SquidBusters Archive - Is cornering squidly?

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Is cornering squidly?
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Posted by: not_an_R6

Funny thing: I talked one of my SUPER squid friends into riding Co. 7 near Welch Village in Goodhue Co, Minnesota because he called me a ***** a day earlier because i didnt want to weave in and out of traffic like he normally does whenever he rides with one or more people. I explained to him that just going fast and playing cat-and-mouse on the highway was really stupid, and requires little skill. He felt insulted and his bikerism questioned, so he though that he would go and say that he could out ride me (This is coming from a kid that was afraid to even ride his GSXR the first year he had his bike) So, him, me and my other friend took the day off to go riding. He could barley keep up around corners that me and my other friend felt super comfortable riding at moderate speeds (55-75mph) After riding he admitted to the fact that he couldn't lean as well as my friend and i, and thought that we where REALLY stupid from what WE where doing.
This struck me as odd: We where turning at high speeds, which is, in its own right dangerous
He would go really fast in a strait line, but in traffic; Also dangerous.
Was I being a squid that day?
Because I know that letting my ego change how i ride really is.

Posted by: not_an_R6

sorry about the #####

Posted by: RookWV

Ride your own ride and don't try to get other ride over their heads.

Cornering is what the sportbike is made for.....when it's safe.

Weaving in and out of traffic is dumb whether you're on a bike or in a cage.

Go buy the latest edition of Cycle World and read Peter Egans' article then give it to your buddies to read.

Then read this: http://www.pashnittours.com/thepace.html

Posted by: not_an_R6

Totally understood Rook. That in its self is really squid-like. I should'nt try to make someone ride over thier heads. I realized this point after the fact, but knowing my friend it's really hard to put up with his BS sometimes.

Posted by: Racinjasan

Quote:

Originally Posted by RookWV

Ride your own ride and don't try to get other ride over their heads.

Can't stress that enough.

Posted by: oldetymebiker

Quote:

Originally Posted by not_an_R6

........but knowing my friend it's really hard to put up with his BS sometimes.

Sounds like time for new friends....

I always thought friendship was based on mutual respect.

I've gotten kinda picky about who I'll ride with nowadays. They seem to share some common traits:

A. They treat riding like the life-and-death proposition it is.
Not scared, just respectful.

B. Get-togethers and rides are an opportunity to share experiences. Not show somebody up.

C. The better riders help newer riders. Not put them down, or try to suck them into situations over their head.

D. Most of the riders treat motorcycling as an avocation: they study it, practice it, talk about it, learn about it.

E. They become knowledgable about and utilize safety gear.
If you can't respect yourself, you probably won't respect others, either.

JMHO

Posted by: Oxi-Rider

GREAT post old time!

Posted by: oldetymebiker

....and to answer your question; "Is cornering squidly?":

...any riding activity can be squidly...depends on your motivation. Anytime we endanger ourselves or others through deliberate ignorance or ego gratification; that's squidly behavior.
Notice I said WE.....I've done a few things in my riding career I'm not especially proud of.....

The key is not to squash the squid...utilize the desire to push the envelope, but do it in controlled environments ... track days, sanctioned racing, rider schools...where the risks to OTHERS are minimized.

Posted by: not_an_R6

Thanks for the responces. (bowing head motion)

Posted by: nrj2002

Just know your limits and respect the power. Sure we all clutch a wheelie now and then or do a tomahawk at a stoplight here and there, but be safe. Too many of these kids start out on way too much bike and that's a good way to get killed. I learned to ride in '98 on a gixxer 600 inline four pumping out 110 ponies at 10,800 redline and can say without a doubt....bad decision. Some people are more gifted at riding than others and catch on more quickly, but the bottom line is know your limitations and start small then grow into the power. Ride safely and have fun all.

Posted by: Falcn

Leigh said it all. Rep points for those posts.

Posted by: natrona848

Quote:

Originally Posted by nrj2002

Just know your limits and respect the power. Sure we all clutch a wheelie now and then or do a tomahawk at a stoplight here and there, but be safe. Too many of these kids start out on way too much bike and that's a good way to get killed. I learned to ride in '98 on a gixxer 600 inline four pumping out 110 ponies at 10,800 redline and can say without a doubt....bad decision. Some people are more gifted at riding than others and catch on more quickly, but the bottom line is know your limitations and start small then grow into the power. Ride safely and have fun all.

you do mean 110 at the crank right? Oh, maybe I'm an oddball but I've never intentionally wheelied or stoppied my bike. just food for thought.

Posted by: nrj2002

Well, correct me if I'm wrong...I do believe the '98 stock gixxer had an adjustable output of 110 hp listed, give or take....whatever it was, I pinned it and learned why it's crucial to keep an eye on what your right hand is doing...I shouldn't have been on it in the first place. I know, I know..I guess maybe I'm still a squid at heart, but be careful out there little ones.

BTW, does a fat ass on a harley who tried to keep up with my R1 on a corner, but then realized he couldn't as his hog barreled over a median and through some shrubs ending up in some flowerbeds... qualify him as a squid? He was wearing a cute little chrome ashtray lid and dooh-rag though. j/k

Posted by: doublins

Quote:

Originally Posted by natronazx6r

you do mean 110 at the crank right? Oh, maybe I'm an oddball but I've never intentionally wheelied or stoppied my bike. just food for thought.

Most of us do enjoy an occasional wheelie or stoppie, in situations where we do not put anyone other than ourselves at risk. Typically, if you ride a bike for any reason other than pure economics, there is a tiny hooligan devil sitting on your right shoulder whispering into your ear as a grin spreads across your cheeks.

Whoops, there goes that front wheel again.

(I'm talking stoplight wheelies, riding out first or second for a hundred feet or so, not pulling a standup while trying to merge onto the highway... those people typically qualify as poor decision makers in my book, but then again, I'm sure I qualify as a poor decision maker in your book, I guess it's all relative

)

Posted by: Falcn

Quote:

Originally Posted by nrj2002

Well, correct me if I'm wrong...I do believe the '98 stock gixxer had an adjustable output of 110 hp listed, give or take....

Adjustable output? Nah - 110 at the crank - most dyno charts I have seen for a 1998 GSXR600 show ~90 HP at the rear wheel.

Posted by: HarleyJohn

Quote:

Originally Posted by Falcn

Adjustable output? Nah - 110 at the crank - most dyno charts I have seen for a 1998 GSXR600 show ~90 HP at the rear wheel.

My motorcycle engine's output is adjustable, that's what the throttles for.

Also know as a variable speed (RPM) engine.

Posted by: Falcn

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarleyJohn

My motorcycle engine's output is adjustable, that's what the throttles for.

Also know as a variable speed (RPM) engine.

Always gotta be one don't ya!

Posted by: nrj2002

Yeah, I guess we do all have that little devil sitting on the shoulders...guilty as charged of all that...but trying to be a little more conservative...on an R1? NOT.