Street vs Track?

[Super Dave]

I always had some kind of want for street riding, but it needed to be different.  Bought a 1979 Yamaha XT500 (single cylinder, aluminum tank, dual rear shocks) for the street in the early '90's.  Wanted to put 19" wheels on it and all, would have made it like a Supermotard bike before motard racing.  Did put street oriented tires on it though.  I could drag my toes around clover leafs but it would only go about 90 before really getting wobbly.  Oh, and I could shoot dirt and grass all over friends with sport bikes at the ATM... ;D

Sold it about three years ago to a guy that worked for Buell.

[GSXR RACER MIKE]

     I rarely ride on the street anymore, but if I do the most common time for me to do so is in the spring before racing starts to get back in sync with a bike again after a long winters sleep. I do get the desire to ride on the street occasionally, but then I go racing and purge that thought from my head. I have also heard that riding on the street can negatively affect your racing by putting bad street habits in your brain, I don't know how true that is, but I suppose it could be true to an extent?

     On a slightly different twist to riding on the street, I read somewhere (I believe it was Cycle News?) that motorcycle riders with 5 years+ experience are statistically far safer drivers on the road of anything they operate. Not to say that they don't mess around, but after a few years it's so ingrained in your brain to always be watching for 'the other guy' that motorcyclists accident rate (in cars, trucks, etc.) is actually lower than non riders. That whole mentality of the average driver thinking ' I am in a vehicle that will probably protect me in most accidents and my insurance will just buy me a new car anyways' is really sad! Too bad they are the ones that often times take out motorcyclists.

[mmills416]

I traded my street bike for a kart.  I figure the more track time I can get the better.  My wife has a 900 monster she rides about 100 miles a year so I just zip tie a light and the tag with a brake light screwed to it to cruse with her.  We did get to ride a 999 around Austin this weekend.  It was fun but the cars make me nervous and I cant get my self to ride nearly as fast as I used to on the street.

[Bernie]

I can't stand being trapped in a car.  I'm not quite to 100k street miles in my street riding life, but I can't imagine not street riding.

Nothing compares to racing, but I'd ride a Pacific Coast on the street if that was all I could get my hands on.

[Super Dave]

Nothing compares to racing, but I'd ride a Pacific Coast on the street if that was all I could get my hands on.

Yeah, I always wanted to ride one of those.  The Honda dealer that sponsored me back in 1992/1993 when I did AMA Pro stuff was one of the first Honda dealers.  I thought the ST1100 (now they are 1300's?) was cool, but he told me the Pacific Coast was much better.  It just seems like a sleeper bike.  I think they can be picked up pretty cheap since they just weren't popular.

[tzracer]

I can't stand being trapped in a car.  I'm not quite to 100k street miles in my street riding life, but I can't imagine not street riding.

I agree. I have been street riding for 24 years, about 250,000 miles. I mostly commute on my bike (70 miles per day, 200+ days per year). Between racing and owning a 120 year old Victorian, I don't have much time/desire to ride on the weekends.

The street is not the race track, to me streets are for getting from point A to point B. I ride in such a way that I will arrive at point B.