I was watching "Faster" the other day (NO RICK, NOT DURING CLASS!) and the interviews with Barry Sheene, Kevin Schwantz and some others...and realized there seemed to be a recurring theme.
None of them ever INTENDED ( at least according to them) to become motorcycle roadracers.
I was just curious as to how many of us "accidently" happened into roadracing motorcycles.
Personally, I blame Mitch Stein ( my wife says he's evil) for my initial exposure to this sickness by taking me along to the AMA National at Road Atlanta in 2004 and giving me an upclose look working with the Dunlop crew (and believe me that weekend was a classic example of the best and worst about "going to the track"). By the time we got home, I was building a racebike. :banghead:
Kyle and Lonny and the rest of you schmos have just added to the craziness :ahhh:
Just a thought.....
When I grow up I want to be a motorcycle racer.......or a ballerina.
I wanted to race something. Kind of looked at cars on a dirt oval. Then I got a bike. I read a lot about the Suzuki Cup series, it was brand new that year, and it was really interesting. Someone put up a note on a bulletin board at one dealership that said, "So you want to be an asphalt road racer," and there was a number. I took it, but I never called. The dealer I bought my bike at said they had a guy that just started, and they gave me his number. I didn't call, but he called me. The rest is history, I guess. I never stopped, and I've been underemployed by choice ever since.
Quote from: funsizeracing on January 29, 2008, 02:30:23 PM
When I grow up I want to be a motorcycle racer.......or a ballerina.
You're too old to be a ballerina if you haven't already started studying...so racing it is! (https://www.ccsforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.clicksmilies.com%2Fs1106%2Faktion%2Faction-smiley-078.gif&hash=a401748edf49c391b646a404b324eb361c1d8d3d)
i have always been racing something, i dont know what i would do with my time and money if i wasnt racing
used to ski race for many years then went to dirt bikes then to snowcross then back to dirt bikes and then on to street bikes, next is something with 4 wheels
dont know when or how or what kind but thats my goal, i use this for now
i love to race
I started after goofing off on the street for a few years. I learned the roads and got into running from the cops for fun. Find on then turn around and wheelie past him, flip him off, sling a rock at him, whatever would get him to come along for the ride. Did pretty well with that and got stupid running my second cop for the day and got busted. Jail time, community service, and $4000 later, I lost my license and couldn't seem to ride normal and go without getting pulled over (which really sucks when you don't have a license).
I went on a ride to Putnam to check out a track day. I didn't even know at the time that they even did that. Two weeks later I did the 2 free sessions with NESBA, a few weeks after that I did two days with Cycle Options, then another and another and another. People started telling me I was wicked fast and I should try racing.
Turns out, I'm embarrassingly slow, but I still love battling for second to last place.
No accident here. I wanted to race back in 1995, just couldnt afford it. Built a bike and ran out of $'s... fast forward to 2005, wanted a new bike, bought a crashed 636, and decided I wanted to goto the track.. the rest as they say is 'history".
I started by hanging out with the wrong crowd, a bunch of motorcycle racers. I started by going to the track and wrenching on their bikes, got tired of that, and converted my street bike into a race bike. Now I still race and none of them do.
My poor wife got broken in early. I had to cancel our 2nd date cause I fell down at Grattan and busted my collarbone and popped my right knee.
Quote from: gpz11 on January 30, 2008, 11:01:29 AM
My poor wife got broken in early. I had to cancel our 2nd date cause I fell down at Grattan and busted my collarbone and popped my right knee.
I keep tellin' guys: scars are sexy. ;)
I would think in your line of work, you'd see alot of scars.
Fixin leathers and all that.
Quote from: spyderchick on January 30, 2008, 11:03:33 AM
I keep tellin' guys: scars are sexy. ;)
I started dreaming about racing motorcycles back in 1968, I raced off road for 11 years, but always dreamed of being a road racer. it was not until I was 48 that I got my license and started doing more than dreaming I am now just a old slow guy who has the biggest smile out there. My son races with me now and there is not a weekend at the track that I do not think I am the luckiest guy alive
Great story! Made me smile. :cheers:
With me, its all bin Laden's fault
Quote from: plasticweld on January 30, 2008, 07:15:04 PM
I started dreaming about racing motorcycles back in 1968, I raced off road for 11 years, but always dreamed of being a road racer. it was not until I was 48 that I got my license and started doing more than dreaming I am now just a old slow guy who has the biggest smile out there. My son races with me now and there is not a weekend at the track that I do not think I am the luckiest guy alive
I'm guessing the Summit round from last September is excluded from that!!! How's the arm???
I ran out of money doing this in 2000, and it took me this long to come back. Even though my wallet hates me racing, I'm glad I am. I've made some good friends since September, and I can't imagine going back to a life without bikes.
Bill, come to Carolina!!! Bin Laden double dog dares you. (I'm not sure what your post meant :wtf:)
I blame george bush!
well... and a group of people I still call my friends over in Columbia MO. NEVER would have done it this soon wtihout them... might have eventually found my way, but they were instrumental in getting me rolling!
Man that was a fun year!
You guys are adorable.
Quote from: mikendzel on January 31, 2008, 03:02:56 PM
I'm guessing the Summit round from last September is excluded from that!!! How's the arm???
I ran out of money doing this in 2000, and it took me this long to come back. Even though my wallet hates me racing, I'm glad I am. I've made some good friends since September, and I can't imagine going back to a life without bikes.
Bill, come to Carolina!!! Bin Laden double dog dares you. (I'm not sure what your post meant :wtf:)
Crashing is just part of racing, the only bones I had broken up till this Sept had all been on a dirt bike, The arm is doing fine, I was doing a bunch of snowmobiling in Vt up until the warm weather ruined the snow, it is the next best thing to being on the track.
I am real lucky when it comes to racing, I can deduct all of my expenses, I picked up a lot of work last fall and it did not really cost me anything when I figure in what I gained by getting some new customers and a lot of new friends in the process.
There are some advantages to being and old guy, I figure I could either save my money for retirement or live life for what it has to offer for today. I will worry about my grand kids inheritance another day
:pop:
Played in the dirt alot as a kid...(Don't have the knees for it) When I was old enough to drive, My first car was a Motorcycle. (oups, Stupid huh?) I bought it and could'nt afford to ride it legal on the street, so I 'accidently' kicked it over in my drive-way with the parents van. That pretty much fixed that, so, then It became a race bike with the help of some friends, got my race license in a weekend (young/ dumb/ full of....),and that was that.
In 4th grade we were asked to write a short story... I wrote about how I wanted to race motorcycles for Factory Yamaha... 6th grade started riding dirtbikes(after turning down an opportunity to ride a Honda RS125-mostly influenced by my mom) - raced motocross - broke my neck - thought I wouldn't ever be able to ride again..... Then the same guy who offered me the ride on the RS125 convinced me to by an SV.... And here I am today......Racing has always been my life - and I couldn't see living without it....