NEW RIDER'S INFO
Learning Street Motorcycle Safety At the Racetrack
Author: K3 Chris Onwiler
Track days are a great learning ground for road riders
 Modern sporting motorcycles are incredibly powerful and sharp handling; able to outperform even the most exotic automobiles. Riders new to the sport have absolutely no frame of reference when they purchase one of these bikes. Combining a really fast motorcycle with an untrained rider who is just itching to see what it can do and setting them loose on public roads is a recipe for trouble. What’s the solution? The Motorcycle Safety Foundation and some state agencies offer rider education programs. These can give beginners an excellent foundation of knowledge but they fail to address the unique attributes and temptations of today’s sportbikes. The best place for riders to safely learn what their bikes are truly capable of is at the racetrack during a sanctioned track day.
The concept of a track day is simple. A promoting organization rents a racetrack, sells spots to riders, groups them by skill level and provides them with a chance to ride their motorcycles in an environment which is free of traffic, roadside obstructions or speed limits. Here, motorcyclists can safely explore the capabilities of their machines and hone their riding skills in ways that would be both highly dangerous and totally illegal on the public roads. Not only do they become better riders but most track day participants also seem to gain an awareness and respect for their bikes that stays with them when they ride on the street. In states that do not have a helmet law, few riders wear a helmet and many dress in jeans, a tee shirt and athletic shoes. In an accident situation, such a rider might as well be naked for all the protection those clothes will afford. At a track day, a good helmet is just the first of many requirements for participation. Riders must also wear a full set of leathers, body armor, boots and gloves, leaving no skin exposed. Each bike is inspected for tire wear, leaking fluids, loose parts, chain adjustment and proper function of brakes, clutch and tires. Many motorcycle owners don’t know how to check their bikes this carefully before a ride, so track day participants learn how to be safer riders and take better care of their machines before they even start their engines.
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