Experience keeping up with crotch rockets

Just be careful and have fun. Solo is the only way to truly eliminate getting sucked in and is something I practice quite a bit now.

I was always the guy that wanted to be in the front because I felt safer and more in control, but then it happened... A Squid (1000RR rider) going to fast, looking down at his speedo to see just how fast he was going turned into rear ending me on the Highway in heavy traffic. (side note: Said Squid had no insurance and totally screwed me, but he did get his bike fixed!) I just about totally got out of riding but decided to give it a go again and I'm glad I did. Got back in the saddle and enjoying it even more, but now I am always bringing up the rear of the group and at my own pace. Just don't let anyone push/goat you into riding beyond your comfort level / abilities and remember ATGATT.

 

To reiterate: Ride your own Ride.

Too many people have binned it and/or died trying to keep up with faster folks.
There will always be faster people. Always.
Learn at your own pace. Get comfortable. Then you will become faster.

 

Spoken like a true Jedi master. :smile:

 

Wow everyone. Had to work today and it was way too cold for the bike @ 4:30am but all these good post i came home to are hugely appreciated. Ill see how i feel over the next couple months, ive never been one to worry about being the leader of the pack. The whole point is to enjoy the ride, and be safe (hense the post). Hope to meet some new people and maybe find a vfr rider local too who knows. Again a big thanks to everyone that spent the time giving me usefull advice.

 

all my friends have sportbikes( gixxer pack). i have NO trouble keepin up. the torque makes up the diff with the vfr. i mean we're not out draggin knee caps or anything. and my butt and arms don't hurt from leaning over. but ride at your own pace.

 

I dont know how much in the way of instruction you have and this may be slightly off topic but even just books like Proficient Motorcycling and Twist of the Wrist ( and the associated video, (worth a search)) really helped me get my head around a lot of the physics etc that are involved in riding a motorcycle. IMHumbleO it was knowing these things that helped me see how and why things like getting out of the saddle a bit going around a corner or being able to blip the throttle while squeezing the front brake (not quite so crucial on a CBS bike but front is the propper way) and down shifting at the same time in preperation for a corner are good solid techniques I learned to do on quiet twisty roads by myself. Obviously professional instruction can be even better but I really got a lot out of riding the same roads and varying bits of my emerging style to see what felt better/smoother. Like any skill set it is built incrimentally but I guess my point is that once youve become really familiar on the bike and have developed your own style then you actually can ride your own ride.
Personally I dont enjoy riding in a group all that much, especially in fast twisties because its like hearding cats around a bend at 120km an hour. Inevitably you will end up riding in a group so just be prepared to focus on perfecting your technique. If nothing else just enjoy it.

 

Man how fast u got to go.....if u wanna race...go to race track...plus I don't think all your friends gonna go from stop with full power eh...I would be avawe of cops...and your onw safety....u can do it on one stop two...not everyone.......

But if u want to keep up with them.....before they gonna go from stop....u should be doing burnout arleady eheh.......that is a JOKE....last sentence

 

Trying to keep up with a faster group will divert your concentration away from proper riding technique. Focus on being smooth around corners and improve your skill level by attending some advanced rider courses. And like what everyone said earlier. ride your ride!

 

DO IT!! Unleash the FURY!

 

.......................................

 

LOL!! That made me laugh out loud!! I need to try that some day.

 

I don't want to thread jack but after my 3rd track day did not produce any more benefits to me over the 2nd track day, I decided it was time to get schooled in riding.

I went to California Superbike School this past weekend at the Streets of Willow Springs. One of the fastest guys in the corners was riding a Ninja 650. This is not a powerhouse bike yet he was beating just about everyone out there, even the school's BMW S1000R in the corners. My point is it's just like others have said, it's rider skill not the bike.

The BMW's are truly impressive machines. They are really easy to ride and very powerful, but predictable. If I had the money I would buy one in a heartbeat.

Nobody crashed and everyone got faster. Even a couple of guys in there 60's that had been riding for years were impressed with the class. They were hauling ass by the second day, but that is really for another thread. :biggrin:

After I did Level I and II this past weekend, I personally don't think that the money could have been better spent. There aren't enough words to describe how much I learned in two days. I am not ready to be a racer, but I am definitely a better, safer rider at any speed that I choose to ride. Get some instruction. It doesn't have to be Keith Code's school, but get it. You will not regret it.

/end threadjack

 

awesome post... what drill do you think you learned the most with? Are you going to do some of the higher levels?

 

"Keeping Up" is a great way to wreck. Ride your own ride at your own pace. If they don't wait up for the whole group and take a head count at each stop / intersection, find a new group to ride with. That being said, if can ride e few over the limit you should be able to ride with any group.

 

Well said, sir!

 

I think the "two step" in level 1 and "wide view" in level 2 were the biggest benefits for me. I had a bad habit of fixating on the turn in point and that caused me to over brake due to the incorrect perception of speed that this generates. They taped over the speedos for the class. I have know idea how fast I was going. They teach you to use your surroundings to judge your entry speed. It works!

I want to get some more seat time and a couple of track days in before I do levels 3-4. I wanted to do the 2-day camp but they were full for that time slot so I took the single levels the next two days. I want to do levels 3-4 in a 2-day camp if possible. You get more track time a couple of other things thrown in too like the Cam Bike which has a camera mounted high on the back that is pointed at the rider. Your riding coach goes over the footage with you and points out where you made mistakes as well as where you did well.

 

Don't worry about it. When they crash, you not only catch up but you'll pass em. You ride a sport touring bike and you should enjoy the ride so save that "keeping up" crap for the track days.

 

Find a riding partner that is a good friend and understands your situation. I'm with Knife and Squirrelman on this one. Any time you get in a group larger than 3 or 4 you're asking for trouble. You're also asking for trouble riding with "strangers".

That's why I say do a lot of riding with some one you trust both as a friend and a rider. Somebody that will look out for you, teach you the finer points of staying alive, and have patience with you.

 

When I started out (decades ago) I had a friend at the motorcycle dealership that pointed out they have group rides on weekends. We met at the shop on Sunday mornings about 8:30am and left at 9am. This was a ride that was sponsored by the dealership and we all signed waivers before we took off on our trip.

There were many different bikes and riders. Cruisers and geezers, sport bikes and squids, etc... My friend was about my age and he knew it was my first group ride. We hung in the back two spots. He and I would trade for last postition now and then to push me a bit. He never pushed me too far, and surprisingly we never lost sight of the lead rider. Eventually I found that I could do better, or more, than a lot of the riders in the group. It was a 2 hour back road jaunt and my friend and I found ourselves at 4th and 5th place by end of ride! Only the litre sportbikes were in front of us! I didn't even know the roads we were on, but I can tell how acute a corner is that I am coming to, so I slowed down appropriately.

If you find yourself crowding the rear of the person in front of you, then pass them! They don't like you riding their ass, as I am sure you wouldn't. It's pressure for that rider to go faster. Maybe faster than they are competent to do! If someone is riding your ass then posture and wave for them to pass you! They'll appreciate it and you'll relax!

You have to remember that all it takes is a grain of sand in the right spot at the wrong time on any given corner to make even an experienced rider take a slide out on a steep lean. That's mainly the reason that you see even the experienced riders slow way down on backroads. Sometimes it's a blind curve, and sometimes you just can't count on that corner being pristinely clean of debris. If you're worried about keeping up, don't be. You can always gun it on the straights to catch up, but take the corners with the knowledge of your own limits.

One rider suggested going to a track day. While that is about as good a road surface as you'll get, do you really want to push yourself and your bike? I know I have more respect for my machine and myself than to want to 'push' the bike and end up having to repair or total it. What would I do for a daily rider then??? I don't have $14k to throw away on my stupidity. There are professonal courses available for learning to ride/race track. Those I do highly recommend. But to just go out there by yourself is a bit intimidating with other riders constantly coming up on you.

If it's your first time on a track, get some duc tape and put a large 'X' across your back. That lets the riders know that you're inexperienced and they'll be careful when coming up behind you, especially careful on corners as they don't know what kind of line you'll take. Most of them will pass you on a straight instead of a corner. This is not only for their safety, but it's a courtesy for you. They want you to feel no pressure as you try to test yourself in the corner, thus building your confidence level lap after lap.

Backroads aren't racetracks. Look at the tree of shame at Deal's Gap. Those people didn't remember that simple fact. Leaving a part of your bike behind isn't a sign of experience. It's a sign of your lack there of.

It's funny, but in every group ride that involves sport bikes, you get to your destination and the lead group is together, laughing and talking about how hard they hit some of the corners and how they scared themselves here and there during the ride. They are so road focused that they really forgot why the ride was planned! Not one of them can tell you anything about the surrounding scenery during the ride! To me, if you are that focused on the 'track', then that's where you need to spend your time.

Group rides are for you to relax and have fun, test yourself here and there, but mostly enjoy the company of the people you ride with and the scenery around you! If your intent is to carve the corners then I suggest you do it alone so you can concentrate on that sole mission. Or with just one buddy that's patient enough to hang behind you and critique you.

My suggestion to you, since you said you have a limited number of friends that ride, is to go to bike nights at local hangouts. There you can talk to new people, discuss riding and techniques, and make new friends that perhaps are more suited to your riding style. I am a sportbike/sport touring bike person, but that doesn't mean I don't have cruiser friends, dual sport friends, etc... and some of the most enjoyable rides I have been on were tagging along with a group of cruiser riders who lay back and enjoy the ride for the ride's sake. Another thing to do is enter poker runs. Most of these are bar sponsored, but that doesn't mean you have to drink at every stop. They're happy to give you a glass of water or a soda, since a poker run is for a charity and not a drag race to your next stop.

It's all about gaining experience. That means LIVING through them.