why did you get off the street

[Hoblick]

i know alot of people who started riding the track have completely stopped riding the street.

i know the track is alot of fun.. and probably the most exciting riding i have ever done. But there is no way i could stop riding the street. I love to tour way to much. nothing like traveling the back roads on a motorcycle.

[drew95gt]

I'm with ya man, I don't care how much fun track riding is...nothing beats hitting the back roads on a nice warm summer day and just cruising along.

[TwiztedRabbit]

Well the wife and i have been riding track for 3-4 years now.. and we do both street and track... the track is byfar the best riding we have ever done.. safest too.. we find ourselves more and more being drawn away from the street.. we actually dont ever ride aggressively on the street anymore.. we find their are way to many variables.. even for a lightly spirited ride.. their are just to many reasons to back off the throttle. now i dont see us ever getting completely off the street. we like to go and meet friends for dinner or just get on the bikes and literally cruise around town every now and again. i couldnt watch so many nice days go by with out riding. luckly enough we have been able to ride as many track days as we have. average of 7-8 a year this year will be more so we really dont ever go to long with out the bikes.

[Cbosman]

I think some people ride for the challange that the track allows. Also having multiple bikes can get expensive. I would not be able to give up street riding, because I want to ride as much as I can. Wish I could afford multiple bikes

[RVTPilot]

I am in the midst of this transition now, though I think that I wouldn't say I'll never ride on the street again. But I am comfortable with giving it up for a couple of season to get my track bike in complete order and acquire another bike for the street. Like a lot of guys, I feel safer on the track than in traffic. I have also learned a lot more about myself as a rider taking part in track days. I've been riding on the street since I was a teenager, but have found the track as a better environment to hone my skills. And it just happens to be fun as hell in doing so. I do still enjoy nice Sunday ride with friends, and will do charity rides as well. But even once I have another bike for the street, I would expect the lion's share of my riding time to be spent on the track.

Edited December 23, 2011 by RVTPilot

[natedogg624]

streets up here are boring.

i have pondered getting an old 350 to cruise around town though.

[rslocum]

I probably did 7 trackdays last season and had a blast. I might of ridden a total of 6 times on the street. If you are doing a trackday a couple times a month sometime it's hard to fit in a street ride. I would love to commute more but it's hard to fit a baby seat on my bike to pick up the little one:).

[Wally Beast]

Too many close calls with road debris, wildlife, and soccer moms. The track forever ruined road riding for me.

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[Tpoppa]

I did a KTM day at Mid OH last year. Loved the bike, and the track was definitely fun but I just didn't get the track 'bug.' I may do another trackday, but I prefer a 4-500 mile day in SE OH or WV.

Tickets are cheaper than trackdays anyway.

[r1crusher]

RVTPilot -> Wanna be track whore

rslocum -> Track whore

Tpoppa -> Street slut

[madcat6183]

Good topic as I toy with this all the time.

I gave up street riding because there just really wasn't a challenge to it, not the adrenilin rush I was looking for. It's fun, and great to tour and be outside, but the track just has more to offer for the adrenilin junkie in me.

I did my fair share of rides in Hocking, and back roads, but would just get too frusturated with people just cruising so I couldn't push the envelope constantly enough to enjoy it.

I DO plan to get a cruiser though after I get married because the fiance wants to ride on the back of a HD, so makes the choice easy. Her dad had one when she was little and she loved it, so I figure if it makes her happy, gets me another bike, heck yes.

Also the street anymore is too dangerous for me. I commute about 100 miles a day and I can barely stand to drive a cage with the soccer moms and people around here that can't drive, let alone be on 2 wheels.

[r1crusher]

Tickets are cheaper than trackdays anyway.

Not after fines AND an attorney! And if you "no contest" it you're looking at a substantial ins. rate hike once they find out you now have points.

IMO, not worth it. Just sayin'.

[redkow97]

I probably did 7 trackdays last season and had a blast. I might of ridden a total of 6 times on the street. If you are doing a trackday a couple times a month sometime it's hard to fit in a street ride. I would love to commute more but it's hard to fit a baby seat on my bike to pick up the little one:).

^ this is similar to what I was going to post. I did 5 trackdays on my street bike, then bought a track bike.

I was still commuting pretty regularly on my street bike, but during fall semester, it gets darker earlier and earlier, and I was getting out of class at 9:45

Between the safety issues with riding in the dark, and the risk of my bike getting messed with at CSU, I stopped commuting nearly as much.

Then I had to start dressing more professionally at work, and stopped commuting all together.

Weekends were generally spent riding my track bike, fixing my track bike, or doing yard work once we bought the house.

By the time i put my street bike up for sale, I had ridden it twice that summer, and was looking for a way to finance my track riding (after we replaced a $2400 air conditioning unit on the house).

I would like another street bike for sure. I still don't think I will ride it much, but it will be a fun project, and a cheap toy. Right now, I just want a track bike more than a street bike.

[Tpoppa]

Not after fines AND an attorney! And if you "no contest" it you're looking at a substantial ins. rate hike once they find out you now have points.

IMO, not worth it. Just sayin'.

I hear you. But after 10 years and somewhere around 100k miles of group riding at hyper legal speeds. I've only gotten 3 tickets. It's all about where you speed. I generally don't speed on the interstate or in towns, but on a twisty backroad it's game on

[redkow97]

Tickets are cheaper than trackdays anyway.

Maybe, but if you go down and hit a tree, or any number of other roadside hazards, your medical bills are going to be a LOT higher than when I lay it down in turn 2 at 90 mph, get up, and walk away.

Plus i think you learn a lot more much more quickly on a track. I get 100+ opportunities a day to get a given corner just right. On a street ride, you get one, and you're holding back all the time, not knowing if there's gravel, traffic, etc.

Street riding with any level of moderate "aggression" isn't worth the risk. Too dangerous.

[r1crusher]

You going to go with Baltimore or Steelers scheme on the new tracker?

[r1crusher]

The track is for punks.

Did Jinu put you up to that post!?!?

[Coyote]

The track is for punks.

Oi!!

[blue03636]

You could always be like the R1assassin. Show up, half ass ride and bitch about everything as to why he is not going fast.

[Tpoppa]

Plus i think you learn a lot more much more quickly on a track. I get 100+ opportunities a day to get a given corner just right. On a street ride, you get one, and you're holding back all the time, not knowing if there's gravel, traffic, etc.

Street riding with any level of moderate "aggression" isn't worth the risk. Too dangerous.

I've had this conversation a few times before. All I can say is too each their own.

I think aggressive riding on the street is just a slightly different set of skills, and not for everyone. Different lines, line of sight, etc.

I would say I typically carry more corner speed on a street ride than I did at the KTM day. No doubt, some of that was due to riding a KTM that didn't belong to me, but the KTM was actually pretty similiar to my 1125R.

Again, I thought the track was fun, I just didn't get the 'bug.'

[Coyote]

I’ve been riding on the road since I turned 15.75…Don’t figure I could ever give it up. Thought about it a few times, with all the self-absorbed jack-arses on the road today. Don’t have enough time and money to scratch the itch track-only.

Track riding has definitely taken some of the thrill out of road riding, though.

[redkow97]

I thought the track was fun, I just didn't get the 'bug.'

That's what people typically say when they're king-shit on the street, and then realize that even "beginner" track riders are a lot faster.

(i'm just kidding. the track isn't for everyone. your bikes are all too nice to track anyway)

[TSB67]

I *tried* to enjoy riding on the street, but I never really did. Between laws and hazards, putzing around on a supersport is the opposite of fun to me. A cruiser would be better, but everything I really enjoy about a motorcycle on the street, I could get out of a convertible car and be that much safer.

I guess my problem is it's like a switch - if I'm not in attack mode I want to be completely lazy and comfortable.

[candybluzx6]

I have been riding for about 5 years on street and then went to one track day at mid o and i got hooked. Now that is all i could think about and it made a nice ride on back roads not as enjoyable. So im turning my daily into a track bike this winter and hitting as many days as i can.Its like crack I cant wait to get my next fix lol

[Tpoppa]

That's what people typically say when they're king-shit on the street, and then realize that even "beginner" track riders are a lot faster.

(i'm just kidding. the track isn't for everyone. your bikes are all too nice to track anyway)

I am not king shit on either one. I just like covering lots of miles. I doubt I'll ever do it, but the thing on the track that would be interesting for me would be the long-ass endurance races.