IF YOU DID NOT LIKE MY LAST THREAD AFTER MY CRASH PLEASE STOP READING NOW!!!!!!:thumb: I am sure this will not sit well with all the riders out there but I just want to state what I have found to be the best reasons to track ride over street ride. This past weekend it all became clear to me why my street rides have not been as fulfilling as I remembered them in all the past years and my visits to the track have become more than just an added expense. You see I am not your average rider, I have a lot of trouble just going out for what some would call a Sunday Ride. When I throw a leg over my bike I become one with a machine that I control, and I like to test my limits as well as the machine I am riding. I remember a time when my buddies and I would laugh at track riders that rode on the street because we were faster than they were and just could not understand why someone would spend so much money on riding at the track to be so slow. You see I now understand that they are not necessarily slower than me because they cannot ride as fast as me. THEY SEE ALL THE DANGERS THAT I HAVE BEEN IGNORING FOR YEARS!! I had a buddy tell me last year after my first track day that he only needed to spend more time on the track to hang in with the FAST guys on the street. I explained that this simply was not totally true. While track riding allows you push the envelope of you and your bikes ability it does not asks you to throw ALL caution to the wind like being a fast street rider does. I know that sounds careless and a lot of FAST riders will tell you that they are in control, but I will argue that there are just to many things involved with street riding that you have zero control of like other drivers going the opposite direction being the biggest one as well as cars that dominate the surface you are riding on. There simply are more things that get in the way of being as fast on the street. cars, deer, dog, cat, stopped vehicle, farming equipment, cops ect. So what I am saying is the only ways to be fast on the street is to ignore all the above or convince yourself that you are capable of dealing with any and all possible scenarios presented above. Track riding is different in that it requires you to perfect your craft almost to a point that most riders will consider it a job rather than enjoyable. The riders speed, corner entry speed, turn in point, corner exit, braking points and acceleration coupled with achieving all this as smoothly as possible is what makes him fast and SAFE. Anyone can go out there and lay down a reckless FAST LAP, but doing it in a safe and controlled manner takes thought and requires you to be able to repeat the same action every lap, at the same reference points ect. While translating this to the street can be done, it just does not cross over as well since every turn is different and conditions change every second to unknowns. Safety is paramount at the track. It is not left totally up to the rider to make sure that their bike is in a satisfactory condition to be pushed to speeds well past considered safe on the street. A minimum standard has been set for rider gear to help protect the rider in the event of a crash ( NO NOVELTY BRAIN BUCKETS HERE ). You will not see some brainless teenager on the track in flip flops, no shirt and shorts just because it is hot outside. NO EXCUSES like I just cannot afford the proper riding gear. Without proper gear and you do not ride plain and simple. Unlike on the street everyone is going the same direction, and you have the WHOLE RACE SURFACE at your disposable, not just the 10 feet on your side of the road the only way I can think of a head on collision happening is if someone spins out in front of you and you hit them. Everyone signs the same waiver which basically says you understand the risks involved and do not hold anyone else or the organization liable for any accidents that you or others may cause. And if you are riding like a BONEHEAD you can be sure that you will be ejected from the event. When was the last time you got a waiver from some person in a car that they understand the risks involved with you using the roadway as your personal race track. No matter what you think, you are not the only person taking the risk on the street when you ride at speeds intended for a track you take a chance of you or your bike becoming a weapon against innocent people. If you loose control you could kill someone as well as yourself. At the track the unexpected is not so unexpected. Unlike on the street where most turns are a blind crap shoot the track offers the benefits of corner workers. Is there something on the road surface that might create a problem for you?? They help identify these things, whether it be an animal that has wondered on to the track or a piece of equipment that has fallen off another riders bike or possibly a rider and machine on the track that may be in your path. When was the last time you saw some person on the side of the road identifying a dangerous situation that you are approaching at breakneck speeds. The corner workers also have a duty of making sure that the rules of the track are being followed. If by chance they see someone taking risks that could endanger other riders they have the power to remove you from the track surface. There may have been a crash on the track and they need to get emergency services to a rider they would display a red flag effectively ending the session till the rider and bike can be removed. Coaching and mentoring is also an added perk to track riding. Just because you think you are doing everything right does not mean you are. These coaches will keep you humble and I am thankful for that. So if you like to ride fast or just want to experience what these sport bikes are all about you need to get out on the track where you do not have to worry about loosing your license. Plus, should the worst happen you are only a mile or so from medical attention and the best family you will ever find short of your own flesh and blood.
I hear you Dragon, just one point: If you keep with the monologs you will put Heala-Coil out of business, two guys doing the same job. J/K :cheers:
HAHA! :lmao: I'm sorry but thats funny right there. Anyway, i totally agree with you Dragon. I have lost a bit of the "street" love after track as well. Best way i put it to a buddy: Riding the street safely is like only rocking the missionary position. Sure, its fun but once you hit the track and learn everything else you can do, it just seems......kind of boring.
It is amazing how that concept is lost on a lot of people (street riders). I love riding on the street and still ride on the street a lot, pretty much daily. I often run across guys who want to ride fast and get aggravated when I won't partake in the shenanigans. Some have even gone as far as to say that I don't want to because I know they are faster than me (because they passed me on the road). As the saying goes "it doesn't count if you are the only one who is racing". Before I started riding on the track, I spent a long time riding up and down the mountains, 8-12hrs every day. I was the "fastest" of my riding buddies and thought I was really tearing it up. Then I started riding on the track and realized I wasn't shit. ound: Street fast doesn't = track fast. Most of the guys who think they are "fast" on the street are barely mid-pack in the Novice group. They think they are pushing their bike/tires/etc to the limit on the street, but they aren't. Not even close. Now, when I ride on the street I ride MUCH slower than I did before I started riding on the track/racing. My skillset is much higher and I could easily ride faster with better control, but it isn't worth it. When I ride on the street, I simply enjoy being on a motorcycle. I have absolutely nothing to prove.
So is this the universal experience? I totally could have written it myself. Boy, my first day as an amateur lightweight racer on an EX500 sure opened my eyes! Figured out FAST that I was the slowest guy out there and didn't know my apex from my asshole. Oh well, There was nothing I could do but improve.... :first:
Yep same here. I used to ride really stupid(FAST) on the street when I was younger. One crash and I could of easily been killed. I also thought I was fast then my first track day happened a few weeks ago. HOLY CRAP I am not as fast as I thought. I was pretty sure I was riding in the 1:40's(Felt like that anyways) at Barber. NOPE not even close to that, my wife was timing me and crushed me when she said that I was at the 2 min mark. Well crap, watching it on TV looks soooooo easy. I now know that I am nowhere near as fast as I thought. But I had a blast and look forward to more track days. I still ride on the street just not my R1 I will continue to do long road trips on my Road Glide. I am in the process of tearing my R1 down and making it a pure track bike. Thanks to all the caoches that weekend and I look forward to learning more. Even though I have been riding motorcycles for over 30yrs i still have a TON to learn!!
Dragun, this is a common feeling among most of us. I hardly ever ride on the street anymore. I really don't want to ride with some of the groups I did before, because 150 down a straight, or busting the yellow line on a 2-lane highway is just plain stupid, and yet I sense their contempt because I won't 'keep up'. I see a lot more than I ever did before I started track riding....
ha! i used to log easily 10k+ miles a year, the last 4 = 0.. i lost interest in it and honestly don't trust the ppl around me in cars, the last time i was out i was nearly hit a few times by ppl not paying attn, had a guy in an audi come up the right side of me at a stop light because he was reaching for something in his car :wtf: that was when i made my educated decision to stay the fugg off the roads. We used to make trips to deals gap & we all thought we were the shit.. then.... i went to putnam & then road america & i quickly learned that i was pretty terrible, the rest is history & i wouldn't have it any other way.
I don't ride with others on the street to avoid the pack think. I do enjoy road riding though and have 40K of non-commuting miles on my 04 CBR1000RR. I have hit 26 states with a goal of the 48 contiguous states. A lot of mountain miles but also some long rides like out through LA to TX and then up to Kansas and back home which was a fair amount of flatland. That said I also love track riding. The two are just different to me not exclusive.
I sold my street bike last spring after owning it for 4 years and putting a whopping 4000 miles on it - I miss the bike but not the street riding. My only regret is never having brought it to the track (Buell 1125CR). If I want wind in my face I will buy a convertible (no gear to dawn on and off).
Just sold my streetbike last week - not regretting it. Now I have some extra dough to spend on some Ohlins cartridges :bounce:
The most extreme lean angles and corner speeds I'll attempt on the street are pretty much equivalent to corner one, lap one of the first session on Saturday morning It really chaps my ass when street badasses think I have no skills because I won't follow them flying through traffic at 130mph on the highway, too. All you can do is to invite them to the track.
I agree as well that once I began riding on the track, I noticed that I rode on the street in a more reserved manner. Not that I was scared but that I did not feel the need to push the limits of my bike. However, I do understand those that still do that because that is their only outlet for that kind of riding. I am not condoning it by any means either. So, I try to encourage those that still ride on the street that way to put their bike on the track so they can push the limits of themselves and their bike in a more controlled environment. The biggest hurdle I come across is that a lot of guys that ride on the street have no idea about track days and how to get involved with them. Since I am military, I have asked the base riding group/safety office to provide the base population information about track days especially to the sportbike community. I was unsuccessful in getting that accomplished. They are more concerned with them attending the MSF course. Unfortunately, most of the young airmen I know buy a 600cc or bigger sportbike as their first bike and end up wrecking it within the first year of owning it due to lack of experience. But I will continue to encourage all of them I meet to at least try one track day. As we all know, once they try it they will be hooked.
Yep I enjoy road riding but have seen a few cases of helilifts and ambulances with the lights off in the mountains. It ain't the track and thinking so will not result in a long life. The folks that come down from up north scare me the most. They do not realize that there is zero runoff in most places unlike the open fields up there.
I tried out the track for the same reason I took MSF - to learn better motorcycle control. The track has taught that much better than MSF, obviously, but there is plenty to learn at MSF and more for those with an open mind. Street riding should be a completely different approach to track riding. It is not about performance riding, it is about minimizing risks and hazards and staying alive. I don't intend to quit riding the street any time soon. Some of us enjoy logging 1,000 miles in the saddle over the course of a weekend, camping and enjoying a beer around the fire with a friend or two in the evening in a beautiful setting. :thumb:
On a night last summer before a trackday, after just having changed fluids and prepped the bike, I threw on my leathers and headed down to lower wacker and the loop. I basically broke every single rule of my own that night and swore I'd never again put my leathers on for a street ride. Group rides...I'm more worried about an accident with another bike than the cars around us. In my first summer on the street last year, I can count three times where dumb luck is the only reason I'm not dead. The worst of it was as I went through an intersection a kid in a civic didn't see me and tried to hurriedly turn right into traffic. Somehow he didn't hit me but I had about one foot on either side of me with a civic on my right and a semi on my left. Seriously considering not renewing my registration next month and cancelling my insurance on the bike.