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What made you go track only

4K views 60 replies 44 participants last post by  rm600rr 
#1 · (Edited)
So here it is... Every day i commute to work (26 miles 1 way) and everyday i have to dodge a car from hitting me. I've already been rear ended on the worst freeway in LA (110 in Highland Park) and survived.

Yesterday i almost died, so i'm going on the 105 west to my office, splitting the carpool lane. Some piece of S#$T decided to cut the double - DOUBLE yellow lines. well the carpool lane (cars) are going maybe 15-25 mph while the normal lanes are going 0-15mph traffic, i'm going 60 mph and POS cut right as i was passing. i ended up slamming the front brakes, cutting over right as POS is an inch away from me still going to the lane, then i was thinking i'm going to A. rear end this stopped car in front or B. end up clipping the bumper. i managed to barely miss that and now ended up 1 lane over splitting that lane.

Well i stopped and pedaled back to knock out some windows and realized i didn't know which car it was. i know it was a old white truck. there were 2 of them right next to each other and didn't know which one almost killed me. i looked inside both and either of them were paying attention to anything. decided to calm down take a breath and get my ass to work.

Either way this commute is getting old and i'm sick of risking my life to get to work everyday. i guess i'll be caging it in for a while and decide if i'm going track only or non rush hour commuter. either way i just wanted to hear why others decided to go track only.

P.S. for the lane splitting haters. I already know, however if i wanted to sit in traffic i'd drive.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Glad you're still with us!!

I held someones hand while they took their last breath while looking at his completely mangled body, didn't want my son to be at my funeral for street riding when there are already so many other ways to lose your life, had over 2k in speeding tickets and a few hours in jail cause I cant control myself on the streets (was about to lose my license) AND if I sold my street bike I could afford to put more money into the track bike, better gear, etc =)
 
#3 ·
Damn homie...glad you're still up and talking...Highway/commuter riding scares me to death. I knew growing up in LA I'd never want to ride a bike there for that reason (although I am jealous of the legal lane splitting)

I do trackdays because it's a nice controlled environment without jackholes like the one in the white beater. Plus you know the other guys out there are USUALLY smart enough to not take you out like you would with running the canyons down there.
 
#21 · (Edited)
I do trackdays because it's a nice controlled environment without jackholes like the one in the white beater.
Plus you know the other guys out there are USUALLY smart enough to not take you out like you would with running the canyons down there.
i do it because the trackbug bit me :)
after that, riding out on public roads was just ho-hum
and yes, i have witnessed and lost a friend in the canyons; smacked right into an oncoming truck (truck's fault for crossing over the double yellow lines)

MY main reasons though:
*safety
*controlled (learning) environment
*you can speed all you want (or not)
*predictable conditions
*everyone goes in the same direction
***ITS FUN!!!
after trying out the track once i knew i wouldnt touch the street with my bike. i realized riding on the streets was boring and just cruising plus how often can you say you went 150mph on the streets lol
Some riders have gone track-only for the exact reason you started this thread--too many idiot cagers on the road.
all of these ^^^^ are some of my reasons!

first off, i would like to thank my good friend, Sergio aka Patty Cakes (CTM_Patron) for pushing me into the track game. I always wanted to try the track back then.
but was hesitant, because of $$$, inexperience, comfort level and because i was intimidated by the track and by the track riders.
but after popping my track cherry, i became addicted!

i was a hardcore canyon carver. it was all i wanted to do, til i crashed up there. i have seen many go down right in front of me.
or have passed those that have gone down. even helped them out. it never even dawned on me that i could be next.
but in 3yrs of all my canyon carving days, all it took was one incident to calm me down and eventually quit.
do i have the urge to go back? yes, sometimes i do. but i wont. its been almost 3yrs since ive been back.

another price point for track only riding, was the fact that i got t-boned on the main road coming home from work.
totaled my bike and put me in a world of hurt for many mo's.
and several mo's of physical therapy. not fun!

i also dont like to get tickets. in 5yrs of street riding, i only managed 2 tickets (1 for crossing the dblyellow to overtake and 1 fix it ticket).
i also have been pulled over from stereotypical LEO's for stupid reasons, very stupid reasons. i dont like to be pulled over...
being categorized because i ride a "crotch rocket" or "sportbike". they assume i am a speed demon, stunter, wreckless rider, street racer.

and long story short...
the worst one of all (that almost put me in jail!) was that he thought that i was "riding a stolen bike"!
yea, he made an illegal u-turn to sneak behind me at the traffic light, waited for me to go on the green, then pulled me over.
it was 7am bright summer saturday morning, fully suited up in my track leathers, race boots, race gloves and a camelbak on my way to the canyons.
his excuse was that he thought i was riding a stolen bike. so instead he gave me a fix it ticket for the plate lights not being bright enough. fvckin tool! lmfao. :crackup:
another reason, is i dont want to be associated or classified with the idiot riders and squids i see on the streets on a daily basis.
it looks bad and i dont want to be that guy to be stereotyped by someone else.

so yea, in a nutshell...those are most of my reasons for track only!
i do however have plans to go back to the street for commuting. 1 reason why...
since ive quit commuting, my seat time diminished and so has my basic skills/senses/muscle memory.
and i cant ride the track every weekend, so commuting will allow me to keep those riding traits.
will help me to retain my muscle memory and vision. give seat time to practice my basic skills for braking, throttle control/manipulation, handling, and cornering.
basically keep me "warmed" up before i do the true training i get from the track.
these are my thoughts on why i think i have gone backwards with my abilities and skills at the track and having all my recent crashes. :drunk:

sorry for the long post/soapbox/going a little off topic. you asked and i answered. lol.:crackup:
 
#4 ·
i do it because the trackbug bit me :)
after that, riding out on public roads was just ho-hum
and yes, i have witnessed and lost a friend in the canyons; smacked right into an oncoming truck (truck's fault for crossing over the double yellow lines)

MY main reasons though:
*safety
*controlled (learning) environment
*you can speed all you want (or not)
*predictable conditions
*everyone goes in the same direction
***ITS FUN!!!
 
#6 ·
Glad to hear youre ok. I was also bitten by the "track bug" and never went back.

Question about the lane splitting. Is that specific to splitting 2 lanes of the same direction or is it ok to be on the center line (double yellow)?

Lane splitting aside, 60mph through 15mph traffic seems a little bit foolish. Not getting on a soap box, I just cant imagine doing it.
 
#8 ·
Normally I split at 30-40 however this section on the carpool lane is a merger and traffic slows down on the car pool lane and speeds right back up.

You can't split the center lane. The double yellows I mentioned is the divider for the carpool lane. You want I split the fast lane but people split them all.


Sent from my Motorcycle iPhone app
 
#19 ·
Some riders have gone track-only for the exact reason you started this thread--too many idiot cagers on the road.

I've had my fair share of near misses, speeding tickets, etc. Not to mention a few friends and family who always worry about me dying or getting hurt. But we all take our risks accordingly; you gotta be smart with your riding. I wouldn't really give up street riding just yet, just haven't ridden as much as I used to.

Track riding is awesome, but also very expensive unlike street. If I stuck with track riding only I'd be eating ramen noodles everyday :lol:

You might consider commuting in a car and riding your bike after work or on weekends...

Only riding it a couple times a month would suck.
:+1:
Thats what I do now. if you have too many close calls on the street, consider caging to work and riding on weekends or less-traffic hours.
 
#12 ·
I hit the track upon the urging of my brother who wanted to try it out. Got hooked.

Went track only after using up one of the 9. I'm down to 7 at least.

I ride my little 250 supermoto on the street every once in awhile, but not very far. Seat is so damn uncomfortable and the wind blast is so horrible, it isn't much fun. I track that little bitch too, hella fun.

RR has seen the street maybe twice since I got her with around 800 miles on it. That was 2 years ago, and I just broke 3100 miles at this last track day.
 
#13 ·
I do at least 15 track days a year, and have a dedicated trackbike but I still love the hill country and still do at least 20K miles a year.

I totally understand people giving up the street, and support that decision. I still love both.
 
#15 ·
I do at least 15 track days a year, and have a dedicated trackbike but I still love the hill country and still do at least 20K miles a year.

I totally understand people giving up the street, and support that decision. I still love both.

Holy crap.

You have that kind of scenery in Austin?

I have a friend out from Austin visiting his parents and such. Him and his wife have been recruiting pretty hardcore for us to move down there.
 
#14 ·
I certainly don't know, but appreciate the thread, of why to leave the street... although all these reasons make very good sense. In fact, I think I used that as a tactic with my wife when discussing getting a sport bike, lol.

In the month I've owned the cbr I've rounded past 1000 miles and ride pretty much everyday. I enjoy it, and there thankfully is 'not' the traffic here as there would be in LA, though there's plenty of idiots on the road. I've been riding my cruiser in the area and though all reaction times are faster on the cbr, the concept of defensive behavior is still in my mind.

Lane splitting is another thing I'd be crazy fearful of (though thoroughly enjoy the videos out there of people doing it excessively), though sometimes wish I could just to get past a couple cages that are making a roadblock, pacing one another.

Aside from all that, the track has a certain pull on me, my brother was an American Le Mans driver for P2 cars, and obviously that entailed a lot of previous driving experience... you don't just step into that job... so I've been around the pits a few more than seldom times and really enjoy the atmosphere... truthfully I wish someone nearby from the rr.net could help me learn the ropes... anyone from Orlando/DaytonaBeach area that tracks?

Mort
 
#16 ·
Mort,

Are you a member of floridasportbikers? Get on that site. That's an entire site of track guys in and arouns your area.
 
#56 ·
This is what I do in Cali. I try and keep all lane splitting down to when cars are almost not moving.

Did my first track day two weeks ago too, loved it and wish I could track only but my RR is my only vehicle at the moment, brother has to drive my car.


Sent from my Motorcycle iPhone app
 
#22 · (Edited)
^DAMN GOOD post slaps

+ a million to all the above. i managed to get in 14 TDs this summer. now i work for a trackday org. because we would much rather see you ride fast, safe. i am straight hooked like a junky, but i still did a little street riding this summer too. i live in such a rural area, it's easy to ride around and see very little traffic. just mountains and twisties. i find it pretty boring to ride street anymore tho. i'd never open it up. my bikes are put away till NOLA in february. Bullast you in?
 
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#25 ·
Like many above, saftey was of concern. My last accident on the street was enough for me to call it quits as i was almost paralyzed if i had hit the roof first. i did however settle for flying head first into the car and was half body lodged into the car while the driver was still negotiating the turn (driver made a uturn infront of me, he was parked on the side curb to begin with). Another reason was finances, passion for racing, fear of law enforcement/tickets, etc.. If only if the streets were safer id ride casually but i fear that i wont get to ride trackdayz because of some dumb twit. :lol:
 
#28 ·
Seriously expensive. Even with control riding my weekends were expensive but worth every damn penny. In 2010 I was at the track every other weekend and needless to say my entire budget was pushed to its limits.


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#29 ·
I'd love to be a track guy for the following purposes:
You don't have to worry about road quality.
You have better corners (that keep repeating, yaaay!)
No idiots on the road, and if there are, they're obviously a worse rider than you so you can overtake their asses.
No worries about having to ride in poor weather
No road laws.

I could come up with more, but it makes me sad that there's no tracks around me and I can't afford to do it anyway.
 
#31 ·
Went track-only for a couple reasons:

~Pushed over riding ability 1 to many times and almost cost not only myself but my bud his life.
~Can't safely use the RR to its full potential on the street an enjoy myself.
~Riding ability greatly improves with every track day I do when I'm focusing on the right stuff :)

60mph in 15mph traffic is a disaster waiting to happen (whether you're lane splitting or not). Glad you came out ok!
 
#32 · (Edited)
What Mayo said....
 
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