I hate how nice weather = congested twisties

[roguerower]

This weekend for our regular saturday ride, my group decided to head out to Leakey, TX and hit up the three sisters (335, 336, & 337) for some twisting fun. It was cold in the morning (40s) but turned out to be a beautiful day starting around 11.

We get through Bandera and Medina and meet up with some other sportbike riders from Austin and head out with a need for speed. The road heading to Leakey (different stretch of 337) has about 5 miles of really good twistes, up, down, side to side, and it's really nicely labeled. Well, about halfway in we run into some people riding their Harleys doing 10mph around the corners and because it's twisty and you can't see around corners, passing is a big no-no unless you want to risk being a truck's grill ornament. We eventually get around them but I think I could have gotten off my bike and run faster than they were going.

Coming back from the sisters we run into another group doing the same thing on the same stretch of road. Again, we wait until we can see ahead, then go past them. We then stumble upon a woman riding a bike all by herself in the middle of the road. Refuses to slow down and move to a side or wave us forward and accelerates when we try to pass her. We get past her on a straight away and make it to the end of the road where we stop to wait for the slower guys. This woman rides up next to us and starts screaming about how we need to give her more space when we're passing her and that we need to stop being assholes. We ignore her and eventually she moves on in a huff with her loud mother*&%$&$# pipes giving me a headache.

I know everyone has a right to the road especially on a nice day like Saturday but I have consistently found that on twisties where Harley riders like to do 10mph they refuse to move over for faster riders and you can't pass because of the uncertainty of what's coming the opposite way. Oh, and trikes are the worst because they have to go even slower b/c they lack the ability to lean like a bike. All the restrictions of a car and none of the agility of a bike. Blegh!

That said, I rubbed off a lot of my chicken strips on Saturday. Can't wait to upgrade to a bigger bike so I can keep pace with the rest of the riders. I can hang in the twisties but as soon as we hit a straight away I lose 🙁.

Cliffs:
-Nice day saturday.
-Harley riders love to ride slow on the twisties
-Don't let you pass easily
-Trikes are the worst
-Rubbed off some more of my chicken strips
-Loud pipes are teh suxxor!

/rant

 

[Possessed Freak]

So... was this on a two lane road?

If so, then I hate you and your ilk.

 

[roguerower]

So... was this on a two lane road?

If so, then I hate you and your ilk.

Yep. One going east, one going west. No shoulder. Cliffs on one side, very long drop on the other (but guard rails).

Why the hate?

 

[SpatiallyAware]

I've spent tons of time up in the mountains, I've found *most* people are decent as long as you don't rush them. Personally, after we've passed 2 'pull overs' I'll pass them like an asshole


Also there are lots of leaf watchers right now..




........Where I live the bicyclists are the worst, by far. A few weeks ago I almost creamed 4 guys riding side by side (all the way from the dbl yellow to the white) coming around a sharp blind corner.

 

[roguerower]

I've spent tons of time up in the mountains, I've found *most* people are decent as long as you don't rush them. Personally, after we've passed 2 'pull overs' I'll pass them like an asshole

Also there are lots of leaf watchers right now..

........Where I live the bicyclists are the worst, by far. A few weeks ago I almost creamed 4 guys riding side by side (all the way from the dbl yellow to the white) coming around a sharp blind corner.

Yea, I understand that they're out there to enjoy the view while I'm out there enjoying the road, it's just frustrating to be running a road just clicking along and feeling it and then having to cruise the rest of the run because you get stuck behind some hogs.

Bikes do suck, especially around corners. I was going around one on a wide corner when the biker swung wide and I had to go into the oncoming lane to avoid clobbering him. No one coming the opposite way but definitely a head shaker.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I've gotten stuck behind some real idiots. Most people will pull over or give you room to pass, even big rigs will wave you past when possible. Worst idiot I ever got stuck behind was on Ortega Highway, I had some old woman in a hyundai and in front of her was some guy in a huge pickup truck towing a 5th wheel trailer. Neither of them would pull over despite the turnouts and the half mile long line of traffic built up behind them.

So, when I got a bit of an opening I just blasted around both of them and left them in the dust.

Fuckers...

 

[KentState]

I've run into something similar when taking my Vette up to the mountains. I got stuck behind a Prius that would not go over 15mph even though the straights were marked 40mph. The road finally turned into two lanes going my and I was able to pass it and another slow car. Was able to drive spirited for awhile then stumbled upon a pickup withe a 4 wheeler in the back. He saw that I was able to pretty match latch onto his back and he pulled over and let me go. The bicycle riders are a little nuts and can slow traffic to a crawl, but luckily they were all going the other way.

 

[jaha2000]

This weekend for our regular saturday ride, my group decided to head out to Leakey, TX and hit up the three sisters (335, 336, & 337) for some twisting fun. It was cold in the morning (40s) but turned out to be a beautiful day starting around 11.

We get through Bandera and Medina and meet up with some other sportbike riders from Austin and head out with a need for speed. The road heading to Leakey (different stretch of 337) has about 5 miles of really good twistes, up, down, side to side, and it's really nicely labeled. Well, about halfway in we run into some people riding their Harleys doing 10mph around the corners and because it's twisty and you can't see around corners, passing is a big no-no unless you want to risk being a truck's grill ornament. We eventually get around them but I think I could have gotten off my bike and run faster than they were going.

Coming back from the sisters we run into another group doing the same thing on the same stretch of road. Again, we wait until we can see ahead, then go past them. We then stumble upon a woman riding a bike all by herself in the middle of the road. Refuses to slow down and move to a side or wave us forward and accelerates when we try to pass her. We get past her on a straight away and make it to the end of the road where we stop to wait for the slower guys. This woman rides up next to us and starts screaming about how we need to give her more space when we're passing her and that we need to stop being assholes. We ignore her and eventually she moves on in a huff with her loud mother*&%$&$# pipes giving me a headache.

I know everyone has a right to the road especially on a nice day like Saturday but I have consistently found that on twisties where Harley riders like to do 10mph they refuse to move over for faster riders and you can't pass because of the uncertainty of what's coming the opposite way. Oh, and trikes are the worst because they have to go even slower b/c they lack the ability to lean like a bike. All the restrictions of a car and none of the agility of a bike. Blegh!

That said, I rubbed off a lot of my chicken strips on Saturday. Can't wait to upgrade to a bigger bike so I can keep pace with the rest of the riders. I can hang in the twisties but as soon as we hit a straight away I lose 🙁.

Cliffs:
-Nice day saturday.
-Harley riders love to ride slow on the twisties
-Don't let you pass easily
-Trikes are the worst
-Rubbed off some more of my chicken strips
-Loud pipes are teh suxxor!

/rant

Not to sound like a dick (we all ride stupid from time to time) but if your on a straight and cant keep up with another sportbike, your probably riding too fast for the street.
Take that shit to the track before you get yourself or somebody else killed.

That being said, bad form on there part for not letting you go by, but hey, it happens.

 

[roguerower]

Not to sound like a dick (we all ride stupid from time to time) but if your on a straight and cant keep up with another sportbike, your probably riding too fast for the street.
Take that shit to the track before you get yourself or somebody else killed.

That being said, bad form on there part for not letting you go by, but hey, it happens.

Fair enough. But my sportbike (GS500F w/ 487cc) maxes out at 110 while the guys I ride with are all on at least 600cc supersports (GSXR600/750, R6, R1, ZX6, CBR600, etc) that max out somewhere in the neighborhood of 170ish probably. My 2 cylinders can't compete with their 4.

 

[jaha2000]

Fair enough. But my sportbike (GS500F w/ 487cc) maxes out at 110 while the guys I ride with are all on at least 600cc supersports (GSXR600/750, R6, R1, ZX6, CBR600, etc) that max out somewhere in the neighborhood of 170ish probably. My 2 cylinders can't compete with their 4.

thats exactly why i got ride of my sportbike, its no fun unless you are doing 100+. I have way more fun on my new bike that i ever did on the old one.

Good for you to get the GS to learn on ( i assume), lots of guys just jump right out there on 600cc rockets and wonder why they get hurt.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Fair enough. But my sportbike (GS500F w/ 487cc) maxes out at 110 while the guys I ride with are all on at least 600cc supersports (GSXR600/750, R6, R1, ZX6, CBR600, etc) that max out somewhere in the neighborhood of 170ish probably. My 2 cylinders can't compete with their 4.

My best riding experiences by far were on my GS500's... Riding two up dragging the exhaust and stands while passing squidlies on 600's mid corner



.....And yes, I know exactly what you mean about getting passed on the straights. It's incredibly annoying to repeatedly get held up in the corners just to have the same idiot fly by you at 150+ as soon as it's straight....... just to hold everyone up in the corner again


BTW that's the very definition of a squid... Squids can't propel themselves forward and turn at the same time.. They blast off in a straight line, stop, turn, then blast off again = squid behavior.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Fair enough. But my sportbike (GS500F w/ 487cc) maxes out at 110 while the guys I ride with are all on at least 600cc supersports (GSXR600/750, R6, R1, ZX6, CBR600, etc) that max out somewhere in the neighborhood of 170ish probably. My 2 cylinders can't compete with their 4.

170? Not likely. Probably more like 160mph. Still ridiculously fast for a bike...or a car for that matter.

<--Waits for jminz to come in here and talk of his Camry going 150mph.

BTW-My SV maxes out at 130mph. Fastest I've gone on it is around 110 which is fast enough for me. 🙂

 

[jaha2000]

My best riding experiences by far were on my GS500's... Riding two up dragging the exhaust and stands while passing squidlies on 600's mid corner



.....And yes, I know exactly what you mean about getting passed on the straights. It's incredibly annoying to repeatedly get held up in the corners just to have the same idiot fly by you at 150+ as soon as it's straight....... just to hold everyone up in the corner again


BTW that's the very definition of a squid... Squids can't propel themselves forward and turn at the same time.. They blast off in a straight line, stop, turn, then blast off again = squid behavior.

I love the looks i get from the squids when i roll past them on the supermoto.

 

[roguerower]

I love the riding style of the GS (upright and comfortable) and the compliments I get when people I'm riding with realize that I'm on a 500. Mine's easy to pick out of crowd because of the dual headlights and sheer nekkidness of it. That said, an extra cylinder and 60hp would be a nice addition as well as a much smoother powerband. 4mo til I can get the S3R. Maybe in a couple years I'll pick up a SV or GS as a track bike.

 

[Vic Vega]

I ride a cruiser. With that said, on country roads I am typically moving faster than regular traffic but slower than many sport bike guys, who most of the time can't ride their bikes anyway and are often seen in the ditch. I don't move over in the corners, since I'm already most likely 10 over the speed limit. When things straighten out I move over though, I won't stop to let you pass though so if there isn't space and you do some risky maneuver, that's on you.

The roads are for everyone, some people get just as much enjoyment out of riding slower. I'm somewhere in the middle.

As much as it bothers you to slow down and ruins your riding experience your riding their ass and pressuring them equally ruins theirs. Things to think about.

 

[roguerower]

I ride a cruiser. With that said, on country roads I am typically moving faster than regular traffic but slower than many sport bike guys, who most of the time can't ride their bikes anyway and are often seen in the ditch. I don't move over in the corners, since I'm already most likely 10 over the speed limit. When things straighten out I move over though, I won't stop to let you pass though so if there isn't space and you do some risky maneuver, that's on you.

The roads are for everyone, some people get just as much enjoyment out of riding slower. I'm somewhere in the middle.

As much as it bothers you to slow down and ruins your riding experience your riding their ass and pressuring them equally ruins theirs. Things to think about.

But you're not the type of person I'm talking about. The cruisers I'm talking about are doing 15mph around a corner that is clearly labeled as 35mph or sitting in the left or middle of the lane on a straight-away. Or there's a line of 4+ cruisers going that slow so passing them isn't an option.

I don't pass in corners or going over a hill...something to do with being unsure of what's coming at me from the other direction...wierd, I know.

 

[Sluggo]

I've gotten stuck behind some real idiots. Most people will pull over or give you room to pass, even big rigs will wave you past when possible. Worst idiot I ever got stuck behind was on Ortega Highway, I had some old woman in a hyundai and in front of her was some guy in a huge pickup truck towing a 5th wheel trailer. Neither of them would pull over despite the turnouts and the half mile long line of traffic built up behind them.

So, when I got a bit of an opening I just blasted around both of them and left them in the dust.

Fuckers...

They were probably just looking for their hiking spot, some people just have no patience. 🙄

 

[Greenman]

170? Not likely. Probably more like 160mph. Still ridiculously fast for a bike...or a car for that matter.

<--Waits for jminz to come in here and talk of his Camry going 150mph.

BTW-My SV maxes out at 130mph. Fastest I've gone on it is around 110 which is fast enough for me. 🙂

That's when I go white knuckled and round eyed. All I can think about at 100 is how bad it's going to hurt when I hit. Oddly enough, 90 doesn't bother me at all. Last trip to Nevada we did about 60 miles of freeway at around that speed.

 

[JulesMaximus]

That's when I go white knuckled and round eyed. All I can think about at 100 is how bad it's going to hurt when I hit. Oddly enough, 90 doesn't bother me at all. Last trip to Nevada we did about 60 miles of freeway at around that speed.

The speed doesn't bother me...Hell, 60mph would do enough damage that 120 doesn't really get me that concerned. It's the wind and the noise. The wind just wants to pull you off the bike and the noise just wears on you.

 

[lavaheadache]

170? Not likely. Probably more like 160mph. Still ridiculously fast for a bike...or a car for that matter.

<--Waits for jminz to come in here and talk of his Camry going 150mph.

BTW-My SV maxes out at 130mph. Fastest I've gone on it is around 110 which is fast enough for me. 🙂

I have topped out my Hayabusa twice in the 3 years I've had it(since new). Only on dead open roads during the day. No idea how fast i was going cause the needle is pegged at 185 and I have a TRE (de-limiter). It's amazing how stable that bike gets as you take on speed. Anyhow, flame away, stupid I know but something I rarely ever do as i like to live.

 

[Demo24]

And thats why I stop going to the mountains during fall color season, or at least during the weekends. Usually locals will let you by if they notice your hanging on back there. It's the people that just travel up that are a giant pain. I don't care if you want to do 25mph in a 55, but pull over to let me by!

 

[JulesMaximus]

I have topped out my Hayabusa twice in the 3 years I've had it(since new). Only on dead open roads during the day. No idea how fast i was going cause the needle is pegged at 185 and I have a TRE (de-limiter). It's amazing how stable that bike gets as you take on speed. Anyhow, flame away, stupid I know but something I rarely ever do as i like to live.

What's the point in owning a bike like that if you don't open it up every once in a while? 😀

The difference between your bike and a 600cc super sport is quite large as far as power and top speed goes. It's like comparing a Lotus Elise to a Corvette.

 

[roguerower]

What's the point in owning a bike like that if you don't open it up every once in a while? 😀

The difference between your bike and a 600cc super sport is quite large as far as power and top speed goes. It's like comparing a Lotus Elise to a Corvette.

Too true. One of the guys who rides with us has a ZX-14 which is great on a straight line, but the size makes it far less manueverable in the twisties. He can ride it well because of his experience, but nowhere near what the guys on the 600cc or 1liter bikes can do.

 

[Lotheron]

I need to start taking more drives on those roads. You've talked about riding through the Hill Country quite often, makin me jealous 😛