dienstuhr

Hi everyone,

I had my first time out on a pocketbike yesterday at the Italian Centre. What a blast!

I wanted to post some thoughts both as a "thank you" for the generosity of one community member in particular, and the community in general, and as an encouragement to others who might be lurking and wondering if they should come out on a Sunday.

To them I say "DO IT!!!"

First: many thanks to Jerry (tqboy) for his generosity in letting myself and a friend try out his aircooled bikes on Sunday. (I was the wobbly guy in the yellow and black roadracing leathers trying not to hold everyone else up). Although I've been riding street motorcycles for 15 years, and had been curious for a long time about pb's, I'd never actually ridden one before. What a hoot! It reminded me alot of go-karting. Although I was fast in karts right off the hop, I can tell that pocketbiking has a bit steeper learning curve and I'm looking forward to more practice at that. I think getting used to the riding position is the first hurdle - while it feels pretty unnatural at first you get used to it. You do get a nice sensation of speed in riding the corners, too, which is cool. I think that next time I'll worry less about trying to use the brakes, and let the bike's engine braking do more of the work. This might let me concentrate more on the lines rather than trying to squeeze the tiny brake lever trying to get some stopping force! Besides, the braking zones are so small that it makes more sense to simply roll off the throttle a tad. Definitely looking forward to more practice next week!

Second: if you're lurking about wondering if this sport is for you, don't hesitate any longer - get out and do it. If there is a cheaper way to go racing with a motor, I can't think of it. Karting, motorcycle roadracing, autocross, track days, dragracing - all of these cost way more $$$ than pocketbiking. Racing pocketbikes gives you a racing sensation on a tiny budget, for sure. And if you find that it's not enough, you've still gained valuable track time and experience in learning racing lines and racecraft skills that can be used in any form of roadracing.

Anyway, I just want to thank Jerry and all of you for a cool Sunday afternoon. I promise to contribute double to the track fee next time and I'll even sign the waiver

Cheers,

d.

ps I bought a bike on Sunday too! d.

Admin

Glad you enjoyed your time out there. I know myself and a number of others were asking who the guy in the leathers was. Now we know

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