Archie_tect
De Skieven Architek... aka Penfold + Horace
- Location
- Northumberland
Er, yes... that's the problem- having everyone [including clueless cyclists if we're being honest] out on the road at the same time!

Linford, you've misunderstood, and have no idea what I believe since I didn't state it... he's passed his test but he's another numpty let loose on a motorbike which is clearly beyond his capabilities to control- he's not going to listen to advice because he doesn't have to now.
I passed my motorbike test in 1976 and have ridden with off duty police motorbike riders, it's relevant to all road users to understand their limits... you don't need to advise about competency.
he was actually quite slow for the bend and was probably trying to improve his skills
People should not have to avoid an area because it's a known place for boy racers. It's the public road not a race track.On a different note, cycling on that stretch of road, (especially that corner) is very dangerous indeed. You will find plenty of video clips of totalled bikes and overturned cars too! As a cyclist, I would most definitely avoid the area due to high risk of collision alone.
I don't know, but I suspect the requirements for legally riding a motorbike in California are less stringent than in the UK.
If you believe that, you have little understanding of what is required to ride a motorcycle quickly and safely on the road..
IMO Passing a bike test is only the beginning of the process to competency on the open road....especially when a heavy machine with a lot of performance is concerned. It isn't like sitting in a car seat and turning the wheel..
This is an unusual point of view. Archie-Tect is right here in many ways. I see motorcyclists on modern litre-plus machinery who appear to have had only the minimum (mandatory) training and appear dialled into the warpspeed-accelaration buzz with little thought for corners and similar.
Your opening sentence has a mild whiff of trollery or self-appointed God or Motorcycling about it. I'm sure it wasn't meant that way, but its tone is unfortunate at best.
There are exceptions, but many motorcyclists (very often born-again middle-aged farts still expecting the power delivery of a GS550 from a GSX-R1000) seem quite unable to deal with the grip and changes of speed that are available today.
I rode for many years (stopping when parenthood intervened) and I raced a little, too. I knew and know many people who learned little after passing their test.
You may treat motorcycling like some Jedi quest for tarmac-enlightenment, but if so you are in a minority.
Racing and track riding are totally different skills to road riding. There are plenty of very quick track riders I'd not trust on a rideout and have not ever taken a bike test.
We never stop learning
The basic skills are the same. The difference is how you apply those skills to the conditions & your risk assessments.Racing and track riding are totally different skills to road riding. There are plenty of very quick track riders I'd not trust on a rideout and have not ever taken a bike test.
We never stop learning
The basic skills are the same. The difference is how you apply those skills to the conditions & your risk assessments.
Mirrors are part of risk assessment not fundamental bike control.The first thing you do when going on the track is to take the mirrors off......there is a massive gulf between track and road
Mirrors are part of risk assessment not fundamental bike control.
The laws of physics & handling dynamics don't suddenly change because you're no longer on a public road. So the same bike handling fundamentals apply to both situations. However the risk sets involved in road & track riding are very different. It's important to know those risks & understand how those risks effect other people around.