Worth a read.. I concur with his sentiments 100%
http://www.odd-bike.com/2013/06/in-praise-of-slow.html
"You see, I’ve always ridden sport bikes, or bikes with sporting pretensions. In the sport bike community, there is a certain level of expectation with regards to your capabilities. This expectation is twofold: you have the dumb, inexperienced squids who expect you to ride at terminal velocity along the highway and wheelie at every opportunity, and then you have the seasoned sport riding veterans who expect you to be able to drag your knee through every switchback. The first group judges your skill (and the quality of a machine) exclusively on its ability to go vertical and how quickly you can achieve multiples of the speed limit. The second group judges based on your ability to keep up with them through a tight set of twisties without dying violently in the process. [...]
I fall into another, seldom mentioned category of rider – seasoned, skilled, and having a strong sense of self-preservation. I am a slow rider. And I am here to proselytize my style of riding, and speak in praise of slow. [..]
That doesn’t mean I pootle along at the speed limit everywhere I go. I don’t ride like a granny, and I hate pig-headed jerkoffs who H.O.G. the lane and clutter up the twisties without letting quicker riders past. When conditions are right and the roads are clear, I’ll drop the hammer and have some fun, and I enjoy a high speed blast as much as the next adrenaline junkie. There is a time and place for such shenanigans, and in my experience they are few and far between while on the street. If you recognize that and respect your machine, your abilities, and the conditions around you, you’ll be a far more comfortable and confident rider. That is my definition of slow - respecting the variables and the conditions and riding with the intent of making it home in one piece. My slow might be far faster than the average rider, but it is within a wide margin of safety and it is well within my comfort zone.
The older I get, the more I understand that surviving the day is far more important than setting a record pace. Fast has its place, and I respect riders who can ride quickly and smoothly without looking like a goddamned high-speed trainwreck in progress. But I’m here to praise slow. I'm here to proclaim the virtues of enjoying the ride and the experience, and riding within your capabilities, without making every ride into a do-or-die misadventure. It's time for a change in sport riding culture; no more dick-waving, no more ego clashing, no more squidly pursuits on public roads. There is a time and a place for fast, and it isn't on the street. I for one am willing to admit: I am a sport bike rider, and I am slow."
(let the dick waving commence).
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Originally Posted by iYRe
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