Just one of the many risk in life. Everyone dies, but not everyone lives.
Am i loosing interest in riding?
- Thread starter WWJD
- Start date
It's all about the race track baby!
hmm...tough topic...and a soft spot...if not a sore spot with me as many fellow riders i've chatted, met an ridden with are usually somewhat taken when i disclose that i myself have NEVER done a track day....oh?...i've been in the hotpits and into the very heart of CCS racing in daytona (not as a competitor though) and i frequent some underground psuedo-tracks in south central florida annnd...i've even had offers of being scheduled in for free track days (in return for volunteering to be a cornerworker)...but still...i've never done a track day...and i'm torn about it..as i know it's a blast with a lot of condensed learning opportunity?...buuuut...it's also a gross overdose to the extreme of what i love so much...it's also the same curves over and over until you've peaked your skills via repetition...an addiction very few survive in a postive mannor...as follows..
EXAMPLE 1: is usually one of your best street-going sportbike riding buds who lucks into a trackday in one fashion or another...and 1 track day later?..they return with a king size superiority complex and constantly reminding/informing you of all the important safety factors and risks WE supposedly never knew about or took into consideration before they attended said track day...and/or?...
EXAMPLE 2: How risky street riding has become for them as they tail along at panzie speeds while you're looking in your rearviews to see if they're going to catch up or if they're having bike problems....as it turns out the answer to both is "no"...even though you're not riding even near as fast as you used to ride together before they did their track day...and then?...
EXAMPLE 3: They spend the riding day breaks telling you "how boring" riding streets has become for them ever since doing "their track day"...like their having a shiddy time riding with you now...and it's like..wtf?
EXAMPLE 4: and conversly?...there's always the fool that went to the track day and took in all the "skillz parts" but didn't listen to a word of the safety speech and is now frothing at the bit to serve you your fast azz on a silver platter with their new found track day skillz....and even if they don't go down, total their bike or die?...you're still reluctant to ever ride with them again...for obviouse reasons...to everyone involved..except...them.
EXAMPLE 5: The Stereotypical True Sportbike Rider Gone Full Blown Track Day Junkie: Who does one track day only to rush home and sell their awesome and clean kickazz streetbike and then uses the proceeds to buy an old beat up R6 or GSXR750 and uses the change to buy some sharkskin race fairings (which inevitably remain in their original "primer gray" state) and then maybe do some suspension work on their new "Track Day Only" bike and they go on to bust the household budget pre-paying and scheduling trackday after trackday....with tires411 on speed-dial...do yourself a favor..just delete this guys number from your cellphone..cause if he ever does call you back again?...it'll be from a hospitol bed or divorce court.
EXAMPLE 6: and the rarity..the street/sportbike rider who once or twice a year fits in a trackday when finances allow and still enjoys the he11 outta themself on the streets.
I've ridden streets for 32 years...and enjoyed the he11 outta almost every d@mn mile of it...and i don't fear tracks...matter of fact?...i get a tad bored after the same laps for an hour or so...but i do fear that i don't fall into the catagory of example #6 above....hence "the why" of why i've never done a trackday..he11...the "post mountain trip blues" is a depression that usually takes me a month or so to recover from...so?..screw a track day! LOL!
so?...I just K.I.S.S. and enjoy the he11 outta the vast roadways of america...for eternity or the rest of my life...which ever comes first...never a dull moment.....always sumpt'in new to look at around the next bend...as free as the day is long annnnd...the tracks ready, open and willing anytime i am..gas card..boots, gloves, jacket, helmet and on a good day?..pants...and..i'm outta here!
JMHYHO and..L8R, Bill.
<!--EDIT|JINKSTER
Reason for Edit: None given...|1152387481 -->
EXAMPLE 1: is usually one of your best street-going sportbike riding buds who lucks into a trackday in one fashion or another...and 1 track day later?..they return with a king size superiority complex and constantly reminding/informing you of all the important safety factors and risks WE supposedly never knew about or took into consideration before they attended said track day...and/or?...
EXAMPLE 2: How risky street riding has become for them as they tail along at panzie speeds while you're looking in your rearviews to see if they're going to catch up or if they're having bike problems....as it turns out the answer to both is "no"...even though you're not riding even near as fast as you used to ride together before they did their track day...and then?...
EXAMPLE 3: They spend the riding day breaks telling you "how boring" riding streets has become for them ever since doing "their track day"...like their having a shiddy time riding with you now...and it's like..wtf?
EXAMPLE 4: and conversly?...there's always the fool that went to the track day and took in all the "skillz parts" but didn't listen to a word of the safety speech and is now frothing at the bit to serve you your fast azz on a silver platter with their new found track day skillz....and even if they don't go down, total their bike or die?...you're still reluctant to ever ride with them again...for obviouse reasons...to everyone involved..except...them.
EXAMPLE 5: The Stereotypical True Sportbike Rider Gone Full Blown Track Day Junkie: Who does one track day only to rush home and sell their awesome and clean kickazz streetbike and then uses the proceeds to buy an old beat up R6 or GSXR750 and uses the change to buy some sharkskin race fairings (which inevitably remain in their original "primer gray" state) and then maybe do some suspension work on their new "Track Day Only" bike and they go on to bust the household budget pre-paying and scheduling trackday after trackday....with tires411 on speed-dial...do yourself a favor..just delete this guys number from your cellphone..cause if he ever does call you back again?...it'll be from a hospitol bed or divorce court.
EXAMPLE 6: and the rarity..the street/sportbike rider who once or twice a year fits in a trackday when finances allow and still enjoys the he11 outta themself on the streets.
I've ridden streets for 32 years...and enjoyed the he11 outta almost every d@mn mile of it...and i don't fear tracks...matter of fact?...i get a tad bored after the same laps for an hour or so...but i do fear that i don't fall into the catagory of example #6 above....hence "the why" of why i've never done a trackday..he11...the "post mountain trip blues" is a depression that usually takes me a month or so to recover from...so?..screw a track day! LOL!
so?...I just K.I.S.S. and enjoy the he11 outta the vast roadways of america...for eternity or the rest of my life...which ever comes first...never a dull moment.....always sumpt'in new to look at around the next bend...as free as the day is long annnnd...the tracks ready, open and willing anytime i am..gas card..boots, gloves, jacket, helmet and on a good day?..pants...and..i'm outta here!
JMHYHO and..L8R, Bill.
<!--EDIT|JINKSTER
Reason for Edit: None given...|1152387481 -->
My out look is
,
1) I have a dedicated track bike (as some here know a Ducati 998)
2) I only ride with a purpose and not just to go cruising ! I do LD rides or LD rides by myself to keep in shape on mostly single land State Hwys (they're the safest )
3) I don't ride on weekends or holidays unless in a LD ride ralley.
4) I still enjoy my bikes as much as ever, but the cruising or riding just to ride had never been my thing. Although I probably put more miles on my bike than 95% of the people here!
Just do or think of what you enjoy doing, and if it's not riding on the street (I never just ride around town or cities) then DON'T
1) I have a dedicated track bike (as some here know a Ducati 998)
2) I only ride with a purpose and not just to go cruising ! I do LD rides or LD rides by myself to keep in shape on mostly single land State Hwys (they're the safest )
3) I don't ride on weekends or holidays unless in a LD ride ralley.
4) I still enjoy my bikes as much as ever, but the cruising or riding just to ride had never been my thing. Although I probably put more miles on my bike than 95% of the people here!
Just do or think of what you enjoy doing, and if it's not riding on the street (I never just ride around town or cities) then DON'T
To me my Busa is a toy. If I want to play with it, I do. If I want to let it sit for a month that's OK too.
My wife and I are trying to get out of this area (DFW). It's too congested to be fun in any kind of machine. We're looking at some 100,000 pop cities in different states. I want some open road, and I don't want to have ride 100 miles to get there. Heat and pollution are bad here too.
If you find you're really bored with the bike, sell it. You can always buy another.
My wife and I are trying to get out of this area (DFW). It's too congested to be fun in any kind of machine. We're looking at some 100,000 pop cities in different states. I want some open road, and I don't want to have ride 100 miles to get there. Heat and pollution are bad here too.
If you find you're really bored with the bike, sell it. You can always buy another.
It's good to know I'm not alone with my feelings on this topic~ As I watch my s/n fall down the list every month in the Milage Challenge updates I also question my love for riding on two wheels as of late~ For me, though, I don't feel it's that I'm loosing interest.. as much as I'm just looking to slow my old tired arse down~ Every time I pull out for a nice Sunday ride, I always tell myself "Self... let's just stay in the back of the pack and have a nice leisurely cruise today~" Although this never happens~ Once I'm out there, before I know it, my Street Princess is just begging me to twist my wrist just a little more~ As we all know... a little more ends up turning into a lot more~ Now I can't be comfortable at the back of the pack and I find myself working my way back up front and hanging of the bike in the corners! I just can't seem to take 'er out for that nice leisure ride at any given time! Sport/Touring my arse.. The Busa is all SuperSport!! So then I toss around the idea of either selling the Busa or trading it in on a cruiser that doesn't beg to be opened up every time I mount 'er~ Sad I know.. but even sader is the fact that my wife threatens to leave me if I get rid of it! WTF!?!? Now that she has her Busa, she actually told me if I traded it off for a cruiser, she wouldn't ride with me no more!! So I think, for me anyhow, the problem is getting up there in the ages when I think about all I can lose if I do ever go down hard.. and how much longer it takes for these old bones to heal~ I understand I can be 'taken out' just as easily on a cruiser, but it won't be because I couldn't resist the temptation to twist the throttle to 180(+/-) mph...
Another cliché that means less than d!ck when you actually think about it.
I understand the sentiment and I agree with it to a point, but it's quaint little catch phrase philosophy and it doesn't apply here. I know a shed load of folks who believe they are "TRULY" living because of their "Biker Lifestyle" and "bravery", the Extreme sports sh!t heads, and their pseudo macho Bullcrap. All this extroverted chest thumping means nothing when inside their empty heads rattles little Mtv sound Byte thoughts and conformity to a non-conformist lifestyle.
"Looky you can tell I am a rebel because of my Tat's and my pierced..." Blah Blah Blah
Living and being alive has little to do with being on a bike, or jumping out of plane. A mind slaved to the system, that never questions, never looks, and NEVER THINKS. THAT is a person who will never truly live...
"I bought a New..." Attempting to fill the empty hole in their soul with material shid... Clever positioning of one's "Expensive Shiny Sh!t" in photo's to share... Thinly disguised "hey looky here at my cool shid and be impressed with my image of success" crap. Nothing more in their lives than the hole in the head where the thinking and the thoughts used to live, trying to impress SOMEBODY, ANYBODY so they can feel good about themselves for just a minute.
Adrenaline and Pseudo bravery does NOT equal living... Sound bytes do NOT equal songs, ownership of cool things does NOT make you cool, and throwing out clichéd quotes is not thinking...
300 all this isn't aimed at you, No worries, and would be a rough welcome....
No I am just sort of tired of hearing all the Mtn Dew Ad thought, not just here but at the dealership as well.
<!--EDIT|Revlis
Reason for Edit: None given...|1152643811 -->
I think this may be part of it Greg. It's impossible for me to just go out for a simple laid back toodle in the country. Every time it turns into me just running faster and harder than I intended to. Part of that is just the ZONE you know, it's where ya ride. But part of it is the just knowing what the bike can do and being addicted to that high speed rush... At least for me anyway, I think that is part of it... I get tired of always slowing down, seems i do nothing but roll off the throttle time and again. Then I say "Chill Man, just cruise" and that will last for about 10 minutes and before I know it, without thinking about it, I am back in the Zone again.It's good to know I'm not alone with my feelings on this topic~ As I watch my s/n fall down the list every month in the Milage Challenge updates I also question my love for riding on two wheels as of late~ For me, though, I don't feel it's that I'm loosing interest.. as much as I'm just looking to slow my old tired arse down~ Every time I pull out for a nice Sunday ride, I always tell myself "Self... let's just stay in the back of the pack and have a nice leisurely cruise today~" Although this never happens~ Once I'm out there, before I know it, my Street Princess is just begging me to twist my wrist just a little more~ As we all know... a little more ends up turning into a lot more~ Now I can't be comfortable at the back of the pack and I find myself working my way back up front and hanging of the bike in the corners! I just can't seem to take 'er out for that nice leisure ride at any given time! Sport/Touring my arse.. The Busa is all SuperSport!! So then I toss around the idea of either selling the Busa or trading it in on a cruiser that doesn't beg to be opened up every time I mount 'er~ Sad I know.. but even sader is the fact that my wife threatens to leave me if I get rid of it! WTF!?!? Now that she has her Busa, she actually told me if I traded it off for a cruiser, she wouldn't ride with me no more!! So I think, for me anyhow, the problem is getting up there in the ages when I think about all I can lose if I do ever go down hard.. and how much longer it takes for these old bones to heal~ I understand I can be 'taken out' just as easily on a cruiser, but it won't be because I couldn't resist the temptation to twist the throttle to 180(+/-) mph...
I'm talking about our weekend ride zone, the 80-120 MPH cruising along thing... Over and Over...
Greg, did you bump your head at Heartland Park when I wasn't looking? WWJD loosing interest in riding the busa ? Do we have to put together Iowa ride three and come up there and get you back on track? Nothing like a ride with 30 of you close busa buds to get your thinking right. A few Hooters girls could not hurt either.
ok!
I think I righted myslef last sunday. After church I went for a directionless ride with my new PAVED-LRLR theory: Stay on paved roads but take every other turn going the other direction for a while, repeat on way back. It was a blast. I went to the middle of nowhere, found a GREAT new road of fresh black top, and made my way home. 3 hours. 150+ miles...
I remembered what I loved and it will never be lost. Maybe just put aside for toher hobbies now and then, but never lost.
I'll start work on the Hooter's girls to go along
I think I righted myslef last sunday. After church I went for a directionless ride with my new PAVED-LRLR theory: Stay on paved roads but take every other turn going the other direction for a while, repeat on way back. It was a blast. I went to the middle of nowhere, found a GREAT new road of fresh black top, and made my way home. 3 hours. 150+ miles...
I remembered what I loved and it will never be lost. Maybe just put aside for toher hobbies now and then, but never lost.
I'll start work on the Hooter's girls to go along
I tried this the other day as well... Mostly I got frustrated, lot's of traffic, but I did find a couple nice twisties.ok!
I think I righted myslef last sunday. After church I went for a directionless ride with my new PAVED-LRLR theory: Stay on paved roads but take every other turn going the other direction for a while, repeat on way back. It was a blast. I went to the middle of nowhere, found a GREAT new road of fresh black top, and made my way home. 3 hours. 150+ miles...
I remembered what I loved and it will never be lost. Maybe just put aside for toher hobbies now and then, but never lost.
I'll start work on the Hooter's girls to go along
Just hoping that I can either re-light the spark, or be done with it entirely...
We will see.
Good to hear Bro, seriously makes me think that I just need to keep trying.
yeah, rev, I understand. First thing I do is get as far out of town as I possibly can - less or no traffic here in Iowa. It was great. JUST me. No riding buddy to blow away or slow down for... just me.... I bought this bike for ME - not to impress others, not to show off or build myself up in anyway, JUST me to enjoy. And I do.I tried this the other day as well... Mostly I got frustrated, lot's of traffic, but I did find a couple nice twisties.ok!
I think I righted myslef last sunday. After church I went for a directionless ride with my new PAVED-LRLR theory: Stay on paved roads but take every other turn going the other direction for a while, repeat on way back. It was a blast. I went to the middle of nowhere, found a GREAT new road of fresh black top, and made my way home. 3 hours. 150+ miles...
I remembered what I loved and it will never be lost. Maybe just put aside for toher hobbies now and then, but never lost.
I'll start work on the Hooter's girls to go along
Just hoping that I can either re-light the spark, or be done with it entirely...
We will see.
Good to hear Bro, seriously makes me think that I just need to keep trying.
But, life is phases. At some point we give up wanting to punch girls to get their attention, at some point our eyes/ears go bad.. we have to accept these changes.... and changes in interest are fine too.
I was sick a few weeks ago, and work has been [is still] a witch, so that really affected my interest in having fun... you know, how work gets to you so much you forget about having fun and forget to fit it in? I always try to NEVER live that way, but work raising the bar every new quarter is getting in..... and that is not acceptable. ESPECIALLY IF IT MAKES ME FORGET ABOUT THE THINGS I LIVE FOR - Like riding!
Ride to the top of a mountain alone, Rev, and do that soul searching. You will find where you want to be
I'll go ride to the top of a Volcano Bro, sounds like just the ticket. Besides there is a portion of Vertical drop of about 800-1000 feet that allways causes me to target fixate... That's allways good to focus ya.yeah, rev, I understand. First thing I do is get as far out of town as I possibly can - less or no traffic here in Iowa. It was great. JUST me. No riding buddy to blow away or slow down for... just me.... I bought this bike for ME - not to impress others, not to show off or build myself up in anyway, JUST me to enjoy. And I do.I tried this the other day as well... Mostly I got frustrated, lot's of traffic, but I did find a couple nice twisties.ok!
I think I righted myslef last sunday. After church I went for a directionless ride with my new PAVED-LRLR theory: Stay on paved roads but take every other turn going the other direction for a while, repeat on way back. It was a blast. I went to the middle of nowhere, found a GREAT new road of fresh black top, and made my way home. 3 hours. 150+ miles...
I remembered what I loved and it will never be lost. Maybe just put aside for toher hobbies now and then, but never lost.
I'll start work on the Hooter's girls to go along
Just hoping that I can either re-light the spark, or be done with it entirely...
We will see.
Good to hear Bro, seriously makes me think that I just need to keep trying.
But, life is phases. At some point we give up wanting to punch girls to get their attention, at some point our eyes/ears go bad.. we have to accept these changes.... and changes in interest are fine too.
I was sick a few weeks ago, and work has been [is still] a witch, so that really affected my interest in having fun... you know, how work gets to you so much you forget about having fun and forget to fit it in? I always try to NEVER live that way, but work raising the bar every new quarter is getting in..... and that is not acceptable. ESPECIALLY IF IT MAKES ME FORGET ABOUT THE THINGS I LIVE FOR - Like riding!
Ride to the top of a mountain alone, Rev, and do that soul searching. You will find where you want to be
But Yeah, I'll ride to the top of the peak, YOU submit some Resume's for companies out here in the NW. I don't think you'd regret it and there is some world class riding and world class people out here.
You cannot keep going to a job that makes you miserable, sure I speak from a slightly skewed viewpoint on this because I can allways just walk away. But it's this willingness to just just focus on what really matters and let the silly sh!d slide that has helped me so much at work. The boss learns soon enough to NOT mess with me about the little stuff, and everyone gets more done.
But just like a Bad amarriage sucking all the life outta... well life, a shiddy job can quickly make EVERYTHING seem much worse than it is... We spend over half our working lives at he office, it has to be a place we enjoy being.
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