Check out these crazy fuckers

[Mikkel]

It's as freaky as hell, stupid but freaky.

Oh, I can agree on that. Freaky as hell indeed! (until you've done it so many times it become routine I suppose) There is after all a reason I rolled off the throttle on the mean greenie half-way down that straight - and it wasn't because there wasn't time and road enough to go faster... I just didn't need anymore adrenaline at that very moment.

But while scary, I doubt you'll *impress* anyone except from the fuzz by doing so on the public road.

I never said that going fast couldn't be fun and/or scary - just that it wasn't impressive in and of itself.

[90s]

Whoo, look at the rear tyre spin and squirm. I am pretty sure that in my riding career I will never be cranked over that far spinning the wheels like that, even on the track. Awesome to see what can be done though.

[Jimmy B]

But while scary, I doubt you'll *impress* anyone except from the fuzz by doing so on the public road.

I never said that going fast couldn't be fun and/or scary - just that it wasn't impressive in and of itself.

Mike you also said it lacks skill…

Ok being totally honest here, if the time and place is right I find a small party of road bikes travelling at very high speed in a straight line to be incredibly impressive. I am not alone, however also appreciate many would take an opposite view.

I think serious speed not only requires a high degree of skill but also significant attention to every aspect of the bike to ensure that it is performing as designed. Failure on either part of the bike or the rider in these circumstances would be catastrophic. To say that it does not require skill simply shows that you have not given due consideration to the total proposition.

It is not simply a function of HP and Aerodynamics as you state. Agreed almost anybody could achieve very high speeds on a bike, but to do so whilst mitigating as many foreseeable problems as possible is the art, and that I think takes skill.

I certainly don’t go to the drags or races to watch riders tipping sedately into a 25 kph corners. I go to watch them hammering down straights at ridiculous speeds on well prepared machines.

[Mikkel]

Mike you also said it lacks skill…

Ok being totally honest here, if the time and place is right I find a small party of road bikes travelling at very high speed in a straight line to be incredibly impressive. I am not alone, however also appreciate many would take an opposite view.

I think serious speed not only requires a high degree of skill but also significant attention to every aspect of the bike to ensure that it is performing as designed. Failure on either part of the bike or the rider in these circumstances would be catastrophic. To say that it does not require skill simply shows that you have not given due consideration to the total proposition.

It is not simply a function of HP and Aerodynamics as you state. Agreed almost anybody could achieve very high speeds on a bike, but to do so whilst mitigating as many foreseeable problems as possible is the art, and that I think takes skill.

I certainly don’t go to the drags or races to watch riders tipping sedately into a 25 kph corners. I go to watch them hammering down straights at ridiculous speeds on well prepared machines.

You have a good point there. Let me take it from the top...

Ok, if I ever said it lacked skill to go fast in a straight line I'll take it back and state that going fast in a straight line is not a significant display of riding ability.

By this I mean that I could cream Rossi in a straight line if I was on an R1 and he on a 250 ccm sportsbike. The same would not be a given when we hit the twisties. I'm sure you see what I am getting at here. In a straight line hps, aerodynamics (and balls) are more important than skill when you compare it to riding in the twisties.

I'm not going to argue against that you need to be very aware of everything you do and all of your surroundings when traveling at high speeds. However, the things you need to be aware of are generally the things that might force you to not ride in a straight line all of a sudden. As for paying attention to whether your bike is behaving as it should - that's more in the service and maintenance section IMHO. Most people - unlike Burt Monroe - do not have the senses and reflexes to get on the clutch fast enough if anything seizes... which on a modern motorcycle that has been serviced and maintained according to spec is unlikely anyway.

Truth be told, a motorcycle traveling at speed in a straight line is usually quite capable of staying upright and taking care of changes in road surface, grip, etc. as long as you don't steer it off the road or into an obstacle. The more steering input you throw at it the more likely it is to become unsettled (and my latest bin was due to just that actually).

As you say one has to be "mitigating as many foreseeable problems as possible" when traveling at high speeds. Yes I agree, this is necessary if you want to travel at high speeds safely. The only time you find out if people possess this skill or not is when things go wrong, when something you might have been able to predict occurs and you fail to react to it. Managing to travel at high speed without incident is neither a guarantee that you would have reacted in the right way had such an event occurred nor is it a guarantee that you would have predicted it. As such high speed in a straight line does not illustrate that you possess these skills - and conversely if you fuck it up it is not a guarantee that you didn't have the skills either as there are also incidents that you can not possibly predict.

IMHO the biggest skill requirement for traveling fast in a straight line is knowing when to slow down - everything else is applicable to all other aspects of riding as well. Be it for a hazard or the upcoming corner. Knowing your braking distance at any speed and being able to couple that to your maximum cornering speed is what wins races. As such I'm going be an arse and argue that the most important skill in traveling fast in a straight line is knowing how NOT to travel fast in a straight line.

[Jimmy B]

You have a good point there. Let me take it from the top...

the most important skill in traveling fast in a straight line is knowing how NOT to travel fast in a straight line.

Top post Mike, all of it

[Mikkel]

Top post Mike, all of it

You read that quick - I was hoping for a comeback that would prolong the debate.

Cheers

[henry]

I think the most important skill is knowing when not to get into a pissing match on the internet.

[Jimmy B]

I think the most important skill is knowing when not to get into a pissing match on the internet.

Bahahahaha, "pissing match" *gasp* oh the burn, bahahahahahaha....*thump*..."andy you alright mate"?

[munterk6]

Never mind the innocent families in their cars whose lives are in mortal danger every time these adrenalised show-offs cross the centre line.
I ride with some very good riders and we DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT cross the centre line in corners where visibility is poor, for this very reason.
Imagine crashing head on in to a family and surviving the crash (flicked over the top) and then having to live with the fact you have killed or maimed someone due to negligence and sheer selfish stupidity!

[bigbad]

Good skills, dumb move. The roads no play ground.

BB

[RantyDave]

Coming soon to a Russian hospital near you.

[ital916]

This is why motorcyclists get a bad name, STFU to all who say this is cool and support this kind of behaviour, I reckon these tools need to be banned from riding. I can't wait to see these dickheads appear on ride2die *when it comes back*. I reckon it takes a lot more skill to ride safely and be able to handle all situations thrown at you than going all over the place on a public road thinking your the man when in reality your just a wanker!

[EJK]

Now thats what they call "all over the road"

[chrisso]

Bloody Wogs have all the Fun.I reckon Ghost Riders Vids are better. 300+ everywhere

[chrisso]

You wanna see insane-- Google'' Ghost Rider'' not the crap movie, the dude from Sweden. Upsala run is the best