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#1 |
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Crewe, Cheshire
Posts: 2,317
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Well, after my track day on Wednesday & going off the circuit at Druids at Oulton & staying upright & healthy, it has put doubt into my mind about riding on the road.
A lot of you know that I had a serious off in January which has left my pelvis held together with a metal plate. I lost control on the road & in an instant I hit a fence & nearly died. I made a mistake on track & pushed the bike out of the gravel trap & continued on my way. It has just made me think more about the dangers of riding on the road & has put doubts in my mind. I wanted to race this year, but the crash put paid to that, so it set me back 12 months. I am going to race next year with an FZR400 & I must admit that I feel a lot safer on a race track & seem to have more fun on track. That is one thing that is lacking in the road riding - FUN. I never thought i would see myself thinking this, as I've been riding since I was 17 & have always been a massive supporter of bikes, but I think it's getting time to hang my road boots up.
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#2 |
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Colin .... Noooooooooooooooooooooo
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#3 |
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If it's any consolation I'm right behind you on this one, Colin. For about a year i've been thinking exactly the same thing after 30 years of road riding. A lot of the enjoyment I used to have on the road has gone. The condition of road surfaces has deteriorated so much that I don't have the confidence I used to have, and then there's the ever present danger of losing your licence on the few occaasions you can use a bike properly.
On track I feel secure in the knowledge that there's no blind car driver around the corner backing out of a driveway, and even if it does go pear shaped there's a St John Ambulance crew waiting just for me to crash. Track tarmac may sometimes get a slating from some top class racers, but it's always 100 times better than your average A road. Only last week I was considering flogging my car, my SV and my CBR and buying a GSXR600 and a decent van to transport it to trackdays in. I'd keep my little 250 for those times when I want to commute to work by bike to beat the traffic. Tracks are where the fun is at nowadays - I say it's not a daft idea at all. |
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#4 |
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Both of you, stop being a fanny
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#5 |
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I can see you problem, Winter Blues. Good Obs generally will deal with any cager and i'm with you on a 250 for work and back which is why i now walk as it's a lot cheap than a 250.
It's bad weather out there which doesn't help either. Stay careful and the roads will look after you. ![]() |
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#6 |
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It's not winter blues, I've had this feeling all year. The roads around our way are shocking and there's no pleasure to be had from them. Tracks are much more fun
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#7 |
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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I still really enjoy roadriding, but what you're saying has real validity. Don't stop riding, take to the track, see how you feel about it all. You could be right.
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#8 |
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I was going to say track riding would be far more expensive, but that's probably not the case. You're not paying for tax and insurance so that leaves a fair sized budget for track days. I agree with Lozzo, good roads around here are few and far between
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#9 |
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#10 |
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I still enjoy road riding, to be honest its what keeps me going I guess. I can see Lozzo's and Mister C's point, the roads are now getting into a terrible state, more cars are on the road and more of them are poorly trained/experienced and have no 'look for bike' logic anymore. The Police are failing to catch the dangerous road criminals, how can a Gatso spot and evaluate a drunk/drugged driver? I have a track day blast at least once a year, it is more fun and you can push the bike and yourself closer to the limits and at corners you see once every 1-2 minutes and not every 1-2 days so not much changes.
The decision is yours guys, no one elses.... |
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