track.

My score is two street and one track. Many miles of each. None were my fault. Or perhaps, all were my fault.

id agree that some street crashes are out of your control, or at least that a crash that is out of your control is more likely on the street than on the track. but we cant rule out rider errors on the street. rem, the majority of moto crashes on the street are actually 1 vehicle incidents. so a rider is more likely to go down all by themselves than to get hit by a car.

id guess that the number of crashes on the track that are caused by someone else is vastly smaller than rider errors.... unless u are riding w/ guys that exit the pits and just take the race line.

ive got A LOT of track crashes in 6 years. they increased sharply once i started racing. i think im at 9 or 10 and all were my fault. in 40k street miles over 12 years (ya i dont ride there much anymore), i have 4 crashes and 2 were not my fault.

 

[sckego]

3 street crashes in ~200k miles / 10 years
2 track crashes in ~40 track/race days

On a per mile or per day basis, track crashes are waaaay more common. On the other hand, one typically rides harder/faster on the track than on the street, and trying to carry that same speed from the track onto the street would probably lead to more street crashing.

 

[stangmx13]

3 street crashes in ~200k miles / 10 years
2 track crashes in ~40 track/race days

On a per mile or per day basis, track crashes are waaaay more common. On the other hand, one typically rides harder/faster on the track than on the street, and trying to carry that same speed from the track onto the street would probably lead to more street crashing.

ive got a FB friend that used to race that tries to do exactly this. he posts a crash pic of him or one of his friends like once a week :facepalm

 

[NSR500]

I think it happens more on the track, but in my opinion it's also safer on the track.

 

[latindane]

Must... not... Ah, screw it
http://youtu.be/VruWHHEnZGw

youtu.be/VruWHHEnZGw

 

[sckego]

Must... not... Ah, screw it

You're on the list! http://bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8509861&postcount=13 :laughing

 

[latindane]

You're on the list! http://bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8509861&postcount=13 :laughing

No! That one? A repost? On barf???

That's what the introductory line was hinting at

 

[Trashed 600]

u should prob update the poll to include some reference for the comparison.

if we are talking per rider or per miles travelled, track.

if we are talking total crashes, street obviously.

I wanted to have a poll that had reasons for crashing as well as where our riders thought it happened more often; not so much a comparison of how often people make it out to the track or the road; but where they see/hear about more crashes & what kind of wisdom they can pass on so others don't "fall".

 

[Honey Badger]

I think it's hard to say as the base cause of solo crashes is probably riding over one's head or your ambition exceeding your talent :laughing

That being said, the track is basically an environment where we are encouraged to push our personal limits a little bit. I would imagine there are more people who are willing to push more on a track than they will on a street, especially the older we get :afm199

I'll admit, my worst crashes by far were on the track - but I was doing things I would NEVER do on the street....so the super simplistic pole is a little too simplistic for me to feel like I can vote.

Someone who rides at the exact same level in both environments is more likely to have crashes on the street.

Someone who, like me, is willing and wants to push limits more on the track than on the street is probably more likely to have track crashes.

But the trigger here is how close to my own limits I am, not the environment I'm choosing to push them in. The difference at that point is the relative safety of the two in comparison.

 

[Trashed 600]

u should prob update the poll to include some reference for the comparison.

if we are talking per rider or per miles travelled, track.

if we are talking total crashes, street obviously.

Nah, whole point was just street vs. track - perhaps riders feel more confident after all the street miles & wreck on the track because they can go Balls Out on the track without restrictions (animals, people, weather...whatever).