Can anyone explain the dichotomy exhibited by GSTwhiners that complain about squids, lack of safety gear, stunters, and street racing, then turn around and chase through the dragon, plan street rides through twisties, and "riding schools" that obviously aren't intended to be rides at the speed limit?

well ed i can explain "the dragon" since ive ridden my sportster there, as well as a friends gix 1k, ive never seen too many peeps there with inadequate safety gear, plus with the road the way it is, rarely do you break the speed limit, it does happen but not as severely as what might normally happen in the "normal" twisties due to basically youre making assloads of almost 180 degree turns

There just seems to be some dishonesty in attitudes here, not necessarily yours Yama. HONESTLY, I like to ride fast, but not always. Why can't more GSers here just be honest and say that?

We've got a locally famous canyon in Az, the Salt River Canyon. It is tremendous fun when taken over the speed limit. Cages routinely drive fast on it too. The downside is people die every year there in a variety of vehicles, large and small. There are cliffs of hundreds of feet to go over for those that get out of control. It is however great fun when control is maintained, leaning and winding through it. Speeds can = +5 to +25 over, safely, with light traffic.

aye i remember the salt river area, i used to tube it, while drunk lol, then north of phoenix youve got the carefree highway area, i like to ride fast sometimes very fasty, but i also do it knowing well 1 its usually frowned upon by local law enforcement, 2, highly dangerous,  but it is fun, but i dont when there is really any traffic, cept for a cage or 2. on my sportie when i had it, i had chaps, a leather jacket, and my tortoise shell, i.e. not a full face, but it was better than nothing. damn i miss that bike as well as my gs

I hope you can get the bike of your dreams one of these days Yama.

eh i will eventually. i loved that sportie, but i had to let it go, but i believe within a year or so, ill have another. ive got 2 projects now that im working on a gr650 tempter, and a 76 kz400, im wanting an xb9s buell, or perhaps a road king, or another sportie, heh ive still got a few parts left from the old one

I think you missed this cathartic thread:
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=28794.0

Quote from: pantablo on July 24, 2006, 01:09:47 AM
Hello, my name is pablo and I am a squid.
I have done flat out speed runs on public roads...150+mph.
My gear matches my bike.

scraped a peg or two.
always wanted to get a knee down on the road. once I did it on the track I was less intersted in doing it on the road (only a handful of times have I done it on the road to this day).
I used to go to client meetings (occasionally, only occasionally) wearing only the helmet and jacket, khakis and dress shoes...
I own a sportbike.
I used to mod the hell out of my gs500...anyone remember http://pantablo500.tripod.com/?

I started it! (The thread)

Quote from: pantablo on August 17, 2006, 10:14:49 PM
I think you missed this cathartic thread:
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=28794.0

Quote from: pantablo on July 24, 2006, 01:09:47 AM
Hello, my name is pablo and I am a squid.
I have done flat out speed runs on public roads...150+mph.
My gear matches my bike.

scraped a peg or two.
always wanted to get a knee down on the road. once I did it on the track I was less intersted in doing it on the road (only a handful of times have I done it on the road to this day).
I used to go to client meetings (occasionally, only occasionally) wearing only the helmet and jacket, khakis and dress shoes...
I own a sportbike.
I used to mod the hell out of my gs500...anyone remember http://pantablo500.tripod.com/?

no pablo youre wrong, cause youve got gear. ive not seen too many squids with the quality of riding gear you use. perhaps a wanna be squid? 

Quote from: Ed_in_Az on August 17, 2006, 07:36:12 PM
Can anyone explain the dichotomy exhibited by GSTwhiners that complain about squids, lack of safety gear, stunters, and street racing, then turn around and chase through the dragon, plan street rides through twisties, and "riding schools" that obviously aren't intended to be rides at the speed limit?

Because we can ride through the twisties in all of our safety gear, at the speed limit.  And riding schools (track days) are legal, and safe.  They're designed so that everyone wears safety gear, the bikes are made safer for high speeds, everyone knows what's going on, and there's no other traffic to interefere.  It's a world of difference.

Use your critical thinking skills.

Quote from: Ed_in_Az on August 17, 2006, 07:36:12 PMlack of safety gear, stunters, and street racing, then turn around and chase through the dragon, plan street rides through twisties

I ride through twisties while:  Wearing Gear, Not Stunting, And Not Racing...

It's the level of stupidity that people get upset with...  Riding with ZERO gear, Stunting in traffic, doubling or tripling the speed limit, "learning" on a race bike with NO training, moving to a race bike after a month 'cause yours isn't FAST enough...

I don't think you understand the intricacies of the topic...  Riding is dangerous, but so is driving... Or walking...  Breathing air is dangerous.  It's all about levels of danger.

When someone tells us that they're doing something beyond the "normal" or "acceptable" level of danger, we try to talk them out of it...  'cause we don't want them to crash, get hurt, or die.

Sportriding is the cause of many motorcycle accidents and fatalities.  I don't think there's any serious argument about that.   

Actually...

Cars are the #1 cause of motorcycle accidents.

1. Approximately three-fourths of these motorcycle accidents involved collision with another vehicle, which was most often a passenger automobile.
6. In multiple vehicle accidents, the driver of the other vehicle violated the motorcycle right-of-way and caused the accident in two-thirds of those accidents.
7. The failure of motorists to detect and recognize motorcycles in traffic is the predominating cause of motorcycle accidents. The driver of the other vehicle involved in collision with the motorcycle did not see the motorcycle before the collision, or did not see the motorcycle until too late to avoid the collision.

http://www.clarity.net/~adam/hurt-report.html

Quote from: RVertigo on August 18, 2006, 01:28:02 AM
Actually...

Cars are the #1 cause of motorcycle accidents.

Actually....that does not negate what I said.    With your argument there should be no criticism about squids, lack of safety gear, stunters, and street racing.  Focus on the dichotomy.   

The hurt report came out in 1981( I think).  Don't think the info in there is as correct as it once was.  Wish they would do another report to see how the stats have changed sense the intoduction of the cell phone, better riding gear you know stuff like that.

Quote from: pantablo on August 17, 2006, 10:14:49 PM
I think you missed this cathartic thread:
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=28794.0

Quote from: pantablo on July 24, 2006, 01:09:47 AM
Hello, my name is pablo and I am a squid.
I have done flat out speed runs on public roads...150+mph.
My gear matches my bike.

scraped a peg or two.
always wanted to get a knee down on the road. once I did it on the track I was less intersted in doing it on the road (only a handful of times have I done it on the road to this day).
I used to go to client meetings (occasionally, only occasionally) wearing only the helmet and jacket, khakis and dress shoes...
I own a sportbike.
I used to mod the hell out of my gs500...anyone remember http://pantablo500.tripod.com/?

There's proof I don't follow this forum as close as some think I do.

Pablo, I salute you.

My point is, back in the day, the cliche "do as I say not as I do" symbolized the hypocrisy of adults. Today it reveals the hypocrisy of the youth telling others the same thing. There is a calculated risk in drinking a glass of water. Life isn't safe. To boast about all the gear you wear and how safe you are and how stupid anyone is who disagrees with YOU, and then race around the countryside at triple digit speeds is just arrogant hypocrisy."do as I say not as I do"

There's a saying "I'd rather ride a slow bike fast, than a fast bike slow". The GS and the Sportster are good examples of the slow bike that can go fast. If you use your machine to it's potential on public highways you are exhibiting risky behavior and have no right to rag on others because they exhibit risky behavior.

If you claim to only ride fast on the track and run like a turtle on the road. The odds are you're lying.

If you are personally incapable of safely exceeding the speed limit and don't want to wet your pants trying then you also have no right to rag on others because they are capable.

Among the old guy Sportster  riders (not the HD road sofas) there is more honesty than the youth. There will be those who honestly say they are afraid to go too fast. Some wear full gear but don't call others names for not doing the same. The majority, like myself love to hit triple digits on the backroads.

I wear sun screen to protect my arms while riding but I won't sky dive. Everyone has the right to their own level of personal risk and shouldn't be ridiculed or insulted for it.

Some of you kids need to look in the mirror and resist that urge to blow yourself a kiss.

Quote from: Ed_in_Az on August 18, 2006, 08:36:55 AM
My point is, back in the day, the cliche "do as I say not as I do" symbolized the hypocrisy of adults. Today it reveals the hypocrisy of the youth telling others the same thing.

Some of you kids need to look in the mirror and resist that urge to blow yourself a kiss.

Funny how when adults were hypocrits you were young and now that us "kids" are hypocrits, your old. 

phew...good thing you aren't a hypocrit.

------
quit being a sourpuss.   Some kids are eggheads and ride dangerously....Some old timers are too.

If your gonna rag on the dumbass's on this forum for being hypocritical, address them as such, Hell I even agree with you, but don't just lump us all into that group and call us "Kids"

The only person I see that's blowing them selves kisses, is you, Ranting about how your better than us kids.  gimme a break.

Quote from: Ed_in_Az on August 18, 2006, 08:36:55 AM
To boast about all the gear you wear and how safe you are and how stupid anyone is who disagrees with YOU, and then race around the countryside at triple digit speeds is just arrogant hypocrisy."do as I say not as I do"

But we don't race around the coutryside at triple digit speeds.  And we almost universally scold people who do.  Most of us have been up to triple digit speeds on public roads, sure, but only wearing full safety gear in a situation we could confirm was safe (a straight country road with a mile of visibility in every direction, in my case).  You're purposely minconstruing (or plain lying) about our behaviour.  We scold people for racing on public streets, stunting on public streets, traveling at extremely unsafe speeds on public streets, and wearing improper or no safety gear.  We do not do these things.  We wait until the track to ride our bikes to their full potential.  We carefully plan our street rides and ride them safely.  I don't think anyone's claiming to run like a turtle in the streets, but if you can't tell the difference between a triple digit race through heavy traffic and a carefully planned, 40 mph right through the twisties, maybe you shouldn't be up on a bike anymore.

Quote from: aaronstj on August 18, 2006, 11:34:03 AM

Quote from: Ed_in_Az on August 18, 2006, 08:36:55 AM
To boast about all the gear you wear and how safe you are and how stupid anyone is who disagrees with YOU, and then race around the countryside at triple digit speeds is just arrogant hypocrisy."do as I say not as I do"

But we don't race around the coutryside at triple digit speeds.  And we almost universally scold people who do.  Most of us have been up to triple digit speeds on public roads, sure, but only wearing full safety gear in a situation we could confirm was safe (a straight country road with a mile of visibility in every direction, in my case).  You're purposely minconstruing (or plain lying) about our behaviour.  We scold people for racing on public streets, stunting on public streets, traveling at extremely unsafe speeds on public streets, and wearing improper or no safety gear.  We do not do these things.  We wait until the track to ride our bikes to their full potential.  We carefully plan our street rides and ride them safely.  I don't think anyone's claiming to run like a turtle in the streets, but if you can't tell the difference between a triple digit race through heavy traffic and a carefully planned, 40 mph right through the twisties, maybe you shouldn't be up on a bike anymore.

Aaron, you may think you're a track star on your GS , and you may think I don't know the difference between triple digits in heavy traffic and triple digits on a rural freeway or backroad, or you may not think at all but rather just click away at the keyboard striving to be obnoxious. You may even squat to pee 'cause even the thought of heavy traffic scares you. Whatever your personal hangups are you have no right to tell anyone they shouldn't ride, particularly someone who has probably been riding longer than you've been breathing.