How much of the riding you do is "spirited/up pace?

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First off my riding is at much more of a sedate pace. Roughly 95-120% of the speed limit.

Secondly, I'm not convinced that a track course will slow someone down. Lots of what you do on a track is the complete opposite of what's expected on a public road.

The main thing you want to do at the moment on the road is to slow the frig down. A physics course might enlighten you to the properties of mass colliding at speed. Taking a course that teaches you to go faster seems like a no brainer, literally.

As as for the crash data, I've seen it before and will take a look. It seems like collisions slowly go down from first to second year, then rise back up second and third, before reasserting their downward trend. Whether this is from people jumping on a bigger bike, or just getting cocky, it didn't really say that I know.
 
Baggsy said:
Secondly, I'm not convinced that a track course will slow someone down. Lots of what you do on a track is the complete opposite of what's expected on a public road.
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A track course on itself won't, riding track consistently will.

Unless you have some experience on it that says otherwise? Personal experience... not youtube or read somewhere.
 
Baggsy said:
First off my riding is at much more of a sedate pace. Roughly 95-120% of the speed limit.

Secondly, I'm not convinced that a track course will slow someone down. Lots of what you do on a track is the complete opposite of what's expected on a public road.

The main thing you want to do at the moment on the road is to slow the frig down. A physics course might enlighten you to the properties of mass colliding at speed. Taking a course that teaches you to go faster seems like a no brainer, literally.

As as for the crash data, I've seen it before and will take a look. It seems like collisions slowly go down from first to second year, then rise back up second and third, before reasserting their downward trend. Whether this is from people jumping on a bigger bike, or just getting cocky, it didn't really say that I know.
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I don't know about slowing anyone down, but after 15 years of riding and 10 years on the track, I just find it boring to ride on the streets. Since the amount of time I'm spending on the street is lower, then the amount of stupid things I'm doing in probably minimized.
 
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ZX600 said:
A track course on itself won't, riding track consistently will.

Unless you have some experience on it that says otherwise? Personal experience... not youtube or read somewhere.
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Sorry, but the onus obviously needs to be the other way. People are saying that doing A will improve B. I don't see how. Convince me. The same exercise can be done for dirt riding. Will either or both actually help or hinder a street rider, why?

I can understand those who forego street altogether, but teaching someone who rides too fast on the street how to do it faster just seems counterintuitive.
 
Baggsy said:
...As as for the crash data, I've seen it before and will take a look. It seems like collisions slowly go down from first to second year, then rise back up second and third, before reasserting their downward trend. Whether this is from people jumping on a bigger bike, or just getting cocky, it didn't really say that I know.
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My bet is mostly on being cocky that they survived the first couple of years and they now have experience. Many may also have moved up in CCs and are then a noob again....and forget that learning is always going on.
 
I'll be taking a dirt riding course soon I think. I see that as much more useful and more oriented towards the kind of riding I do every day and moe useful for the standard of the roads and surfaces we have in Canada. I'm not taking a track day because I don't need to know how to go faster round the streets. I'm already fast enough for me, it's not a race. I'd rather know what to do when I hit a patch of gravel or how to ride around rutted roads with poor (or no) surfaces, avoid obstacles etc. I understand the thrill of speed but riding a bike for me is all about journeys, sights, destinations and freedom. I can ride every day to somewhere different, that's pretty awesome.
 
jc100 said:
I'll be taking a dirt riding course soon I think. I see that as much more useful and more oriented towards the kind of riding I do every day and moe useful for the standard of the roads and surfaces we have in Canada. I'm not taking a track day because I don't need to know how to go faster round the streets. I'm already fast enough for me, it's not a race. I'd rather know what to do when I hit a patch of gravel or how to ride around rutted roads with poor (or no) surfaces, avoid obstacles etc. I understand the thrill of speed but riding a bike for me is all about journeys, sights, destinations and freedom. I can ride every day to somewhere different, that's pretty awesome.
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I'm on the other end of it, I started riding dirt at a very young age and living far from the city has afforded me an extensive amount of riding throughout the years. Even on the road, noone thinks twice about it here. We do whatever we want on our bikes, just wave to your neighbors on the way by and everyone is happy.
 
Baggsy said:
Sorry, but the onus obviously needs to be the other way. People are saying that doing A will improve B. I don't see how. Convince me. The same exercise can be done for dirt riding. Will either or both actually help or hinder a street rider, why?

I can understand those who forego street altogether, but teaching someone who rides too fast on the street how to do it faster just seems counterintuitive.
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I don't think I have to convince you of anything. I speak from experience and you from assumption.

It's my opinion, take it or not. I couldn't care less :)
 
Drennan57 said:
I'm on the other end of it, I started riding dirt at a very young age and living far from the city has afforded me an extensive amount of riding throughout the years. Even on the road, noone thinks twice about it here. We do whatever we want on our bikes, just wave to your neighbors on the way by and everyone is happy.
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If you started dirt biking at a very young age, and I know you did because I made a notation last time you mentioned that, I think you're well ahead of the game. You have the muscle memory of a bike moving around underneath you, something a city bred dandy usually wouldn't be able to relate to. This is why this thread is so perplexing, bouncing around in fits and starts while everybody's trying to come to some sort of resolution. All in all I think we're making progress but we're still good for 10 more pages. I'm hoping, anyway.
 
Will either or both actually help or hinder a street rider, why?

I can understand those who forego street altogether, but teaching someone who rides too fast on the street how to do it faster just seems counterintuitive.
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Why for dirt??....because you learn to control the bike in unexpected conditions and positions and learn to fall.

WHy for street?....because you learn to go faster more safely, braking, entering corners and just maybe get a bit of the go fast out of the system and understand why saving it for the track is a good thing.
 
I tend to ride 15-20 over the limit. I drive for a living and tickets make me unemployable. I also do alot of riding with the wife, she has just moved to a 600 bandit after three seasons on a ninja 250. She doesn't want to go fast, she just enjoys the ride.
I've ridden and raced dirt bikes since I was 6, that's where I get my speed out.
I'm really thinking of doing racer5 or similar, it'd be a ton of fun and a great learning experience.
I have an agreement with the wife that i can't race enduros and hare scrambles again until the 2018 season. But then I'll be racing vet class.

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Bit of a tangent but the funny thing is I noticed when I got a bigger bike I actually ride slower than I did with the 250 -- I put it up to being a bit older and also the fact I don't need to carry as much speed into corners/fun bits, so I can essentially ride at the limit and twist a little more when I want to go through a corner a bit faster, then slow back down again. Same can be said for getting out of blind spots on the 401.
 
conundrum said:
Bit of a tangent but the funny thing is I noticed when I got a bigger bike I actually ride slower than I did with the 250 -- I put it up to being a bit older and also the fact I don't need to carry as much speed into corners/fun bits, so I can essentially ride at the limit and twist a little more when I want to go through a corner a bit faster, then slow back down again. Same can be said for getting out of blind spots on the 401.
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Yeah in many ways a bigger bike is actually safer for general street riding. The problem I am having is addiction to the performance of a bigger bike so I end up riding faster to get the rush. That's where guys run into trouble but I'm gonna work on it.
 
Drennan57 said:
Yeah in many ways a bigger bike is actually safer for general street riding. The problem I am having is addiction to the performance of a bigger bike so I end up riding faster to get the rush. That's where guys run into trouble but I'm gonna work on it.
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Plus you've been riding dirt for a very long time so that should provide somewhat of a buffer in case you get into a prang. However it shakes out, it's good to know orthpedic surgery has come a long way since you roosted your first berm. Titanium ftw.
 
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Drennan57 said:
Yeah in many ways a bigger bike is actually safer for general street riding. The problem I am having is addiction to the performance of a bigger bike so I end up riding faster to get the rush. That's where guys run into trouble but I'm gonna work on it.
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If you are riding for the 'rush' of speed on the streets, then you are asking for it imo (only a matter of time until tickets, accidents, or worse). I think we all like a bit of speed in the corners, but overall I just like riding/connection of man and machine, be that at 60, 80, 100+, etc, etc. Plus who wants a speeding ticket for going in a straight line.
 
conundrum said:
If you are riding for the 'rush' of speed on the streets, then you are asking for it imo (only a matter of time until tickets, accidents, or worse). I think we all like a bit of speed in the corners, but overall I just like riding/connection of man and machine, be that at 60, 80, 100+, etc, etc. Plus who wants a speeding ticket for going in a straight line.
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It's good to explore all the angles but I don't think you're going to get a lot of takers. I assume that's a question?
 
inreb said:
Plus you've been riding dirt for a very long time so that should provide somewhat of a buffer in case you get into a prang. However it shakes out, it's good to know orthpedic surgery has come a long since you roosted your first berm. Titanium ftw.
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No, dirt experience only goes so far. Once you start turning up the speed it's a whole different show.
 
Drennan57 said:
No, dirt experience only goes so far. Once you start turning up the speed it's a whole different show.
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Maybe try skydiving for the speed rush?!? But, as ZX pointed out, I don't know, since I haven't tried it. Haven't tried putting my head in a running blast furnace either, but still I don't think that I'd like it.
 
Drennan57 said:
No, dirt experience only goes so far. Once you start turning up the speed it's a whole different show.
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Ah, that probably explains why Jean Michel Bayle stunk up the joint when he switched to road racing. Please nix my previous assertion regarding the matter.
 
I think track riding relates more to riding twisty mountain / canyon roads then the typical riding that gets done in the GTA. Not sure how one would benefit there... Are on/off ramps really that challenging that you need track school?

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