The 05 body style isn't bad at all. The 06r+ model .... different story IMO! These are the times when street riding can be awfully costly. Reminds me of a time a trooper in Wartsburg, TN pulled over 4 of us - AND gave us all tickets!! 2 lane, wide open highway (just like in your picture), riding one handed doing about 65-70 in a 55 going uphill in 95 degree heat. He said he clocked at least one rider doing 71 (when I looked down I was at 65 and was third in line)... that was a long, slow ride back home! I encounter these types of things city riding, but not out on the country so much. In the city I stay away from cars and alter my lane position according to the cars around me. I rarely just "ride around" though.
I still ride on the street. Not as much as I used to... between tickets ( 3 within a month, first one in over two yrs; I only had to pay one of them.) and texting ( have been hit twice by people playing with their phones), It's just not the same. I mostly ride back and forth from school, with weather permitting. It's a lot easier to park the bike than the car. Years ago, I used to ride everywhere. I didn't own a car for two years. I was at the IMS in Indy over this past weekend and do want to buy a bike that is more street friendly. I really liked the speed triple.
I can't imagine only riding track days. I hate these winter weeks when I can't get in a little ride because of the snow and ice on the roads. During good weather I ride 3-4 days a week to work just so I can get more riding in after work. I've been real lucky with cagers and the like here in Indy. Only a couple close calls in the last 4 years. I need to put about 100 miles on my track bike before each track day just to get used to it again. Last night was about 30 miles just for fun even though a sport bike is pretty chilly in 50 degree weather. Matt
In that pic I was about 1/2 mile to 1 mile away from the 70mph zone which i thought I was already in. Got me 75 in a 55. Son of a... Wile track riding is #1 in my book, I'm a motorcyclist and I want to ride every second. Track, dirt, street.... I don't care just let me ride.
My wife and I ride a Kawasaki Ninja 250 and Versys respectively on the street. We like to tour and camp. Track riding is a blast but it isn't exactly relaxing. Touring is relaxing. I think the key to safe, enjoyable street riding is to get as far away from the city as possible. Besides, what fun is sitting at stoplights?
I started racing in 2000 and did not ride onteh street for six years while racing. Will never do that again as I missed out on alot of fun. Realized limiting urself to just the track cuts ur riding time and fun in half. I ride my Road King and my Aprilia SXV 550 alot on the street, 20K miles last year.
I now like riding on trips with friends on an Adventure bike with street tires...love a twin for street riding and something that gets a wobble at like 116 mph..Nick Ianetch (sp?) from Champions school (The old Freddie Spencer) wrote an article called "The Pace" great write up on street riding..I recommend it to track riders that still ride on the street..
I still have a street bike, and although i put only 600 miles on it last year, i know the moment i sell it, i will miss it incredibly!!! I use it to commute and an occasional ride. I know i would have ridden more, but where we moved to, is a lot of wild life at night and i was being a chicken, else i would have ridden more!! I <3 my Simon
A weekend on the track is better to me than a month of street riding. So no, I no longer ride the street, but I also dont have any roads near me worth riding.
Then you are doing it wrong. But seriously I have no fun riding a crotch rocket on the street. Getting a street motard and my first cruiser last year has changed the way I think about riding on the street. Anyone that knows me knows that hell froze over the day I bought that Harley. ound:
I'm still on the outside looking in at track riding, so all my riding has been on the street (and a little dirt) up to this point. My first full season of riding was last year, and I put about 3,000 miles on my '93 GS500 that I had restored from pretty poor condition over the previous year. Notice the sign...a good reason to ride on the track.