I have nearly hit so many deer. It is my biggest fear. It is a likely scenerio here in tn.
Absolutely! I hit a kangaroo...and killed it. Luckily (for me) it brained itself on my left footpeg. a millisecond earlier it would have got the front wheel. Wildlife is such an unctrollable element. Have run over rabbit, possum and nearly a wombat and various wallabies in the 430. The wombat is like a chunk of concrete so glad I swerved to miss that one. The joys of the Aussie bush...!!
Went to Sydney about 10 years ago. Not many bikers but with a few bike builders getting on tv here I guess it's getting bigger. I wonder how common it is to hit a kangaroo?
I have to admit. As much as I did exactly what the OP was trying to describe, reading about riding passions again has brought back the itch. 2015 will see scratchin' it again. Going electric since (for once) VA has some really nice incentives.
I've fracture my collar bone, neck and wrist in the last 45 years of riding dirt and street bikes; all my injuries have occurred on dirt bikes. I still ride both street and dirt. More people die in bathtub accidents per year, but I still bath.
With people more transfixed on their gadgets in the cars and phones, riding a bike now is playing with fire. I got rid of my ducati for that very reason. You really start to realize how many bad drivers are on the road when you ride a bike.
Calculated risks are fun. More skill = less risk. I have ridden all over the United States and a lot of Europe. Enjoyed every minute. All the gear all the time, lots of education and lots of intensity while riding. Without any risk life is no fun. Everyone is entitled to their own risk threshold. If you have a tendency to lose concentration when you ride motorcycles, scuba dive or snow ski you probably don't need to be doing it.
Former motorcyle road racer and now dad, my boys 16 & 13 raced karts since age 4. Now they want to road race bikes. Makes me proud. When they were younger if they aced a test at school, they rode to school on the back of my sport bike. From 1st grade on. The minivan & SUV parents at the school drop off line just had a shocked look. Cages are fun, but a fast bike makes you feel alive.
It is just like a video game. The drivers in the cars will never see you coming. I would need a lot more separation from the cars. At night, on the freeway, it is kewl, to see a bike ride on one wheel at hi speeds and change lanes. The cars have no idea what the heck it is. The adrenalin of hi speed and the engine sound at 10 Grand+ He can't catch the Busa
I ride on the street still. Have been since 1976, when I took and passed the DMV test. Driver's lack of attention is a concern. Every week, I help graduate 72 newly licensed riders as I'm an MSF certified Ridercoach. Some know how to ride. Some don't know how to ride. Some are delusional is their riding skills. Some are there because of court order. Some refuse to accept any instruction. Those are the one's who can't do the dreaded MSF "Box." Some are so enthusiastic when they graduate, they tell their friends/spouses of their experience, and I get to facilitate their friends/spouses at a later date. There has been a HUGE shake up in California, regarding MSF. There's a new gun in town (State) named Lee Parks. We'll see how the new regime takes over...
Sooooo true. Way too many blind corners at 200+, imho. If they had continuous dispatch with a heli, I could wrap my head around it a little better. That Busa rider can hit corners better than most 650 riders. Nothing quite like adrenaline provocation.
Sold my Paso, then bought a 998, sold that to get into a Gt3. One day, a Panigale will be in the garage, as work of art. I don't ride much anymore.
Yes, wish I could have it. I sold my perfect very low mileage S4Rs last year because my area isn't suited for riding (i.e. no fun).
Oh that's right! I knew I connected the name to an RS now that my brain is in gear. My s4rs, wife's modded m620 pseudo track bike, my 750/900ss track bike, and the ken don trailer all go this summer as soon as I have time to list them. Using money on a pair of small dinghies like sunfish or Aeros.
sharp eyes will notice the giant bandaid on the "monster" tank dent on wife's bike. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Very cool. My wife rode as well but at the time I had a 1098S and hers was a Suzuki Savage 650. Good times. The S4RS is such a phenomenal bike, I wish I could have kept it till eternity.
The big debate is whether to keep mine or not. We would get a custom aluminum tank done and make it even more cafe racer. It's quite a rare beast and sooooo much fun to ride. But as much as I ranted against this thread, is there a time when wheelies, stoppies, and burnouts are just no longer on the list? Wife and I will do track days again, but we can rent track specific bikes for that. Do I want to own the cool rs to use or just to know I have one? I honestly would trade 130 mph on-ramp speeds and wheelies for racing my daughter in a pair of sunfish on the river any Sunday. The sound of a Duc twin at 11k is something I am very happy and lucky to have experienced often in my life.
Going through the same circular thought process again. 1. I never use them, wasted in the garage. 2. Should just sell them all and switch to four wheels. 3. But if I sell them what if I really miss having the chance whenever I want to ride? 4. So just sell all but one, keep it just in case. 5. But if I have one, the danger is still there, may as well keep them all. 6. I should really go for a ride today. 7. Got to go to Home Depot. Have to wear nicer clothes to work. Interstate is boring anyway. Can't spare a few hours on the weekend with all the honeydo list. an on.... 8. See #1 above.
Such is the world we live in. Add "weather is too hot" to number #7 (I always wear the right gear plus a full face helmet).
Yep. My S2R1K (sniff...) with a Quat D and a cut airbox was a deep symphony. WOT was 360deg groaning thunder.
Yes a real complaint on a sportbike without luggage anyway is that there are very few days where it is warm enough in the morning to usea mesh jacket or cool enough in the afternoon (but not cold in the morning) where a conventional jacket doesn't roast you alive. My commute is 50 miles of interstate each way. Not exciting. One day a year ago though I had to travel around for work stuff almost all day, paid to ride 300 miles that day, life wasn't so bad...