So I pondered today as to what defines "me" as a roadracer. Here it is... Now let's hear your story...
Motorcycle parts in 5 rooms of my house
Motorcycle parts on display hanging on a wall
Complete room dedicated to hanging wood
Dedicated tow/race vehicle not used for any other purpose
>$2000 in metric tools, <$50 in SAE tools
Spouse knows what a cush drive is
Standing line of credit at 4 vendors
All purchases (including clothes and food) are counted "against the race budget"
95% of my vacation is used on Fridays
$1000 checks sent to suppliers with a note "this should get us started"
Career viewed as "part time gig" to help out the race budget
Business travel scheduled around remote race weekends
Enough gear to fully equip 3 riders (including back protectors)
60# son figured out how to put bike on rear stand
Purchased house based on garage stalls available (5)
Relocation only considered based on proximity to race regions
Have +10 racebike pics in office
Have +6 roadracing world magazines in office
Own at least 8 5 gal gas cans
Schedule meetings on Sliderphoto calendar
Pic of me in T3@BHF as 'desktop' on work PC
Writing silly stuff like this.....
I put my leathers on and hang off my couch when watching races on Speed.
I play MotoGP3 with my helmet on.
I bow to my TZ250 sitting in my house before I leave the house and when I come back home.
It took me 3 years to learn the perfect line from my living room to the washroom.
I'm dropping .5 seconds a day learning new lines from my office to the washroom.
its rediculously funny how many of those are so true.
That's why I wrote it! Just the thought of my 00 F4 windscreen with tire burns across it nailed to my wall in my home office makes me giggle...
Telling my wife that her hair needs to wait until the payday after the race weekend because I need tires! And BETTER, to have her UNDERSTAND AND ACCEPT THIS!
What the HELL is wrong with us?!!!
The look on my buddy's face when he tells me I'm crazy for buying a brand new bike that will never see the street was priceless.
Getting Married and scheduling it around race weekends ;D
Living in my wife's (SuicideBlonde) shadow
major purchases are considered in "number of tires" that would be...
Quotemajor purchases are considered in "number of tires" that would be...
AAAAAAAH!!! You stole my favorite! My wife bought an $800 treadmill, and the first words out of my mouth were, "Do you know how many tires that is!?" Hopefully the swelling will go down enough for me to get my helmet on for Road America...
How's this for racer mentality? My teammate Dave took Schwantz school this week. You must be on a Suzuki to participate. He rides a Yamaha, so he needed to borrow my Gixxer to take the school. I held off sending in my Road America money until after he'd called to say that the school was over and my bike was still in one piece... ;D
After a few weekends I realised that my 02 GSXR 750 was like the plant in Little Shop of Horrors. Every time I walk around the rear of the bike, we have the same conversation. "Feed Me." "But I just gave you a tire this morning." "FEED ME." "Oh come on! That one only lasted eight laps!"
"FEED ME!!!!"
QuoteAll purchases (including clothes and food) are counted "against the race budget"
True, So True! ;D
QuoteGetting Married and scheduling it around race weekends ;D
thats going to be me ;D
suppose to get married in oct but i think there is a ccs race at jennings around that time ;D
Now, when you can schedule having kids around the race schedule, you are REALLY good :D
I can easily patch anything fiberglass
I can easily patch holes in leather
The sound of high-revving sportbikes instantly causes adrenaline rush
$2 a gallon for gas still sounds cheap
Losing weight is no big deal
I have assorted aluminum plate, sheet and square tubing
My washing machine doubles as a stand for my drill press (and I find lots of curly bits in my clothes)
My car has safety wire on parts.
I can only think of a few
having a wife that undersatnds my race parts, gear, bike come first, well after all the bills are paid.
having a wife that will sacrafice buying a new living room set and 53in TV so I can get a new truck and trailr. I'll be dam if the costs were not the same.
I' don't know if that makes me a racer or just a race ho.
you know you're a racer when...
you refer to the end of your driveway as "Turn 1." (and you are constantly working on your line in both directions...). :D
(I think I stole this from an post from Dawn...)
Every Monday, people at work are happy to see I don't have a cast, sling, or crutches.
-z.
LMAO cuz this reminds me of me man. The woman and I recently went to buy some stuff for the new house and I said man, that is 1.5 sets of Pirelli Tires. She looks at me, shakes her head and walks away. Anyway.
Just bought a house but have a stash saved for race budget that should be used for the driveway..nah..who needs a driveway paved
I do wear the helmet playing MOTO GP
The woman says I make cycle noises in my sleep like I am shifting and downshifting
The bathroom is lines with RRW mags
Everything bought non race related is compared to how many sets of tires and entry fees I have just sacraficed
Pics of me racing are plasteder everywhere in frames
I watch my on board film over and over
I scheduled my wedding in October around the GNF in Atlanta..man that went over well, but she understood and sacraficed her date..love her for that one!!!
I tried to talk her into getting married at VIR with all the racers around
I wanted all my men in the wedding to be wearing race leathers and the women to wear bikins and umbrellas..that was big NO!!
I then tried to get her to let the alter be a Superbike. That was a NO, but she said maybe in 30 years if we re-new the vows....lol
One third of any wedding money is already budgeted for the GNF and 05 season
My screen saver is me on a the machine at VIR
My vacation is submitted in December for the entire next year based on the race schedule
99% of days off are for racing
I have a closet chock full of every kind of orthopaedic device you can think of.
I have more splints than metric sockets.
We always sock away a coupla grand in the deferred comp plan at work so that I can pay medical bills with pre-tax dollars.
The garage is a toy box and work shop, not a shelter for automobiles.
When life or my job get me down, I think about racing and call one of my racer friends to cheer myself up.
When life goes well and I'm in a great mood, I think about racing and call one of my racer friends anyway.
My mechanical skills are well honed out of necessity. Mechanical catastrophy and crash repair with no time, no money and no parts are my specialty. A friend once commented that I could probably build a racebike out of sticks and rocks.
I look at the majority of people in the world as baseball-watching losers who will never know adventure. I don't even feel sorry for them, because I know that it's a lack of balls that holds them back from challenging themselves in some way.
I believe that life without risk and challenge is as bad as a prison sentance.
Win or lose, I'm happiest after I've just raced.
Probably the most important thing about racing is that it's the only thing I've ever found that can clear all the bull$hit out of my mind. Colors seem brighter, time slows down, and everything becomes beautiful. On the track, most thoughts don't even have words. The focus required to race makes me feel cleansed. Maybe that sounds kinda gay, but it's the reason I keep coming back...
you know your racer when..............I was browsing through the rule book and I got butterflies when I read starting grid procedures:when the starter decides,he will close the grid to all competetitors.a number 2 sign will be displayed at start/finish.at this point .....................................................................................when ready for the start the asstistant starter will turn the number one board sideways.
man I can't wait to go racing :D :D :D
what makes me a RoadRacer...
well,...
most of what you guys wrote! yeah...
(and K3, you need to stop telling half truths... ;D
you're happiest after you race, except when you get carried away with the throttle and blow motors,....
you dont appear to me, or the rest of the pits, to be happiest, ...maybe it's on the inside (knowing that even tho you may have a look on your face that could cause a blind man to run, you now have to pull off another fantastic "get that thing back out there" session) JMO :D
but me,...
EVERYONE I know is always saying the same thing to me.......
"Dont you talk about ANYTHING other than MOTORCYCLES...."
(as if there is something else on this planet as interesting)
people....
forty
well said Kris.!
Quote(and K3, you need to stop telling half truths... ;D
you're happiest after you race, except when you get carried away with the throttle and blow motors,....
you dont appear to me, or the rest of the pits, to be happiest, ...maybe it's on the inside (knowing that even tho you may have a look on your face that could cause a blind man to run, you now have to pull off another fantastic "get that thing back out there" session) JMO :D
That was pretty low Ike! I'll be on my way over there to kick your @$$ as soon as I stop laughing and wipe up these tears!
your not a road racer until you have done some realroadracing.
we are all racers and we are all the same but different.
there used to be realroadracing here in america but not anymore.
super dave knows what i'm talking about.
real street circuits.
Oh yay. You just knew we'd have to hear it from Anthony "Isle of Mann" Connor! Yadda yadda yadda. Guy thinks just because he's rubbed his helmet on a few stone walls that he's something special!
OK, I'm going to go watch my Joey Dunlop V4 Victory tape until I stop feeling so jealous...
ha , ha, chris ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
i just wish i could afford to go back and do it again :) :) :)
oh bye the way chris,
a good roadracer doesn't automaticaly mean you will be a good track racer and vice versa.
maybe i will lie and say that i am 39 this year and race f40 with you ;D ;D ;D ;D
i'm not really that good at track( or circuits) racing.
there are two distinct styles....roadracer and the track racer.
anyway ,, i look forward to another year of mayhem with you guys.
it's still fun out there.
racing is racing.
I saw this posted on another site and it really hit home:
"Those who dance are considered insane by those who can't hear the music!"
I think if you truely understand and experience the roadracing version of that statement, then your a motorcycle racer.
Purchasing 3 sportbikes brand new in the last 8 years, all of them for racing. On top of that being told by everyone that I'm nuts to finance them for a few years while their being raced.
Having some of the best friendships ever with people who I only see at the track and who don't live within a 50 mile radius of me, and quite possibly not in the same state!
Taking every turn I make on a daily basis in my truck as though it was a race line. Of course proper brake point, turn in, throttle/brake/suspension control, apex, and drive out all while holding the line.
Sitting at the line waiting for the starter to throw the flag....err... I mean... for the traffic light to change and having a fast reaction time.
Having my Slider calender hanging on the side of my computer tower at work and it helping me to forget about work and remember why I am there in the 1st place.
Quote Having some of the best friendships ever with people who I only see at the track and who don't live within a 50 mile radius of me, and quite possibly not in the same state!
Taking every turn I make on a daily basis in my truck as though it was a race line. Of course proper brake point, turn in, throttle/brake/suspension control, apex, and drive out all while holding the line.
Sitting at the line waiting for the starter to throw the flag....err... I mean... for the traffic light to change and having a fast reaction time.
Having my Slider calender hanging on the side of my computer tower at work and it helping me to forget about work and remember why I am there in the 1st place.
Exactly!
Dawn ;)
Spending the money meant for the down payment on a house on a new TZ250 instead.
My wife wanting to try corner working since I retired the TZ, 4 strokes don't give her anything to do.
Quote
"Those who dance are considered insane by those who can't hear the music!"
Hey Mike! That saying is available on a tee-shirt with a sportbike design from a company called Reaperwear. He's recently redone the shirt to a more modern looking bike. My shirt is the old design. I just saw the guy again at the Chicago Motorcycle show at Rosemont, and he had those shirts there. http://www.reaperwear.com/
Quotei'm not really that good at track( or circuits) racing.
You should be better at circiut racing. There are no pubs to stop at! ;)
Quotemajor purchases are considered in "number of tires" that would be...
That's got to be the most popular response!
My teenager was looking at the projection TVs at Best Buy. I wasn't even thinking when I said, "Are you kidding? Do you know how many tires that would be?"
Also,
The scent of burning wood takes me back to my youth in Africa.
The scent of two stroke takes me back to my snowmobiling days up north.
The scent of Honda cleaner/polish is my SV.
The blended scent of gas, laquer thinner and Simple Green is the R6,
The perfume of rubber, oil, old paint overspray & cleaners is my garage.
I love my garage. I love my trailer. Sometimes I sleep in them...and my wife is fine with that. ;D
SOO TRUE :D :D :D
You might be a racer if.....
you know how to properly pronounce "Criville"
> ...you walk proper lines through the grocery store with the cart.
> ...you've ever had to explain the term "pucker factor".
> ...you've paid $5.00 a gallon for gas without complaining.
> ...your idea of a decent sort of house to buy is one with a basement and a
> big garage, a downhill driveway so you can bump-start your racebike, and a
> working toilet on the property somewhere.
> ...you bought a race bike before buying a house.
> ...you bought a race bike before buying furniture for the new house.
> ...you're looking for a bike transport vehicle and still haven't bought
> furniture!
> ...you hear "overcooked it" and think "off the track" instead of
"Denny's".
> ...you sit on your race bike in the garage and make bike noises and
> shift and practice your throttle blipping/braking, while waiting for your
> motor to get back from the shop.
> ...you look at the purchase of tools as a long term investment.
> ...at least one of your children was conceived at a race track.
> ...your garage has more bikes than your house has bedrooms.
> ...you have enough spare parts to build another bike
> ...you have bike parts in your cubicle at work
> ...you registered for wedding gifts at Marietta Motorsports
> ...after your answer to "How was your weekend?" the next question is
always:
> "And you do this for fun? Right?"
> ...you've ported your 2-stroke lawn mower, chain saw, or weed eater
> ...your reading material in your bathroom consists of a 1-888-FASTLAP
> catalog, and 400 bike magazines, none of which have centerfolds.
> ...some people only know you by your racing class & bike number
> ...your first date involves asking her to crew for you.
> ...you plan your wedding around the race schedule.
> ...you complain when cars in front of you on highway off-ramps don't stay
on
> the line, causing your exit speed to drop.
> ...you tell a friend you need to clean up the head this weekend and they
> think you mean the toilet.
> ...you gladly pay $9 for a bottle of engine oil.
> ...you hate long distance driving, but gladly drive 800 miles to the race
> track.
> ...you save broken bike parts as "momentos".
> ...you've found your lawnmower runs pretty good on 108 octane gas
> ...you've got 3 immaculate race bikes always race ready, but your wife has
> to nag you for 2 months before you fix the headlight in her car.
> .... you've discovered that the stationary bike at Gold's Gym WILL
> tip-over...
>
I got so frusttrated with the crappy metric allen keys i had,
I went out and got new Metric Allen keys, T handles, Allen Sockets, and Combination wrenches and a spare 10mm socket.
Quoteyou complain when cars in front of you on highway off-ramps don't stay
on the line, causing your exit speed to drop.
Oh man does that apply to me! I hate when some dork in a sports car passes me (in my truck) on the interstate as I have my turn signal on to exit and at the last second they cut in front of me and onto the exit ramp only to carry no corner speed at all! Use to have a guy in a late model Trans-Am that would do that to me several times a week on my way to work. But the difference with that situation was that the ramp was dual lanes onto a bypass and was a decreasing radius turn. That guy would be several car lengths in front of me at the start of the ramp, but I would stay in the other lane and leave my cruise control on at Interstate speed and blow by him mid-turn in my 3/4 ton Suburban like he was sitting still! ;D That guy never learned and was never able to go thru that turn like I could.
My commute is two hours a day, with most of it highway. I'll just be driving along thinking about racing when I look down to see I'm doing 100mph! Oh Nellie! Better slow down! Ten minutes later, 100mph again! Buying a car with cruise control has really helped me avoid this, but the drive takes longer now... ;D
Offramps? Don't get me started. People just can't drive. I have a sweet S-turn offramp on my ride home. I've scraped the wall with my driver's side mirror a few times when I had the beater Mitsubishi!
What makes me a Roadracer....I'll tell ya!!!!!
I have a knife to my throat and thoughts of suicide now that the first race ISN'T this weekend now!!! ::)
Thinking of driving the 900 miles one way and spending 2000, Just for a track day... :-/
Stumpy
Don't think of Topeka as a Trackday...
But a test and tune day for RA ;D
When the scent of VP in the air wakes you up faster in the morning instead of coffee ::) ;D
and..
When you get pulled over by the cops and give them your race license instead of your drivers license (I've actually done that one before) :D
I'M BROKE!!!!!!!!!!!! :o
You slide the rear wheels of the grocery cart to make the turn to aisle 4.
Your best friend and toughest competitor comes down with the flu Saturday night and all you think about is "I've got a podium in the bag".
I find racing exciting, but I don't overwhelm everyone in my life with my hobby. I understand loving to race, but it's one thing when that's ALL you know and want to do.
...you have no problem dropping $20 a head to get into a joint where the standard of the toilet facilities rivals most prisons in Uganda.
Roadracers Wallet Contents:
Health Insurance Card
Bunch of maxed out credit cards
Race Licenses
Tire Contigency Card
$20.00 in cash
Drivers License
Roadracers Glove Box (mine atleast):
Tire Gauge
Insurance
Truck and Trailer Registration
Bike Registration
Bike Frame Registration
Bike Title
A whole crap load of wrist bands in different colors
Michelin Stickers ;D
:P
1.selling anything you dont need to race to pay for racing.
2.renting an apartment because it is 10 min. from the track you will race at twice a season, even though you now have to drive 45 min to work everyday.
3.wearing jeans with holes in them instead of buying new ones so you can afford to get your suspension serviced.
4.your convinced that speed limits only apply to normal people, and your pretty sure that you can convince the cop that just pulled you over of the fact.
5.youve been know to instigate a race w/ a person in a sports car while in the work truck.
6.time spent away from the track is considered time to prepare for being at the track.
7.if youve been known to call co-workers squids more than 10 times a day.
8.you realize that racing is more addictive than crack and more expensive too but refuse to seek counsiling anyway.
Here's a use for all those wristbands... link 'em together and use 'em for decorating the Christmas tree!
Quote...you have no problem dropping $20 a head to get into a joint where the standard of the toilet facilities rivals most prisons in Uganda.
This is a CLASSIC!
Reminds me of the zing-o-matic showers at Blackhawk. Hello? Ray?!? Water, electricity & quarters = no good.
Deciding between entry fees or groceries... damn I'm hungry!
QuoteI find racing exciting, but I don't overwhelm everyone in my life with my hobby. I understand loving to race, but it's one thing when that's ALL you know and want to do.
Gosh...this sounds like a well-adjusted, mentally balanced person...what is she doing here?
We forgot the most important one...
We spend thousands of $ a year, break bones and put our lives at risk, drive hundreds of miles each way, and waste away our all our vacation time, all for a.....
$10.00 TROPHY
;D