Well, where to start.....For me the "allure" was just the fact that I had not been to the Gap or ridden the Dragon and have/had heard so much about it. Mostly what will take me back and I will go back are the people I met during the convention and all the other riders I met while there for the week.

Why not track days.....well for me I have only attended one track day and it was a great time. Truly, the only track that is "convenient" for me to get to is Putnam(50 mile or so away) which holds maybe 5 track days a season. Figure that in with the cost is why I don't attend more which I would like to and should for sure. Thus, I do practically all my riding on the street boring as it is especially here in the Indy metro area now that I've ridden the roads of Tennessee/N. Carolina.

Your right as the risks are quite substantial when you ride the Dragon for sure and most all of those great roads in that area of the country.

 

Good question, man. I left the gap last week asking myself the same things. I probably won't be back on that road.

 

Well Fault, It's a fair question and one I've personally wrestled with quite a bit lately. I've done a good 2 dozen trackdays now and have taken the Cornerspeed school (hope to do Level 2 this fall if Aaron has one). I LOVE the track and would prefer to ride there every weekend if I could. I find myself riding less and less on the street, and when I do even though I completely gear up it is typically just a ride out in the country to relax more than anything. I just love throwing a leg across and that is the reason (and only reason) I still keep a current tag for the bike. I still need that "out" when I've had a rough day, and am still willing to put up with the day-to-day dangers so I can have that opportunity when I need it. As far as Deals Gap goes, there is know doubt that it can be a fiercely dangerous place, and it seems to get worse every year because of the sheer amount of traffic it continues to attract. However, it can also be a very soothing and enjoyable place for things such as the R-1 Convention. This is the first year anyone was seariously injured and certainly the first year anyone was killed in conjunction with attending.

As long as bikes ride the road, there will be accidents and there will be fatalities and injuries. I most certainly agree that the track is BY FAR the safest place to be, but there are always gonna be injuries and fatatlities there also. AGAIN, your chances are much better on the track, but it is still gonna happen. Not everyone can afford to go to the track anytime they need to ride (and lets face it, for those of us who truely love it, we NEED it).

I think the most important thing for us who have been riding since we were small, and for those of us who have track experience, is to try to help others who are new to sportsbikes realize that there are places to explore your abilities, and that there are places not to. As much as I love the track, I think it is the wrong attitude (and I have seen and heard racers elude to this), to generalize people into not being "true" riders unless they have a tracked out bike and they only ride on the track. I am certainly not saying you are doing this, but I think the most important thing is that we again try to educate the younger/newer guys and gals, get them out to the track, and let them make their own decisions from there.


Hope to see you at the track soon Fault

:thumbup

 

Its like beer! Not good for you, but fun as hell!

 

My trips to Deals Gap were for the people. Some of the best times of my life have been there because of the people, not the road. I prefer to go fast on the track, and as such, some may consider me slow at the Gap, but thats OK. Im not there to win a race, just there to enjoy the friends, old and new, and that will always keep me going back. :thumbup

 

I made my pilgrimmage there once, and came up with the same line of thinking. It's a fun road to cruise on, but even that's getting tough to do with all the johnny-racerboys running around out there. I prefer the track.

 

Its like beer! Not good for you, but fun as hell!

Damn, if you think about it, your right... I'm not a drinker. Why do people drink? I don't understand that...lol. So...:iamwithst

Good vid by the way

 

Well Fault, It's a fair question and one I've personally wrestled with quite a bit lately. I've done a good 2 dozen trackdays now and have taken the Cornerspeed school (hope to do Level 2 this fall if Aaron has one). I LOVE the track and would prefer to ride there every weekend if I could. I find myself riding less and less on the street, and when I do even though I completely gear up it is typically just a ride out in the country to relax more than anything. I just love throwing a leg across and that is the reason (and only reason) I still keep a current tag for the bike. I still need that "out" when I've had a rough day, and am still willing to put up with the day-to-day dangers so I can have that opportunity when I need it. As far as Deals Gap goes, there is know doubt that it can be a fiercely dangerous place, and it seems to get worse every year because of the sheer amount of traffic it continues to attract. However, it can also be a very soothing and enjoyable place for things such as the R-1 Convention. This is the first year anyone was seariously injured and certainly the first year anyone was killed in conjunction with attending.

As long as bikes ride the road, there will be accidents and there will be fatalities and injuries. I most certainly agree that the track is BY FAR the safest place to be, but there are always gonna be injuries and fatatlities there also. AGAIN, your chances are much better on the track, but it is still gonna happen. Not everyone can afford to go to the track anytime they need to ride (and lets face it, for those of us who truely love it, we NEED it).

I think the most important thing for us who have been riding since we were small, and for those of us who have track experience, is to try to help others who are new to sportsbikes realize that there are places to explore your abilities, and that there are places not to. As much as I love the track, I think it is the wrong attitude (and I have seen and heard racers elude to this), to generalize people into not being "true" riders unless they have a tracked out bike and they only ride on the track. I am certainly not saying you are doing this, but I think the most important thing is that we again try to educate the younger/newer guys and gals, get them out to the track, and let them make their own decisions from there.


Hope to see you at the track soon Fault

:thumbup

Very well said and I totaly agree with you. IMO you have the right attitude about it. It's the peeps that go to the Gap and talk about dragging a knee and running so hard they're sliding the rear around that I'm addressing I guess.

 

My trips to Deals Gap were for the people. Some of the best times of my life have been there because of the people, not the road. I prefer to go fast on the track, and as such, some may consider me slow at the Gap, but thats OK. Im not there to win a race, just there to enjoy the friends, old and new, and that will always keep me going back. :thumbup

:iamwithst I agree with everything Elvis said here.. :fact

 

We should have a convention at one of the tracks! The gap is cool but i would love to be at a track with everyone too! We could allways camp out or something and still have a great time! I still like getting together at the gap! I didnt make it this year because my newborn was born that friday! I miss being there allready looking at the pics yall have been posting! It killed me to read about kflex too! iI remember him from last year! My point is that now i have kids i have to slow it down now for my kids! I would rather do it on the track too!:thumbup :riding

 

We had an R1 track day at Jennings last year and some others went to Road Atlanta with there snow tires.

 

I recently attended a 2-day track school in my area and as a result, my appeal for riding on the street has diminished greatly. There are roads in the Sierras that I ride often and some of these roads are infamous for horrific accidents, but I ride them nonetheless. But since my track day I have a new perspective. It was my second time riding on the track and I am hooked. I understand the argument that track days are exspensive and not everybody can afford to attend half a dozen track days a year.

My recent track experience has caused me to look more closely at my expenditures. It may sound silly but now when I'm thinking of purchasing something I think of its cost in terms of a track day. For example, a new pair of Jordan's is half a track day, a $50.00 bottle of wine is one-fourth a track day. Those Tasso Alba slacks and Calvin Kline shirt, though quite fashionable, cost over $200.00, a track day. You get the picture. It seems now that the designer clothes are no longer a "must-have". Dockers and Izod are just fine.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that everybody forego riding on the street and relegate themselves solely to the track. My point is is that when you break it down, track days are not all that expensive compared to the other things we spend our money on.

Will I ride on the street again? Absolutely. The "need" to ride cannot be satisfied by the occasional track day even if I were to attend half a dozen a year. But I think knowing that I have a track day coming up in a few weeks will help me resist the temptation of really pushing it on the street.

Every summer this forum has several threads about people who were injured or killed while riding. Its sad, it really is. Sure, motorcycling is a dangerous sport but there are safer places to ride than on the street and there are safe ways to ride on the street. Though very enjoyable, riding on the street in the manner depicted in the below image may not be the wisest thing. This type of riding shoud be saved for the track. I'm not saying that you shouldn't hang off the bike or stick your knee out, I'm just saying that the street is not the place to push it.

Please...just be safe out there and ride smart.

 

My trips to Deals Gap were for the people. Some of the best times of my life have been there because of the people, not the road. I prefer to go fast on the track, and as such, some may consider me slow at the Gap, but thats OK. Im not there to win a race, just there to enjoy the friends, old and new, and that will always keep me going back. :thumbup

He is right 100%. After talking with folk's like Skanky on this board for years I finally met many people I'd only known by screen names and of course I got to spend some time with the ones I'd met from previous trips. All in all the gap is a great place to hang out and ride. The roads are the best the country has to offer and I highly recommend them. With that said, I think most of the wrecks simply occur because people either ride past their own abilities or their tire's abilities. After many trips to the gap I have yet to wreck and I intend to keep it that way by not letting my ego get the best of me and keeping it slow enough to be safe. I consider myself to be an upper-middle class rider but I ride at a lower class pace just to try to make sure I make it home. To anyone who has never been I advise that you go once and REMEMBER, the Gap and Cherahola is not a racetrack.

Ian
www.redlinestands.com

 

We should have a convention at one of the tracks! The gap is cool but i would love to be at a track with everyone too! We could allways camp out or something and still have a great time! I still like getting together at the gap! I didnt make it this year because my newborn was born that friday! I miss being there allready looking at the pics yall have been posting! It killed me to read about kflex too! iI remember him from last year! My point is that now i have kids i have to slow it down now for my kids! I would rather do it on the track too!:thumbup :riding

Well, not everyone has a trackbike (or the inclination to convert their streetbike), leathers or the ability/desire to ride on the track. In the name of safety we cold have it on the freeway here in Southern California. The road is straight and wide so there will be few crashes, there is a large grassy shoulder/median so generally you'll have a place to land, and often there is lots of traffic limiting the speed. The atmosphere is pretty non-existent and the camaraderie will be challenged by the huge diversity in hotel preferences. We might bump into one another on the road, and then we might not. ....starting to see the appeal of Deal's gap????
--Jerry

 

Its hanging with everyone like Elvis and Ian said, you make friends, talk shit and get a little riding in between.

BTW the same number of people have died this past year at Jenning as the Gap

 

To me the appeal is this: a great place to cruise, no boring straight roads, and the scenery is just breathtaking. (yes, I took this picture myself... I'm pretty proud of it :lol)

I've done a few trackdays and often consider turning my bike to a track only machine. However I look at it this way: $600 a year for insurance... that gets me thousands of miles a year, whenever I want. OR, $300+ a trackday (trackfees, gas, food, hotel, etc.). So, either one year of pretty much unlimited miles, or 2 trackdays... I dunno about you, but I bought my bike to ride... so I'll take the unlimited street miles and do some track days in between when I come up with some extra cash.

 

That is the first picture ever posted of you that your eyes are not blood shot:thumbup :lol

 

My trips to Deals Gap were for the people. Some of the best times of my life have been there because of the people, not the road. I prefer to go fast on the track, and as such, some may consider me slow at the Gap, but thats OK. Im not there to win a race, just there to enjoy the friends, old and new, and that will always keep me going back. :thumbup

:iamwithst

Well said Elvis!!!

 

That is the first picture ever posted of you that your eyes are not blood shot:thumbup :lol

I don't drink and ride. :fact

Plus, I probably got more than 4 hours of sleep the night before. :lol

 

My trips to Deals Gap were for the people. Some of the best times of my life have been there because of the people, not the road. I prefer to go fast on the track, and as such, some may consider me slow at the Gap, but thats OK. Im not there to win a race, just there to enjoy the friends, old and new, and that will always keep me going back. :thumbup

:iamwithst The friends I have made during my first trip to the Gap are priceless. :fact

Besides....my bike doesn't belong on a track and where else are there so many roads with views like this...........

 

The allure of Deal's Gap is 318 gut-wrenching turns squeezed into 11 miles of mountain asphault. On camber, off camber, increasing, decreasing, and constant radius corners that is a challenge for the novice as well as the experienced rider. I'm not saying it's right to travel the road anyway you want, I'm just saying that is the allure.

I remember a time when nobody, and I mean just about nobody travelled that stretch of Hwy 129, but that goes back 15 years or so ago. It was less dangerous because there was less traffic, fewer motorcycles, cars, trucks, visitors, etc. You could ride that part of 129 and almost no one was on the road in either direction. Now you meet a vehicle every few seconds. It was much safer to travel years ago, but not any more. It has become famous and now every gunslinger for miles come to challenge this quick-draw dragon.

 

Great posts fellas!! I will attempt to reply with my thoughts on this too...

I actually race my R6 at the track and love the track!! But as everyone else has stated, the Convention's draw each year is far more for meeting guys from the forum and having a great time hanging out than actually riding the Gap. The Gap and surronding area just provides us an unbelievable place to meet and hang for a week.

Now, as cool as it sounds to do the convention at a track...that is just not possible. The costs for the track alone puts that out of the question, not to mention the much larger increase in budget you would have to have to run a track for even just all weekend, much less a whole week. And not everyone does trackdays.

I pray that nothing happens ever again like what happened this year at the convention. But if you take away those two crashes and terrible results we had an unbelievable week of fun. And when our forum brothers went down you truely were able to see how much of a brotherhood we truely have. How everyone came together and helped each other out cannot be expressed in words. I would be willing to say that in one short week many many lifetime friendships were made that would not normally have happened in years of internet chatting or even the occasional ride.

the convention will be around for many years to come as long as people are still enjoying it, I will continue to organize it. It will never be a means for anyone to learn how to go fast or a competition on who is fastest at Deal's Gap. All egos must be left in your 4 wheel vehicle when you arrive.

 

Hi guys, Ive never riden the gap or had a track day but want to do both. You can't help but want to go to the gap after hearing all of the stories and seeing the awsome pictures. I'm sure I'll have to go before I am satisfied and can make up my own mind. I worry more about other foolish riders than I do about my own riding abilities.

I've been talking to my buddy David Knox who races and he tells me that a track school and track days are the way to go and I would learn so much. The modifications I would have to do to my bike for this seem minor and inexspensive but money is somewhat tight and I still need full riding gear which can get pretty costly, but I'm saving for that and It will be just a matter of time before I hit the track.

 

Great posts fellas!! I will attempt to reply with my thoughts on this too...

I actually race my R6 at the track and love the track!! But as everyone else has stated, the Convention's draw each year is far more for meeting guys from the forum and having a great time hanging out than actually riding the Gap. The Gap and surronding area just provides us an unbelievable place to meet and hang for a week.

Now, as cool as it sounds to do the convention at a track...that is just not possible. The costs for the track alone puts that out of the question, not to mention the much larger increase in budget you would have to have to run a track for even just all weekend, much less a whole week. And not everyone does trackdays.

I pray that nothing happens ever again like what happened this year at the convention. But if you take away those two crashes and terrible results we had an unbelievable week of fun. And when our forum brothers went down you truely were able to see how much of a brotherhood we truely have. How everyone came together and helped each other out cannot be expressed in words. I would be willing to say that in one short week many many lifetime friendships were made that would not normally have happened in years of internet chatting or even the occasional ride.

the convention will be around for many years to come as long as people are still enjoying it, I will continue to organize it. It will never be a means for anyone to learn how to go fast or a competition on who is fastest at Deal's Gap. All egos must be left in your 4 wheel vehicle when you arrive.

Now THATS the way it is! Very well said Chad, you keep organizing this "deal" or we will just show up at your house every year! :fact :thumbup :thumbup :thumbup

 

Now THATS the way it is! Very well said Chad, you keep organizing this "deal" or we will just show up at your house every year! :fact :thumbup :thumbup :thumbup

Oh crap!!!! I promise I will keep organizing it then!! :lol :lol

actually it would be cool to have all you fellas to the house one day...I just don't think I could afford to supply all the alkeehol ya'll drink:lol :lol



Yearn2learn, sounds like you are on the right track bro!!! Hope to see you in the near future at the track or the convention!