I personally will never not trust my gut feeling.
Go 180 mph on a motorcycle. I’ve done it, and I won’t do it again. I’m a pretty solid rider, but 180 is above my reaction time. Things were behind me before I had a chance to react to them. So, I decided going that fast is stupid, and deadly, and I wont do so again. 120-140 however is manageable. I can react with time to spare. 105 is like a cakewalk. I’m just as comfortable at 105 as I am at 55.
You can do this in relative safety on a racetrack though. Doing this anywhere else is risking turning yourself and others into hamburger meat.
Yeah, I was young, and dumb, and invincible.
Do you still do 105 now though? If so, you’re still dumb and a danger to others on the road. I limit myself to a 250cc just so I dont get any stupid ideas
The bike I own now won’t even go that fast. It maxes out around… I’m not sure tbh because it doesn’t have a speedometer, but I’m guessing around 85 mph. It’s geared for the dirt, so max speed isn’t much of a consideration. Back then I was riding an R1, and 105 is just the flick of the wrist on those things. I haven’t owned a superbike since my mid-twenties.
If you aren’t doing this on a track, then you’re a dangerous person to society. Just because 105 is less than 180 doesn’t make it okay. You can’t react at that speed to everything the way you think you can.
I understand why you feel that way, but you’re probably not considering that every geo location in the world is not similar to your geo location. Some roads are better suited to handle aggressive riding than others, and some places are much more remote than whatever city you live in.
Went to Sturgis for the motorcycle rally in the late aughts. Went to the Harley Dealership that was offering free test drives on all it’s latest models. The guy leading the test drive said that anyone who wanted to go fast should be right up in front behind him. I wanted to go fast, so I was second in line, right behind him, on a brand new V-Rod (I think it was the 2007 almost 1300 CC engine).
He lead us on a dirt road parallel to the highway for a minute, going like 65 mph, which wasn’t so bad, but I peeked behind me and the cloud of dust we were trailing was impressive, I wondered how the guys behind me were even keeping sight of us! Then, he turned and got on the highway. Man he opened his up so fast, I almost lost sight of him. I gased that V-Rod so hard just to keep him in eye sight, that the segmented white lines between lanes just turned into one solid line to my vision. I checked my speedometer and swear I was around 160-180mph. That shit was unreal, passing cars going highway speed like they were standing still, on a bike I had never ridden before.
And that’s why I won’t let myself buy a crotch rocket. Give me a 90’s model sportster that maxes out at like 90mph, because I’m scared if I have a machine that can go that fast, I may be tempted to try it again, and the idea of becoming a meat-crayon isn’t something I aspire to.
My Dad is a doctor who would bring home pictures of gnarly cases he worked on, and every single one of them would be motorcycle accidents. Doesn’t stop him from riding one, and with a fake-DOT helmet (if one at all), but it sure stopped me from ever wanting to emulate those speed-demons that go over 100 weaving through traffic and shit. Those people are insane to me.
I’m shocked to hear that bike can go that fast. I thought they topped out at 150. I can’t imagine going that fast on a cruiser, with no wind screen. It seems like the wind would blow you right off the bike. Even at like 100 mph on a cruiser, I’m gripping the handlebars like crazy, fighting against the wind hitting my chest and pushing me out of the seat.
You’re probably right about it being closer to 150, I do remember turning my head and feeling the air push my head hard, fighting to get back into the lowered, hugging-the-engine position I was in. T’was nuts. never again! Maybe if I’m on the salt flats with mad protective gear, but not on roads, not on a new-to-me bike. That was just a flash of brilliant, youthful, death defiance that I’m likely never to repeat. Might as well bounce on a trampoline under whirring helicopter blades 😅
The difference in feeling between 150 and 180 is as or more pronounced as the difference between 100 and 150. Every MPH above about 150 is a noticeable difference. I was actively pushing the bike to its absolute limit, and it was insane. After around 160 things are happening too fast to respond to. They’re already behind you by the time they register in your mind. I agree with your sentiment, never again, at least not anywhere other than the salt flats.
Yep, I’ve topped out my Hayabusa and I feel the same way… Done it 4 or 5 times when I was a little younger but I don’t need to die that way.
I knew someone who t-boned an SUV on a Hayabusa going 198 mph (speed limiter limit). He was stupidly doing that on a major street in town at 2 am. It was a party town, so there were still plenty of people on the road at 2 am. There was so much force from the impact that he knocked the SUV on its side, and cut it almost completely in half. The people in the back seat were killed, and the people in the front seat were seriously injured. As for the rider… well, there wasn’t much left of him to talk about. I have no idea what got into him to cause him to think that was an okay idea, but it’s a mistake he didn’t live through.
I’m sorry that happened to someone you knew.
Thats awful.
I’ve only done it on a remote road with a huge view, so no chance of another car - but plenty of chance of animals stepping out, or even just losing control due to road surface or wind gusts etc…
Its a silly thing to do.
Huge adrenaline rush, but so very silly. These bikes are ridiculously fast.
It’s not something I plan on doing again.
Once again, I’m sorry you knew someone who had such an awful end…
Thanks. He wasn’t a friend, just someone I knew from our biking community. It was still shocking to hear.
Yeah the animals concern is real. A friend of mine hit a deer on his bike up in the foothills. He went over the bars, tearing his kneecaps off on the way, and then shattered multiple vertebrae when he hit the asphalt. Thankfully he somehow had a full recovery. He was laid up for a year, and in pain a lot after that, but he survived, and regained full function. He was riding again around 2 years later. Bikes are certainly deadly in the wrong scenarios, but boy are they fun!
I love the adrenaline feeling of driving at speed. Can’t imagine 180 on a bike though, I took a moped to 50 one time and the exposure scared the crap out of me.
I looked to my right before changing lanes out of habit, and the wind almost tore my head off. I had to fight with all my strength to get back into the bubble behind the wind screen. Then I saw a puddle on the ground around a quarter mile away, started to react to it, and it was behind me before I could do anything. That’s when I decided that I was being suicidal and backed off. I never went that fast again. It’s cool to have experienced it, but once was enough. If I had access to the salt flats or something, then I’d do it again for fun, but definitely not on a highway, regardless of how remote it is.
Edit: it’s worth pointing out that depending on the moped, 50 mph is probably the absolute limit of what it’s built for. Going max speed on most vehicles is scary, because you’re pushing the limit of the design. When you’re going 150 mph on a sport bike, you’re well within the limits of the design. Suspension, traction, exposure, and all that are still completely manageable. Plus, you’re encased in riding gear, jackets, gloves, full face helmet, boots, etc., and behind a wind screen which makes an air pocket, so you’re not really exposed to the wind blasting all around you.
Got born.
Just gotta try more
I’m curious, if you’re open to discussing it: what did you fail to trust your gut feeling about, and what was the result?
Smoking some weed that was definitely shady.
Do your intuition was that there was something sketchy in it, but you convinced yourself it wasn’t true?
What happened?
To be honest, it looked good but something just in my gut didn’t like it. But I said fuck it, didn’t feel good for 3 days after that night. No appetite and just felt weird/high for a good few days after it
I read an article in reader’s digest as a kid. It basically said it’s good to trust your intuition because your subconscious might be seeing something that your conscious mind isn’t seeing.
The article told the story of some woman who escaped being a particular serial killer’s victim by deciding to trust her sudden feeling of fear, and getting the fuck out of the apartment where they’d been hanging out.
When she was interviewed later, she only then realized that he’d been closing windows one after another as he walked around the apartment.
At the time she didn’t consciously make the connection, but maybe her subconscious did.
I once was young and stupid and maxed out the speedometer of my car on a empty highway at the middle of the night. Now I can say I’ve done it and don’t need to do that again. Normally I hardly even drive above the speedlimit.
What speed?
I was barely able to reach 200kph
I got up that high on a race track once. It was one of those “drive a nascar” experience things. They used older models but they would still move. I couldn’t get up any higher than that because it was only a 3/4 mile oval. By the time I was accelerating on the straightaway, it was time to decelerate for the turns.
On public roads, I have done 180 kph in Germany (and still got passed).
I did almost 200 in my first Autobahn driving lesson and did 230 at some point after getting the license. No I think it’s stupid Germany allows those speeds. IMHO it should be capped at 120 on all public roads. Crazy what lack of rules, young people and overpowered cars can cause
It was way above my comfort level. The ride itself was smooth due to me driving a big saloon but it also felt like I was about to take off at the slightest bump
85MPH as that is as high as my speedometer reads in my 92 Camaro.
Lollll, my husband’s 1990 T-bird was the same, and when he got pulled over, the cop asked if he knew how fast he was going. “85, officer” (with Puss in Boots innocent eyes). The cop sputtered “you idiot, that’s not…that’s… your speedometer only goes that high!”, but wrote him the ticket for 85 instead of whatever irresponsible & arrestable number it really was.
That’s so odd, i thought usually sports car speedometers go higher than the car is actually able to achieve in order to trick people into thinking it’s actually capable of going that fast. But now that i think about it i guess that was just an assumption
I was once on an empty road that was straight all the way to the horizon and i got it up to 100. I woulda gone higher but my passenger didn’t want to
Just for funsies, I rented a Challenger R/T from the Hertz “fancy car” selection about 6-7 years ago. My boss asked me to pick him up on the way to work so he could see what the car was like. We hit a stretch of highway with little traffic, and I aired it out a little. Easily hit 100. Boss was tickled. I slowed back down to sane speeds before we got to other cars. That thing would give you whiplash if you floored it at a green light. So much fun. Glad it was only a rental. I’d have lost my license if I had it for a daily driver.
I had a truck that you couldn’t max out the speedometer. At 97mph, the fuel line cuts off, leaving you basically costing down the highway until the speed drops, and the engine kicks (literal shudder) back on.
Also, Chevy trucks don’t like going past 90, so it makes sense to kill the fuel to protect the driver from themselves…
Similarly I once went up to 210 on an empty highway in the middle of the night. Must have been nearly 15 years ago. My ride was coughing and rattling all the way. She let out a whew when we got home. I’ll never do that again
210 is crazy. You’re lucky your tires didn’t pop. Your engine might go that high, but most tires aren’t rated for that much friction.
I forgot to add that this was in kilometers per hour, but you probably guessed that
I figured after I started typing, but figured my thoughts on tires remained the same and just went with it. 130 mph is still too fast. My old car only got up to 100 back in the day.
that ought to be enough for any car except ambulances
yea that’s right, with perspective I realize I pusged the car beyond what it was meant to endure. Had anything happened, I may not have been able to correct course
Same. Me and a buddy were on a stretch of highway with no exits or entrances that was downhill for a few miles, so decided to see what my Nismo could do. It was surprisingly smooth up to 167 (American units), but the wind was almost deafening. Let it come down and 90 felt like a crawl.
This was 15 or so years ago, and I can easily say something I would never do again, perhaps the difference between early 20s and late 30s. I still enjoy a spirited ride, but can’t get out of the back of my head all the possible things that could go wrong.
I did that in the middle of the day on an empty highway and I actually got caught (aircraft). The ticket was for 113 mph and I lost my license for 6 months.
I don’t speed anymore but it’s not for fear of a ticket. Actually I just found that being in a hurry was flooding me with cortisol, and I decided that you can’t control traffic, only how you react to it. I’ve been driving like an old man for like 15 years and it’s a lot more chill, barely slower, and a bit safer.
Getting caught by police aircraft sounds very American.
I’ve adopted the granddad driving style too. Now I get my enjoyment from watching people rush and make pointless overtakes, only for me to end up right behind them at the next traffic light.
America is so widely spaced out that there are some huge stretches of mostly empty highways, so the only feasible way to monitor for speeders is by helicopter watching over the massive stretches of road. Or at least that’s how it used to be, these days i bet they are increasingly just using cameras
Skydiving. It’s super windy and loud. It’s a predictable struggle between gravity and air resistance. There’s a man firmly pressed up against my bum. You end up back where you started. Super inefficient and uncomfortable mode of transportation.
I actually really enjoyed akydiving
Paintball with 20-somethings. I expected someone to shoot me in the arse from five feet away for a laugh, I didn’t think they’d be on my team.
College while working full time. Four years of barely getting any sleep while working full time and going to school full time. Even my teachers made comments about how late I’m staying up. They can see on their Canvas website that I’m turning in papers at 3 or 4 in the morning.
Fuck that’s rough. Props for that dedication and commitment!
Fire breathing
For context I’m a professional fire & sideshow performer. I have almost a decade of experience and am fire safety lead for a large fire arts retreat. But the name of the game is risk mitigation and fire breathing is too risky for my taste despite its popularity.
If you go on Wikipedia and type in fire breather, the second result is Fire Breather’s Pneumonia. I also personally know many people who have gotten large facial burns or have had to retire due to lung problems caused by excessive fire breathing.
The risks are technically still there with fire eating, which is one of my main skills, but I mitigate it by limiting my exposure and taking breaks. There’s also significantly less liquid fuel involved.
I’m an entertainer as well and thought about fire breathing. I spoke with a couple friends who do it and them all casually talking about collapsing a lung a few times turned me off that idea.
Sword swallowing too. My friends do it but I’ve heard the term “perforated stomach” one too many times
That one never caught my interest. It makes me so nervous. I’ve gotten into stilts and jumping stilts over the past couple years and I’ve been doing face painting, balloons, glitter, etc. for half my life. I’d love to get back into juggling and unicycling but that will have to wait for a bit. I also really wanna try German wheel and aerial hoop!
Also editing to add: what made you wanna do fire and what’s your favorite way to use fire? I have a friend who just got a sword, another who favors fans, and most men I know use staff or poi. I personally have never spun or played with fire, but it fascinates me. Many of my friends will eat but not breathe it.
I started with fire before I ever really knew I wanted to be a performer, it just seemed fun, and things moved from there. My first prop was staff.
But a lot of stuff happened over the years and I hardly spin any more, other than at said retreat. Ok the flip side, I’ve carved out a name for myself as a sideshow performer doing dangerous and grotesque things. Bed of nails, blockhead, mental floss, butterfly knives, stapling, etc. But my expertise is fire, so I tend to always do that when the venue allows.
Fun fact, I invented two fire eating moves :) One is a split tongue torch hold, the other I named a black hole sun
That’s all so awesome. Have you always been doing it for work or did you get into it later? Sorry for all the questions and no need to answer obviously, just fascinated by everyone’s story in the industry. I’m too much of a chicken for much of your skills, but I love admiring it from the other side of the field. Hopefully one day our paths will cross in the performance world!
It’s not my full time gig, I have a day job that pays the bills since there’s very little money in it unless you go private/corporate. But I do get side money from it in addition to artistic fulfillment.
Definitely hope to cross paths, circus is my lifeblood. Here’s my permanently shadowbanned IG
I’m just a dude, one afternoon when I was 12 me and the boys were doing bbq because it was a major religious holiday here.
I found a neat stick and I decided it would be fun to do a fire breathing trick with the kerosene. I hadn’t done it before but it worked and we had a blast.
I’m intact and in my 30s but I still cringe at the possibility of me getting a burned face that day.
I went to bed with a full bladder…
Play paintball.
I started playing back in the 80’s when I was in college and everybody used paint guns that could only hold about 15 rounds, and fired one at a time.
I’m way too old to run around in the woods like I did 40 years ago, and the game has completely changed as well. People have guns that can hold hundreds of paintballs and shoot incredibly fast, so the whole strategy is unlike it was. I just don’t find modern paintball enjoyable at all.
And they said war never changes.
Well, I mean, the more things change, the more they stay the same, ya ken?
Post this reply.
I thought that was quite clever, I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted
Thanks, that’s kind of you to point out. I guess we live in a strange age…
Delete this reply? :-)
Suspension. I did a superman; 6 hooks in my back (they couldn’t pull up skin on my legs to run hooks there, so it was a little… awkward.) It was painful, sure. But the pain fades once you’re up there, and then it’s…
Boring.
You can’t really do anything much. You can swing around, but if you get motion sick then that’s not a good idea. I know a number of people that have experienced it as transcendental, and it just wasn’t for me. Everything was sore for a few days afterwards, but not bad. It just wasn’t for me.
It took me multiple reads to realize you weren’t talking about dirtbike shocks (suspension), doing dirtbike tricks (a superman), and receiving a back injury (6 hooks in the back). It sounded like you were advocating for people to buy quality suspension components if they’re going to do big jumps and tricks on their dirtbike.
Ha. Fair point.
No, this was the kind of suspension where they put hooks through your skin, and then hoist you above the ground by the hooks.
(I do ride, but only street bikes. And IMO, for street bikes, unless you track your bike regularly, your stock suspension is likely just fine.)
I also wondered why you weren’t trying your bike tricks over a foam pit.
What…? is this a medical procedure ?
Note that the tone of judgement can’t be helped when asking this, but why would one want to do this to begin with?
…Because? That’s like asking why people climb Kilimanjaro, or K2. Because you want to know if you can.
And it turns out I can, it is kind of boring, and makes me feel carsick.
…why did you do this? I mean, what does it promise?
The reason I did it was to see if I could endure it. It was a matter of facing something that scared me because I knew that it was going to hurt, and still passing through. I’m not a stranger to pain–I’ve had well over 100 piercings, and currently have about 25 or so remaining–but a suspension is on another scale.
I guess you could say that it was a ritual for me, similar to many coming-of-age rituals that are done in tribal societies, such as some of the tattooing in the Maori culture, or the scarification done by certain tribes in Africa.
Some people say they experience transcendence; that the pain puts them in a euphoric state. For me, the swinging motion just made me motion sick.
Well that’s exactly what I understood. Was it code for something else ?
They’re talking about having hooks put in their back and being suspended in the air from them.
Gender reassignment surgery.
Ride my bike in the rain.
How else would you get to places? In Denmark we say there is no bad weather only bad clothing.
(Or did you mean a motorbike?)
If it’s raining, I either stay home or take the bus. Or if it’s a shorter distance, I walk.
Celebrate my 18th birthday
…unless the Buddhists are right
