Ok, just received my Maxim issue for this month and they have an article on street/drag racing. From what I got out of it, maybe I read wrong, but it seems to glorify street racing, even if it starts with 'Javier wasn't supposed to die at 140 miles per hour'. I would love to see (key K-3 here) someone write a resopnse and have them cover the REAL racing! I've heard it before somewhere,'anyone can grab a handfull of throttle'. I'd like to see what they could do on an actuall track. I'll admit when I first started riding I was at time a fool and over rode my ability, but was lucky enough to find racing on the track and more then likely has saved my a$$. Another quote is that 'Safety equipment is for pu$$ies.' If you can believe it they guy featured didn't like Biker Boyz? Just had to vent, I wish they would have done better on the article and at least compared it to roadracing or something? Ya know?
Jordan, was that a challenge? Hmmm... Maybe I'll have to go buy a copy of Maxim. Purely for research, mind you! :o
QuoteJordan, was that a challenge? Hmmm... Maybe I'll have to go buy a copy of Maxim. Purely for research, mind you! :o
K-3 you've got skills man! I totally enjoy your stuff in Motorsports News. Just wanted someone with some talent to set em streight, mabey offer to tell em how it really is, that would be a worth while article!
Quotehave them cover the REAL racing!
Quote'Safety equipment is for pu$$ies.'
This is America, who wants real? Just look at TV, movies, fast food, fashion, etc... Nobody wants REAL! REAL is just so 1970's ;)
I think the more ghetto bikers the better, I'm glad PA just repealed the helmet law as well. Let them kill them selves off, maybe then there'll be enough surplus crashed sport bikes that I'll be able to afford something modern... This is the same thing that happened with the outlaw chopper guys in the 70's. It'll fade but not before making us look a little like them...
Well, I see your point a bit. In the case of them covering actuall track racing it (if done right,K-3 ;D) then it would actully be more exciting than what they did with the street racing article. I've had offers to street race and said sure, come to the track, you've got no excuses, no cops, no cars, offical times, no bull$hiting out of 'oh, you jumped the start' or whatever. Nobody took me up on it? Ok, I'm not the fastest (or slowest ;D) on the track but it backed down thoes guys that can only pull the throttle. I just would like to see the street newbies given a more positive view ya know??
Ok, I accidently blew away my good statement.
I think it blows. Bad image. Where's the AMA on this?
XSBA? Competition based on style and opinions? All BS.
Give me points based on scoring, like football, or lap times. Everything else is BS.
Was this the Febuary issue? I just looked at January on the newsstand & didn't find the article.
QuoteWas this the Febuary issue? I just looked at January on the newsstand & didn't find the article.
Yea, I believe so, I have a subscription so I get it earlier usually. I'll bring it to the banquet if you can't find it, or so you don't have to buy it. Racer budget! ;)
Yeah, saftey equipment is for pu$$ies. Uh huh. yeah. If I were more cynical, (today I'm in a good mood), I'd say "let natural selection get 'em." But the truth of the matter is, that with movies like biker boyz and perhaps torque, this is the "image" of the sport bike rider. Great, huh? And the squids with their oakley "helmets" with the chickie on the back of their brand new R-1s riding up and down the local strip aren't doing us any favors.
The real shame of it is that you can reply in the letters section of any publication, and it won't get read or even a look by most people, cuz who really READS nowadays? It's all about pretty pictures and hot babes.
I might not think that 2-wheel -Tuesday is the best journalism on TV, but at least they give a bit of a realistic look at the sport, and haven't so far succumbed to the "entertainment" value of being stupid.
Gotta second that, Spyderchick. It always makes me shudder when I go down to ride nights and see all those guys with no helmets riding like utter tw*ts. In fact, this is pretty funny/sad, but a guy I rode with crashed his bike in a turn out west towards Madison on some road I'd never been on before. But everyone was telling me what a great ride it was, etc., so I was looking forward to it b/c having lived in CA for four years and now having to deal with the straight roads in WI, you can imagine I was jonesing for some real roads. Anyway, we were a mile down the "twisties" (if you can even call it that) and the guy went off, hit a sign post, went to the hospital. Bottom line is, he was happy we'd persuaded him to wear his helmet, because even though he was knocked unconscious, it almost certainly saved his life. Fast-forward two months and he'd traded his wrecked F4i for a new 600RR and shows up at bike night. Wanna guess? Yep, no helmet. Some people never learn ... ::)
Sorry to digress off the topic, but just thought I'd add that. Also, it's funny while we're on the subject, but I do custom paintwork on helmets. I have done ZERO for people in the Milwaukee area, at least as far as street riders are concerned. Why? Nobody wears them anyway. I've had would-be customers tell me they'd changed their minds when "buddies" talked them out if it, saying why waste money on a paintjob and helmet when you can buy exhaust, carbon fiber this or that, etc. :-X Most of my custom streetbike helmets come from CA and NJ, both states that mandate helmet usage.
Oh, yeah, I'm on my way to pick up Maxim. I like to look at the pretty chicks for "research" purposes...lol
Street Racing Glorified...
It is glorious to see a line of beautiful custom painted sportbikes all lined up in a row.
It is glorious to see the stretched "slingarms" to make them corner better.
It is glorious to see Hayabusa's with one front rotor removed to see the lusterous chrome wheel.
It is glorious to see all the knuckelhead wanna be's hanging out in a parking lot like they're cool.
It is even more glorious when they try to ride the pieces of crap they made from a perfectly good bike.
It is even more glorious when they all go ride and kill themselves.
It is even more glorious than that when they do not kill themselves and there parents have to feed them for the rest of their lives.
It is glorious because WE, the true riders can get all there $hit for pennies on the dollar when they screw up.
It would be glorious to just line them all up and shoot them in the mouth with a .357 so the rest of us don't have to pay inflated insurance prices because of their dumba$$'s >:(
YOUR RIGHT THIS IS GLORIOUS ;D
Dang, Trey. You are SO repressed! Don't hold back, man! Tell us what you really think.
;D
Now y'all know I'm not the fastest thing on two wheels :o, but damn I LOOK GOOD! 8) ;) ;D
Anyhow, after I traded in my F3 last year for a newer bike, (2001 R6), I saw the kid who bought my bike a few times. First time, helmet and jacket, next time the same, third time was in Torque center. I stopped in for whatever, and there's my bike parked out front. I go in and ask who had my bike. The kid speaks up..."that's me".
Next thing he's telling me it's not everything he wanted...not perfect. Now if you know me, I am ANAL about my street bike. So I'm thinkin' something broke, etc.
NOPE. It wasn't "fast enough". This kid was just learning how to ride. Yeah, uh huh. Guess how much safety gear he was wearing as he left. That's right, nada. Not to mention the rear pegs were installed and the seat cowl was off of it. Yup, he was riding his chickie on the back.
He was soooo coool, and I was sooooo impressed. ::) ::) ::)
So there, I'm sure my old mount will never be the same. But Damn if that R6 ain't pretty in the garage. How long until spring? ;) :D ;D
Yup. You sell your baby to a squid. The next time you see it, it's in a ball and someone's dead. Been there, sold that.
Who do we blame?
The "industry" perpetuates it a lot in the US. You don't have to have a bike in the US because of storage or money. like some people in Europe. It usually an addition to a car. Dealers sometimes are happy to move it. They wouldn't dare suggest, in the day of political correctness, to ask the customer what kind of helmet they have etc.
And how long will you have that customer?
QuoteThey wouldn't dare suggest, in the day of political correctness, to ask the customer what kind of helmet they have etc.
And how long will you have that customer?
Exactly. But here's the rub, instead of selling that pipe to the customer, sell 'em a helmet, jacket and gloves at a discount. Make the guy your friend. His buddies all have pipes, so he'll be back for that anyhow, and all the other assorted goodies in the catalogues. Just makes good business sense to me.
Keep 'em safe
Make 'em happy
Keep 'em coming back for more
Oh I'm sorry, that would be common sense, wouldn't it?
I haven't been involved with sales at a dealership for a while, but I did do it for about 2 years part time. Our "Sales Manager" was all about getting the 16-18 year olds on a new sporty, his theory wasn't selling accessories and making a return customers. His idea was that sport bikes don't last long on the road anyway they end up crashed making the rider give up on the sport, so the return customer wasn't even a thought.
I always tried to push very fancy, spendy lids, hopefully the more you spend the more you will wear it? I don't know if it worked for anyone else but it did for me. I also tried to explain the importance of a good riding jacket, comfort, style, just something that once again that makes you WANT to wear it.
I had more guys coming back just to say hi, and shoot the crap about bikes that any other person who worked with me. And the asked my opinion and ideas about stuff to do with their own bikes.
What has stunt riding done for our sport? I love watching, as a matter of fact the team called "D-Aces" used to go down to MW CCS events with me and do a little of our style of riding, but I think as a whole is a bit of a rough spot when it comes to our sport. With all the stuff in the videos that I think are cool, if you are in the car with your Dad and you are say, about 17, and you ask dear old dad, "Hey dad, you think I could get you to sign my registration papers for this really nice Yami R6?" Right at that minute, hell, that second, Dan and Cory go by on the rear wheel with one foot on the seat and one hand waving back at dear old dad. How will that effect dads idea or decision? On the other hand, would anybody put big motion picture $ into telling a legitimate story about any of you guys and the work and emotions that goes into club racing? No, it allot more interesting to make movie where a guys blazing so fast down the city street that all the windows in the cars two inches away just frikin blow everywhere, does he have on a slick Suomy helmet, heck no, then you can't see his fake movie star face.
Sorry, guys, you got me thinking out loud again!
QuoteNo, it allot more interesting to make movie where a guys blazing so fast down the city street that all the windows in the cars two inches away just frikin blow everywhere, does he have on a slick Suomy helmet, heck no, then you can't see his fake movie star face.
Ah Benji! You kill me! ;D
QuoteOn the other hand, would anybody put big motion picture $ into telling a legitimate story about any of you guys and the work and emotions that goes into club racing? No, it allot more interesting to make movie where a guys blazing so fast down the city street that all the windows in the cars two inches away just frikin blow everywhere, does he have on a slick Suomy helmet, heck no, then you can't see his fake movie star face.
There was a movie in like 1990 about a guy that built his own road racer and took it to the world championships to race against the "factory". Had some guy in it that was in a Madonna video a few years before. I can't remember the name, but is wasn't bad. They shot footage during the GP season with Schwantz, Rainey, Lawson, Doohan, Gardner, PF Chili, etc.
Before that there was a movie called "Dream Rider" or something. It was an English film from the mid eighty's about some Grand Prix riders, and Barry Sheene, former World GP star, was in it. Lots of redundant footage from the 1982/1983 GP season with K Roberts, F Spencer, etc. I believe the movie was made to make money for the Barton GP project bike. Eric Buell bought the bike and the technology and was going to race it in the AMA F1 series (Had 500cc GP bikes at AMA events until 1986), and after he got it, they pretty much canceled the series.
Before that...Little Fauss, Big Halsey...Robert Redford film with Lauren Hutton. About a guy that is a dirt racer, going all over the country, trying to get a ride, etc., and they get to Sears Point for the big race. On track footage from 1971 or so. There is a bike, an old Yamaha GP bike, TR2, that they pan across...a guy that I've ridden for has the bike. I rode it at Roebling Road in 1996 once.
And wasn't Eric Wood doing some work for a guy that was making some road racing movie? K Reeves was supposed to be the main character?
K3 , benji is Lil-Thorny!
Dave the race movie you first talk about is called "Race for Glory" I don't why I know that but it is, constinantly and forever in my memory data! :P
Quote
Before that there was a movie called "Dream Rider" or something. It was an English film from the mid eighty's about some Grand Prix riders, and Barry Sheene, former World GP star, was in it.
Silver Dream Racer. And they still play it on Showtime sometimes. ::)
Yup, those be the names. Not like "Lawrence of Arabia", a motorcycle guy, but they are better representations of something...
Torque might as well be the Matrix since it doesn't seem to deal with much reality in what I've seen.
The movie that did it for me...
Mad Max
Got to love all those cafe KZ1000's. The sound of Bubba and the Toe Cutter going down the road whacking the shifts one after another...
Now it doesn't put motorcyclists in the best light again, but at least when Goose goes flying off the road...that feeling I can relate too.
QuoteK3 , benji is Lil-Thorny!
Oh, sorry PJ. I didn't catch that. You've got the BIG thorn, right? ;D
QuoteThe movie that did it for me...
Mad Max
Got to love all those cafe KZ1000's. The sound of Bubba and the Toe Cutter going down the road whacking the shifts one after another...
Now you're talking. How about the bridge scene where the sliding KZ nails the guy right in the back of his helmet? I can relate to that, too. I actually built a Mad Max replica KZ of my own back in the day.
"Hey, this isn't what it seems, man! I just came down here to check it out, and this dude was already snuffed..."
Yeah, even in the beginning, the guy does a big circle burn out....
Where do you think Rothwell and those guys got it? ;D