When to slow down

[wildchild]

i'll chime in. early 40's been riding since i was 5. a few years back i stopped riding. it was no longer fun. everytime i rode i pushed harder trying to find the old excitement. it just wasn't there. I'm not blazing fast but i've done a lot of things on street and dirt that should have ended with me in a box. so no fun i quit. missed the hell out of riding in general though. wasn't sure what to really do for fun. my identity has almost always been with bikes.
so i went back to riding on a CBR600f4I. not bad but still not fun. So I tried one more thing and switched back to HD. i started with them many years ago.
suddenly riding is fun again. maybe it was the break, maybe it's just the different style. i do enjoy taking the sweepers slower and enjoying the scenery. the smells and just the vibe of the machine.
most of my friends have either crashed hard or just quit from boredom so now days i ride a lot alone. the cruiser works nice for it.not saying i'd never go back but for awhile i think i'll keep the cruiser. i did pass on the big bike though. felt way too big to flip through traffic in the city. i ride congested roads to work and have to be able to manuever quickly on a regular basis.
I don't mind not having to scan every turn and ramp for johnny law either.

Oh and don't worry about the scooter tramps here disowning you. For the most part the HD guys want nothing to do with us because we wear too much gear and the sportbike guys for the most part ride with anybody as long as you do wear gear. lol

[t-homo]

I don't ride hard on the street due to the risks. I absolutely love it and can't wait to get to the track though. I've also been considering sport touring, but not really sure.

[Trip]

you are still banned

[shmike]

Don't sell the RR, paint it pink.

You don't want to ride slower, you want to ride GAY-er.

The Smirnoff gives it away.

[Looni2ns]

Trip, you've just learned the true meaning of "The Pace".

When I'm at the track, I'm hauling like I've got a pack of mad dogs on my butt. All I have to focus on are my skills, my bike, and the next turn. The track is clean, no cops, no gray-hairs turning in front of me.

But out on the roads, like those around Suches and the Gap, it's different. Gravel, gray-hairs, cops, oil on the road, and tar snakes make the experience totally different. Saturday, my focus was completely different. Oh, and then add the rain.

Think a different riding environment, like a track day, would give you more pleasure than trying to haul butt and stay alive on the street? Or is it something else that makes you think about a different type of bike and riding style?

[t-homo]

"The Pace" is an incredible article.

[Trip]

Originally Posted by Looni2ns

Trip, you've just learned the true meaning of "The Pace".

When I'm at the track, I'm hauling like I've got a pack of mad dogs on my butt. All I have to focus on are my skills, my bike, and the next turn. The track is clean, no cops, no gray-hairs turning in front of me.

But out on the roads, like those around Suches and the Gap, it's different. Gravel, gray-hairs, cops, oil on the road, and tar snakes make the experience totally different. Saturday, my focus was completely different. Oh, and then add the rain.

Think a different riding environment, like a track day, would give you more pleasure than trying to haul butt and stay alive on the street? Or is it something else that makes you think about a different type of bike and riding style?

See below for my feelings on track days. I need something different. I am very much a goal oriented person and I have accomplished what I wanted out of sportbikes and I don't have the desire to be a time trial track day person or the interest to commit myself to the amount I would require out of myself to pursue racing. I was watching long way round with ebbs and just felt that type of riding is something I would enjoy tremedously. I have always loved traveling to new places more than actually being there. That's what I hate about flying commercial. The travel is gone. It would also open up new goals in my riding.

Originally Posted by Trip

never really enjoyed the track. It was ok, but it wasn't a true addiction like it is to some people. I prefered street always. Just the travel and scenery as opposed the same thing over and over again.

[G-Rex]

I know where you're coming from. I want to add a Goldwing and a R1200GS to my stable still, and I get a lot of shit for wanting the Goldwing. I've discovered though that the people who give me crap for it have never ridden one.

I enjoy the track *when* I'm able to go, but I get the most enjoyment when I'm out on a multi-week trip seeing what the country has to offer. Having a proper steed has allowed me the opportunity to go from one end of the country to the other and see everything in between.

I'm proud to say that my Busa has 52k on it and I've seen the coasts and everything in between. The west coast pictures were taken in July of 2005. The east coast pictures were taken in July 2006.

[Trip]

Originally Posted by G-Rex

I know where you're coming from. I want to add a Goldwing and a R1200GS to my stable still, and I get a lot of shit for wanting the Goldwing. I've discovered though that the people who give me crap for it have never ridden one.

I enjoy the track *when* I'm able to go, but I get the most enjoyment when I'm out on a multi-week trip seeing what the country has to offer. Having a proper steed has allowed me the opportunity to go from one end of the country to the other and see everything in between.

I'm proud to say that my Busa has 52k on it and I've seen the coasts and everything in between. The west coast pictures were taken in July of 2005. The east coast pictures were taken in July 2006.

I will never give you crap about wanting a goldwing, for one I have been owned by one several times at the gap. Damn Rick and his ability to pilot the yellow wolf before he got rid of it.

Yeah, when I look at advrider and your blog. Just makes me lust after what I been missing. Especially some of the advrider posts where they go on those dirt roads to the middle of nowhere to snap unbelieveable pics.

[Looni2ns]

Originally Posted by Trip

See below for my feelings on track days. I need something different. I am very much a goal oriented person and I have accomplished what I wanted out of sportbikes and I don't have the desire to be a time trial track day person or the interest to commit myself to the amount I would require out of myself to pursue racing. I was watching long way round with ebbs and just felt that type of riding is something I would enjoy tremedously. I have always loved traveling to new places more than actually being there. That's what I hate about flying commercial. The travel is gone. It would also open up new goals in my riding.

I fully understand. There are times when I'd love to strap on the tail and saddlebags and just head out. This country is huge, and there are so many places that are absolutely amazing. Both Long Way Around and Long Way Down were amazing. Don't know if I could rough it like they did, but it'd be fun trying in my own way.

My uncle turns 90 in August. He lives in Somesville, ME, just outside of Bar Barbor on Mt. Desert Island. Most of the island is the home of Acadia National Park. I'd love to ride up to his party on the 8th, and then ride back home. That would be a neat trip.