I wasnt planning on including this, but heres a short clip of track day action from Sandia Raceway in Albuquerque. I'm including it to demonstrate relative danger: a mountain road with no traffic -vs- a track day all geared up and with other bikes around. The track is MAYBE safer, but theres an adrenalin thing with track riding that I dont get or want to get while on the street.
(the sound was useless as recorded so I added a song. it sucks, but the wind noise was horrible)

(tuscondude: I dont know that road. Give me a shout when you ride it, maybe I'll join you! I'm in Santa Fe.)

DrAwkwArD: yes! i agree 100%


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HbeNT_-IhU&NR=1[/youtube]

 

Without any doubt at all the track is 100% safer than any road you'll ever ride your bike on in your life.

Where else, barring all the other safety precautions taken at the track (long run offs, no standing obstacles, no cars or trucks, etc...), will you find an ambulance standing by ready to roll if you go down. Nowhere. Never.

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but that was just a stupid comment. The entire point of track riding is to learn how to control your bike in a controlled and safe environment. Sure, accidents happen and people will break a collar bone, or even a vertebrae here or there (rare), but they're never run over by a truck, or pulled out on by someone on their cell phone, and no one ever lowsides into a telephone pole and gets split in two. Come on man, do track a little bit more justice than "MAYBE"...

 

First thing nice videos.

Second thing Yes there are A LOT of gear ****'s on this forum. They will give a lot of aggressive advice that sounds like they are bi!ching your shi!, but they are just looking out for you. They don't want to see you go down and get hurt or worse because the lack of gear etc. None of us want to see anyone's name added to The Fallen Members page. It's like a family around here and we are all essentially helping each other out. When we embed video's, such as yours, we need to understand that there are going to be the critics. Please don't let what is said get to you to the point to where you no longer frequent the forum, there are a lot of good people and and a lot of sound information on this site.
All that being said keep safe out there and keep enjoying your bike, shiny side up.

 

Statistically the track is absolutely safer. No doubt. I used the word 'maybe' because in my experience the track brings out massive loads of intention to ride faster and better in myself. Sure they have ambulance service at track days, and they need it, too! So ok, nobody is twisting your arm to ride at your limit at the track, but thats one of the things that makes it memorable. Sometimes I work the corners at track days, and the two worst wrecks I've seen were caused by someone other than the injured rider.

And I used the word maybe because in *my* street video there is no traffic at all. And I thought I was talking about my video, but you turned it into something to do with stupid car drivers, cell phones, trucks pulling out, texting, etc. etc. I am not promoting crazy street stunt riding, but IF you are going to speed-the-corners, its best to pick an empty mountain type road, and I think thats what I did. For sure it was still potentially dangerous, but I made it out ok.

Riders who make me most nervous are ones who never crashed yet. I knew a girl rider who never crashed but wanted me to show her how I knee drag, in a parking lot. We were a small group but we all said, "no!!" ..that chick had no idea of the consequences of getting it wrong on a motorcycle. Last but not least: I use all the skills I have to force myself to stay safe on the street. Riding back and forth to work is a real pleasure for me, but only if I stay smarter than the brains driving cars. On the street I demand of myself that I stay smarter and more alert.
..on the track I mainly just want to go faster

 

Just to clarify, I did try to write my response based on the fact that you said it was a goof off video. I've seen people make videos where they stretch to drag knee just because it looks cool, which is all great if you've got that skill. But people - especially new riders - are very impressionable, and sometimes it's just not good to show people the way that you really shouldn't be doing things. ESPECIALLY doing those things in jeans!

So cool video, fun to watch, but gear up properly for you and others' sakes, and be safe!

 

In my opinion, there's nothing reckless about that video.

 

Thank you! If he was trying to actually "demonstrate" something, I'm sure he would have posted it in the track section. If you take the first video and run wild then its your responsibility not motorcycle5's. I think some of you, well the majority of you, fail to "understand" what he said. I can read well and I read that he was having fun. Take your criticism elsewhere, he didn't ask for it. I get so tired of you gear *****. I am 99% sure all of you don't ride around in 1 or 2 piece leathers every time you start and move your bike. If you do then................who gives a f*ck, cause I don't. I'm not here to criticize any of you regardless of what you do. I worry about me and enjoy the videos posted because you gear ***** aren't posting anything...

 

How is it not a goal?!?! Majority of the people that have never drug a knee aim to improve. They usually fear putting a knee that close to the ground even with pucks. You tried bro....

 

In the mountain road video I have one of these on each knee over my jeans. A friends girlfriend made them for me; they're really pretty cool, leather and velcro. I make my own sliders --its cheaper. If anyone wanted to learn I would say two things: find an empty parking lot, and be prepared to lowside the bike. I'd also suggest learning alone and at your own pace. Never never never let other riders pressure you into anything!! In person or on the internet.

 

You have no clue what you're talking about, or you missed the point. Dragging a knee is a side effect of going fast and adjusting your body position, and not all fast guys drag knee...as a matter of fact, you'll find that a LOT of guys don't like putting a knee down because they're sick of replacing pucks for no reason other than "getting a knee down"...as soon as it touches it's back against the fairing. I've had to bring my knee up many many times to avoid destroying it on curbing at the track.

Dragging a knee is not a goal, it's a side effect.

If you're goal is to "get your knee down" so you can look cool, you're missing the point.

Go do a trackday and ask the instructors about it...

What are you talking about, learning to drag knee in a parking lot? For a guy who does track days you sure are missing the point...

Not to mention that your body position was so crossed up that the only thing you were doing effectively was dragging your knee. You have only a 1/3 of your body weight off the way your riding, which is pretty pointless and makes it conducive to high sides. Hanging off just to touch the ground in that instance is more of a trick than a showing of fast skill.


This picture reminds me of this thread. Dragging knee like this is completely and totally unnecessary for the speed and physics...this guy is whoring it up for the camera and looks like a total douche bag doing it.



This thread is ridiculous.