Found this video on youtube. R1150GS on Isle of Man TT circuit. It's really fun to see a gent "exercise" his 1150GS! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3Cu8BZJ_hw I've never, and might never, open up my 1150 like him, but still... Question? His speedo taps 120mph a couple times in this video. Is he red-lining his 5th gear, or is it his 6th gear when he hits 120?
That's Paul Young, we've posted those videos on the forum for years. He came around for a while. You must be a mighty smooth, fearless rider to critique Paul's riding.
I don't see much wrong with it. Some corners are blind and some aren't, its a two way road in this video, other videos may have been recorded while the road is one way. Some corners he didn't need to cut because he is only doing around 100-110, most of the time, especially up the mountain mile it is wise to leave room for the 180 men. Some lefts you stay wide as there are often people stopping for pictures of famous bits, etc, etc. About 2006 I was on the IOM on a 1200 bandit, going around Quarry Bends, which is one of my favourite bits, at around 100 mph. I was overtaken by a 1200 GSA with full luggage and a pillion, I wonder if Paul bought a GSA? ;-)
I just got back from the IoM and couldn't agree more. The "perfect" racing line and technique are not usually the smart thing to do when there are so many variables that you may encounter. I did several laps with the new water boxer GS and it handled things very well considering. Managed 120 mph indicated a few times on the mountain but no matter how fast you are (or think you are) there are always those who are faster. WAAAY faster!!!! Given the number of bikes and the wide disparity of type and rider talent, I find in almost astounding that there isn't more carnage. Making the mountain one-way has certainly helped. Certainly a must see and do. Rod
Let's make this thread fun! What kind of OIL do you think he uses to run those RPMS for that amount of time. oser
Thanks for the connection BobbySands! Searching Paul's name I was able to find a few highly entertaining posts here on ADVrider. My riding experience is FAR from pro... which means I am NOT qualified to say a dang thing about his abilities. It'd be nice if others would follow that same rule of thumb. But I CAN give praise! I find Paul's IOM riding videos to be exciting and inspirational. It's a cool proof of what the very same bike I ride to work on every day can do in capable hands. For anyone that want's to say Paul is being careless, reckless, irresponsible, etc... again, I can't speak to the technicality of it, but this is Isle of Man DURING an organized event. The riders (including Paul) accept a risk to partake in the experience. And without men like Paul putting their necks out in front chasing their passions (not responsibilities) the only record holders in our history books would be the fastest thumb suckers. Also, it is completely apparent that Paul is not haphazardly throwing himself on the circuit just to see what happens. He has studied and ridden it for years. He has adjusted and setup his bike to accomplish this task the best way he can. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't bother with those things if he wasn't concerned with his and others safety. And just because I have to... If his ridding was garbage, and he was only overtaken once during this sequence on the amazing IOM circuit (which he later passes again anyway), then I don't even want to know what we'd call the riding skillz of the rest of us! Now, on to my original post. I'm on an 02' 1150GS (not GSA) USA. The fastest I've ever gotten her up to is an indicated 110mph. At this point I don't recall being close to the red line. I'm wondering if my 6th gear (over-drive) is different than Paul's? Or was I just so concentrated at that speed that I didn't notice? Thanks!
Here's one of the threads: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66043 One from Paul Young:
Well I'll be humble and admit I was wrong. I ddindt mean riding ability. What I meant was garbage and not smooth, was crossing the center line for corners when there is oncoming traffic. I'm just not a fan of crossing the center line. Ill delete my post since you're right it doesn't contain anything positive.
The video was freaking me out, but only because they drive on the wrong side of the road. I would be hamburger there, because I'd forget the whole stay left thing and end up as a hood ornament. For speeds, I know on a GSA, I don't think you have much left at a true 120mph. 6th is a little shorter. Hard to say what Paul's actual speed is, given how far the speedo typically is. At those speeds, I'm sure it would be reading 10mph higher than actual (though his is in kms.). His GS might be able to do another 10mph faster than the GSA due to the gearing?
I know what you meant. Fast, smooth, but over the line in terms of safety. I was thinking I know its Mad Sunday and all but that pretty much reminded me of the Ghost Rider videos. Fun to watch though!
I've ridden Mann on my 1150-- prior to (not during )the race in 2006. The people of the island are amazingly friendly to riders. It is an unbelievable experience. Paul's comment about video perspective being different than rider perspective is true. The points of view are critical to evaluating safety. I ran video that I looked at while I was there and commented that the video makes the ride seem wildly more dangerous than it was. Depth and peripheral vision are severely restricted in video not to mention the 2-3 feet difference in height and line of sight. Those features radically alter our ability to evaluate the road and conditions. While the video shows aggressive riding, it is not irresponsible which Ghostrider's is IMO. And Paul's behavior is acceptable for the conditions (note that the speed limits are unlimited in the countryside). The passing is not Sunday morning breakfast. It is IOM TT week. The Manx people are unlike any population I've ridden around. This is a generalization, but they are extremely supportive of riders and share the roads with amazing thoughtfulness to our sport. I was amazed and impressed. I will be going back....but not to test my limits (as much), but more to enjoy that island again. It looked worse than it was. He has strategy. He demonstrates skill. It is the TT. Thanks for the video.
It's cool to not always be positive..lord knows I'm not..lolol...it's all good..make a trip to the basement to see how we all REALLY interact with each other..everyone here has keyboard tourettes... If you're gonna call out someone elses's riding though..be prepared to school us..
Something about passing a "sport bike" on a GS.............just gives me a stiffie And I have ridden both.............
I know I'll probably regret this, but, here is a short video I made at Easter last year on the IOM. This really isn't pushing it at all, as I was on my first new bike, a 2011 r1200r with about 600 miles on the clock. http://youtu.be/KcU8g37KRJ8 Same trip different day http://youtu.be/reHLC1pzKWM
