was out tonight enjoying some decent fall chicago weather. got a set of headlight pop up in my mirrors. i got a car alongside and one up front so I just touch the foot brake just enought to show some lights. dude backs off like half a car lenght. im not really diggin how close he is, so I start looking to move to the left lane. as it clears, i start to swing over and fkr takes that lane with out so much as a signal. i figure ok hes no longer my problem and let it go. it was some ***** in a beemer. he manuevers past the dude in front of me then cuts back to my lane.

a few blocks up, the car in front turns, putting me right behind the beemr. we'r rollin around 55 when the light ahead turns yellow. as he is stopping, he jumps back to the left lane letting me roll up alongside. the whole time, hes revn like he wants to play. Im kinda newto the riding, but i was our burnin off steam from the day, so thought wtf. as the light turned green, i hit it. i heard the deep rev of his car right along side me. somewhere between 2nd-3rd gear, he was in my mirrrors again. stayed that way til i saw i was approaching 80mph in a 50 zone. he flew past me as i rolled off the throttle with the rest of the traffic way behind us.

few miles up, we met up again at a light .. he just waved and gave a thumbs up; then disappeared when the light turrned green.

used to drag race in cars many years ago, but never did that w a bike. dont think i will again, but dang, that was fun. didnt realize just how quick these things were off the line

 

Oh no Now You done it. All the MotherHens in here going to Jump all over yea for racing on the street.

Fun though wasn't it?

 

In my young and reckless days a sports car pull up next to me at the lights and sits there gunning the motor for the green,SO I took the bait ...Light changes and we tear away,the road being a triple lane with him in the centre lane and me on the inside with a barrier on my left,up front is an intersection and I see this old dude in his car decides to go for the crossover both me and the car I'm racing lock the brakes .....car on inside lane ...barrier on left and old dude now across my lane.So I ...T-bone the car just behind the driver.luckily I did some gymnastics as a youngster so as I hit I somersaulted over the car and landed on my feet on the other side.Obviously the momentum still carried me forward but a tuck and roll had me back on my feet without a scratch.A mate of mine happened to be driving past in the other direction and he said it looked like a movie scene.I don't take the bait much since then.

 

One of my buddies drives a very "set-up" street race bike that he drags all the time.

Went for a ride with him for the first time. We're headed down the road and he squeezes me in the lane and flies by. I'm like "whew" close call. I look up and he has his hand and arms in the air standing on the pegs like he's flying. Well with his hands off the throttle his bike backs down very quickly. I braked hard when I figured out I was rolling up on him quickly, in just a split second I had to swerve to miss him.

I hate playing games on the road!

I watched him that day "shoot the gap" at most lights to rush ahead of traffic. You'd think some one in their 40s would better understand the danger. He's the same guy who did the burn out in my drive upsetting my neighbors?

 

I use to be a Street Racer with cars like 7-8 years ago and somehow never got killed, hurt or busted, but had a few very clsoe calls. I use to race now and then on my sport bikes, but now I just like to roll. I have smoked a few good cars with my XL50 and it's fun. Sounds like you had a fun run there man and just becareful, but remember to always have fun.

 

Yeah, the story wasnt really about the racing .. that was fun, fosho. I was shocked at the responsiveness of the bike.

I've had it a few months and just putted around. Sure I've rolled upwards of 80mph before moving with traffic and enjoying the breeze. This was the first time, I took it that fast in that short of a distance. That is what got me. This bike really moves!!

In my dumber days, I raced cars/trucks on the roads and tracks for money. That was 20 years ago. I have no intentions of getting back into that lifestyle.

As far as having fun .. the ride itself, before the race, was fun. Rolling on a divided two lane road with light traffic speed limit of 50... the sun is almost gone and the moon is rising, cruisin around 55 on one of the last nice days of the year ... that was the fun part. The shot off the line with the beemer was just fooling around.

 

Hell, the whole time I lived in Chicago, 80mph in a 55 zone was normal driving in the slow or middle lane with cars still faster yet in the fast/passing lane @ 6AM going to work.

 

Ditto....

 

I could take most cars off the line with my 883. The 1200N takes them all. The one I remember the most was a Grand National that thought he was a bad-*** till the 883 left him behind right from the start.