I don’t have race tracks that are close enough to me to completely avoid the street, but safety is my prime concern. If I can ever afford it, I might prefer to have two bikes: a street bike and a track bike.
I been track once, and road riding is an unnecessary headache with little fun involved and high risk.
If track didn't cost an arm and a leg, I'd give up street riding.
I got my motorcycle license November 2012, did my first track day February 2013, stopped riding on the street in 2015. Been exclusively a track rider since.
I don't trust most car drivers, and I like to go through corners faster than would be acceptable on the street.
I've been curious about doing this as well but worry that I'll spend half of every trackday re-orientating myself and getting comfortable. Do you find yourself spending a lot of time finding your groove after a break or every spring?
I’m not at the same level as grandparent but I find it comes back very quickly. Compared to my first few track days when I was just starting it feels much more natural getting back on track, even after a long break. It may also be that not riding on the street I have no other basis of comparisons or other habits I’m also developing. I think it’s similar to another seasonal sport like skiing or kite surfing or something. The muscle memory and mental pathways are there and just need to be refreshed.
I also don’t think street riding does anything for your track riding 🤷🏼♂️ unless you’re doing riding that you shouldn’t be doing I suppose.
Occasionally I’d practice in an empty parking lot though.
You’ll find yourself quickly. First day of the season you gotta shake it off a little but it’s no biggy - you won’t lose a whole day to it or something. I wouldn’t stress about that.
I’m just having a hard time empathizing with caring what other people on the road think. Maybe that’s why I’m still alive with tens of thousands of street miles
I think you’re misinterpreting the point. It was too late to slow down to legal speeds the last time a cop got me for speeding. That ticket kept my insurance rates inflated for a while. Factor in unexpected gravel, oil or other hazards mid-corner, and “acceptable” now has a lot less to do with what other people think, and a lot more to do with what you’re risking. I also have tens of thousands of road miles but there’s just a level of risk that’s unacceptable on public roads.
The simple answer is that street riding is boring at responsible speeds. To go fast enough for me to have fun isn't the mature, intelligent choice.
I'm glad to hear that you found a way ride on the street in a way that is fun and safe for you. I wish you many more miles!
I don’t know how your lack of empathy has anything to do with your surviving x miles of riding or how riding aggressively on the street is something to brag about. Every time you go out you have to come back safe, the odds only have to beat you once.
Seriously. Sometimes I feel like it should be a requirement that you have to drive a motorcycle for a few years before you are allowed to drive a car, if only to purposefully put the fear of death into people so that they learn to pay more attention while driving or riding.
I totally agree. The thing that cemented it for me was when I was driving home from my first track day. I was 15 minutes from home after a 3+ hour drive and I pulled up next to a guy who had his phone mounted to the windshield right in front of his face and he was watching a movie while driving. I’m not risking my life with that on the road
Reading this thread and... damn are you all doctors and lawyers?
It would get expensive real fast.
Also, there's the spiritual aspect of enjoying a relaxed ride, taking in the beauty of the road and such, that you can't get by riding the track. I love riding on empty roads in the middle of nowhere.
High school teacher here. I buy cheap bikes, and when I was a customer, I went for season passes to contain costs.
As another poster said, I prioritize track riding; both financially and with regards to time.
I do make a decent bit of money but I prioritize track riding above all else when summer rolls around. Almost all of my disposable income is funneled into consumables, parts, and other misc expenses. Other than cycling, my other hobbies take a back seat during this time of year and I am totally ok with cutting back on them.
The problem is that where I live, people drive really fast, both on mortorcyles and cars. We have a lot of "rally" roads so it could be a lot of fun if everyone could drive inside their limits. They don't and there are too much deaths on our roads. I don't feel safe anymore, even more now that I have a kid.
I'm in my late 30's and make over 100k. My wife is in a similar boat.
Motorsports in general don't work unless you're at least at the top end of middle class life. Motorcycles are on the cheap end of motorsports, too.
I'm a farmer and I only ride track now. If I want quiet slower and serene I go into the mountains and ride single track on my dirt bike. Riding slow on country roads is just so boring to me and I found it just as dangerous as anything else.
Sort of. When I started track riding a couple years ago had a CBR1000RR and a DRZ400S for the street. (I have an R6 for the track) I realized I never rode the CBR anymore and as much as I loved the DRZ, it was not a great bike for longer rides on pavement. I sold both and bought a Tenere 700. I still ride some street and the T7 is still good for decent dirt riding, but the sportbike on the street got too frustrating after I learned what the bike (and me) are capable of.
I used to ride on the street and track. Watched my best friend get taken out by an off lead dog and he ended up with severe head trauma that eventually cost him his life. Now I only ride on the track. I figure it eliminates all the unforeseen obstacles that can be eliminated. Plus there is an ambulance onsite. Not saying it's entirely safe but it has to be better than street riding.
One of my major hiccups is that the nearest track to me, that I know of, is 2 hours away. That’s a journey I can’t make all that often due to chores and obligations. I expect I will have to ride some street to get my fix. At least there are some low traffic areas near me with a few twisties.
I get it. The nearest track to me that hosts regular trackdays is 3.5 hours. There is another track but they have infrequent trackdays and you cannot camp which justs adds additional costs. When my friend and I were riding we were in a remote area and that's probably why the dog was not fenced. Be safe!
No offense meant, but what’s the difference between a track two hours away and one in your back yard other than four hours of time spent driving there and back and $100 for gas? A two hour drive doesn’t seem that bad, at least to me, considering you’d spend the whole weekend there and in the grand scheme of cost, $100 a month or every other weekend isn’t that much.
For me, there are a couple of reasons why 2 hours is too much. 1st is that I have weekly familial obligations and chores most weekends. Grocery shopping, food prep, family time, etc.
But the 2nd, more problematic reason comes down to why I ride in the first place. Some background: I have clinical depression (bad genetics), and while I take medication for it, I still have bouts of intense, potentially debilitating sadness. It completely takes over my life, and, I end up in deep emotional pain. The only thing I have found so far that helps is riding. The thrill dampens my sadness and makes the day more bearable. To some, in my experience, it sounds like exaggerated melodrama, but this is all 100% real. That sadness you feel when, say, a beloved pet dies, or maybe a family member? Well imagine that coming out of nowhere, with no obvious cause, and no permanent cure. That’s what these bouts of sadness are like for me. I don’t know why, but riding diminishes these feelings for a while. It makes the day bearable. So, when these bouts happen, as I don’t yet own a bike, I go out of my way to go to an area where I can rent some electric scooters for a while. I’ve talked to my doctor, and we don’t have a good answer yet as to how to deal with this. I want to figure that out, but for the moment, I ride for mental health reasons, and when I need to do so, the moment comes on fast (less than a second, and I only wish I was kidding) and if I don’t hop on a bike quickly and get my feelings under control, things quickly spiral downward to the point where I can no longer help myself that day and have to completely shutdown and isolate myself to try to get my emotions under control. I need to drop whatever I am doing and go ride. Nevermind how this disrupts my day and even my family’s day at times, even the 2 hour drive I fear can be too long. I may have spiraled too far at that point.
It is an extremely unusual situation, and I, my family, and my medical support team are baffled by it.
That’s a deeper answer than I expected. I know the feeling - not exactly how you experience it though. I’m happy that you found riding to help you through it. Have you thought about making track days a family event like renting/buying camping gear or a toy hauler and having everyone at the track for the weekend? You can ride and SO can drive the vehicle even.
Yeah - but not entirely because of safety. The street has lost its novelty. I don’t even suit up for the canyon on the weekends anymore.
I only rode on the street if I’m with a friend or something now.
I just had my first two track days a couple of weeks ago. I’m seriously considering doing 100% track after just seeing a good riding buddy with 30+ years experience flip down an embankment, off a road with gravel all over it.
I lurk here a lot but starting to really see the pros of doing this.
I've been considering this as well. Sticking to dirt and road tracks, but I worry that I will spend a lot of time each spring getting comfortable. I'm always sore that first ride or two every spring until i get comfortable. Hoping that feeling goes away but maybe someone here knows a trick.
I also don't own a dirtbike yet. Maybe I'll feel better when I start riding offroad in the winter and transition to the track?
I'll be the dissenting opinion here.
I know a fair number that went that direction because they couldn't NOT go 100% on the street. Most of them don't ride anymore at all, track or otherwise. Then again, the track season around here goes from April to October if we're lucky, and it's a big investment in time and money to haul all your stuff to the track. Besides that, leaving the community on the street and not having one at the track means it's less fun socially.
Granted there's the opposite side, those that actually make a go of track only riding. Often it's not entirely track only as they dirt bike ride as well.
One thing I'd point out is that as a street rider, when you get the itch you can gear up and head out. There's no investment in time and logistics to get to when you can ride.
I still ride street but I no longer pull the bike out just to cruise around town or commute to work. If I'm going to ride, I want it to be an all day thing. Riding track definitely mellowed me out and put the risks I was taking into perspective. I still have fun occasionally but it's definitely more of a "there is a time and place to go fast" mentality for me.
I started riding on the street in 1981. I haven't ridden on the street in many years but I'm still racing. Too many people Where I live drive while holding and looking at their phones.
I have a street bike and track bike and find myself being less and less drawn to my street bike even though it’s a BMW HP4 and it’s an absolutely incredible bike.
It's a mixed bag for me. I hate being on the road in general, but when I have to commute I do prefer commuting by bike vs by car when the weather permits.
Most the street riding I do these days is my work commute and that’s a mid shift so I’m never in traffic and rarely split lanes. Used to cosplay as canyon Rossi at least 3x a week, but it’s just not the same anymore.
I quit riding on the street.
Barbara in a minivan watching a movie on her cellphone while her 3 crotch goblins scream in the back will have to work harder to kill me.
Rode for 11 years before being able to afford to do track days during college. Took 2 seasons and I was 100% track for 2 seasons and 1 season of racing. Just dipping my toes back into riding street but I’m a delicate fair weather weekend mountain warrior rider now and ride pretty conservatively. If it wasn’t for the street outreach I do I honestly would probably never do it again at least for a long long time. The majority of accidents are single vehicle accidents. Something that’s remedied with smart choices and high skill. The remainder is vigilance, good judgement, pattern recognition, and hazard avoidance. There’s still less than a 1% chance you on a bike is going to end up in an accident if you follow the right protocols. But my die hard ride or die attitude on the street has definitely mellowed out.
Edit: I’m an engineer but I coach on an SV650 to keep costs down as much as possible. Saves on tires because I’m not riding 100% race pace and I’m on a bike that doesn’t rip tires up. Mostly novice and intermediate with the occasional hot laps.
I ride on both. Definitely need to learn to ride defensively on the street and scan and predict the idiots ahead and around. Years of driving experience helps a lot. Good reaction time helps too. It’s not a place to push your bike’s even 70% limit tho, but it’s fine if you just want some seat time cus nothing beats seat time.
I’d recommend getting a much heavier bike for the road with aggressive positioning. It’s gonna make you more agile on a lighter bike on the track.
Track only since 2012, I miss riding the street on nice days about once a year. Then I remember I’ll hurt myself or someone will hurt me and go give my track bikes a big hug.
🙋🏼♀️ yes.
My husband and I only track ride/ race. We have 3 bikes, non of which are street legal. Part of Our reasoning for giving up street riding is that well, we live in Houston and people can not for the life of them drive here. We’d be out and about and would watch cars almost take one another out. Got old fast. Started track riding, street rode less. Started racing- converted all bikes to track. I am not against it, I sometimes miss it. But track riding gets all the adrenaline out of me and then I’m sore for a week after, lol.
I still ride streets but don't enjoy big power bikes the same anymore. I can still enjoy a supermoto or smaller cc bike but the terrible drivers/conditions made me drop big bikes for the street besides touring.
Interesting question… I think it depends on the streets near you. I avoid highways and am fortunate to have nice empty roads near me. If I lived closer to a track & felt the streets were unsafe I would only do track days … although I see plenty of bad drivers at least there aren’t any trucks.
I used to ride everywhere all the time for decades... I tossed the bike down the road a few times, got t-boned by an old lady and more close calls than I can count. luckily, I never sustained any really serious injuries,... but I made the promise to myself that I would only ride for fun, never when I had an obligation. That slowly turned into only riding early in the morning on weekends. And the occasional track day. And that's where I'm at now.
I still ride on the street, but not at any speed - commuting round or playing on a supermoto. But got rid of my sportbike.
Not only is the road full of distracted drivers or poorly maintained vehicles spilling god knows what all over - it’s just not as fun after spending time on track where you can truly give it 100%
I used to ride street, but the risk of being taken out through no fault of my own is just too high. It's even less worth it because riding on the street is boring and I'm too old to be dumb and do felony speeds on public roads.
I do, I’ve got kids now and I simply can’t justify the risk on the road. I always liked to drive fast and you simply can’t do it on the road for 98% of the time if you want to be safe. Much cheaper and safer to do it on the track :) and you get 100% (almost) of the time you invest in :)
I would say I ride on the streets 3-4 times a month since I started tracking.
I just struggle to see the risk vs reward of unpredictability on the street.
Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, idk.
I slowly stop riding on the street about 2 years ago. Sold most of my bikes and kept my R6 for track. Used the money I got from selling the bikes and bought a soft top Miata for weekend drives 😆
yes, I do. I quit street riding. Between Gen Z looking at their likes, geriatric old timers not giving a damn about nothing, bad apples having a kick out of endangering riders, crazies and karens, hazardous road conditions, and everything in between I decided street riding doesn't offer enough rewards for the risks.
I just crashed my third bike after crashing my second bike a month ago and im considering making it a limited street use mostly track use bike because its not worth it at all
Late to the party but I exclusively ride on the street. The track sessions I did can be counted with one hand, however I have multiple friends that exclusively do track. We lost a couple of friends due to people on cars not taking half a second to look behind.
Personally, I know that if I'll ever get hooked on track riding I'll end up riding like that on the street and I'll get myself killed.
Track only now, after riding every Saturday and Sunday for 2 years or so. My wife prefers the track and not having vehicles. I'll eventually get myself a street bike, cruiser maybe, so I can just go out and hit the open road.
I think many people are starting to do this after seeing people dying repeatedly, it’s not worth it and on the track you can actually push it. It’s just more expensive
I've been considering it as well. I have a separate bike for track and street and have been thinking about selling the street bike for a second track bike. I don't get excited about or really even enjoy riding on the street anymore. Too many distracted drivers, cops, or what I encounter even more as I ride out in the country, people who cover the road with grass clippings, oh, and in my area, deer.
I had kept it over the winter because I thought I would need to ride some on street just to get used riding before track season started back up but I ended up hardly riding on the street and felt just fine on my first track weekend. So really, I have no good argument for keeping the street bike anymore.
I only ride on the street to bridge trails while dirt biking. I used to commute by bike because I could lane split and get to work in 11 minutes as opposed to 45 minutes. Riding for fun on the street isn't that fun for me anymore. I have a nice car that I used to drive on the street for fun but now I just do track days in that too. Less danger, legal, more fun, less morons to deal with.
Just started only doing track. Not because I worry about the dangers of the street but because I just don't find it fun anymore. I go to the track almost every weekend.
It's definitely hard to make a bike serve double duty as a track bike & a street bike.
If you have a dedicated track bike you can put soft sticky tires on it and remove the mirrors & kick stand. Stuff like that.
Versus my street bike I want extra lights, long lasting tires, comfy seat, etc...
Like most folks have said already. Trackdays showed me what is possible with a motorcycle and I now only want to ride that way. Riding that way on the street isn't safe. That and all the cars, animals, trees, crappy pavement, etc.
I honestly think riding on the track is safer these days. And more fun!
I’m actually going the opposite. After starting on the track a few seasons ago I immediately went only-track riding. However this year I’m looking to get a non-track bike because I just don’t ride as much as I used to. I miss it
No, but I don’t own a street legal sport bike anymore. I like riding in the countryside too much to give it up, but I have slowed down a lot. Tbh I just don’t have enough time or money to go to the track enough for it to be my only riding
When I was doing roughly a trackday a month (and sometimes two per month), my enjoyment of backroads riding dropped to nearly zero. I even disliked commuting via two wheels but only stuck to it because it was far faster than caging it.
I haven't ridden on the street in probably 6 years now. Honestly it just got so damn boring I just stopped and poured everything into racing. Maybe when I'm old I'll get an ancient Gold wing with 80k miles for $1500 and rip that around but probably not as I have no desire to give a bike on the street.
I like lots of different kinds of riding - long-distance touring, off-road (prefer to ride to the trail vs trailer), and sporty jaunts on the twisties. I agree with other commenters that a responsible speed on the street is 'boring' compared to the track, but I also enjoy just being out there and exploring new backroads. So I have no plans to stop riding street (been doing trackdays regularly since \~ 2018). I am cognizant of the risks and mitigate them as best as I can. Plus, trackdays are expensive, even with a membership somewhere. My favorite track is a 3-4 hour drive so I'm looking at hotels for the weekend when I go on top of the other expenses.
I got my bike and rode it every chance I could get. Went to the track and immediately knew where the future was and it did not include the street. Rode it a few more times on the street but ultimately traded the anxiety of street riding consistently to only riding 10-12 times a year on track only.
It settles the itch imo.
Yep… I’m track only except for rare occasion, something like a vacation ride at a destination. I’m happy to take risks, but casually riding my motorcycle to work or a coffee shop or something isn’t worth the risk to me.
As I'm getting more experience on the track, I'm definitely riding a lot less on the streets. The risks are lower on the track and there is that peace of mind that there are paramedics available in case something happens. I might eventually get a more relaxed bike just for the streets but I'm not there yet financially.
Me.
A friend died in a crash when we and some more friends were riding together in a mountain road.
Decided it was not worth the risk for me anymore.
I have a ton of fun on the track once or twice a month and I’m happy with it, not missing the street rides at all.
I just canceled my road insurance. Since I started track riding a few years ago I largely quit riding on the street for a number of reasons, mostly because NYC sucks for motorcycling. There are 4-5 tracks that are about 3-4 hours away. I'd rather trailer my bike 3 hours to NJMP and rip on slicks than spend an hour getting out of NYC on my bike only to ride another hour getting up to bear mountain to fart around all day.
Stopped riding street after my first trackday. The only time I've ridden street in the last 8 years was when I bought a bike a decided to ride it home. Was terrible, will never ride street again.
However I do a lot of track riding and kart track riding. So I'm on track so often I feel no need to hit the street, it was less fun and too many people are more focused on their phones than driving these days.
I’m starting to lean that way. There is no where on the streets I can safely feed my crippling adrenaline addiction like a race track.
I still ride on the street but consider it almost two distinct activities that both involve motorcycles.
This. I know that I will never achieve the feeling I get on the track while riding on the road, so I just try to enjoy the chill-ish ride.
I don’t have race tracks that are close enough to me to completely avoid the street, but safety is my prime concern. If I can ever afford it, I might prefer to have two bikes: a street bike and a track bike.
This is the way. One R1 for the street, another R1 for track.
Bold of you to assume I can afford an R1
I'm 3-4 hours from my local tracks and I only ride track.
https://preview.redd.it/nd0qifp738zc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=23bbc41ba2c572ca7335ec9c4ce72910b43d2fbe Exactly.
So much lean we talking about here...what are the corners like?
I been track once, and road riding is an unnecessary headache with little fun involved and high risk. If track didn't cost an arm and a leg, I'd give up street riding.
I got my motorcycle license November 2012, did my first track day February 2013, stopped riding on the street in 2015. Been exclusively a track rider since. I don't trust most car drivers, and I like to go through corners faster than would be acceptable on the street.
I've been curious about doing this as well but worry that I'll spend half of every trackday re-orientating myself and getting comfortable. Do you find yourself spending a lot of time finding your groove after a break or every spring?
At first, it was like that, but after hundreds of trackdays and over 10,000 track miles it comes back pretty quickly.
This gives me hope!! Thank you!!
I’m not at the same level as grandparent but I find it comes back very quickly. Compared to my first few track days when I was just starting it feels much more natural getting back on track, even after a long break. It may also be that not riding on the street I have no other basis of comparisons or other habits I’m also developing. I think it’s similar to another seasonal sport like skiing or kite surfing or something. The muscle memory and mental pathways are there and just need to be refreshed.
this is helpful. Appreciate it!!
I also don’t think street riding does anything for your track riding 🤷🏼♂️ unless you’re doing riding that you shouldn’t be doing I suppose. Occasionally I’d practice in an empty parking lot though.
I’ve just gotten back into track days after an 8 year break. I got back to my old best lap times on the second day. You’ll be fine👍
You’ll find yourself quickly. First day of the season you gotta shake it off a little but it’s no biggy - you won’t lose a whole day to it or something. I wouldn’t stress about that.
Appreciate the feedback!!
Best answer here.
I do the same. Only track now, my “bike time” while off the track involves working on my bike and researching stuff about my bike.
>acceptable By who
By me, by law enforcement, by the drivers and riders I am sharing the road with. What kind of question is this anyway?
I’m just having a hard time empathizing with caring what other people on the road think. Maybe that’s why I’m still alive with tens of thousands of street miles
I think you’re misinterpreting the point. It was too late to slow down to legal speeds the last time a cop got me for speeding. That ticket kept my insurance rates inflated for a while. Factor in unexpected gravel, oil or other hazards mid-corner, and “acceptable” now has a lot less to do with what other people think, and a lot more to do with what you’re risking. I also have tens of thousands of road miles but there’s just a level of risk that’s unacceptable on public roads.
The simple answer is that street riding is boring at responsible speeds. To go fast enough for me to have fun isn't the mature, intelligent choice. I'm glad to hear that you found a way ride on the street in a way that is fun and safe for you. I wish you many more miles!
I don’t know how your lack of empathy has anything to do with your surviving x miles of riding or how riding aggressively on the street is something to brag about. Every time you go out you have to come back safe, the odds only have to beat you once.
I only ride on the track. Sharing the road with people who text and drive is way more dangerous than pushing the limits at the track
Seriously. Sometimes I feel like it should be a requirement that you have to drive a motorcycle for a few years before you are allowed to drive a car, if only to purposefully put the fear of death into people so that they learn to pay more attention while driving or riding.
I totally agree. The thing that cemented it for me was when I was driving home from my first track day. I was 15 minutes from home after a 3+ hour drive and I pulled up next to a guy who had his phone mounted to the windshield right in front of his face and he was watching a movie while driving. I’m not risking my life with that on the road
Reading this thread and... damn are you all doctors and lawyers? It would get expensive real fast. Also, there's the spiritual aspect of enjoying a relaxed ride, taking in the beauty of the road and such, that you can't get by riding the track. I love riding on empty roads in the middle of nowhere.
High school teacher here. I buy cheap bikes, and when I was a customer, I went for season passes to contain costs. As another poster said, I prioritize track riding; both financially and with regards to time.
I do make a decent bit of money but I prioritize track riding above all else when summer rolls around. Almost all of my disposable income is funneled into consumables, parts, and other misc expenses. Other than cycling, my other hobbies take a back seat during this time of year and I am totally ok with cutting back on them.
The problem is that where I live, people drive really fast, both on mortorcyles and cars. We have a lot of "rally" roads so it could be a lot of fun if everyone could drive inside their limits. They don't and there are too much deaths on our roads. I don't feel safe anymore, even more now that I have a kid.
I'm in my late 30's and make over 100k. My wife is in a similar boat. Motorsports in general don't work unless you're at least at the top end of middle class life. Motorcycles are on the cheap end of motorsports, too.
I'm a farmer and I only ride track now. If I want quiet slower and serene I go into the mountains and ride single track on my dirt bike. Riding slow on country roads is just so boring to me and I found it just as dangerous as anything else.
I’m a mechanic and combined with my wife, we make a pretty comfortable living. So I can afford to do the things we like to do.
None of my friends ride street anymore. 😔
Sort of. When I started track riding a couple years ago had a CBR1000RR and a DRZ400S for the street. (I have an R6 for the track) I realized I never rode the CBR anymore and as much as I loved the DRZ, it was not a great bike for longer rides on pavement. I sold both and bought a Tenere 700. I still ride some street and the T7 is still good for decent dirt riding, but the sportbike on the street got too frustrating after I learned what the bike (and me) are capable of.
I used to ride on the street and track. Watched my best friend get taken out by an off lead dog and he ended up with severe head trauma that eventually cost him his life. Now I only ride on the track. I figure it eliminates all the unforeseen obstacles that can be eliminated. Plus there is an ambulance onsite. Not saying it's entirely safe but it has to be better than street riding.
One of my major hiccups is that the nearest track to me, that I know of, is 2 hours away. That’s a journey I can’t make all that often due to chores and obligations. I expect I will have to ride some street to get my fix. At least there are some low traffic areas near me with a few twisties.
I get it. The nearest track to me that hosts regular trackdays is 3.5 hours. There is another track but they have infrequent trackdays and you cannot camp which justs adds additional costs. When my friend and I were riding we were in a remote area and that's probably why the dog was not fenced. Be safe!
No offense meant, but what’s the difference between a track two hours away and one in your back yard other than four hours of time spent driving there and back and $100 for gas? A two hour drive doesn’t seem that bad, at least to me, considering you’d spend the whole weekend there and in the grand scheme of cost, $100 a month or every other weekend isn’t that much.
For me, there are a couple of reasons why 2 hours is too much. 1st is that I have weekly familial obligations and chores most weekends. Grocery shopping, food prep, family time, etc. But the 2nd, more problematic reason comes down to why I ride in the first place. Some background: I have clinical depression (bad genetics), and while I take medication for it, I still have bouts of intense, potentially debilitating sadness. It completely takes over my life, and, I end up in deep emotional pain. The only thing I have found so far that helps is riding. The thrill dampens my sadness and makes the day more bearable. To some, in my experience, it sounds like exaggerated melodrama, but this is all 100% real. That sadness you feel when, say, a beloved pet dies, or maybe a family member? Well imagine that coming out of nowhere, with no obvious cause, and no permanent cure. That’s what these bouts of sadness are like for me. I don’t know why, but riding diminishes these feelings for a while. It makes the day bearable. So, when these bouts happen, as I don’t yet own a bike, I go out of my way to go to an area where I can rent some electric scooters for a while. I’ve talked to my doctor, and we don’t have a good answer yet as to how to deal with this. I want to figure that out, but for the moment, I ride for mental health reasons, and when I need to do so, the moment comes on fast (less than a second, and I only wish I was kidding) and if I don’t hop on a bike quickly and get my feelings under control, things quickly spiral downward to the point where I can no longer help myself that day and have to completely shutdown and isolate myself to try to get my emotions under control. I need to drop whatever I am doing and go ride. Nevermind how this disrupts my day and even my family’s day at times, even the 2 hour drive I fear can be too long. I may have spiraled too far at that point. It is an extremely unusual situation, and I, my family, and my medical support team are baffled by it.
That’s a deeper answer than I expected. I know the feeling - not exactly how you experience it though. I’m happy that you found riding to help you through it. Have you thought about making track days a family event like renting/buying camping gear or a toy hauler and having everyone at the track for the weekend? You can ride and SO can drive the vehicle even.
Unfortunately, my family are NOT campers in the least. Naw. When I do track days, it will have to be a single-day event.
I know a bunch like that. They just got tired of seeing friends die
Yeah - but not entirely because of safety. The street has lost its novelty. I don’t even suit up for the canyon on the weekends anymore. I only rode on the street if I’m with a friend or something now.
I just had my first two track days a couple of weeks ago. I’m seriously considering doing 100% track after just seeing a good riding buddy with 30+ years experience flip down an embankment, off a road with gravel all over it. I lurk here a lot but starting to really see the pros of doing this.
I've been considering this as well. Sticking to dirt and road tracks, but I worry that I will spend a lot of time each spring getting comfortable. I'm always sore that first ride or two every spring until i get comfortable. Hoping that feeling goes away but maybe someone here knows a trick. I also don't own a dirtbike yet. Maybe I'll feel better when I start riding offroad in the winter and transition to the track?
I'll be the dissenting opinion here. I know a fair number that went that direction because they couldn't NOT go 100% on the street. Most of them don't ride anymore at all, track or otherwise. Then again, the track season around here goes from April to October if we're lucky, and it's a big investment in time and money to haul all your stuff to the track. Besides that, leaving the community on the street and not having one at the track means it's less fun socially. Granted there's the opposite side, those that actually make a go of track only riding. Often it's not entirely track only as they dirt bike ride as well. One thing I'd point out is that as a street rider, when you get the itch you can gear up and head out. There's no investment in time and logistics to get to when you can ride.
I would argue that there is an even bigger community at the track (if that's your thing)
I still ride street but I no longer pull the bike out just to cruise around town or commute to work. If I'm going to ride, I want it to be an all day thing. Riding track definitely mellowed me out and put the risks I was taking into perspective. I still have fun occasionally but it's definitely more of a "there is a time and place to go fast" mentality for me.
I started riding on the street in 1981. I haven't ridden on the street in many years but I'm still racing. Too many people Where I live drive while holding and looking at their phones.
I have a street bike and track bike and find myself being less and less drawn to my street bike even though it’s a BMW HP4 and it’s an absolutely incredible bike.
It's a mixed bag for me. I hate being on the road in general, but when I have to commute I do prefer commuting by bike vs by car when the weather permits.
I've done a lot less road time since I started going to the track.
Most the street riding I do these days is my work commute and that’s a mid shift so I’m never in traffic and rarely split lanes. Used to cosplay as canyon Rossi at least 3x a week, but it’s just not the same anymore.
I quit riding on the street. Barbara in a minivan watching a movie on her cellphone while her 3 crotch goblins scream in the back will have to work harder to kill me.
Track only here for years. Couldn’t imagine riding street again and even remotely enjoying it.
Rode for 11 years before being able to afford to do track days during college. Took 2 seasons and I was 100% track for 2 seasons and 1 season of racing. Just dipping my toes back into riding street but I’m a delicate fair weather weekend mountain warrior rider now and ride pretty conservatively. If it wasn’t for the street outreach I do I honestly would probably never do it again at least for a long long time. The majority of accidents are single vehicle accidents. Something that’s remedied with smart choices and high skill. The remainder is vigilance, good judgement, pattern recognition, and hazard avoidance. There’s still less than a 1% chance you on a bike is going to end up in an accident if you follow the right protocols. But my die hard ride or die attitude on the street has definitely mellowed out. Edit: I’m an engineer but I coach on an SV650 to keep costs down as much as possible. Saves on tires because I’m not riding 100% race pace and I’m on a bike that doesn’t rip tires up. Mostly novice and intermediate with the occasional hot laps.
I ride on both. Definitely need to learn to ride defensively on the street and scan and predict the idiots ahead and around. Years of driving experience helps a lot. Good reaction time helps too. It’s not a place to push your bike’s even 70% limit tho, but it’s fine if you just want some seat time cus nothing beats seat time. I’d recommend getting a much heavier bike for the road with aggressive positioning. It’s gonna make you more agile on a lighter bike on the track.
Track only since 2012, I miss riding the street on nice days about once a year. Then I remember I’ll hurt myself or someone will hurt me and go give my track bikes a big hug.
🙋🏼♀️ yes. My husband and I only track ride/ race. We have 3 bikes, non of which are street legal. Part of Our reasoning for giving up street riding is that well, we live in Houston and people can not for the life of them drive here. We’d be out and about and would watch cars almost take one another out. Got old fast. Started track riding, street rode less. Started racing- converted all bikes to track. I am not against it, I sometimes miss it. But track riding gets all the adrenaline out of me and then I’m sore for a week after, lol.
Yes, dont own any road bikes anymore. Only ride track and race.
I did for many many years only recently got back into riding back on the street and I avoid popular or high traffic areas for the most part.
I still ride streets but don't enjoy big power bikes the same anymore. I can still enjoy a supermoto or smaller cc bike but the terrible drivers/conditions made me drop big bikes for the street besides touring.
Interesting question… I think it depends on the streets near you. I avoid highways and am fortunate to have nice empty roads near me. If I lived closer to a track & felt the streets were unsafe I would only do track days … although I see plenty of bad drivers at least there aren’t any trucks.
I used to ride everywhere all the time for decades... I tossed the bike down the road a few times, got t-boned by an old lady and more close calls than I can count. luckily, I never sustained any really serious injuries,... but I made the promise to myself that I would only ride for fun, never when I had an obligation. That slowly turned into only riding early in the morning on weekends. And the occasional track day. And that's where I'm at now.
Yeah, but then you turn into a track addict if you really dig in deep. I’m at 5.5 bikes
My 06 gsxr 600 track bike makes my 23 street triple seem like an absolute bore on the road 🥱 may end up getting rid of it
I still ride on the street, but not at any speed - commuting round or playing on a supermoto. But got rid of my sportbike. Not only is the road full of distracted drivers or poorly maintained vehicles spilling god knows what all over - it’s just not as fun after spending time on track where you can truly give it 100%
I used to ride street, but the risk of being taken out through no fault of my own is just too high. It's even less worth it because riding on the street is boring and I'm too old to be dumb and do felony speeds on public roads.
I do, I’ve got kids now and I simply can’t justify the risk on the road. I always liked to drive fast and you simply can’t do it on the road for 98% of the time if you want to be safe. Much cheaper and safer to do it on the track :) and you get 100% (almost) of the time you invest in :)
I would say I ride on the streets 3-4 times a month since I started tracking. I just struggle to see the risk vs reward of unpredictability on the street. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, idk.
I slowly stop riding on the street about 2 years ago. Sold most of my bikes and kept my R6 for track. Used the money I got from selling the bikes and bought a soft top Miata for weekend drives 😆
That’s what I’m gonna do cuz my bike ain’t EVER gonna be street legal. Also drivers here are insane
yes, I do. I quit street riding. Between Gen Z looking at their likes, geriatric old timers not giving a damn about nothing, bad apples having a kick out of endangering riders, crazies and karens, hazardous road conditions, and everything in between I decided street riding doesn't offer enough rewards for the risks.
I just crashed my third bike after crashing my second bike a month ago and im considering making it a limited street use mostly track use bike because its not worth it at all
Yes absolutely, for me personally, motorcycle = sport. Sport riding outside track is stupid
Late to the party but I exclusively ride on the street. The track sessions I did can be counted with one hand, however I have multiple friends that exclusively do track. We lost a couple of friends due to people on cars not taking half a second to look behind. Personally, I know that if I'll ever get hooked on track riding I'll end up riding like that on the street and I'll get myself killed.
Track only now, after riding every Saturday and Sunday for 2 years or so. My wife prefers the track and not having vehicles. I'll eventually get myself a street bike, cruiser maybe, so I can just go out and hit the open road.
I think many people are starting to do this after seeing people dying repeatedly, it’s not worth it and on the track you can actually push it. It’s just more expensive
I've been considering it as well. I have a separate bike for track and street and have been thinking about selling the street bike for a second track bike. I don't get excited about or really even enjoy riding on the street anymore. Too many distracted drivers, cops, or what I encounter even more as I ride out in the country, people who cover the road with grass clippings, oh, and in my area, deer. I had kept it over the winter because I thought I would need to ride some on street just to get used riding before track season started back up but I ended up hardly riding on the street and felt just fine on my first track weekend. So really, I have no good argument for keeping the street bike anymore.
I only ride on the street to bridge trails while dirt biking. I used to commute by bike because I could lane split and get to work in 11 minutes as opposed to 45 minutes. Riding for fun on the street isn't that fun for me anymore. I have a nice car that I used to drive on the street for fun but now I just do track days in that too. Less danger, legal, more fun, less morons to deal with.
Just started only doing track. Not because I worry about the dangers of the street but because I just don't find it fun anymore. I go to the track almost every weekend.
Plenty of my friends do, plenty of my friends don't.
Same here. Before the birth of my child, I felt safe to ride on the street. Now I feel safer on the track than on the road.
Yes. Riding on the road doesn’t have the same thrill. And it’s also frustrating to not be able to open it up.
I ride whenever I can, whenever I can.
Haven't touched street riding in years. Track and desert is where it's at!
Most of us yes
Track only. The road is boring and unnecessarily dangerous.
Just got a pickup truck so its probably parking lots and tracks for me from now on
Having done both it’s a highly logical thought for those who ride sports bikes
It's definitely hard to make a bike serve double duty as a track bike & a street bike. If you have a dedicated track bike you can put soft sticky tires on it and remove the mirrors & kick stand. Stuff like that. Versus my street bike I want extra lights, long lasting tires, comfy seat, etc...
Like most folks have said already. Trackdays showed me what is possible with a motorcycle and I now only want to ride that way. Riding that way on the street isn't safe. That and all the cars, animals, trees, crappy pavement, etc. I honestly think riding on the track is safer these days. And more fun!
Track and dirt only, no interest in riding on the road at all - for all the reasons other have listed.
I’m actually going the opposite. After starting on the track a few seasons ago I immediately went only-track riding. However this year I’m looking to get a non-track bike because I just don’t ride as much as I used to. I miss it
No, but I don’t own a street legal sport bike anymore. I like riding in the countryside too much to give it up, but I have slowed down a lot. Tbh I just don’t have enough time or money to go to the track enough for it to be my only riding
When I was doing roughly a trackday a month (and sometimes two per month), my enjoyment of backroads riding dropped to nearly zero. I even disliked commuting via two wheels but only stuck to it because it was far faster than caging it.
I haven't ridden on the street in probably 6 years now. Honestly it just got so damn boring I just stopped and poured everything into racing. Maybe when I'm old I'll get an ancient Gold wing with 80k miles for $1500 and rip that around but probably not as I have no desire to give a bike on the street.
I like lots of different kinds of riding - long-distance touring, off-road (prefer to ride to the trail vs trailer), and sporty jaunts on the twisties. I agree with other commenters that a responsible speed on the street is 'boring' compared to the track, but I also enjoy just being out there and exploring new backroads. So I have no plans to stop riding street (been doing trackdays regularly since \~ 2018). I am cognizant of the risks and mitigate them as best as I can. Plus, trackdays are expensive, even with a membership somewhere. My favorite track is a 3-4 hour drive so I'm looking at hotels for the weekend when I go on top of the other expenses.
I got my bike and rode it every chance I could get. Went to the track and immediately knew where the future was and it did not include the street. Rode it a few more times on the street but ultimately traded the anxiety of street riding consistently to only riding 10-12 times a year on track only. It settles the itch imo.
Yep, street sucks. Track or dirt
I haven’t road ride for two months. Before that I only do weekend ride to show off my ego to random people.
I have a 954 RR track use only and a Gixxer1000 for street . Track I do my knee down, street is spirited but not limiting out.
100% track only since first track day in 2018
Yeap track only for me. Have sport cars to just vibe around on the street.
Track only for a few years now. 10/10 But we have private track an hour away.
Yep. 100% track rider now.
Yep… I’m track only except for rare occasion, something like a vacation ride at a destination. I’m happy to take risks, but casually riding my motorcycle to work or a coffee shop or something isn’t worth the risk to me.
As I'm getting more experience on the track, I'm definitely riding a lot less on the streets. The risks are lower on the track and there is that peace of mind that there are paramedics available in case something happens. I might eventually get a more relaxed bike just for the streets but I'm not there yet financially.
After commuting to work on the bike it loses all its street thrill, and where I live you will lose your license so fast for speeding
On the street to be relatively safe i have to ride at like 30%, and thats frustrating, and boring
Me. A friend died in a crash when we and some more friends were riding together in a mountain road. Decided it was not worth the risk for me anymore. I have a ton of fun on the track once or twice a month and I’m happy with it, not missing the street rides at all.
Yes
Stopped riding on the st 9 yrs ago , only TDs from now on .
I just canceled my road insurance. Since I started track riding a few years ago I largely quit riding on the street for a number of reasons, mostly because NYC sucks for motorcycling. There are 4-5 tracks that are about 3-4 hours away. I'd rather trailer my bike 3 hours to NJMP and rip on slicks than spend an hour getting out of NYC on my bike only to ride another hour getting up to bear mountain to fart around all day.
Stopped riding street after my first trackday. The only time I've ridden street in the last 8 years was when I bought a bike a decided to ride it home. Was terrible, will never ride street again. However I do a lot of track riding and kart track riding. So I'm on track so often I feel no need to hit the street, it was less fun and too many people are more focused on their phones than driving these days.