AM I GETTING TO OLD FOR A SPORT BIKE - SERIOUS THREAD PLEASE

Maver-Nick · Post by **Maver-Nick** » Apr 19th, '07, 20:31

deej wrote: i can do a trackday here and there once ive got £200 in my back pocket, in fact i can book another 2 up once ive cancelled my insurance and no longer have a mot and rip off road tax to pay lol reading this thread and commenting on it has only made me want to give up road based sports bikes even more now, funny how the internet affects you aint it

Deej... will you cut it out mate... I'm gonna be calling the insurance company soon if you keep this up...

Good Idea... I'm easily influenced...

Blimey · Post by **Blimey** » Apr 19th, '07, 20:35

I'm with the trackday boys here.

I ride everyday to work and have done for many many years in all weather.

Now i don't have to as i have a car. But i choose to ride even in the snow.

Now do i love riding or just like it???

But i have considered giving it up and just do trackdays, as the road is getting too dangerous.

What i think is, its not down to if you love it or just like it. Its more to do with why you ride a bike.

The peeps on here who have considered to give up road riding are mostly those on sports bikes who like the buzz of speed. Ok Jon B has a bandit but look at his pics of trackdays (knee down pushing it)

I know peeps on here who ride sports bikes but walk or drive to work. I know it can be cheaper and maybe more convinient but if you love bikes and riding then you would ride, I wouldn't ride if i didn't love riding even in the snow.

I don't just ride to go flat out all the time or just cause i like it,

I LOVE IT

What i am saying is well i don't know really as i am now confused

Maver-Nick · Post by **Maver-Nick** » Apr 19th, '07, 20:42

Blimey wrote: What i am saying is well i don't know really as i am now confused

I take it that new batch of wine is ready then Mark ...

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Apr 19th, '07, 21:06

I think thats rubbish, riding in all weathers kinda destroyed my bike, ok it was oldish, but riding in the crap didnt help.
But also i cant carry my toolbox and safety kit and my lunch! All on my bike, so I have to drive to work as its not viable to ride my bike, and I love bikes. (to much sometimes!)

Blimey · Post by **Blimey** » Apr 19th, '07, 21:10

Tom wrote:I think thats rubbish, riding in all weathers kinda destroyed my bike

Tell me about it.

Destroyed every bike i have had for the last 15 years.

Hey the joys of bikeing and a great sunny Sunday cleaning with a can of Stella

The point i was making was, someone said if all you like doing is going flat out and want to give up road riding for trackdays then you must not love riding.

My prove is i ride everyday and still have these feelings

chris_1127 · Post by **chris_1127** » Apr 19th, '07, 22:01

thats not a love of biking blimey thats an obsession

having thoughts of selling up your road bike are one thing, but could you honestly sit outside your house on a sunny bank hoiday, listening to a queue of bikes flying past, with the knowledge that you can't get out on yours again until the next track day or race meet, and not want to rush straight out and buy one? Fair play to anyone who could sell up and do that, but I would just miss it too much I think - I'd rather just get out on a bike even if it means taking it easy, than sit and listen to them fly past all day.

by the way do people really think that the roads are getting more dangerous for bikes, or is it a case of what modern bikes are now capable of is just too much/dangerous for the road perhaps? Far as I can remember riding has always been a dangerous passtime, and for as long as I've been riding people have been coming off one way or another - some have walked away and some haven't been so lucky. an element of other road users have always been morons - I don't think theyre getting any more stupid though, and whilst the condition of the roads themselves isnt great I dont remember roads ever being much better? granted there's probably more traffic now than 10-15 years ago, but there have been improvements to safety too -bikes handle much better, stop much better, and tyres grip much better than they did then.

maybe i worded my original statement a bit wrong - maybe I should have differentiated a love of bikes and riding them, and a love of going really fast on a bike? I dunno, either way I wasnt trying to piss anyone off or knock anyones decision, just speaking from my own point of view

jason · Post by **jason** » Apr 20th, '07, 11:14

I agree with chris.

I pretty much took a sabatical from riding the roads to race bikes. Ok it was MX but the principle is the same and after a few years I just got fed up with it - you get to a point where all that matters is your position and how fast your riding I started picking up a lot of injuries and it started to get boring.

I quit and went back to riding road bikes, It really is more fun and there is alot more scope for enjoyment. There is so much more to road riding (when the weather is good), for a start how the hell are you meant to wheelie past lines of cars at a track day? I like the inherent danger associated with fast road riding it puts more of an edge on it. I like riding to pubs for a bite to eat on a sunny day. I like riding through Europe on incredible roads with stunning scenery...Im only a fair weather rider and my bike is just a Toy not a mode of transport.

Trackdays is just a tiny niche slice of what sports bike riding is all about.

I dont buy this "im to much of a nut to ride on the road" its the same as car drivers who tout the "I could never ride a bike Im to crazy a mad man me - Id kill myself"...yeh right

jimbo#9 · Post by **jimbo#9** » Apr 20th, '07, 11:30

your riding is as safe as you make it..
i travel though the worst traffic in barnie every day, (not at mo as im in the car till sat or mon)
if you ask me riding though n past all these hazards hone your riding skills.
ive never done a track day n to be honest aint considering one..
i get enough joy at the expense of the tax payer..

leaving the grinning (?@!$) at the lights behind is a favourite of mine .
observation .. conditions.. brain fodder..

jimbo#9 · Post by **jimbo#9** » Apr 20th, '07, 11:46

chris said it..
could you listen to the bikes ragging it down the road on the finest of days.
i live by a major road, n i hear what he says spot on..
sundays.. in the garden. enough to make you go out on push bike,, with ya helmet on. broom broom broooooooom. lol.

Blimey · Post by **Blimey** » Apr 20th, '07, 18:56

Well Speedy you have created a very interesting thread. Hope theres no charge for all of us posting about it

Chris your right mate i couldn't live with listening to bikes riding by all the time and havin to wait till next trackday

Anyhow what i wanted to say was i agree with something that everyone as posted in a way but i guess we all have our own views and opinions and reasons for havin to ride.

But what we all preety much agree on is bikes are our lives and we all love them and none of us could completely do with out one, weather its road riding, trackdays or racing its there and that is what is drawing us all together

Keep it safe all and love you all so so so much

Feelin emotional now

baz-R · Post by **baz-R** » Apr 20th, '07, 19:08

Blimey wrote: love you all so so so much

Feelin emotional now

remind me not to stand next to you in the pisser

deej · Post by **deej** » Apr 21st, '07, 21:45

yep cheers webber, my mate woody's already offered me some freebie tickets as im helping him out with some consumables for his gsxr. was hoping to have been at pembrey but got a blooming christening to go to. at least its given me chance to clear the garage out to make space for the trailer and workbench that'll be arriving soon lol
will try and make it to a meeting later in the season

was it you i was speaking to outside steves on thursday afternoon ??

deej · Post by **deej** » Apr 21st, '07, 21:56

this threads going to keep rolling and rolling and speedys not even commenting on it anymore lol

nick you know it makes sense, my cbr's gone back to standard today, the search for a decent trackbike begins.

as chris asked, yes modern bikes are getting too powerful for the normal road rider, does a gixxer 1000 need 3 different power modes, no is the answer( its called the throttle on all other bikes ). racers will junk the switch and they have the skills to use it, us mere mortals dont need to play around with it.
a customer of mine was telling me today about how many riders crash on new tyres, is it the tyres fault or lack of skill from the rider ?? how often do yuo see a experienced rider crash on new tyres ??

i could listen to all the bikes scream past as for every bike theres 5 corsa's/calibra's/fiestas full of chavs with big exhausts and loud stereoes, theres also the 84year old pensioner who cant see over the steering wheel,the ignorant taxi drivers who only care about the next fare and dont forget the area sales manager whos ahd his pub lunch and a few glasses of wine

at the end of the day we all love bikes in our won way and we all want to ride them differently so lets all enjoy our bikes whilst we can

speedy(delboy) · Post by **speedy(delboy)** » Apr 22nd, '07, 02:56

deej wrote:this threads going to keep rolling and rolling and speedys not even commenting on it anymore lol

Oh no, I read every reply deej.

Just that I said I think around page 3 that it must have just been a wierd day for me.

I mean I had a little blast yesturday and everything was fine, no wierd feeling or anything.

But, I do watch this thread with great interest.

tomr6 · Post by **tomr6** » Apr 22nd, '07, 08:42

deej wrote:
does a gixxer 1000 need 3 different power modes, no is the answer( its called the throttle on all other bikes ). racers will junk the switch and they have the skills to use it, us mere mortals dont need to play around with it.

at the end of the day we all love bikes in our own way and we all want to ride them differently so lets all enjoy our bikes whilst we can

Deej, racers have been using different power curves on their bikes for years. They get monitored from the pits and when necessary the pit crew tell them to switch to a different power map. Sometimes harsher (catch a rival) and sometimes softer ( save tyre wear).

Gixxers need 3 different power curves for a number of reasons but the main one I suspect is the commercial aspect of having a bovine faeces chat about power delivery in the warmth of your local pub.

Totally agree with your last statement though.