“Some people will tell you that slow is good – but I’m here to tell you that fast is better. I’ve always believed this, in spite of the trouble it’s caused me. Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba…” – Hunter S. Thompson
h/t Scott, who writes “If you’d want to race you’d have lots of sponsors”. He may be a New Democrat.
(updated with quote)
When your time comes to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home.
Well said Blanks….your the man..
Chief Tecumseh actually but I’ll take any cred I can get.
Watching those guys come over the hill with the bike wiggling like that and then ride the wheelie, wiggle and all, for a couple hundred feet… it doesn’t look like much unless you’ve -felt- your bike wiggle at 100+ mph in a corner. Its absolutely frickin’ terrifying.
I’m getting copper-mouth just watching the video. Holy crap.
Not for the faint hearted.
Revnant Dream, amen!
That was awesome! Those guys are crazy.
@blanks…
When my time comes, I’ll die like the hero, quietly, peacefully …in my sleep.
Not like everyone else in the car screaming and hollering!
“Not for the faint hearted.”
Or the sane!
Powering through a high speed wobble takes some serious nerve. I had a crash like that one, when I was 18. My bike bounced back onto the highway, right in front of my buddies. I went the other direction, through a barb wire fence. The wire snapped, instead of my back, but left some cool scars. I rode bikes again, but never had the same enjoyment. The final straw was watching my best friend bounce off a gravel truck. He survived, but our biking days were put behind us.
Pretty wild. Maybe its a good thing I’m old and ride a cruiser now or I might like to try that. Wonder how that guy is who went over the embankment?
In my younger days, I had a Yamaha RD-400 (beautiful, black and gold with a smoked quarter fairing). Those familiar with Highway 401 near London know there’s a valley just east of Dorchester where you descend a hill, go on a perfect flat plain for about two miles, before ascending into the London area.
One sunny Sunday afternoon, I was coming back to London from Toronto. Traffic was very light, and I decided to see what the bike could do. I put it into 6th, and rolled the throttle back as I hit the downslope. I watched the speedo hit 120 MPH; cars in the right lane flashed by like a blur. Then, my imagination got the better of me – “What if I hit a pebble?”, “What if someone moves out into the left lane?”, “Geezuz, I could kill myself!”. So, I chickened out, and slowed down.
That was over 30 years ago, and I still feel the sheer exhilaration, and the stone-cold fear, when I think about it. I marvel at the guys that can race their bikes at these speeds. I know the definition of courage is that it’s not the absence of fear, but acknowledging your fear and pressing on regardless. But I still think these guys just don’t apprehend (or suppress) the reality of what might happen. I’m in awe of them, nonetheless.
All those who crashed in the video survived.
All those who crashed in the video survived.
Posted by: Kate at August 14, 2011 5:34 PM
…but might have been walking a bit funny afterward.
Thanks, Kate. I was wondering about that.
And thanks for the quote, Blanks. Definitely a rule to live by.
Greatest race on the planet…everything else is for sissies. Makes me drawers damp watching those lads twist it, and grin it.
34 years with a bike license, 46 bikes owned, they’ll have to kill me before I die:)
Oh, and yes, those drivers are incredible.
I’ve only once gone above 140 mph on a motorcycle and that was back in the days of my youth. 🙂 A nice flat 5-mile straightaway with nobody on it, fifth gear, wide open. The exhilaration is hard to match.
These days it’s just 140 Km/h if passing a couple cars in a row.
Hopefully I’ll be able to buy a Porsche Carerra GT in the future and light it up again. 🙂
Just laid my FJR 1300 over the other day, first time laying over a street bike EVER! Was going slow on gravel (to fishing spot) and was run off road into steep ditch by 2 oncoming oilfield trucks hogging road around bend. They did stop to help.
Dump was slow almost to a complete stop, like stopping on marbles then deep ditch hidden by tall grass, so bike only got a few scratches to left faring (steep ditch kept bike up at 45 – 60 deg angle). I got a twisted ankle & gash to bridge of nose, both doing fine 3 days on. Lucky day in that it all could have been much worse.
Only two deaths at the Isle of Mann TT. One in 1986 and one in 2011.
Organ donor lottery!
(I figured it was in England!)
I’m relieved to hear that no one died, though the damage could be pretty horrendous anyway.
You guys! Most women aren’t into this kind of physical high wire act. Vive la difference! I’ve enjoyed reading the “guy” response to this. Thanks!
“Watching those guys come over the hill with the bike wiggling like that and then ride the wheelie, wiggle and all, for a couple hundred feet… it doesn’t look like much unless you’ve -felt- your bike wiggle at 100+ mph in a corner. Its absolutely frickin’ terrifying.
I’m getting copper-mouth just watching the video. Holy crap.”
Haha. Only if you have got time to be terrified.
Glad to hear that that race is rarely fatal, at first I thought I was watching a snuff film. Not for the faint of heart, indeed!
Achilles choice.
In 1991 I traveled that Ilse of Mann race route (with lots of time to take in the scenery) as a passenger in a car. It is hard to imagine doing it at that speed.
“All those who crashed in the video survived.”
but they will suffer a little at my age:-)))
make me want to pull the hog outa the hay shelter and smoke the rear rubber:-)))
Been about 10 years since I’ve been on a bike.
Memories…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_VF500F
… at around 150 kph, bent over the bike, the wind pressure was strong enough to lift my helmet off, strap feels like a noose.
… small highways outside Gatineau, cars were polite enough to let a bunch of speeding crazies have full access to the left lane.
… how a motorcycle was, hands down, the absolute best way in the whole wide world to meet girls. If I had known this ahead of time, I would have started driving at 12.
oyph.
is that vid real time? (shudder…)
To borrow a line from Kathy – its amazing these guys can even sit on their bikes with balls that large.
Consider that average lap speeds have gone from about 50mph to over 130, yet there is little extra protection for the riders.
Truly jaw dropping the limits these guys are riding to.
“but they will suffer a little at my age:-)))”
GYM…you are too right. I used to consider myself as a sh$t-hot downhill ski racer, until I wiped out at great speed at a race at Lake Louise in 1985. No biggie, or so I thought, even though I broke my lower leg in over 30 places.
It was a little sobering when the Doc asked me to sign a consent for for amputation if he deemed it necessary. I recall looking up at him sweetly, asking him why he would consider removing the leg of a serving RCMP officer who carried a gun and knew how to use it. (80% of that was attributable to my sometimes warped sense of humour).
Anyway all went well…a cast for a year and a bit, more or less full recovery.
But now….at age 62, I am starting to resemble Walter Brennan in terms of gait. And the pain ain’t so pleasant either.
Lesson learned: Everything ultimately catches up with one in the end.
But living large beats the crap out of hiding under the quilt.
It isn’t insanity, or bravado, or any of the other labels that so called ‘normal’ people like to attach.
There is no greater feeling of empowerment, of true self-knowing, than looking your own mortality in the face and challenging it with a smile. Most of us live life shirking and hiding from death. Denying our mortal lives until confronted with it’s certainty through illness or old age before we realise that we haven’t really lived at all.
These are enlightened people, men and women, who decide to meet and challenge danger and death on their terms. And they are stronger in character and live fuller and more realistic lives than most of us will ever know.
jan
“And they are stronger in character and live fuller and more realistic lives than most of us will ever know.”
they are just too damn dumb to understand mortality:-))))
One of my most treasured possesions, is a photo of my spedometer at 230km on highway 404 near Newmarket. I rode north first, in the early morning to check for cops and traffic, before the run. So much never occured to me ( Ie; animals ) that I wonder about the nature of sanity, I even had to take one hand off the handlebar to take the picture. This video brought some of that back;
Thanks.
Something about a man and his motorcycle……mmmm!
GYM
“they are just too damn dumb to understand mortality:-))))”
Like I said to the cop that accused me of undo care and attention while driving….
“Officer, at the speed I was travelling, you can be assured that care and attention were the only thing I was thinking about while driving.”
The look on her face was priceless.
That certainly woke me up this morning and made me wish I was 40 years younger and crazy as I used to be then. I’ve never owned a motorcycle and my wife threatened to leave me when I suddenly had an urge for a Harley around age 50. Given what I’ve told her about my cycling days I guess she figured that a motorcycle and my need to go as fast as possible were incompatible.
My passion was bicycles and it’s amazing how fast you can go downhill in the rockies and some of the hills I went down still make me break into a cold sweat as 10 speed bikes back then had essentially no brakes to speak of at 60+ mph and the only thing you could do was steer and enjoy the rush. I checked my spokes every day and made sure the wheels were balanced before heading out on the road.
Will strongly endorse those who mentioned the cumulative effect of injuries with age as I used to kick box and abuse my knees in other ways like assuming that a 10′ jump was nothing and there are some mornings when I ponder what it’s like to be 20 years old and not hurt all over.
GYM:
they are just too damn dumb to understand mortality:-))))
You may have something there. All of us who are reminiscing over the crazy youthfull things we did and survived are a great example of survivorship bias. I used to consider that what kept me alive was superior reaction times and physical conditioning although I now have a nagging feeling that there may have been a lot of luck involved.
Back when I was 20 years old I knew I was immortal and broken bones and other injuries healed so fast back then.
Amazing race. I would like to get a copy of the newly released film “Closer to the Edge” about Guy Martin and the Isle of Mann TT. Martin has eight podium finishes but no victory yet. Here is he trailer:
http://amadeusphotography.com/2011/03/isle-of-man-tt-movie-tt3d-closer-to-the-edge-trailer/
Takes me back to the 60’s and my racing Ducati and various other old machines. If you’ve been 3 feet off somebodies back bumper at over 100 mph or rode the whiteline on a Friday evening getting out of town for the weekend at 120 MPH into oncoming traffic you know what I mean. Or been hit in the face by a bumble bee or beetle at over 100 mph, before the face shields. Or the odd race for ownerships. Oh to have those reflexes and stamina to be able to run all night again with your sweety wrapped around you in the warm night air…Youth where did you go….
The fatality list is just a wee bit longer than two…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Snaefell_Mountain_Course_fatal_accidents
Not for the faint hearted, just for those with Sh*t for brains. The guy who let his son lay by the side of the road, should be horse-whipped. Hunter S. Thompson was a fool (and a coward) who killed himself when the going got a bit rough. Never been too big on suicides, Hemingway was another twit. Talk about a culture of death!
Larben was never horsewhipped, because it is almost impossible to horsewhip someone who hides under their bed… Who has never once in their whole life ever taken a chance or taken a risk. I suppose you are against mountain climbing etc. and all other full throttle hair straight back adventures. Typical Canadian, pass more laws, lock them down, lock up the cat, chain the dog. In a country of over 500,000 Pages of Laws and Rules and Regulations worn like a giant diaper, coddling and keeping you safe, things like racing a motorcycle is antithema to Peace Order and Good Government. Give him his place at the Oars of the Slave Ship Canada, burden him down with 500,000 Pages of laws and rules and tax the living sh*t out of him and he is as happy as a good socialist in a dark wool suit, who has p*ssed his pants again. All warm and fuzzy and secure, knowing that every moment, every second of his life is ordered and controlled from the cradle to the grave. And the small satisfaction of reporting the neighbour who is too loud or has a couple of weeds out of place near the back fence. My Precious Rules, My Precious……..
RFB – Got horse-whipped plenty, it is probably why I’m not a statistic (that and the grace of God), you on the other hand weren’t … and it shows!
“…Or been hit in the face by a bumble bee or beetle at over 100 mph,” Posted by: RFB at August 14, 2011 11:18 PM
Was on a tear on the Westside Road between Vernon & Kelowna when I was around 20. Throttle pulled all the way back on the longest straight stretch on the road and was over 120 mph. Slight right hand bend in the road, hot summer day.
Out of the left ditch flew a 3-4 inch grasshopper and flew right into the clutch on the handlebar. Turned into a million pieces right before it hit my left, ungloved hand and tore it off the grip. Felt like somebody had thrown a rock and hit me square on the knuckles. Was able to keep the bike upright and just got it back under control, but not before crossing the white line on the oncoming lane.
Slowed down…a lot..for the remainder of the ride. Haven’t gone that fast on a bike since, now that I think about it.
Glad I can!
Holy God: 234 racing deaths at the Isle of Man!
I have raced flat rack and road, some motor cross..all back in the day when British motorcycles were on the wane..when going 107 mph on a Norton was considered plenty fast!
I had a chance to race a 1955 Norton Manx when I was 19..God, what a beast..compared to today’s bikes, they would appear to be going backwards at speed!
I agree with the comment about having your sweety on the back and riding in the warm night air..watching Marlon Brando ride that Triumph Thunderbird sparked my interest, and all through High school I rode a succession of Triumphs..they were cheap and plentiful then, obsolete bikes that no one cared for. I worked at Cycle World and there were dozens of them laying in the out buildings..all trade ins against newer, faster Japanese bikes. I was a whole different world then. No crazy collector prices for what were fairly pedestrian motor cycles.
I still have my Triumph 650.. an all original 1966 Bonneville in Arctic White and Tangerine ‘scallops’, with gold pin striping. Even has the original dealer sticker from Pittsburgh Cycle and Sports, Pittsburgh, PA.
She threw a rod in 84 and has sat in a heated garage ever since..cosmetically it is an 8/10, but I need to find some time to rebuild the engine.Hmm..makes me want to whip out the Whitworth spanners and dive in!
Youth sure is wasted on the young!
The Isle of Man race is what it is. If you don’t want to do it, don’t. If you don’t want to watch it, don’t.
It’s like the folks that don’t like Sun News and rather than change the channel, they want it off the air and anyone that watches it should be punished.
Strange Brew indeed!
Oh yeah adrenalin rush at 150MPH gets boring in a straight line except for watching for the police, but its huge on the A / B roads especially when a car pulls out of a side road on you. Afterwards reality and mortality kicks in.
The Ducati went while I was still in one piece, its cruisers now but still got a scratcher for those back roads.
The old motorcycle maxim
“Theres old ones and dead ones”
John B
Funny you should mention Martin, Videos available at his website, i’d do the link but guess you have it. Google it him those that don’t. Seems to be another in the ilk of Joey D
Gold Cup Scarborough this next weekend.
Kursk
Careful where you use those whitworth spanners, most of the Triumph is AF.
Of all the bikes I wrote, British, Eurotrash Japanese and American. The Ducati was the finest handling most well balanced machine of them all. It seemed to have a very well placed centre of gravity and the faster you rode the better it performed. I liked the old British bikes for other reasons. The old 56 Triumph had a manual steering damper that you could adjust to control speed wobbles, 47 Knucklehead was pretty cool, layed the 42 Flathead down in a curve one sunny day. The old 54 ex police chase bike with a suicide shift was a thrill. Only regret was the lack of foresight in not keeping all those old bikes. Kept wheeling and dealing all the way up to the Ducati. Should never have chopped the 47 Knucklehead around about the time EasyRider came out. Should have had my a*s kicked for that, otherwise no regrets. And Larden I was never horsewhipped. But to your satisfaction I am sure, I have had my a*s whooped a few times by better men.
Having 2 close friends of mine both die in bike accidents at excessive speeds hasn’t stopped me from riding my bike, but it has made me respect my families feelings more.
So, is this what T.E.Lawrence was all about?
I think I will stick with hockey.
“…Or been hit in the face by a bumble bee or beetle at over 100 mph,” Posted by: RFB at August 14, 2011 11:18 PM
June bug in the face, 70+mph on the QEW. Ow. Bought a full-face helmet soon after.
Eventually learned to wear my leathers in the summer after getting nailed by a few bees. They hurt when they hit you, -then- they sting you.
Learned to always wear boots and long pants by getting burnt on the exhaust a couple times.
Pain is the best teacher though. 🙂
Loki said: “Will strongly endorse those who mentioned the cumulative effect of injuries with age as I used to kick box and abuse my knees in other ways like assuming that a 10′ jump was nothing and there are some mornings when I ponder what it’s like to be 20 years old and not hurt all over.”
I was pretty careful (and unrealistically lucky), never broke any bones or tore any ligaments despite doing wheelies the length of Queens Park, 150+mph on the highway, falling off at speed, getting hit by cars and etc.
Still friggin’ hurts all over in the AM. At such times it’s helpful to consider the alternative. 🙂
Knacker, having had an acquaintance who crippled himself at about 18 due to poor maintenance, I’ve always been an inspection Nazi on my machines. Saved my butt a couple times that I know of, probably a lot more that I don’t. Heard you on the consideration thing, never hurts to think about what Aunt Effy’s going to say if you get atomized in a dumb crash.