Went to look at bikes today, everyone is oh so correct...

[TechTMW]

less is always better but race tracks aren't all straights so they have to move more on corners.

Not everyone wants a motorcycle to be a racer. (Not everyone is you.) As a matter of fact, you, Verm, are unique Please stop giving people advice based on what does or does not work on the track. It is irrelevant (and sometimes dangerous) for street riding. Especially since you have no clue what does or does not work on a track, since you have no experience in that area, except for what you might have read somewhere or what one of your buddies might have told you.

If you want to give advice, please try and keep it limited to your own real life experiences.

Thanks.

P.S. I doubt people really hate you. They just wish you'd grow up. And they're hoping it doesn't take a life-threatening spill to do that. (At least I am.)

[Nalian]

I took 21 street lessons (where I come from, 15 is mandatory, I failed the first test (a single foot-down on the fig. 8's in the lot part fails you) so i then took 6 more) on a Kawasaki street bike ER500.

Figure 8 was only worth a few points for us - almost everyone touched a foot down or went out..no one failed.

What state fails you for that?

[VermilionX]

Not everyone wants a motorcycle to be a racer. (Not everyone is you.) As a matter of fact, you, Verm, are unique Please stop giving people advice based on what does or does not work on the track. It is irrelevant (and sometimes dangerous) for street riding. Especially since you have no clue what does or does not work on a track, since you have no experience in that area, except for what you might have read somewhere or what one of your buddies might have told you.

If you want to give advice, please try and keep it limited to your own real life experiences.

Thanks.

P.S. I doubt people really hate you. They just wish you'd grow up. And they're hoping it doesn't take a life-threatening spill to do that. (At least I am.)

eh? i didn't really bring the race track on this topic. i just made a comment on how the aggressive riding position gives you the best controls to manuever the bike. that's totally on topic since the OP brought it up.

minty just quizzed me and that led to it.

[CNF2002]

The Riders Edge course would not let you put a foot down. Foot down fails the exercise. It was preferred to simply drift out of the box rather than put a foot down. As I recall.

[Shorts]

Of course, the ease at which the front tire turns has absolutely ZERO to do with rake angle, right??


Verm, how do you manage to hijack and PW as many threads around here as you do?

[VermilionX]

Of course, the ease at which the front tire turns has absolutely ZERO to do with rake angle, right??


Verm, how do you manage to hijack and PW as man threads around here as you do?

not really my fault.

it only gets hijacked when somebody attacks me, then i defend, yada yada yada.

i don't attack peeps unless they attack me 1st.

[Dragonhawk]

a cruiser is harder to control than a sportbike. If you can learn a cruiser you can learn a sportbike. thats just how he put it and he has been riding for like 30 years so I believe him lol.

The depends upon your definition of "harder."

Cruisers lean and turn WAY easier than a sportbike.

However, they don't turn as SHARPLY and don't lean as FAR as a sportbike.

You can be very inexperienced and lean and scrape-pegs on a cruiser. Not that you want to do that, of course. But I mean it can happen on accident very easily. They lean REALLY easy and since they sit so low to the ground, they are a lot less intimidating to lean over.

Leaning that far on a sportbike is scary and 95% of rider need to learn and practice before they end up leaning that far.

So, I wouldn't say a cruiser was necessarily "harder" to control than a sportbike. It's just that a cruiser is like driving a Lincoln Towncar and a sportbike is like driving a Mini Cooper.

[Shorts]

So, I wouldn't say a cruiser was necessarily "harder" to control than a sportbike. It's just that a cruiser is like driving a Lincoln Towncar and a sportbike is like driving a Mini Cooper.

+1

Weight, front rake and low COG give vert different riding characteristics.

[ofblong]

The Riders Edge course would not let you put a foot down. Foot down fails the exercise. It was preferred to simply drift out of the box rather than put a foot down. As I recall.

I would think putting a foot down doing a u-turn like that would be better than going off the edge of a cliff in the mountains but eh maybe the riders edge course has no clue of real world situations.

[Shorts]

The Riders Edge course would not let you put a foot down. Foot down fails the exercise. It was preferred to simply drift out of the box rather than put a foot down. As I recall.

I would think putting a foot down doing a u-turn like that would be better than going off the edge of a cliff in the mountains but eh maybe the riders edge course has no clue of real world situations.

If you need to put your foot down, put your foot down. What the Riders Edge course is trying to teach is ultimately better balance and bike control. You have to start somewhere. And in a safe parking lot is where its at.

They're trying to teach you skills to apply everywhere. 'Tis best to use your better judgement on when and where to apply your best skills or your weakest skills