Tarding today

[kezzafish]

My mates dirt bike was out of order today and no one else was keen to ride so i decided to go for a tardy blast over the rimutakas with my mate (dave) on his R1. i thought this was gonna be a nightmare as i've only done short hoons by myself and with his bike being a 1litre weapon i thought we'd wanna ride different roads. It was also my first time goin over the rimutakas. The straight roads were a pain in the ass but dave was happy to putt along at around 110 and blast me at the lights etc. when we came to the hill the story was very different, it was much easier for him to pass cars but i'd always catch up i could carry more speed through the corners than he would and all in all i had a blast. we got quite stupid and had an awesome race, i couldn't believe how much fun can be had on the road with a mate, even when he's riding a totally different type of bike. I've said i want to sell my tard so i can get a second dirt bike but now i'm not so sure! my dilemna now is: If i keep trying to have this much fun on the road... i'm gonna die. So maybe i should get rid of it just to preserve my life? i can't see myself backing off cos i'm young and stupid and winning is everything. especially when there's someone to chase. I know someone will suggest i get into track days but one of the reasons i love riding is the freedom and the fact that there are no rules, regulations, entry fees, fat controllers etc etc. and i don't want to wait for a particular day when i'm allowed to go for a hoon. Anyway, just my ramble. What's your take?

[Bulldog]

You're right and wrong. riding has a lot more freedom to it than say driving cars which presents you with a heap more choices to make. But with any choice in life comes outcomes. Your choice to ride like you stole it on public roads full of 'other' numpties is yours and yours alone...unfurtunately it's a numbers game...you will only get away with it for so long. Even simply riding bikes is a numbers game...but with more speed generally comes more risk. Don't get me wrong....there's nothing I enjoy more than riding like a lunatic on my motard, but I'm all to aware of the risks I take when doing it.

Soapbox aside...should you keep it or not...I'm terrible with bikes and go through them every six months so I'm a bad person to talk to. I would suggest asking yourself which one you'll use more and get the most fun out of, then make a decision.

[AlBundy]

Mmmm, tough one...

I had my DRZ through the twisties and it was absolutely wicked. It's better than the 690. Maybe it's the 20kg's it saves but it handled better.
On the other hand, the 690 has the power for distance riding and the power for between the corners... It's a compromise...
The DRZ just isn't intimidating.

At the end of the day, only you know how you ride, how many chances you take while doing it and where your priorities lie...

Being overly competitive on the street, can and has led to a few broken bikes and lots of money spent/lost. It's all about time and place, so choose well...

[kezzafish]

yeah, i guess i could just try to relax a bit and enjoy the ride but to get the same thrill and satisfaction i get on the dirt i have to go heaps faster because of the relative space and good condition of the road (compared to a dirt track) the other thing i think is that if i had more power i wouldn't have to take the rediculous risks i was taking to keep up with an R1 but then i'd find myself trying to do 200 on the straights?! i know i'll ride dirt more than i'll joy ride motard but i already have a dirt bike and can't ride two at once aye! i just wanted one for high speed dirt and one for gnarly hillclimbs etc. It's a hard choice and it's funny because before i went for a hoon on Sunday i was sure i wanted to get a second dirt bike at the expense of the tard. After the ride i thought: "that was so much fun i couldn't possibly sell it" and then my second thought was: "that was so fukken dagerous that if i don't sell it i'll die!"