Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > Trackdays and Trackday training, like the CSS. Do they make us too fast for the road?

[TP]

I'm still relatively new to track riding, having started in September last year. I've done the CSS too and feel pretty comfortable riding to my limits on the track now, and pushing them to find more and go quicker but I've slowed down on the road tremendously.

I even considered selling my 996 but I know it's not really worth it, and I love it too much. I've started planning on treating it to a few things over winter and ... well that's another story.

But, I don't think that track days or CSS make you too fast for the road. It's had the opposite effect on me because you realise just how many things can go wrong when you ride like a **** on the road. If you ride quick on the road you take most things out of your control. With better observation skills, bike control etc you give yourself a better chance on the road but the faster you go the more you reduce that.

I've just had a read back of this and I do agree that your perception of safe speed in area's increases after training, as it will with experience but not as quickly. Especially on a very capable bike that you are in tune with. As with all things if you leave sufficient margin for error or the unexpected (within reason) then you still give yourself more control over your riding and chances of making it home.

Ultimately you control the throttle so you decide how fast you go anywhere - not any training. If you are going too fast then it's your fault, not your training's fault.

Take it easy on the roads ladies and gentleman.

[JasonBoswell]

Yes, track riding can lead to being faster on the road due to just being more comfortable with the bike at speed and braking, but probably for all of us who go on the track it just ends up making us slower on the roads.

If the need for speed is satiated on the track, road riding becomes more about the social/freedom/club/tyre-kicking aspects of riding than the 'pin it to the max' side of biking. I do much less road riding that I used to, and all it much slower than I used to, because I get out on the track occasionally.

What I get from road riding is that spontaneous 'get up on a sunny morning, nip to Box Hill for a coffee, back before the kids drive the wife mad' feeling that track riding just can't give you. And why I just cant bring myself to sorn the bike...

[andyb]

I think the most difficult thing to accept here is where your perceived ability is in relation to your actual ability.

The thing about going around a track is that every 58 secs or 1;38, your going around the same bend again in the same position on the tarmac at the same speed.

Road riding is a completely different game. The majority of mistakes made on the road can be directly related to taking on board information, or more to the point, the lack of it.

Anyone can open a throttle to 100mph+ on a straight bit of carriageway, its the linking up, or consistancy of being in the right gear at the right speed in the right position that'll get you everytime.