Strictly Track?

[675Rider]

How many of you ONLY ride the track? Or only ride your sportbike on the track and something less performance oriented on the street?

I am just wondering because I find myself wanting to only ride the track more and more each year. The street is becoming less and less appealing to me. I guess it started in the summer of '07 I watched a very close friend of mine get run over by an SUV right in front of me and Ive witnessed several people badly injured on the street. Im married and have a daughter to think about and Im so paranoid about street riding its hardly fun anymore. I rarely see anyone badly injured or bikes totalled at the track.

Just wondering some of your thoughts. Thanks.

[Zach929rr]

I have found myself riding less and less on the street during the past few months. Probably went from 2-3 canyon rides a week when I got the bike in March to maybe 1 a week now. Love me some track time.

[dragos13]

I started riding on the street in 05 on an 02 F4i. By 06, I had already lost one friend and had another seriously injured, loosing his right leg. I started doing trackdays on an F3 that I got for a grand during the end of 06. I sold my street bike and was racing with the MRA in April 07. I have never looked back. Track only for me because you just can't be a good enough rider on the street to avoid all possibilities. To me, its more enjoyable and I'm able to really push my limits. I have thought about getting back on the street but I dont think its something I will ever do. IMO, just too scary and no longer that enjoyable. I borrowed a friends bike in 07 to ride the canyons, and I found myself having no fun.

[RajunCajun]

I've never ridden on a track and really want to, but I don't think I'll ever give up street riding. It's the ability to get out and ride to new places and see amazing views and meet new people along the way, that makes me love riding. Granted, I don't have any children, or a wife. Just riding track, wouldn't be "riding" to me....

[N1KSS1KS1x]

I havent been on the street at all this year and miss doing some rides but dont miss riding to work or in the city anywhere one bit. I love the feeling of throwing my leg over the bike and be able to go ride to my limit and really push. Just cant do that on the street with out more foul shit happing.
Now just cause your at the track doesnt mean you cant wad up a bike. It happens and so does getting hurt from time to time.

[675Rider]

Cajun, Yeah thats the part I would miss of street riding, but the track is the beez neez man. If you like to see what you and your machine can do thats the place to do it.

N1, yeah I know theres always risk, but its more of a calculated risk...I feel.

[RajunCajun]

I can't really say you shouldn't give up street riding, I've seen buds go down and get hurt, some bad I think it comes down to how much you are willing to risk to feed your fix. For me right now, street is safe enough and still super enjoyable. I can understand how it would be different for others. Who knows, but maybe when I finally do get some track time, things will change a bit for me too.

[*GSXR~SNAIL*]

I'm without a bike right now. If and when I get another, it'll only be on the track.

[Sean]

I love riding the track, but I still love riding the street. Hell, I just love riding. I've been doing track days for two years now and riding the street for three; there is nothing that compares. I commute everyday on the bike and still do rides on my lunch break or after work. I even do a canyon ride every now and then, but there's only a couple people I really enjoy riding with. For me it is two completely opposite mind sets. One is getting your knee down in a corner and the other is enjoying beautiful Colorado. I don't go fast on the street, but I still love it.

I find it best to have a cheap street bike and a cheap track bike.

[rforsythe]

I have a dual sport for the street now, I really only ride sportbikes on the track anymore.

[eklew]

I don't go fast on the street, but I still love it.

But you also don't go fast on the track either!!!! j/k man.
I also only ride on the track now. I no longer have a street bike but I do love riding the scooter around town!!!

[Sean]

But you also don't go fast on the track either!!!!

At least I'm consistent!

[Player 2]

I'm leaning more and more towards track only. It's hard for me to shut down my "wanna go faster" mentality when I head up the hills on a lovely racetr... errr.... road like HWY 7.

When I do dial it back and just cruise I tend to get bored. Maybe it's time to invest in a DS

[racedk6]

once I did my first race I was done with the street. When I did trackdays I slowly stopped riding on the street.

I took a few bikes out for a test ride last month and was scared out of my mind and more paranoid then I ever have been in my life.

[Black Phantom]

I don't enjoy my Speed Triple or the TL in the canyons ever since I started doing track days. My gf and I went out last week and I didn't enjoy one bit of it, she did though. I had all week to myself this week and never thought about taking any of the bikes out, now three months ago it would have been a different story.
The good thing is my gf is looking to do track days and maybe race which will make things a lot easier on me and she doesn't have to sit at the track and watch me. Plus I was nervous when she was picking up speed in the canyons so I'm hoping the track will make her not want to ride the canyons, not fast anyway.
We do enjoy the canyons when out on the cruisers as we don't go fast, butn ow looking for a double purpose bikes so we can do some exploring.
Sooo the more I do track days the less I do canyons.

[cromer611]

I get really stupid on the street if im riding a bike.

[Graphite675]

Once I started riding the track I quickly lost the desire to ride the street. My 675 is track only now and I don't miss the streets at all. I do have a supermoto that I go out for a spin on occasionally but it's a more casual ride and they are few and far between.
Too many risks on the street. Tickets, guard rails, soccer mom's on there cell phones, the list goes on. It's just not worth it. The little pleasure you get from riding the streets doesn't come close to the risks involved.
Honestly I've come to the conclusion that riding a sportbike on the streets is absurd. Really, who needs a 160 HP R1 on the streets. It's only going to lead to trouble.

I encourage everyone I see to get off the street and enjoy the track more. Just tired of seeing young kids killed riding these bikes around on the streets.

just my 2c.

.

[N1KSS1KS1x]

Its gotten to be wired to be on a bike and not go fast. The challenge of gettting faster per lap and battling with other racers is hard to match on the street. I can see the same corners every 2mins and see through umm. The canyons ya can't get that. Plus the worries of traffic, sand, oily shit, gaurdrails, cops, Wildlife (huh Mike didnt you hit like 4 deer lol). its not as fun and I too get stupid pretty quick sometimes on the street. Dont get my wrong rides r fun its a fucking zen for me to be on the bike in the hills. I just cant have fun right now cause to many times during a ride right now I'm fighting the bike and the devil with the erge to go faster. Plus most of the time a descent pace just enough to keep me and the group happy is already like 10 point tickets. So once I get some of this out of my system and get a little older it'll be fun again up in the hills. I have noticed though helping new riders was alot of fun. Teaching and watching skills get better is so cool to see.

[N1KSS1KS1x]

Forsure the more I went to the track the less I rode crazy on the street. I could switch my bike from street to race minus safety wire in 25min. I was doing it so much. Then I had a 6 lap battle with this guy on a 250 at pmp at a trackday for Bob and it was over I had to race. Now trackydays just wernt enough. Its an addiction. Its good pure shit t0

[Spiderman]

R1 on the street, R6 on the track.

I love riding the track, but I still love riding the street. Hell, I just love riding. I've been doing track days for two years now and riding the street for three; there is nothing that compares. I commute everyday on the bike and still do rides on my lunch break or after work. I even do a canyon ride every now and then, but there's only a couple people I really enjoy riding with. For me it is two completely opposite mind sets. One is getting your knee down in a corner and the other is enjoying beautiful Colorado. I don't go fast on the street, but I still love it.

I find it best to have a cheap street bike and a cheap track bike.

Same here, for the most part.

I got my R1 in '02 and started going to the track with it. As I was learning the track, I was using what I had learned and ended up taking (in retrospect) some stupid risks on the street. In '03 I took a track school, did some more track days, got my race license, and picked up a racebike. I started racing in '04, and still wasn't making the smartest of choices when I rode the canyons. I'm happy to say that changed over time tho.

I use my R1 mainly for commuting now, and the occasional canyon ride (and even rarer overnight trip ). I don't ride fast in the canyons anymore... I could if I wanted to, I just choose not to.

For me it's a completely different mindset when I throw my leg over a streetbike, compared to when I'm at the track. On the street it's: every car is gonna run into me; there's gravel in every corner, and; a deer is gonna jump out any second now. But I still enjoy it... I just love riding!

To each his (or her) own.

[sp0rtygrl]

I have no desire to ride on the track; I love street riding and do it everyday. In all my years of riding on the street I have never had a close call (knock on wood). But I’m also not an aggressive rider I’ll let cars over instead of trying to pass them, I go the speed limit and always watching the cars around me, never trusting no one. I guess my bike is a cruiser in disguise.

[*GSXR~SNAIL*]

... In all my years of riding on the street I have never had a close call (knock on wood).

Astonishing, is all I can say.

Whether it be a fault of the rider or the surroundings they are riding in, this is amazing to me.

[Think]

Astonishing, is all I can say.

Whether it be a fault of the rider or the surroundings they are riding in, this is amazing to me.

I can probably speak for most people here and say I've had too many to count in the short 2 years I've been riding.

[AnarchoFuturist]

I'd like to try track riding one day, but would like to get a seperate bike for that purpose(I'd hate to scratch up my gorgeous gixxer). I think the trick is to know when its ok to speed and when it's time to just chill and go the speed limit. I typically will only speed when there aren't many people around. If its rush hour traffic like when I'm coming home from work on sante fe, I go the speed limit, keep my eyes peeled and stay concervative about passing people.

Another thing the street riders here may want to consider is getting an air-bag jacket. I recently picked up a hit-air jacket and I really like it so far. It's not really much different than a ordinary textile jacket as far as look and feel(just as light). There is a reason motorcycle cops wear them in Japan and europe.