What does Racing teach to Street?

Human said:

no it won't be....good thing ? bad thing ? I dunno...

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Good thing because you learn exponentially and its alot of fun, also you get your speed kicks out in a safe environment and you dont endanger yourself on the street

Bad thing cause riding on the road loses ALL of its appeal and fun, therfore you have to wait, pay and drive (well tchan drives me ) to enjoy riding

BMatthews said:

Probably a good thing. You'll be happier to just cruise (as in sportbike mode cruising, not cruiser cruising) when you know you don't have anything to prove.

You'll also realize how resitrictive streets or highways are with their oncoming traffic and blind corners.

I went through this with my driving after racing for a few years. I still USED my car on the street but I didn't feel like I had to prove anything. To a large extent this is still evident in my riding speeds. I'm far from the fastest guy out there but I lke to think it's my racing background that holds me in check. Well, OK that AND the expensive paint job on my fairings....

I was on a ride with my wife's Beemer club around the Duffy lake Loop. I was in the lead for about 20 minutes when a couple of them decided I was being too cautious and went around me. They were doing straights faster than me at around 130 to 150 while they were in sight and went around blind corners with drops on the outside at serious speeds. And remember that this is an area that has mucho wildlife in the woods and suffers from rock falls onto the road on a regular basis. How they havn't had an accident is beyond me.

Or maybe I'm just a wuss.....

(donning Kevlar Jockey shorts........ )

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Bmatthews - I am actually very similar to you, on the street i am one of the slower guys cause i see no need to prove or risk anything

I was luck in that i was able to do track days way before i even had a motorcycle license (the r6 was my first bike and i have only ridden street bikes for 4 months and about 2500kms), and this provided me with an exceptionally steep learning curve as i was fortunate to have good instructors

it is very easy to see this, put someone on the track who have been doing numerous track days for only a year or so with a person who has been street riding for 10-20 years and you will see the difference

that is why i totally recommend track days, you will all improve immensley

tchan748 said:

living proof
You think i could still be walking around if i had crashed 4 times last season on the streets, instead of on the racetracks? ( and numerous times before ).
If you read the bike mags, most of the bike racers don't even own a streetbike. During offseasons, they go motocrossing instead. I highly recommand everybody that rides go to a riding school on a track at least once, the sooner the better. Some of us does not have the lux. of learning on the racetrack at a trackday or school and have to learn it the hard way on the street because motorcycle trackdays were not as popular even just a couple of years ago. To have a website like this one dedicated to local riders was unhearded of. Riders that just started to learn now are luckier than those of us that has to learn the hard way. Treasure what you have available to you now and listen to people that have been thru it (and make your own judgement!). Also thanx those who take their time to organise and run this website. Remember: Knowledge is Power!
Got to go to the Dr to fix my shoulder now, later.

tc

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holy cow your awake, its only 10:eek

Peach said:

yah - what ARE you doing up at 10 in the am????
I was sure you were a vampire or something

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i know wierd huh 10am!!!! he must be getting ready to go bed or something?:laughing

Hu99 said:

I do think too much emphasis is placed on getting track time though.

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Just IMO i dont think too much emphasis can ever be placed on something that could one day save you life, and i am a true beliver that the skills you learn on a track regarding riding and bike control could quite possible save your life one day should you ever encounter an emergency situation

much like helmets and gear, i can never emphasis that enough either

but you are right you dont have to do track days to enjoy your bike, just look at harley riders, they LOVE riding and there bikes but never set foot on a track

to each his own

BMatthews said:

That's a bare faced LIE. Harley riders often can be seen at race tracks......... at the BEER gardens..........

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sorry i forgot, you mean they are at the beer gardens at the NASCAR races right!