Sad to see, but that is reality

[Devaclis]

IMO, riding on the track does not = gaining great street knowledge. Where are your mirrors? Are you aware of what is going on behind you? No turn signals or hand signals? Anyone running across the track to t-bone you? Are you in someones blind spot? No, it may help you become better able to HANDLE your bike, on the track. I just do not see how it makes you a better over all rider.

[Sully]

Riding on the street is a challenge... it tests your skills and abilities to maneuver around unexpected objects, etc. The track is obviously a controlled environment (and is also a challenge) where you can learn to better your skills... minus the people running into you, over you, rabbits, snakes, etc...

[Xtremjeepn]

The problem with track riding is that you are in a near "perfect" environment. Every aspect that can be controlled has been. While many learn things from it, there is much that is missed that you face on the street. The 1005 "what ifs".


Here is the great analogy for the day:........ready?


Riding a motorcycle is like having sex. You decide you like it but would like to take it to a new level. This new level can only be had by going to that "special environment" In the special environment you have to pay to play, but you can do just about anything you want. (Whorehouse=Track)

You then decide that it is only fun at the track/whorehouse so you quit streetriding/normal sex!.............RIGHT?.......like we would give up sex.......haha!

I enjoy my ride to work!

[dirkterrell]

No, it may help you become better able to HANDLE your bike, on the track. I just do not see how it makes you a better over all rider.

Track and street are complementary. The track enables you to focus on the mechanics of riding without the distractions of the street. It certainly has made me a better overall rider. Knowing how to control a bike in extreme, near -the-limit situations does help on the street. Controlling a bike is controlling a bike, whether on the street or the track.

Dirk

[Sully]

Riding a motorcycle is like having sex. You decide you like it but would like to take it to a new level. This new level can only be had by going to that "special environment" In the special environment you have to pay to play, but you can do just about anything you want. (Whorehouse=Track)

You then decide that it is only fun at the track/whorehouse so you quit streetriding/normal sex!.............RIGHT?.......like we would give up sex.......haha!

I enjoy my ride to work!

...... ... I'm going to keep my "special environment" - special ! LOL

[Bueller]

My special purpose needs a special environment

[Sully]

You run your special purpose all over the place... in and out and up and down !

[Bueller]

But I always, mostly, usually wear my gear

[Devaclis]

I enjoy the challenge of riding on the street. And I enjoy getting to practice every day.

With track riding, how many miles/times/days are you on the track in any given year?

I still think that for all practical purposes, that is where I spend most of my time. That is where I practice.

[dillinger09]

Track and street are complementary. The track enables you to focus on the mechanics of riding without the distractions of the street. It certainly has made me a better overall rider. Knowing how to control a bike in extreme, near -the-limit situations does help on the street. Controlling a bike is controlling a bike, whether on the street or the track.

Dirk

+1

[Bueller]

I am on the track as much as I am on the street, it is a different form of riding were the challenge is to push your riding/cornering skills to the max. Same as riding a dirt bike is a whole different set of challenges that has nothing to do with street riding but the skills developed can only help make you a more proficient rider. Now riding a motorcycle on one wheel has no useful purpose advancing street skills, but it sure is fun

[TFOGGuys]

Now, I'll admit that It's only been a couple months, but I've already got 2500 miles on my bike, and I bet I'll have another 2500 before I put it away for winter.

Don't put it away, ride, ride, ride..... Get some cold weather gear and ride. I commute 60 miles round trip daily, and winter before last (what a fu*ker LAST winter was!), I drove a cage a grand total of 11 days...yeah, it's a little chilly at times, but damn, it makes you feel alive like nothing else. I almost went friggin postal last year, between the short daylight and the not being able to ride. I even marked it on the calendar, for the day I was gonna go berserk.

[TheStig]

Well Ill throw in how I feel about this topic as a pretty young guy (25) and a new rider. I have always loved...and what I really mean is obsessed about anything with a motor since I saw my dad wizzing around a track in his formula ford when I was 3. I had always wanted a bike, but it was just out of reach for me financially. Then this year my sister went out and bought a Harley Nightster and was riding alone alot. So even though im broke as a joke I took the plunge. I have done no track driving on the bike (yet...). I have learned a lot already riding on the street. I am constantly scanning traffic, intersections, etc. All in an effort to improve my awarness and skills on the street. I am dying to get out on the track though as I think it can really help me learn some good skills to use anytime I am on the bike. I think if I start racing, it will probably cause me to ride less on the street but only because I ride mostly on the weekends. I road race cars and have learned many skills to use on the street from that so I really think they compliment eachother. So far I just love riding and probably always will

You wont see me riding this winter though, I have no money for winter gear so if I did it would be in my snowboard gear haha.

[tarded400]

Nothin wrong with snowboarding gear if thats what ya got- my wife rode to denver today at 6 AM in her snowboarding pants and gloves. Said my stuff wouldn't fit her.

[HogGlider]

I feel a bit out of place here, but I hope none of you mind. I am not a sport bike rider, but if I wasn't such a road trip junky, I would have bought a sport bike and not my Dyna. I used to go to the AMA Superbike races back in Minnesota when I lived there (BIR Raceway in Brainerd), and I still find myself watching some of you guys cut through the corners when I am out on my rides to wherever, and it makes me wish I had one, but the Dyna has been good to me, so with that said, I don't want you all to take this as a biased opinion.





I can see where the concerns come from with some riders just getting away from it all now. I have wondered this same thing myself, and truth be told it's because of a couple things already mentioned.

The first one that I have to hit on is this;

I might get flamed for this, but I think too many people buy bikes that are way over thier abilities and don't have the sense to ride within thier abilities.

I have seen a lot of new riders who just want to buy a bike, but not just any bike. They all seem to want a sport bike. Why? Maybe some of you others may agree with me or not, but the thing that brings all these new riders to the sport bike is the hype that surrounds this specific type of machine. Sport bikers are "cool" they all get the babes (c'mon, we all get the lovin if you ride two wheels lol), and the fact that the sport bike is the "ultimate street machine" (which they are). I whole heartedly agree with the "buy what you want" mentality, like hell if I would let somebody tell me that I had to buy a Sportster and not my Dyna. The responsibility is on the buyer, not the seller of the machine. The rider needs to employ some restraint, some kind of concept of the machines abilities, and common sense, but many fail to.

The problem I (maybe some others), see here is that people buy into the hype of having a sport bike, and not what they can safely control. Like mentioned in the above qoute, the majority of these riders just go out to buy the biggest, baddest bike they can buy and go show it off. They usually won't take the time to learn how to properly handle the machine, let alone the simple respect for it. When you put an unexperienced rider on a combination such as this, its detrimental to not only themselves, but other riders around them, for example;

I will not be joining in on any of the scheduled rides when numerous people show up that I have not ridden with before. Too often I have seen them show up for their first ride and try to show off and it just isnt pretty. I am not just talking about wrecks here. Stupid turns in front of cars, poor decisions when passing etc...

I see this in group rides I have been on, so this isn't just in the sport bike community by any means, more common yes, but definitely not isolated to one aspect of the riding community. Things like this are exactly what will push riders away. The above quoted rider is a good example, he hasn't let it push him away entirely, but as he has said, he is likely not taking part in larger group rides, which nobody can blame him for that decision. Riding is clearly going to have some inherent dangers associated with it, we all know that otherwise we would all be driving cages 24/7. Those of you who take it to the track are looking to find the safest possible way to enjoy riding your machines, and at the same time pushing the limits of your skills and ultimately becoming a better rider for the street. I admire what you all do, and how well some of you handle these machines.

However, that "take it to the track" mentality doesn't exist with every rider on the roads today. I can usually come across a minimum of 3-5 riders each weekend I ride (and that is basically every weekend), that ride the streets as though it was the track. Some guys just blast down the road as fast as possible, dodging oncoming traffic, cutting cars (and other bikers) off, basically just blatant disregard for the safety of not only themselves, but others also. This really bothered me also;

the street is too costly for me. Seems like it's cheaper to fly down the track then it is to pick up a few traffic tickets. Even if I wreck at the track chances are that with so many experienced riders on the field I can get some constructive criticism. Not like wrecking on the street where all the witness have to say is "omg are you okay...you sob you were flying"

I know we all get that wild itch to be a little crazy once in a while, I will admit I have done this too, so I am not perfect by any means. The concept behind this rider's reasoning to go to the track just seems wrong to me (no disrespect Bassil, just a good example). Instead of going to the track to enjoy the ride, and pushing one's limits, they go to avoid the traffic tickets, the concerned motorist whose life you also endangered by riding irresponsibly on public streets. The point is that everybody needs to use common sense and reason if you are going to get wild on the streets. Is it really necessary to blow down the highway with the traffic at 100+ mph? How about dodging in and out of traffic to save a few minutes of your time? Probably not, but that's what the track is for, or some back country road with little to no traffic (which is a bitch to find out here I know).

The real problem is that generally it is a group of riders that behaves this way, either in their own group, or amongst other riders in a larger group. This not only pushes riders away from the immediate riding group (as we heard from above), but also other riders on the road. I know I am not the only one who loves hitting the twisties up through the foothills, but some riders don't get to fully enjoy these rodes because they avoid them due to such riders that I mentioned above.

No, I am not point fingers, or placing blame solely on the sport bike community for this happening. The entire motorcycle community, in my opinion, is responsible for this behavior. If we want to see a change in the trend that is forthcoming (ie new riders doing dumb crap, long time riders leaving groups etc...), then it is up to each and every one of us to lead by example. Set standards, rules, guidelines, or w/e for group rides and stick to them. If people in your group are getting a little more wild then they need to on the streets, educate them, or point them to the nearest track/empty parking lot.The streets are already dangerous enough and there is absolutely no need for making it any worse, we are all out here to enjoy the ride, and make it to another day of doing so.

[pilot]

Man, if I had a nickel, maybe a dime, for every time I saw posters from here riding past a "previously" mentioned speed or doing something a bit less than the reasonable norm, say passing with flair, etc., then, I could afford to buy a round of coffees (small) at the MoCo. Of course, I'd need to chip in for at least one cup myself.

On another note, the California Bike Week/Love Ride, is going well. Lots of standing on the feet selling bike stuff. But the cast of Harley riding characters are more than entertaining. And then there are the demo girls, but that is another story. Who is this woman in my hotel room???

[FZRguy]

The risk is part of the appeal. Sounds crazy but you all know what I mean. I ride dirt, street, track, and commute to work via bicycle. I’m a two-wheel junkie and neither inattentive cagers, weather, gloom of night, or even Ninja attack rabbits will keep me from riding. It's what makes me, me…it’s what makes me feel alive!

[-n8-]

It is risk all of us take, isn't it. I don't think riding would be as fun without the risk... Just me maybe.

Every time I ride (daily rider, no car) I ask myself if I am willing to accept anything that could happen to me, as I am sure the rest of you guys do.

When the reward no longer outweighs the risk, time to hang up the gear, sell the bike and buy yourself a nice side by side ATV.

Until then, pin it.

[gsxrguy5]

It's the natural progession of a rider perhaps.
I think that as you become a more competent rider, you want to try new things to challenge yourself and there is only so much you can do/try on the street safely. It's just so much easier to explore the limits of your bikes and yourself in the safe(er) confines of a track then a blind corner in a canyon. I assure you, if the experienced riders are leaving the street, it's probably more for their safety and experience.

[ZiaThunder]

It all comes down to how much risk are you willing to accept? What means more to you? For me I just luv to be on a bike, commuting to/from work, road trips, group rides to where ever and back, camping, on the track or coaching MSF classes. In the 2.5 years that I've been riding I've logged about 40,000 miles on my bikes.

I think the two things that have helped my riding the most is spending time on the track and coaching the MSF classes.

The time on the track has taught me how to ride the corners and not panic.... The leading cause of single vehicle (motorcycle) wreaks is the riders inablity to handle the bike in corners. No it doesn't help you deal with some of the road hazzards you are likely to come across, but can help with hazzard avoidance. It doesn't teach how to handle the bad drivers, but if you don't have to think about how to make the bike move it gives you more attention to focus on all of those cagers who are out to kill you. And, yes, that is how I view traffic. I assume they are all out to kill me and I ride accordingly.

Coaching has made me more aware of my basic skills, almost any fool can ride fast in a straight line, but it takes some skill to corner or manuver the bike in small/tight areas.

[CBRSue]

Oh, how I miss my teen years and pre-kid days when I enjoyed the thrill of street and dirt bike riding with little fear of the risks involved! With getting older and becoming aware of my own mortality and with adding the responsibility of parenting, I guess I could give up riding (and living for that matter) to "stay safe." But, how boring would that be? Instead, if there are risks involved, I do my best to minimize those risks... with skiing, the days of black double-diamond runs are over, yet I can still enjoy the sport (OK, I admit it, I mainly avoid the expert runs now due to my lack of strength and endurance these days! Hee, hee!)... and when riding motorcycles, I always wear a helmet, boots and gloves... and now I get to minimize the risks even further with the new leathers!

[pilot]

Oh, how I miss my teen years and pre-kid days when I enjoyed the thrill of street and dirt bike riding with little fear of the risks involved! With getting older and becoming aware of my own mortality and with adding the responsibility of parenting, I guess I could give up riding (and living for that matter) to "stay safe." But, how boring would that be? Instead, if there are risks involved, I do my best to minimize those risks... with skiing, the days of black double-diamond runs are over, yet I can still enjoy the sport (OK, I admit it, I mainly avoid the expert runs now due to my lack of strength and endurance these days! Hee, hee!)... and when riding motorcycles, I always wear a helmet, boots and gloves... and now I get to minimize the risks even further with the new leathers!

And when it comes to dealing with "fear", I recommend Susan Jeffers', Ph.D., book, "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway." In it one can see right away how easily we fall in to the trap of fear and what its sources are.

[arata954]

i agree with hog glider and with most everyone as well. my first bike was an 01 f4i, and that was more than enough for me. i about flew off when i finally redlined it after it was broke in. scared the shit out of me. i never lost respect for that machine, and was starting to get comfortable (NOT COMPLACENT) with it. i knew that i would want a 1k so i could keep up off the line with the literbikes. i have my 954 and think that will do me for years to come. i know that i could match the literbikes with more experience on the 600, but i wanted something i would be happy with for long years.

i also feel that a FIRST TIME rider not someone's age that should be considered for the level of bike choice. an 18 year old is just as new as a 30-40 year old who never opperated one before (GRANTED 30-40 year old would be more mature). i feel that the street is the ultimate test for the man and machine. the soccer mom on the cell phone is the best reaction tester. the street teaches and reminds you to stay more alert than on the track i think. (YES I ADMIT I HAVE NEVER ROAD TRACK BEFORE) but like previously stated, traffic all goes one way, and its controlled conditions. the street NEVER is.

one thing for sure, i will NEVER give up my bike, and never stop riding street. i would love to get into racing. even just a weekend track day thing, but i love seeing the world and love it on my crotch rocket

as for the going to die quicker on the street part.. im in iraq, 3rd time. i die when i die. doesnt matter how or why, just when. plus my kids will have 400k and be set for life. and no, they arent getting it right off. 100k invested, and 300k into a trust fund to be dolled out in increments. they dont get the full amount till 25-26 cause i know how stupid i was with moneny and credit

[clustermagnet]

Gents, was day dreaming in the shower this morning... as usual...

Funny thing is... topic is almost identical...

Street riding is identical to riding in the pits, being constantly spooked by parked cars.