Ask those BMW guys how many have M3's and M5/6's and how many of those go to the nurburgring. How many people who own old warplanes actually bomb things and shoot down other planes? I have a large military gun collection yet I don't kill anyone, am I wasting them as well?

 

Don't get it wrong. There are a bunch of good guys over there. Very knowledgeable, ride sensibly on the street and can prolly take most ppl on the track... then there are the twits that almost make me wish for mod powers there.

I lean towards Nick Ienatsch's The Pace. Entirely possible to both thrill and test yourself while, at worst, bending the laws. I've opened up Yolie. Who can honestly say they could resist the temptation. And doing so, realized short of the Texas Mile Yolie's top end is wholely and completely unnecessary. If anyone wasted her, it's the engineers at BMW.

They created a true beast... then shoved it in a cage by selling it to the general public for street use. And no worries, I haven't opened Yolie up since. There's no need...

And it was terrifyingly exciting. Don't wanna get used to that.

 

No, definitely not. I have kept all of my bikes since I started riding on the road and buying my own bikes - 36 years ago! I have a big shed

They all bring back memories of trips/experiences/crashes/rebuilds - and I would have great difficulty parting with any of them. Some are used sporadically, some daily and others will remain parked until I shuffle off this mortal coil!

Cheers, SB

 

I have an '08 CBR1000RR. If anything, I "waste" its potential on the street but I bought it not so much for what I planned on doing with it but rather what it CAN do.

I love riding around at close to the speed limit, knowing the potential of what I'm sitting on can do if I twist my wrist a little. That gives me about as much satisfaction than if I actually did it.

 

Hard to say the majority of the biker population are "wasting" their bikes,
since trackers are such a tiny subset of the whole.

If that's why you bought it...and it sits (with your leathers) in the garage gathering
dust, year after year...well, yeah, that's a waste. Especially, if you scuff the side-walls
and your leathers with sandpaper, so you can brag to your buddies at the bar...lol

Ern

 

My bike gets me extra cool points at *$'s so technical answer to your question is no it is not wasted.

 

I dont think Im wasting mine at all. Ill admit there is always more potential to be unlocked with these bikes, there always is, for everybody.. but I (once in a blue moon) do operate them how they were intended when nobody is around. I wont lie one bit (and sorry if riders like myself increase insurance costs, I pay it too), I redline and run 125+ from time to time. I ride everyday in the dark basically working 12 hour shifts, 30 miles, if Im on an empty highway for miles.. well there you go. And I bet nobody on this forum can say they have never had a "squid" moment or two. Maybe thats not these bikes are for but.. I think anybody would agree the thrill and exhilaration is what usually attracts a person to a sport bike. If you have fun, you're not wasting your bike.

As for the guy that wont ride his bike on the track, big deal I wouldnt give him **** but I would agree that if you have significant fear or doubt at all, a litre bike is not for you. And Im not "chest pounding" Im just stating my personal opinion.

Guys who let there bike sit in the garage or outside for months on end, thats wasting a motorcycle.

 

I'm not wasting my bikes by keeping them off the track, I'm wasting them by barely riding much in the first place. Yarr!

 

I would absolutely love to take my bike to track and learn how to properly track it. But there aren't any real tracks around my area .

And no I don't feel like I waste it. Gas is basically 4 dollars a gallon up here and she saves me a ton!

Of course its 15 years old and its 32 degrees outside....