Learning to ride on track only
Discussion
Hi,
I've been putting off scratching the itch that is finally growing a pair of balls and getting a bike and riding. However riding on the road doesn't hold any appeal really. track days is something that really interests me. I enjoy them in cars and think bikes could be even more rewarding. Is it feasible to ride and more importantly learn to ride only on track? Or will I always be purely lacking in hours on the bike?
I've been putting off scratching the itch that is finally growing a pair of balls and getting a bike and riding. However riding on the road doesn't hold any appeal really. track days is something that really interests me. I enjoy them in cars and think bikes could be even more rewarding. Is it feasible to ride and more importantly learn to ride only on track? Or will I always be purely lacking in hours on the bike?
Edited by topgunkos on Saturday 17th November 20:15
topgunkos said:
Hi,
I've been putting off scratching the itch that is finally growing a pair of balls and getting a bike and riding. However riding on the road doesn't hold any appeal really. track days is something that really interests me. I enjoy them in cars and think bikes could be even more rewarding. Is it feasible to ride and more importantly learn to ride only on track? Or will I always be purely lacking in hours on the bike?
I'm happy doing a license to learn the absolute basics. It's just I'm not interested in road riding afterwards.I've been putting off scratching the itch that is finally growing a pair of balls and getting a bike and riding. However riding on the road doesn't hold any appeal really. track days is something that really interests me. I enjoy them in cars and think bikes could be even more rewarding. Is it feasible to ride and more importantly learn to ride only on track? Or will I always be purely lacking in hours on the bike?
Edited by topgunkos on Saturday 17th November 20:15
There's lots of people who go this route. Its a lot safer than the road, and is arguably more thrilling.
Doing your DAS is great, and then I'd recommend some track schools. Specifically, the California Superbike School. Its pricey but really is worth it imho. Ron Haslam also has a decent school as well. And then after that you can buy (or hire) a trackbike and start doing trackdays. There's instructors at most trackdays to help you along as well
Doing your DAS is great, and then I'd recommend some track schools. Specifically, the California Superbike School. Its pricey but really is worth it imho. Ron Haslam also has a decent school as well. And then after that you can buy (or hire) a trackbike and start doing trackdays. There's instructors at most trackdays to help you along as well
topgunkos said:
curlie467 said:
You'll need either an acu race license or a road license to go on track days.
Can you ride at all?
Currentl no, as I said above I'm happy to at least do a CBT or DAS to learn the basics, but don't envisage riding on road after.Can you ride at all?
Get it booked.
I started riding on the road but gave up after a big crash. After a few years off bikes I started doing the odd track day so it is certainly possible. I wasn’t doing many and it was a bit daunting having to reacquaint myself with riding each time in a track environment. I noticed that when I did a track day after starting to ride on the road again it was much easier. However if you are doing lots of track days per year it would likely be okay.
Quite a few professional riders never ride on the road at all, including some TT racers (if you get my meaning). IRRC Cal Crutchlow didn't even have a bike license until several years after becoming a MotoGP rider and I remember Scott Reading was already a GP racer before he passed his test (remember seeing him in Quedgley on a 50cc bike).
I can't see any issue with this, if you can afford the track time.
I can't see any issue with this, if you can afford the track time.
Dr Jekyll said:
BlackPrince said:
There's lots of people who go this route. Its a lot safer than the road, and is arguably more thrilling.
Really?essIII said:
I don't know the stats, but it's my opinion that this is the case. Everyone is on two wheels, alert, travelling the same direction and there with a common purpose. No chance of coming across a distracted school run parent or a sleepy lorry driver.
I’m not sure about that - I’ve done around 10 track days a year for the past decade and my guess would be minor injuries at most of them and ambulances at 25% - myself included on the last one. I’d add to that crashed bikes at 95% of track days.
warch said:
Quite a few professional riders never ride on the road at all, including some TT racers (if you get my meaning). IRRC Cal Crutchlow didn't even have a bike license until several years after becoming a MotoGP rider and I remember Scott Reading was already a GP racer before he passed his test (remember seeing him in Quedgley on a 50cc bike).
I can't see any issue with this, if you can afford the track time.
They didn’t just wake up one day though and decide to be top level racers. They’ll all have been on bikes off-road since they were in nappies. I can't see any issue with this, if you can afford the track time.
Can you learn how to really ride a motorcycle in 5 x 20 minute slots?
I looked at following this route, but accessibility, time, and enthusiasm, to ride, really forces you onto the road.
My experience of wobbling around a circuit, in novice, at the back, is that you only have a few people that come by you throughout the day because you are running similar times, so basically you have a open track with zero traffic, and you are only a blocker for the more experienced faster paced 'novices'. It was pre-race weekend.
I looked at following this route, but accessibility, time, and enthusiasm, to ride, really forces you onto the road.
My experience of wobbling around a circuit, in novice, at the back, is that you only have a few people that come by you throughout the day because you are running similar times, so basically you have a open track with zero traffic, and you are only a blocker for the more experienced faster paced 'novices'. It was pre-race weekend.
topgunkos said:
Hi,
I've been putting off scratching the itch that is finally growing a pair of balls and getting a bike and riding. However riding on the road doesn't hold any appeal really. track days is something that really interests me. I enjoy them in cars and think bikes could be even more rewarding. Is it feasible to ride and more importantly learn to ride only on track? Or will I always be purely lacking in hours on the bike?
How would you feel,if you were out on a car trackday with somebody who was learning how to drive?I've been putting off scratching the itch that is finally growing a pair of balls and getting a bike and riding. However riding on the road doesn't hold any appeal really. track days is something that really interests me. I enjoy them in cars and think bikes could be even more rewarding. Is it feasible to ride and more importantly learn to ride only on track? Or will I always be purely lacking in hours on the bike?
Edited by topgunkos on Saturday 17th November 20:15
Bodged said:
Ron haslam race school at donington is a good place to start, no license required.
Spot on, no licence required but its not a start point for a totally new rider as such, you need to know how to ride a bike, they dont go right back to basics like for example as on a CBT.It would seem to me you perhaps either need to take a CBT for the basics or get some off road experience(or a bike even) and then transition to the track. If it was me, id go the off road route.
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