Tough decision.... I might not ride anymore....

[RSVRulez]

on the street at least... thinking of going track only...it's something that's been in the back of my head since my accident in June...(torn a/c joints broken collarbone and far too much time off work - I was in full gear btw)...in that I've noticed that since the accident I've caught myself thinking stuff like...."what if I had been on the bike...?" when stuff like cars coming around blind corners the wrong way or finding a curve was much sharper than I expected (having wife and child in the car keeps my speed nice and low...)...and today when a friend of mine said he was thinking the same...because mentally for him it has started to become...anguishing... for lack of a better term...not for the fall (part of the game)..but for the consequences after the fall (work etc) (if you survive....something you can be pretty sure of on the track..but on the street...)...all this was probably brought on by the incredible series of accidents that have occured since May amongst our circle of friends /acquaintances...some pretty nasty as well...I love to ride my Factory and in the country it's priceless (something I won't be doing again 'tll next year anycase)....but it's really become down right dangerous in some areas here.....dunno..maybe it's just my 37 years (and being a father) talking....or knowing full well that you can easily killed even at 60 on the street....let alone 150....

sorry for venting...any of you thought of doing the same? If so...any cool ideas of how to set up (paintwise) an '04 Grey Factory?

Ride safe...

[RFM]

If you are in Rome- that's an accident waiting to happen! Definitely different than the midwest riding, to be sure. As a father as well, I hear you. The last thing I want to do is leave my daughter parentless. Lot's of insurance makes sure she is a millionaire if anything should happen to me.

Two years ago I was hit by a man late to his dental appointment. I figured it was time to grow up, and I used the settlement money to buy a Mastercraft wakeboard boat. I was sure that would keep the masculine adrenaline in check. Long story short, it didn't. I drove by a dealership several months later, and without any planning, purchased a new bike. If it's in your blood, it's in your blood. There is no denying it, and you are powerless to fight it.

Keep the country riding, as I have found nothing better both psychologically, and socially for that matter as well. Insure the heck out of yourself, and keep away from mass urban centers. Hug your kids, and keep safe. rfm

[vito]

i rode for 17 years, from the time i was 18 until i was 35, and then i got scared and quit riding. i grew up in a big city (dallas) and have always ridden on the streets in urban traffic.

then about 4 years ago i rode my cousin's triumph and said , 'damn, i forgot how much i like this.' been back into it ever since.

i don't fault anyone for making the decision not to ride. it can be dangerous and the consequences can be major. i think i am a very defensive rider and can avoid most of the hazards, but there are some you can't avoid: somebody running a light, somebody crossing the median, etc.

the fact that i am single has a lot to do with it. but i made the decision that you can't just stay home and lock the doors and avoid all risks. that's no way to live.

good luck with that decision, and best wishes. i wouldn't blame you a bit if you decided to quit street riding. it can get hairy out there and it just takes an instant for something really bad to happen. wherever you ride, ride safe.

[Jet City Racer]

I think that sometimes too.

Just stay out of the city and ride the twisties/country roads & track.

RFM said it well as to the therapeutic value of country riding.

That's something I will not give up PERIOD.

This is my reaction when I see signs like this!

[vpr80]

YEP!!! That's why I am doing a track day in 3 weeks....the combination of bad drivers, dangerous roads, and cops have finally convinced me to get my ass off the street. I will still ride here and there on a nice summer day, but for the most part I think I will be keeping my ass on the track.

[LW Racer]

I haven't ridden on the streer since 98. I miss it from time to time, but if I lived somewhere I could get away from traffic I'd still be ridding the street.

[fisyfish]

Can understand that. I have several buddies that gave uop the street for track and dirt only. I was able to one of them back on teh street for a little while (about a year). But now he's back to track only again...

[Smoke Eater]

I don't ride much on the road anymore either. I have all of 1500 miles on my Mille this year and about 700 were at the track.

[BikerGeek]

Next year, the Autobahn Country Club track will open 30 minutes from my door. If I can ride there often, I have thought about going to track riding only.

After three track rides in two weeks, going back to street riding is just plain boring. I have friends that do 20+ track rides a year and no longer own a street bike.

It is a tough decision.

Ride safe.

[beansoup]

I'm always happy to give advice (useful or otherwise) but in this case you really have to look inside your own heart and head and make a decision on your own. Whatever you decide to do, if you make the decision yourself, then you've chosen correctly.

Good luck either way, mate.

[aceyx]

i'm not a parent and not even that old, so i guess i'm posting from the other side of the equation.

right now i'm in grad school, and i think of the consequences if i had a spill. not only would school get put off and i'd suffer through not being able to participate in the other sports i love but also the impact on my parents.


needless to say they've been against it since i told them. fortunately they're willing to trust my judgement (yet, with trepidation) and i'm willing to trust myself. it's the other people on the road i'm wary of. i finally understand the meaning of what they've been telling me.

i've put a lot of work in, and i'd hate to see it go before i'm able to reap the benefits, not to mention that i have continually, less and less time to ride.


i've considered trackdays more and more, and i don't think it's a bad decision. i'll probably still do weekend rides with friends but limit my street riding. RSVRulez, i think there are a lot of people in the same boat that would respect whatever decision you make. it's a tough one.

as for a paintscheme, i know this is of an RS50, but you could copy the two-tone lionhead part. it's just a little more subtle than the rs3.

image


RFM, what kind of MC? i rode behind a '99 sportstar this summer, and i agree; the feeling doesn't compare.

[montereyrsvr]

I've got two friends who went track only. They both wadded at Sears Point on the same day during AFM racing earlier this year. Both got way messed up, bad messed up

I'm not trying to say life is safe on the street but the track has its consequences as well

[montereyrsvr]

The ONLY time I have ever been airlifted to the emergency room was after a motorcycle crash on a race track.

Makes you go hmmm...

[naimchase]

I have been riding on the street since 1966. I have responsibilities and consequences if I get hurt. I have fallen several times on the street and the track, many times that in the dirt. The only hospitalized grade injuries were on the track. Once was my fault; the worst, with permanent nerve damage, was completely someone else's (I have it on videotape).
Don't expect the track to absolve you of your acceptance of risk. I cannot purge my love to ride, and I have started back to the track after 20 years. You must fight these demons yourself, and make friends with them.

[GeoR]

I quit riding for a few years after a bad crash - 6 weeks in the hospital, months of rehab. I borrowed a friends bike here and there until one time I decided I had to get back on the horse for good - and this was on a borrowed pos Shadow, the wort crap I've ever ridden.
That was back in 1990, havne't been bikeless since.

Don't ride the same way I used to anymore.
Faster but a lot more cautious both....I live myself a lot more margin now.