Saturday

Speed Club

So I'm going to the track as much as I can lately with my motorcycle. I met friends Jason and Red-Star at Buttonwillow the other day for fun day of riding, and tomorrow I'll be at Reno-Fernley Raceway outside Reno, NV. It's funny this sub-culture of guys who ride sport bikes, and more broadly people who have a speed addiction. Traveling up the 5 freeway I was passed by a caravan of four Lamborghini's. They all check out my bike as I drive by, and one of the guys paces me for a little to my side to get my attention. When I look over he gives me a thumbs up like a nod-of recognition just saying, "hey man... cool." This is the same comraderie felt when out on a canyon road on the weekend. It's like you're part of a secret club. Probably the best example I've felt of membership in this club was traveling on Hwy 33 outside Ojai, California outside Los Angeles last year. Every person you encounter on this road is driving a sport bike, or a Porsche, Lamborghini, Farrari or similiar. Everyone waves to each other. Even the cars wave to the bikes and vice-versa. Nothing crazy, just saying "hey man... cool." As you're pulling to the start of the ride you see guys coming off their trip through the canyon and they all point at you from 50 yards away nod. Doesn't matter what sport bike you're on, you get a nod of, "Hey man, I get it. Me too." You see sport bikers wave to each other all the time. Sometimes we even do it traveling opposite directions on the freeway. It's really funny when you think about it.