Racing on roads

[sharp2183]

It's true that people ride for different reasons, but in my experience the ones who advocate hard riding on the road are the ones who don't usually have first hand experience of truly terrible crashes.

A bit like what Quasie said, it's not so exciting when you go round a corner and see your best mates or family dead/near fatally injured. And what if you hit a pedestrian or something?

Makes you think about the important things in life I reckon. I get my kicks in other ways.

[swbarnett]

My question would be why do people ride if not for the adrenaline?

There was a 60 minutes article last week about Alex Honnold "Alex is not just any rock climber - he scales walls higher than the EmpireStateBuilding, and does so without any ropes or protection." He is the only person to free climb Yosemite's Half Dome. When asked about adrenaline he commented that "There is no adrenaline rush, you know? Like if I get a rush, it means that something has gone horribly wrong, you know?"

Like any human endeavour that we choose to do (as oppossed to out of a necessity to sustain our physical existance), it's about the CONNECTION. Connection the the environment. Connection to one's soul.

[Katman]

It's true that people ride for different reasons, but in my experience the ones who advocate hard riding on the road are the ones who don't usually have first hand experience of truly terrible crashes.

It would be interesting to see how Grantman's attitude would change after losing a few close friends to racing on the road.

[cheshirecat]

[QUOTE=Katman;1130181419]It would be interesting to see how Grantman's attitude would change after losing a few close friends to racing on the road.[/QUOTE}
Plus one. I read on one of the FB pages how one rider, who considered themselves experienced, took a blind corner close, ended up wide. Being as the corner in question was known to him, on a narrow road and subject to oncomming bikes and cars doing the same thing it make me thankful I (or anyone) wasn't riding with him or meeting him in the opposite direction.

Most get away with such stuff as seen in Grantmans video, most of the time, even a 1000 times maybe. But based on the law of averages alone, one day something will happen as sure as night follows day. Like Katman I spent some time DRing in London. I used to reckon a close shave about once every two weeks. When I mean close shave I mean thereby by the grace of God I'm still on this planet. Bearing in mind one got more 'incidents' before lunchtime than most riders get in a year I considered one serious narrow miss once a fortnight good going and scaling up for general road riding gives about once every year, which I try and minimise these days using my DR experience and not doing stuff like in that video.

How do close shave stats for weekend 'going for a fang' riders work out - one close shave a year perhaps and if so how many years before a big one involving someone else?

Of course as mentioned above reality of ones mortality is heightened by encountering the reality of traffic accidents which I might add would account for the attitude of police who have to pick up the pieces and tell next of kin, on a daily basis.

[Grantman_]

I'm the calculating type. I'm not into rolling the dice in blind maneuvers. You're only as good as you've practiced. I have one recent friend who rides and we rarely meet. If a hot headed friend should die doing something wrong on the road, they alone are responsible for their actions.

[bsasuper]

I'm the calculating type. I'm not into rolling the dice in blind maneuvers. You're only as good as you've practiced. I have one recent friend who rides and we rarely meet. If a hot headed friend should die doing something wrong on the road, they alone are responsible for their actions.

Unfortunately someone's "own" actions affect other peoples lives, like the twat on his yamaha who came around a corner on the wrong side of the road killing a biker coming the other way on the coromandel.

[cheshirecat]

I'm the calculating type. I'm not into rolling the dice in blind maneuvers. You're only as good as you've practiced. I have one recent friend who rides and we rarely meet. If a hot headed friend should die doing something wrong on the road, they alone are responsible for their actions.

Absolutely. Trouble is there are too many whose calculated margins are a trifle thin when taking into account the unexpected. There was a thread a while back here about what we'd hit whilst riding. Someone hit an octopus. I knew someone who almost hit an elephant once whilst driving very slowly down a foggy English country lane. The fact the elephant was bright pink didn't help his explanation to the police.

[Grantman_]

Unfortunately someone's "own" actions affect other peoples lives, like the twat on his yamaha who came around a corner on the wrong side of the road killing a biker coming the other way on the coromandel.

He is responsible for the results of his actions. Not me nor anyone else.

Absolutely. Trouble is there are too many whose calculated margins are a trifle thin when taking into account the unexpected. There was a thread a while back here about what we'd hit whilst riding. Someone hit an octopus. I knew someone who almost hit an elephant once whilst driving very slowly down a foggy English country lane. The fact the elephant was bright pink didn't help his explanation to the police.

It gets to the point whereby trying to control for all manor of variables means staying at home in bed. There is always a balance. Different people will have different balances ranging along a perceived scale, a scale that differs depending on who is looking at it.

[willytheekid]

It's true that people ride for different reasons, but in my experience the ones who advocate hard riding on the road are the ones who don't usually have first hand experience of truly terrible crashes.

A bit like what Quasie said, it's not so exciting when you go round a corner and see your best mates or family dead/near fatally injured. And what if you hit a pedestrian or something?

Makes you think about the important things in life I reckon. I get my kicks in other ways.

Well said and sadly very true....it certainly changed my riding style...and life!, many years ago.

I grew up with bikes....I was bat shit crazy on both dirt & road bikes, I just loved racing and pushing the limits on two wheels.....then everything changed.

I watched one of my best friends lose control mid courner during a high speed road race we were having....he drifted wide....and got hit head-on by a car.....he didn't stand a chance!.....everything changes after you have tried to keep "most" of your best friends brain inside his helmet...to be covered in blood and brain matter while struggling to find life where there is none.....and to then "try" and explain to his family and twin sister what happened...and how you were partly responcible.
.....we were 16yrs old.

The sound of his twin sister screaming "murderers!, you guys & your F#@ing bikes killed him!"....will haunt me for the rest of my life.


That crash gave me nightmares for years!....reliving the moment of impact and all the gory shit that followed...then having to wake up and wash my hands because I can stiil feel the blood & brains on my hands....and it didn't end there.

I had to go on from this crash and bury another 2 of my best friends!....thats 3!....in the same year!
.....and ALL because of dangerous riding & racing on the road.

I am now...sadly, the last one left....out of 7 of my childhood motorcycle best friends
....all of them thought it was cool to race on the roads and push the limits...well they found their limits...and the result was always the same.

I went to advanced rider training due to the above, and I learnt how to "survive" on the roads and how to have fun and be safe on the road and the race track.....and I truly regret that my friends weren't around to join me.

I truly pray that none of you have to live with your best friend dying in your arms as I have, or to have to go to funeral after funeral till your sick to your stomach with the senseless loss.......just to learn the most basic lesson of motorcycling......."speed!...save it for the track!...and just focus on surviving!"

So please......Don't learn the hardway like I did.....it WILL stay with you forever


Im celebrating 30yrs Riding this coming Feb....all due to safe road riding.....NOT the style of ridiing exhibited in these stupid life risking vids

Ride safe KBers


Posted in loving memory of Clinton, Jamie, Reese, Scott, Matt and Charl....never forgotten

[TIBLE_90]

Unfortunately someone's "own" actions affect other peoples lives, like the twat on his yamaha who came around a corner on the wrong side of the road killing a biker coming the other way on the coromandel.

Yea I heard about that from the yamaha racers friend. Endangering others lives like that is just stupid . If you want to race like that you should take it to the track. Idk what I'd do if I killed a fellow biker like that. I'm all for having fun on the roads, but passing in corners and speeding like a knob is just retarded. I'm not saying you have to go 100, but just don't take chances that could get you or another road user killed. After all one rides to have fun and being dead or killing another human being is not a 'fun' thing.

[Katman]

and to then "try" and explain to his family and twin sister what happened...and how you were partly responcible.

Thanks for sharing that and for your honesty.

I'm always dismayed at how many motorcyclists are all too quick to wash their hands of any responsibility when things turn to shit for one of their ride members - even though they have been completely aware of the competitive nature of that ride that has led to someone pushing past their own skill level.

I can only assume that they either a) have no conscience or b) don't like what their conscience is telling them.

[PrincessBandit]

I'm always dismayed at how many motorcyclists are all too quick to wash their hands of any responsibility when things turn to shit for one of their ride members - even though they have been completely aware of the competitive nature of that ride that has led to someone pushing past their own skill level.

I can only assume that they either a) have no conscience or b) don't like what their conscience is telling them.

Or they have some kind of twisted romanticised view of the consequences of irresponsible actions on the road.

[swbarnett]

...and how you were partly responcible.

Their coicees were theirs, not yours. You are not responsible (even partly) for the fact that they did not have the sense or the courage to say no.

[swbarnett]

I'm always dismayed at how many motorcyclists are all too quick to wash their hands of any responsibility when things turn to shit for one of their ride members - even though they have been completely aware of the competitive nature of that ride that has led to someone pushing past their own skill level.

I don't deny that their may be something a rider can do that will have a causal relationship to a fellow rider living or dying. Slowing down when you know a less skilled rider is trying to keep up, for example, is just common sense. However, should you not act (i.e. slow down in the example above) and the worst happens the only one responsible is the rider that pushed themselves too far.

[Katman]

However, should you not act (i.e. slow down in the example above) and the worst happens the only one responsible is the rider that pushed themselves too far.

Spoken like a true proponent of "Hey, nothing to do with me man".