Street Racing Glorified?

[spyderchick]

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

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

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.

[Super Dave]

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?

[spyderchick]

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?

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?

[Thorny]

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!

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

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.
 

Ah Benji!  You kill me! ;D

[Super Dave]

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.

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?

[Thorny]

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

[spyderchick]

 

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. ::)

[Super Dave]

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.  

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

K3 , benji is Lil-Thorny!
 

Oh, sorry PJ.  I didn't catch that.  You've got the BIG thorn, right? ;D

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

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 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..."