Hard Core with some sense

[okie2]

IHT got me thinking about these days.

Hard core sport riding in the backwoods of western N.C. and southwestern Va.....CBR900s-ZX7s-Ducs and R1s...coming into a curve and snapping two or three quick downshifts while hard on the brakes, off the back brake.. tossing the bike to the inside while feathering the front brake with a steady throttle to keep the suspension working for you...sometimes hearing the tick tick of your knee slider kissing the asphalt while all the time listening to the front tire talking to you while the rear is just barely in a drift...past the apex and easing the bike up while rolling the throttle back and the front end getting light while you kick it up another gear!! Then get ready for the next curve and do it all over again!

Track day at Road Atlanta before they changed it.......Hammering down the back straight at 130mph, or more if you had the balls, as the bike gets light going through Gravity Cavity...then as you approached the bridge staying close to the inside, hard on the brakes and banging down through the gear box as you go under the bridge and down about a twelve story drop while the bike is drifting to the left....then lean it over hard to the right to the finish line!!

DEALS GAP...on the N.C./Tenn. line...311 curves in 9.5 miles...the Ultimate road ride......the record ride on this road is an average speed of around 60mph....and this is by some of the top racers in the southeast with full blown race bikes on slicks. This ride will wear you out both physically and mentally! Don't ever ride this road at over 80% of your ability, or any road for that matter, because if you do the Dragon will eat you for lunch! Seems like every year, back in the mid to late 90s, there were two or three guys killed riding this road because their right hand wasn't connected to their brain!

The group I rode with were very good riders and very experienced. We always rode with full armored leathers, also helmets, gloves and racing boots We had a lot of fun and good times. We tried never to violate the 80% rule on the street. This always left us a reserve for the unexpected. We rode about 8-10,000 miles a year on our crotch rockets for many years. We are all still alive with no injuries.

I don't ride that way very often anymore, but I have some wonderful memories and friends who I enjoy visiting.

To a man we all agree we are still here and healthy because of the 80% Rule

[Brandon]

Wow... it looks like you've done a little riding. I don't think I'll ever get to that level of riding. I'm looking at a BMW touring bike when I'm finished with school; but I don't think I'll be buying any sport bikes or cruisers. From riding dirt bikes, I have to have my pegs right under me to feel comfortable; but I don't think I'll be scraping my knees anytime soon (on purpose).

[one90proof]

I don't ride, but damn that was a great post okie2. It's obvious that you are very passionate about the subject. For a minute there you had me ready to buy a bike!

[IHT]

i only wish i lived close to a track.. there's one up in iowa that has track days, but i'm married and don't have a bike anymore... of course i totalled it...

if i get one again, it'll be a duc monster or something that can be modified, sound good, and be a twin.