Liter bikes and public roads

Willski said:

I am also curious.....As a person that's never ridden a motorcycle, I would assume ( and this is purely an assumption ) that if you were 'past the limit' you were no longer riding a bike but travelling across the tarmac on your arse ?

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Precisely my point. That’s what got me into club racing. When I started out riding on the street, I hung with (or tried to) the fast guys and when I asked how they got so fast, they would say you have to find the limit…. Which logically, entailed going past it, ie: crashing, on a public road. And I thought, hell with that. So I took a weekend class with Keith Code at the California Superbike School, only intending to be a better street rider. But after a weekend on a real race-prepped bike, on a real track, with no stoplights, no dogs or deer running across the road, no cops, no drunks, and no half-blind dipshits running through red lights at intersections, I was totally hooked. Came back the next weekend and did the Penguin School and got my racing license.

Similar experience here. In the mid 90’s my friends and I had the usual 600’s and other sport bikes of the time and we would strafe the canyons in SoCal at our limits and sometimes beyond. One night we were sitting in the English pub in Salinas after watching a day of racing at Laguna when one of my friends who was a racer said: “Why don’t you guys go racing, it’s much safer. You’re going to get hurt doing what you’re doing.”

My best friend and I started racing a 500 Ascot single at Willow Springs the next season. That’s when I found out what you can do with a motorcycle. There’s (usually) enough room to get out of the trouble you get into on a racetrack, where at least everybody is going the same direction.

Once you’ve gone racing, there is no really trying to go fast on the street any longer.

I’ve turned down every offer to ride a liter bike since then.

Yes. I owned a bunch of bigger bikes, but once I started racing, I fell in love with smaller bikes. You can really thrash them on a curvy road. Liter bikes are no fun for me on tight twisty stuff. To go fast you’re always diving in and seconds later, braking heavy. On a 500 you get to ride much smoother. I love my Husky 511. I bought the 701 version and while the acceleration is mind boggling - it’s just a lot of work to ride in tight back roads here in the mountains. Plus over the years I’ve fractured both wrists and done multiple damages to both shoulders, so that missile-like acceleration really leaves me sore after a few hours. So the 701 is going up on Craigslist soon. My F800R is my favorite bike just now. Super smooth power delivery and feels and handles like a much smaller bike. The front end was crap when I got it, but with heavier race tech springs and cartridge emulators installed, it rides like it’s on rails.

Real men ride 125/250s.
And everything else because bikes go vrooom and braaaap and that's like...hell yeah brother.

Think Germany got it right. Limited to 34hp the first 2 years of having a license

Keshav said:

Precisely my point. That’s what got me into club racing. When I started out riding on the street, I hung with (or tried to) the fast guys and when I asked how they got so fast, they would say you have to find the limit…. Which logically, entailed going past it, ie: crashing, on a public road. And I thought, hell with that. So I took a weekend class with Keith Code at the California Superbike School, only intending to be a better street rider. But after a weekend on a real race-prepped bike, on a real track, with no stoplights, no dogs or deer running across the road, no cops, no drunks, and no half-blind dipshits running through red lights at intersections, I was totally hooked. Came back the next weekend and did the Penguin School and got my racing license.

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After spending a lot of time at race tracks and being around motorcycles my whole life, I finally got a full licence ( road not race ! ) on Friday...

Willski said:

After spending a lot of time at race tracks and being around motorcycles my whole life, I finally got a full licence ( road not race ! ) on Friday...

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Right on, right on!

Just remember the mantra:Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up

Keshav said:

Right on, right on!

Just remember the mantra:Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up, Shiny Side Up

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Or you could put a cage on it

It's all about the torque.

Or the momentum.