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Totally agree with that, I can safely attest that 'bad lines' and in my case 30kph on a 25kph bend was sufficient to sit me on my arse..... I have constantly said track days do NOT give the skills needed on the road... you are all going the same way, on a purpose built surface with roadside furniture absent, as well as a lack of cliffs, mud banks, ditches in my case. It may allow you to explore the limit of your ability, but as Rastuscat points out, has no real correlation to riding on the public highway road conditions.
Last edited by Gremlin; 12th August 2012 at 22:09. Reason: Fixed HTML
If the road to hell is paved with good intentions; and a man is judged by his deeds and his actions, why say it's the thought that counts? -GrayWolf
Quite alot of people who ride on the road & attend trackdays still cant ride that well.....whereas racing definitely does help you on the road I reckon. It teaches you how hard you can brake when you really need to,teaches you to late apex, teaches you to look for an entry into the apex & to look thru the corner. It also teaches you to avoid target fixation. It also teaches you how to ride on the road way fasterer if you wish.....
It can also help you realise earlier that things might be turning to custard & help to stop a panicked reaction,helps you to suss out what is going on with your suspension so you can sort it & gives you a damn good idea of grip in the wet.
Im not condoning excess speed on the road, just stating what I have found.
Biggest factor I reckon is Ego especially when out with mates.
The Heart is the drum keeping time for everyone....
I would not disagree with the ability to learn braking, apex, entry and late.... The point being made is... custom laid surface for grip, without pot holes, sheep/cow shit, tar snakes/patches. No ditches, sheep fencing, power poles, walls, fences, lamp posts etc etc,,,, I've never seen a race track that you have no clear view round/across a corner (unless using part of a road/highway).. there is no 'oncoming' Ute, WRX, Mitzi, lorry etc to allow for when taking the 'racing' line.... Thats the 'road skills' or allowances track days do not teach... So I would not agree with learners or 'new' riders going to track days,,, I think Grantman's crash thread explains it perfectly.. Overconfident with 'limited ability' or experience.
BTW I certainly do not consider myself a 'good rider'...
If the road to hell is paved with good intentions; and a man is judged by his deeds and his actions, why say it's the thought that counts? -GrayWolf
Puddytat, I couldn't agree with you less, I have a mate in Ireland who races on a 1000cc Suzuki in a clubman series, he's pretty bloody quick, yet his nickname is crash because of his road riding antics. He has binned every new bike he's ever owned at some point.
Now to respond to your claims,
The only thing that teaches hard braking is practice, what the track gives you is a constant surface to practice on. Not good if you come flat out up to a corner thinking I only need xxx meters cause that's what I learnt on the track, road surface is a bigger determining factor, wet/dry, gravel, mid corner bumps, oil, shit, etc.
Not all corners can be seen through before entry.
How the fuck does the track teach avoiding target fixation? There's nothing to fixate on.
You can set up your suspension for the track and gain faster lap times, constant surface again.
Very hard to tune suspension for the road, and as far as grip levels in the wet go, once again it all comes down to the surface, and a lack of grip mid corner can be unsettling at best and fatal at worst.
While in ireland I did a three day ROSPA rider training course, I learnt more from real world training over those 3 days than from the multitude of track days since, in fact I think it made me faster on the track.
Reggie
But that was because they were already screwed. What if they'd had no demerits?
Not trynig to bag you. I think it's certainly a step in the right direction. Just trying to determine how much you're looking at rider behaviour other than just speed.
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin (1706-90)
"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending to much liberty than those attending too small a degree of it." - Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
"Motorcycling is not inherently dangerous. It is, however, EXTREMELY unforgiving of inattention, ignorance, incompetence and stupidity!" - Anonymous
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