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Re: [ST] I think I'm done... long,



You make a good point here, Rich, but consider my
counterpoint:

Back in 1989 I was a youngster looking to get my first
street bike. An older friend of mine also gave me
several bits of sage advice. I asked him if he was
afraid of the dangers involved. He said, "Of course I
am. I think about that every time I throw a leg over
the saddle. The day I stop being afraid of it is the
day I will stop riding". His meaning not being the
thrill, but rather when he loses the respect for what
a bike can do to you, it is time to stop riding. 
" Dont ride like an idiot, and you might just live
long enough to ride with gray hair". Another tasty
bit. " You will be hard pressed to find anything in
life as much fun as a motorcycle. You will also be
hard pressed to find an easier way to really mess
yourself up". Now this friend has gone from gray hair
to no hair, and he still rides. I try to remember
these bits everytime I ride.

Rolo, you face a tough decision, to be sure. Just
about every bit of advice I could give has already
been given, but I will second the notion on a bunch of
them, in the order that I think is of most importance:

1) Stop commuting on the bike. You are putting
yourself into the worst traffic of the day. Much more
congestion, and those drivers are all preoccupied with
getting to work on time, dealing with that report or
problem boss during the day, putting on makeup, or
having a conference call on their cell phone. You may
also be preoccupied with some of these things. And to
top it off, the quality of the ride/roads usuallly
sucks. I will occasionally make a work commute on the
bike ,as a novelty, when I dont have to deal with rush
hour traffic. But like a Big Mac, it's something best
done only occasionally and in moderation.

2) Keep one bike for occasional afternoons out. I
forget who said it here, but reentry can be a problem.
It should prolly be the smaller or easier to ride of
the bikes you currently own. Easier to stay competant
on, and probably less to insure, etc.

3) Try the track at least once, if you havent. It
really is fun. Take a little umbridge with this idea,
though, that " The track is safer than the street".
You are merely trading circumstances. On the track,
you have no oncoming traffic, no cross traffic, no
driveway pullouts,no guard rails , no cops, all of
which compete for your attention and can be real
painful when ignored. You have plenty of run off room,
you *usually* have instructors to help you improve
your technique. All true. But you also have a few
things you dont have on the street. You and everybody
around you is riding at a much more elevated pace,
closer to the edge of one's abilties, with less margin
for error. You have other vehicles, all bikes though,
much closer to you than you would on the street. And
you have assholes on the track as well. There is
always gonna be a Johnny racer who is mixing it up
with one of his buddies and you happen to be in his
way. So he passes you on the inside, his back wheel
right under your nose. And if he washes out, he is
taking you with him.

Dont get me wrong, the track is not only alot of fun,
it is also a good way to improve your skills. Cant
wait until my next one...Safer than the street? Well,
thats a judgement call. Perhaps only in terms of
preparedness. Take the ambulance, for instance. Yea,
great that it is there, but why is it there in the
first place ? You dont see ambulances at fishing or
golf tournaments....Having corner worked at a track
for many years, I have seen my share of get offs. I
will qualify that , though, by stating that I was
working races, not track days, where the element of
competiton is obviously more.

You are facing a tough decision , Rolo. The fact that
you are making this consideration shows that you are a
responsible family man, and that in and of itself is
good. It is a decision only you can make. Many people
have made a lot of good points here. Good luck with
your decision...

John


--- "Masiak, Richard"
<Richard_Masiak@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Back in 1986 I was a youngster looking to get my
> first street bike.  A guy I worked with gave an
> interesting bit of advice.
> He said: If you ever start thinking/worrying about
> getting into an accident and/or dying on the
> motorcycle it's time to give it up before anything
> happens because it will.
> 
> Over the years I've come to learn that if you think
> it in your mind and believe it in your heart it will
> be.
> 
> So combining that bit of advice given to me in 1986
> + what I've come to learn about the power of
> thought, reinforces what he told me.
> 
> If you're that worried about the nuts on the road
> but motorcycling is still in the blood, I too would
> suggest casual track days over the street any day. 
> Regardless of the perception, it's safer.
> 
> Rich
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