I had completely stopped riding for about 6-7 years. Then I got an itch...figured I start out with a street bike. Got the bike, put a couple hundred street miles on it in the first couple thousand miles. Hasn't seen the street since, mileage around 9K now. The only enjoyable part was riding with some friends, but the difference in riding agendas makes it hit or miss. I have no interest in setting a street record or becoming a statistic. If I knew that I was foolin' myself when I bought the bike, I woulda just bought a track only bike, like this...
Well, if you really want one you should get it. When they came out they were $28K, and I believe earlier this year you could get new ones for 14k. So you saved yourself more than you will lose selling your other bike.
Appreciate everyone's input. I think I might have a tough time keeping the speeds down on the street. I'd also wonder about dulling my speed perception & skills on track, but I've never really ridden on the street since learning to ride. Those that put a lot a time on the street, are there any issues getting back in to race mode?
It takes me a couple of races to stop doing street oriented crap that slows me down on the track. I havent ridden on street since the texter decided he didnt like my right knee and back
I no longer sell my bikes - sentiment and ridiculous devaluation. Of course, that creates "new" bike acquisition issues so, I try to choose wisely...even when foolin' myself. One of these days, I'll liquidate...when I no longer care to ride. (I might keep one or two, just in case. ) You're not missing anything...unless you want unexpected "oh shit" moments from debris, road conditions and the ever present and dangerous cagers. Every street ride is an exercise in vigilance.
I have a Piaggio MP3 250 that tops out at 90MPH (rev limited). It's great just getting on the freeway and holding the throttle open. Those three wheels at 90MPH make it feel like 125+! And the looks, I suppose, but I'm too busy trying to keep it inside the lines to look around.
Get a completely different bike than what you race. Get a Hypermotard, or Grom, or Ducati Monster, etc. That way when you get on the street, it is completely different. It will be like "I ride sport bikes like that, and my street bike like this...". But no, I've never had a problem going back and forth. There have been times when I got back home from a long 2,900mi round-trip Thursday evening, then headed out for a race weekend Friday. As soon as you roll out on track, none of that other shit matters. Same for the street. I've never gotten home from a race and had the urge to blast through traffic at 140mph.
What Broome said. For the street I've got a GS, Monster, old Nighthawk and an FZ1. Doesn't really translate to my RD400 race bike. The only one I get a bit squirly on is the FZ1.
Been riding the zuma around town more and more. YZF still isn't fixed (and probably wont be for a while). Our rides on the Ultra have been diminished heavily after I got clipped by a hit and run in 2014 on it. 15 we rode may 5-6 times, last year about the same, this year maybe 7. Prior to the crash we were out most every other weekend on it.
I love riding on the streets, and just did for the first time in a year this past month. The thing that scares me is drivers seem more unpredictable than they were 5 years ago when I first started riding. Saw a street cleaner truck take a left on green (not arrow) in front of a car AND bicyclist in the middle of the day. Cyclist did a stoppie and car skid. Neither were hit luckily.
Yup. Dual sports for the back roads. Not fast enough to get in trouble with (KLR650). Commute on it too - the commute is pretty much a scenic 45mph drive.
one thing that is nice... those blind spot monitors. You can see them being activated in the rear view mirrors for vehicles that have them. (from behind) But yeah DWD (driving while distracted) is a plague that is getting worse. So much so I feel like ALL drivers should be exposed to the dangers of "sharing the road".
