Experience keeping up with crotch rockets

Ive got a couple friends that take a few nice rides over the summer with a bunch of people and am considering going to one but wasnt sure if I could keep up with them. Their bikes are gsxr 600 and a cbr but in all there are many bikes. I just don't want to be left at every stoplight and rest stop. I also have reservation on my experience or lack there of on my vfr but ill get some miles on my baby between now and summer :smile:

I should add that they are mostly sport bikes in general.

 

Your heavier 800, lower power to weight ratio and relatively lower level of experience can not likely keep up with those bikes, and it's a HUGE risk trying to.

Following faster riders can suck you into situations you are not ready for, especially if they know the roads better.

Just accept the fact that you are not as fast on the VFR, or you'll soon be riding over your skill level with possibly disasterous results.

Real riding friends are willing to waIt for slower riders, not play the game of "Who's gonna crash first."

Group riding with sportbikes--especially with people you don't know--is risky both to your safety and license.

 

I was leaning in the direction your persuading but at the same time im pretty sure they wouldn't play any major games and in reality would probably be pretty decent about it. Perhapse ill wait until next year. Unfortunately they are the only friends i have with bikes and must admit it would be nice taking some rides with others. nearly all my riding to this piont has been solo.

 

Take all the rides you want with your friends. Just ride your own ride. Don't ride over your head trying to keep up. They will slow up or stop down the road, if they are good riding friends. Your a beginner. Everybody has to start some where. Just let them know that. Besides I doubt you will be running high speeds all the time. Well unless one of your friends is joey_dude.

Remember ride your own ride. Have you taken any mc coarses?

 

If anything, you could ask your friends to give you pointers or even ask them to get behind you and make notes on your form. And like squirrelman said, please don't turn it into a race, you're not gonna get a trophy and it's more important to get back home alive.

 

There's a weird and dangerous psychology that often emerges among a group of young sportbikers that's hard to describe, but you can see it happening. Hunter Thompson could have written about the phenomonon, and some rider/psychologist should.

Stay away !!

Ride with 2 or 3 friends you know well rather than any other group.

 

Ya I took the MSF basic rider course. I would like to take an advance course.

 

Your VFR is more than capable of keeping up with them, it just takes time and experience. Ride your own ride, catch up with them at the stop points and remember always, 'In order to finish first, first you must finish'. True if you're racing or just want to get home in one piece.

 

What you all are saying makes sense to me. Ill see how much riding i get in and try to hook up with just a couple of them to test the waters. I know there are also additional risks just going with a bunch of riders to which I do not know their riding style. My riding style is to stay vertical and out of the ditch lol. I do love how the bike response to me soo much more than my cruiser. I look and she follows...... period.

 

I would take the ride, as long as you stay in your own boundries. Riding with friends is a great experience. You can always and should regardless, figure out meeting points, where the rides final destination is going to be, and so on. This way it minimizes the pressure that may be felt by slower riders to keep the pace. Splitting the riders up into smaller groups based on experience is also very helpfull. You more than likely will not be the only person there who needs to take it easy. So ride with others that will be doing the same. If the group includes riders that are even slightly aggitated by a slower rider, then this isn't the group for you. Every new rider seems to fall into a trap where by they believe that most sportbikers know what they're doing and therefore take a pass on an otherwise fun outing. This shouldn't be the case, as most sportbikers are not actually very good riders. I can't tell you how many guys I've taken a ride with who hall ass through the straights on faster bikes then my own, usually thinking that they some how have a clue. Then the corners come and everyones true abilities become apparent. That's when the motorcycle itself has very little to do with anything, most of the group tightens up, and only the truly good riders will get out in front a bit. As I said the number of riders that can actually do that is very small so I wouldn't worry too much, there is usually always someone at the same skill level as yourself. If however you are easily persuaded or feel that you may sucumb to the pressure of keeping up, then skip it untill you get more comfortable. Just ride your own ride, know your limitations, and don't do anything that makes you uncomfortable. Everthing Squirrel posted about the group mentality is something to listen to as well, if you see any of that shit than it's not a group you should be riding with. So let them go about doing whatever they're going to do and just fall back and take a solo ride at your own pace, you don't owe the group anything. Meet them at the designated area where you can explain to them that you're going to go ride home at a scenic pace and that they shouldn't feel obligated to wait for you.

Best of luck.

 

Ride within your own limits...If they are true friends and leave you( not on purpose, but because they are having fun) they will be waiting at the next turn/checkpoint.

 

My riding style is the same, stay vertical. :biggrin: And after 15 years I still am hesitant to jump in with a bunch of experienced riders on sport bikes. I just ride my own ride and usually find myself asking why they're going so slow through the corners after awhile...ride the 'pace' and you'll be fine. The Pace - Nick Ienatsch - Motorcyclist magazine

 

You are asking the wrong questions. Sorry for laying it out there. But it's absolutely true.

One answer is that any skilled rider with pretty much any bike will hold his/her own when the road gets twisty. Another answer is that a rider who is learning shouldn't be asking the question.

My VFR produces 101 HP. In the corners I easily outdistance - without trying - Superbike riders who are less skilled than I am. Riders who are more skilled than I am outdistance me on their 250 Kawasaki Ninjas. Who cares? We're all having fun and we meet up at the pre-arranged points.

 

THAT'S a good strategy on wet or slippery pavement, but you'll never be able to corner competantly unless you learn to ENJOY leaning the bike.

ONE thing you'll learn as you progress is that the faster you corner, the more you need to ask of and expect from your front tire.

 

I see the same thing on the snowboard slopes, a bunch of guys bring a NuB up on a black diamond and leave him there, or they encourage the guy to try and ride a steep mountain only to see his misery as he crashes and bursts into flames.

The VFR in highly skilled & highly experienced hands can do anything well, including eat 600 on straits and bends, ( It's the rider ) but under a NuB's butt it will be both Heaven "and" Hell, Heaven because it is so neutral, so intuitive, so planted, and forgiving of mistakes,ahhhhhhh and Hell because it is so confidence inspiring you can find yourself in trouble as fast as your "panic response" can lock up the brake coming in to hot and send you into a guard rail or a coffin.

You have chosen the VFR ,the VFR is "adult" thinking man's ride, so I take it you actually value Your life, it's a sport "&" touring bike , learn how to "tour" around corners , if You want to use the inherent sport part of the VFR that is on tap then take some track days, learn your local roads over & over , get some hours in the cockpit before You looking to "sport" your VFR.

You could put Valentino Rossie on a VFR and he will assassinate any real good local sport bike rider on any twisty in the US, the VFR is solid enough to "hang", conversely take Rossie and put him on a EX 250 and he will still claim the fame over all the bad ass cool looking corner pucks on R1's in any town, any road , > again its the rider.

Myself I got real good at sport riding , then I crashed, and got better, then crashed bigger, etc...etc... on and on, then I grew up ,now live with pain the rest of my life and now I "tour" on my , and ride like a pussy through corners , lol, but I still look good, because I'm on a >>>>>> VFR, lol.



You can ride behind the best safest most highly experienced or worse most dangerous riders in town, go for it just keep them in front of you, "way" in front , don't try to follow up any ones tail pipe, so if or when they do go down you wont be coming round the bend into a train wreck .

You are "mature minded" even tho You lack saddle time You will be just fine, another good reason for staying back "way" back behind is that NuB's tend to visually - mentally fixate on the leader or bike in front and if the leader goes down you will more than likely stare right at the crashed bike ahead of you and literally drive right into it causing your own secondary crash.

VFR, Making lame riders look good since 1987

 

so, now that you know ur vfr can hang with sport bikes, and that its all about the rider. id like to chime in and say you have a good taste in color.


i have 5 friends that all have sport bikes gsxr 600 & 750, RR600, R6, zx14. and i ride with them every weekend.

 

go to a local track and find out when they have track days you can ride it. Flow around the track at your own pace and soon you will gain needed experience. Find a instructor in your area that teaches racing school for new riders and have some fun while learning.

Be safe, ride safe.

 

I prefer solo riding, or with only one other rider. Group rides are nice at times, but restrictive. JMHO

 

Couple of years ago, my former son in law and his buddies all invited me for a ride. They were riding CBR's and GSXR's mostly 600's. We were taking my 100 mile loop through a bunch of country twisty's so I was leading. I was riding my ancient 1970 Moto Guzzi Ambassator 750. Believe it or not, the old Guzz handle's pretty well for an old slug. I know the roads like the back of my hand, so I was railing the corners about as hard as possible on an old drum braked, loop frame Guzzi. We stop for lunch and I commented that I was sorry for holding everyone back in the twisty's. To a man, they all said, really, we'd rather not push any harder than we were pushing. It really is the rider, not the bike at all.
Also, 1 year at a ZRX rally in Northern Arkansas, I was leading a small group down some awsome twisty's outside of Mount Judea, we had all agreed to "ride our own ride", and wait for the slower members at every intersection. I was having a ball, riding within my personal limits (I'm quite experianced, and very smooth) hitting 90 plus on some straights, and railing the corners. I get to the next intersection and nobody shows up, so I turn around and head back only to find that one of the group had paniced trying to keep me in sight, locked the front going into a corner, and ran through a ditch and into the tree's. He was lightly injured, and had totaled his bike. Again if you ride with faster riders, don't let yourself get "sucked in", because you will be over your head, and prone to panic in a situation you really can't handle.