JeF4y

There are a lot of factors here that can cause this. What are your two bikes? Have you changed the geometry in any way (front or rear)? Are you using OEM sized tires or larger/smaller? I would immediately key in on a setup problem, but if it's happening on multiple bikes, either you have a bad setup on both bikes, or you're doing something to cause this. When you get into the corner, immediately after you have initiated the turn, get ON the gas. If you're not on the gas, you will continue to transfer weight to the front and tighten up the turning of the bike. Another classic problem is that newer riders tend to early-apex corners because they are freaked out from the speed. This messes up the entrance and exit terribly, but from what you've said this doesn't seem to be the problem... Let me know on the other questions.

Congratulations on your day! Sounds like you had fun. If you're lapping the pack, move up into the intermediate group. If you get there and are not comfortable, ask to go back to the beginner group. Any track org around will allow you to move forward/backward in groups for safety. And if they don't, you probably shouldn't be riding with them... Another piece of advice. If you can't handle bringing it home in a box, don't take it to the track. I watched a guy highside the R1 he rode to the track on about a month ago. The thing was a ball of flames before it landed and subsequently burned into a pile of molten nothing... It was his only vehicle...

I raced F4's from 99 through 02. They were a stable and incredibly reliable bike, but not the lightest or most powerful thing out there. You'll get your butt handed to you by a new R6, RR, ZX or GSXR, but nonetheless, the F4i is a decent bike without sinking a ton of coin into a new bike to race...

Sean, Additionally, you might have a setup problem with your bike. Stability has 2 components. Rider and Bike. If you are locked onto the bike and stable, the bike should respond fine and give you enough confidence to corner as hard as you need to. If you're getting the constant feeling that you're going to fall, it's either that you're providing some undesirable input to the bike to upset it and cause the instability, or the bike is setup incorrectly to the point where it is reacting in an instable manner. Assuming the rider portion is good, you might consider consulting a suspension tuner.

Another decent weekend... http://www.cbr600rr.com/pages/073105.htm 2005 Race Report 7: 7/30-31/05 - Gingerman Raceway, South Haven, MI -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A weekend at the track I love I absolutely love Gingerman Raceway in South Haven, MI. For the last 3-4 years, this has been my #1 favorite track. This year, it's a toss up between Gingerman and the North Course at Autobahn in Joliet Il. The rest of the season will need to play itself out to make up my final determination. We packed up early and took Friday as a travel day. I met up with racing buddy Greg Langman and we drove up following each other. Our timing was perfect, and we made it through Chicago without a hitch. We pulled into the track around 4:00pm local (3:00 Central) and got setup and made it through registration. This would be a tricky weekend. For the last 2 years, to bolster turn-out at Gingerman, they have offered manufacturer contingency for Gingerman events. This brings out some high-level professionals (cherry-pickers) who show up to collect the $20k or so up for grabs by winning the classes offering contingency. This weekend was a Yamaha & Suzuki contingency, so about 8 cherry pickers showed up for a paycheck. Winning or placing would be virtually impossible, so the goals for the weekend were: Beat Johnny Moore, Edgar Dorn & Mark Schnettler Beat my recorded best time of 1:29.2 Stay upright -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Saturday 7/30: This entire day was practice. The races would be run on Sunday. I spent 4 sessions getting back into the groove of the track. It is a very tight, technical track. The day was rather uneventful, I ran in the low 30's during the day which was okay. I was surprised to see how many people were coming to this track for the first time ever. Perhaps I would do good afterall! The weather the entire weekend was very cooperative. Sun and low to mid 80's. A nice break from the high 90's which we had been riding in. Thanks to Jen Symmonds for the pics this weekend Series of pics through T3 & T4 Sunday 7/31: Only 1 round of practice today, and it was terrible. There were way too many people out on the track at once, so I ran about 8 laps and called it a session. It just wasn't worth wadding up the bike to continue. Heavyweight Supersport: This was a contingency race, so the grid was packed with the big boys who would ultimately go out to beat the track record. I had a good grid spot on the outside of row 3 which set me up perfect for T2 which is incredibly important. I got a decent launch and made it around my buddy Denis Debuhr on his 750. Deni is beating me in this class by a couple points, so it was pretty important that I beat him. Out of T1/2, the leaders were GONE. I mean, they flat-out disappeared. It was awesome to see. I ran right on the tail of Edgar and Johnny Moore who I needed to beat as well, but just couldn't make a pass stick. I really need to get my act together on passing because I was faster than the both of them in a number of spots, but just couldn't get around them. Ultimately because of this, Deni ended coming around me to beat me too. That was pretty costly in points, so I have a bit of work to do here. I stepped up the pace, and began sliding the rear out of right hand turns. I wasn't sure if the tire was going or if it was just the combo of the track and my ham-fist on the throttle. Across the line in 12th place, I wasn't really pleased, but made it through and ran consistent 1:30.0's the entire race. Awesome series of me going around the outside of Rob Oliva from Lithium Motorsports in T2 Back in the pits to cool off for a one race break before going out for: Middleweight Superbike: Another contingency race, so same story as last time. The race was quite similar to heavyweight supersport in that I again got stuck behind Johnny & Edgar, and was sliding around the rear pretty hard. Crossing the line in 9th place, I felt a bit better, but the best I could do in times was a 1:31 before the tires were sliding. I had a 4 race break, so I put on a new rear tire for the last race of the day: Middleweight GP: FINALLY a class which isn't a contingency class, so only 1 cherry-picker entered it (still don't know why he did). Looking at the grid, I saw only 3 people who I knew were a good bit faster than me. This could be a good race. New tire all warmed up, I was ready for action. I launched the bike very good, but blew T2 and lost a couple spots. Flying into T3, the entire group checked up. I shifted to the inside and as I entered the turn (about 15-20mph faster than everyone there), everyone else started turning in. It was a HAIRY moment in time. I elbowed one guy and then made Jeremy Bentz stand his bike up to give me the line. I was in soooo deep and hot I thought it might be all over. I threw the bike over and ground the toe of my boot off (I've NEVER touched a boot before). I think my inside foot slipped off the peg, but I wasn't giving up. My head was down and I gave the throttle a twist. The rear end waggled but hooked up enough to get me through the turn. I gave a quick "sorry guys" wave and took off after the leaders. I was in 7th or 8th now, but knew I was faster than the others. I went to work getting around everyone I could at every opportunity. I wasn't going to let a passing opportunity go by. I ran up past Johnny Moore who passed me back at the exit of the same turn. I answered it with another pass at the next turn and made it stick by getting HARD on the gas to open a little gap. In my exchange with Johnny, Jeremy Bentz caught up and passed the both of us. I could see him get around Edgar too. Damn, this is not what I need right now. Okay, concentrate, relax and make this track work for you... Next lap, I end up behind Edgar. I followed him around for 2 laps, stuffing a wheel up under him in almost every corner. I finally got around him and chased down Jeremy. Another fellow that I didn't know came around me but seemed slower than I was so I had to get him back. By now, we came up on the lapped amateurs. Traffic can work for or against you. I try my best to take advantage of the mistakes others make in traffic while avoiding them myself. We came up on a lapper in the large right-left sweeping carousels of the back side of the track. Going into the left sweeper, I see the guy who passed me go under the amateur, so I figured I'd go around the outside of the lapper at the same time and pinch off the guy who passed me in the final right hand turn. So here's the scenario. This poor lapper amateur fellow, all alone, not knowing what was to become of him, goes through the right hand carousel and sets up to turn into the left. This guy shoots under him the same time as I go around the outside of him. The inside guy took a bit of the amateur's line, so he stood up a bit. At that point, all I could see was this AM's rear tire. I swung way wide and hammered the gas. As I start going around him, my rear end starts wagging like a happy dog's tail in all the ###### on the outside of the track. I look over and see the guy on the inside, holding his inside line, sliding and wagging the same way. It was the funniest thing I've seen. Both of us, splitting this guy and then sliding all over the place. My plan worked and I got into the next right hand turn before him, and made up the spot. Back on Edgar's tail and I finally made a pass move around him. It ended up a bit too little too late though as I couldn't close the gap on Jeremy. I was pretty pleased with the race, and ended up 6th across the line. Checking my times, I was pleased that I beat my previous 1:29 record with a couple 1:28's. It was great to meet all my goals in the final race. I beat my best time, I beat Johnny & Edgar, and stayed upright. Success was found... Nice series following #52 Robbie Jensen who beat the track record at a 1:23.0 The race day ran VERY late, so we didn't end up getting home until about 1:00am. Jennifer had to go into work to complete a few things that had to be done before open of business on 8/1, otherwise we would have just ran straight over to Autobahn in Joliet for Level 3 of the California Superbike School with Keith Code. And with the completion of this race report, I'm off to shower and head down to Joliet for the next round of the superbike school. Here's my writeup from last year's 2 day camp with Keith Code. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This weeks thanks list: Although many helped out this weekend, I really want to give my attention and thanks to my fantastic wife Jennifer. This woman bends over BACKWARDS to ensure she can make my race weekends, practices and schools as well as making sure her company stays afloat. Coming home and managing 2 hours sleep before going into work, then to come home and get a short nap before heading back out, understanding and accepting of every bit of it. This woman is wonderful. After the Keith Code School, we have 3 weekends off before our next race at Blackhawk Farms in Rockton, IL on 8/27-28. It's a VERY welcome break.

In my humble opinion, if you've never dragged a knee and are not extremely confident/comfortable in your skills, you are probably not ready for code race school (perhaps the CSS team will correct me if I'm wrong). Don't for one second think that the 2 day camp is for new riders. I've been riding for almost 30 years, and have been racing exclusively for the last 5 years, and learned a LOT in the 2 day camp I attended last year.

The 2 day camp will put you through 2 levels. The code race school is a race school designed for racers or those who are intending to become racers. If you're not racing, personally, I'd tell you to go through the 2 day camp. Master what the 4 levels have to offer and then check out the code race school. Just my $.02

Colin Edwards is 6'2" or 6'3" and he seems to do okay for himself...

LOL.. no problem... now you know

That depends on what you two are doing!

M1 - Very compelling point! Thank you for bringing it out. I'm rethinking my logic now... lol... Supernought - I normally detest people who correct grammar and spelling on forums, but will break my own rule here as you touched a pet peeve of mine (like that makes a difference). The word you're looking for is "MOOT" not "MUTE". I.e., "that's a moot point" not a "mute point". Cheers

Can you try rephrasing your question? I can't really understand what you're asking.

Come around on your sight-in lap. Toe the bike into neutral at the last corner and let the clutch out to cool the clutch as you coast to your spot. Stop at your spot. Do not pull in the clutch or toe it into gear until you see the hand move to change the 2 board to the 1 board. 1 board is flipping up (from 2 board), pull in the clutch, toe the bike into 1st, start revving it up. 1 board goes sideways, significant amount of gas, start feeding the clutch out until you're holding the bike back with your legs. green flag flies, throttle is pinned, clutch is fed out and modulated to keep the front end down if necessary.

http://www.cbr600rr.com/pages/071705.htm 2005 Race Report 6: 7/16-17/05 - Blackhawk Farms, Rockton, IL Comfortably Numb Oddly enough, I struggled thinking of a theme for this weekend's race report, but comfortably numb seems to sum it up. Why? Well, there's a lot of frustration in it, coupled with some LONG awaited breakthroughs. Without further delay, I give you Race Report #6. The last 2 months, if we haven't been racing every weekend, we've been traveling, and that's taken a pretty large toll on the body. 4:45am starts, and 11:00pm stops 7 days a week, forgetting where I am when I wake up, it's been tough. This weekend was the last in a long string before a 1 weekend break. This last week, I spent 3 consecutive nights in the garage, piecing the bike back to 100% (well, except for the bodywork) from the small get-off I had at the brutal MAM weekend. I put on a new fairing stay from Action Power Sports, rebuilt my Brembo master cylinder, installed a new set of Galfer Superbike lines from Solo-Moto Part, and spooned on a new set of Bridgestone BT-002's for the weekend and we were ready to roll. Having done this for 5 years now, I clearly understood that this weekend was to be a coin-toss. You see, Racing, like life, is a roller-coaster. You're UP and DOWN. Typically the down's will last for a couple weekends, just like the UPS do. I was not looking forward to that, and really needed to swing things back upwards. Saturday 7/16: Practice was uneventful, and went smooth, with the exception of having to alter my racing line through the long sweeping right hand carousel of T3 due to their being a large oil spill the day before. This wasn't a big deal though as the carousel is so big you can literally pick one of a dozen lines to run. It just meant the line had to be fairly consistent and there would be no passing in the carousel. Today also turned out to be a SCORCHER. 95 degrees and high humidity. I think it was in the 80's by about 8am. Middleweight GP - Sponsored by Marty - CoronaRR: The only race of the day. Time for redemption. I got a pretty good launch and was in the lead pack out of the first few turns. Half way through the first lap, I was in 4th place and from the pace I saw, I instantly thought "wow, I can have a podium in this race". Lithium Motorsports rider 151 Mark Schnettler was on the front row of the grid, and on lap 1 was sitting in 3rd place. I started looking for ways around him and just couldn't find one. On lap 2, the lead pack was pulling away. I had to get around Mark. Into T4, Super Dave Rosno passed the two of us. I thought, that's okay, Dave's a LOT faster than I am, but I've just GOT to get around Mark. I kept looking for spots to stuff a wheel under him, but his corner entry speed was excellent. The problem was that after he got into the corner, he wouldn't get back on the gas. It was bad enough that I was grabbing brakes mid turn so I didn't hit him. Frustration sets in... The white flag lap comes and a rider slips under the two of us and makes a pass stick. ARGH as I scream into my helmet, smacking my fist on the gas tank and crossing the line in 7th place. Everyone congratulated me as it was a pretty big grid and a respectable finish, but being stuck, running 1.5 - 2 seconds slower than I KNOW I could run was just frustrating beyond belief. My times were all in the low 1:15's and I'm positive they could have been in the 13's. Sunday 7/17: Before heading out for practice, I had my suspension tuner Ed Kwaterski, come over to verify my setup. We found the rear compression a bit softer than we previously documented, so we stiffened it up a couple of clicks to see how it would work. I also increased my tire pressures to regulate tire heat in the HOT 95 degree weather. Practice went well, so I left the bike as we set it up. Middleweight Superbike - Sponsored by SolidForce: I launched from row 3, and somehow managed to miss 2nd gear TWICE on the launch. This cost me dearly. I instantly relaxed myself and went to work picking off people left and right. The track flowed like water. My lines seemed to light up around the entire track. I saw literally 20 or more spots per lap where I could go MUCH faster. As I began to take advantage of these spots to go faster, I started getting some REAL bad rear tire slides. In right hand turns (more than half of the turns on the track), I just couldn't get on the gas or I'd slide out. I didn't want to crash, but I didn't want to back off either. I ended up riding and sliding every lap, but now experienced the frustration of being limited by traction. I crossed the line in 9th place. Looking at my lap times after the race, I ran a 1:14.3, a couple higher 14's and the rest 15's. For the last 2 years, I've been stuck at 1:15.01, so this was a HUGE breakthrough for me. I felt great about this, but felt frustrated that I could have gone faster if I had the traction I should have had. The tires, having only 2 races on them, were still good, and should not have been sliding. Hindsight being 20/20, what I SHOULD have done was change back the suspension, drop a few pounds of tire pressure and run the final race, knowing that the bridgestones are a great tire and that something I had done was causing the problem. However, coming off a 1:14 lap, knowing I could go faster, I set out to WIN my final race of the day and decided to throw money at the problem vice wisdom. I went over to Rob of Lithium Motorsports and spooned on a new set of Michelin Pilot Race tires. I've NEVER run Michelins before, but they're on almost every winning bike out there, so I figured I'd give them a whirl, knowing they would stick as good or better than the stones. Heavyweight Supersport - Sponsored by Honiton: On the warm-up lap, I noticed that the Michelins turned in even QUICKER than the (very fast) Bridgestones. This would take some compensation. My launch was good. I ended up bumping shoulders with Johnny Moore as he got a little crooked off the line, but we both stayed upright, and I ended up in front of him. Out of the first couple of corners I was in 4th and right on Mark's tail again. The Lithium boys had made some changes on Mark's bike, and he was now on the throttle where he SHOULD be in the corners, so passing him was less frustrating, but even more difficult. I was out to win and wanted it BAD... I began running a wheel up under Mark on every corner, just hoping to get in his peripheral vision and force him to give up the line. It wasn't working. Instead, it was leaving me making mistake after mistake. On the 3rd lap, I ran up on the banking outside of turn 6, sliding the rear hard, but this only served to add more determination to me. Lap 4 I tried a run up the inside of him on the bus-stop (very tight right hand turn), but this was not going to work. Mark takes the bus-stop from the middle of the track, so there was no room on the inside to get around and make the turn. I ended up in the corner waaaaay too hot to turn, and too far to the inside. I grabbed a handful of brakes and shaved off as much as I could before crossing into the dirt. I watched 6 people go by me before I could safely get my bike back on the track. I knew the tires were full of dirt, so I tip-toed through the next 2 corners as to not fall down, and watched my solid 4th place finish go away, 4 places ahead of me... All pics from this weekend can be found here and here Wrap-up: I'm not sure how to feel about this weekend. There were a lot of lessons re-learned. Patience & wisdom is better than an American Express card. The harder you push, the slower you go. Michelins are good tires, but they're not Bridgestones. One fast lap doesn't win a race. I feel ecstatic that I finally broke in to the low 14's after 2 years stuck at 1:15.01, and the 13's are RIGHT around the corner, but the frustrations of traction and passing, coupled with foolish judgment (HWSS race) loom as a dark cloud. In the end, it was definitely a successful weekend. I've gone faster than I ever have before, and KNOW what it takes to go even faster yet, and I didn't crash. I salvaged points in all 3 classes which should keep me near the top, so I guess it's all good. And to top it all off, I have 2 weeks (well, 2 working weeks and 1 weekend) with NO racing, NO places to go, NOTHING to do, and last but not least, the next race weekend is at Gingerman which is one of my FAVORITE tracks around. Immediately following that, I am at Level III Keith Code's Superbike School at Autobahn. I can't wait (okay, I'm tired... I can wait...) This weeks thanks list: * Daniel Relich - Solomotoparts, Thanks for the quick delivery of the new Galfer Superbike lines to replace my damaged ones from MAM. * Rob Oliva - Lithium Motorsports - Thanks for the help with my tire issues and all your support. * Thanks goes out to CoronaRR, Solidforce & Honiton for their race sponsorships. If you're interested in sponsoring a race, please drop me a line! Next race weekend is 7/31 at one of our absolute favorite tracks, Gingerman Raceway in South Haven, MI.

I FINALLY did it... Background. I've been running Blackhawk Farms since 2000, and since it's been re-paved, the fastest laptime I have been able to run is a 1:15.01. I've run like 6 of them in the last 2.5 years, and consistently run 15's in races, but have been stuck at the 15.01 barrier. This last weekend, I broke into the 14's, running a 14.3. When I ran that lap, I could have easily ripped another second off the laps, but setup issues were limiting my traction. I can see 13's now, and will run them my next weekend out. As I've always said, the fastest laps I run are also the easiest laps. This is when (as Keith wrote) I am thinking WITH the controls, not ABOUT the controls. Everything flows. I could see literally 20 spots per lap where I could go so much faster. I concentrated on slowing my breathing, relaxing myself, and began singing goofy spongebob songs into my helmet. Each corner was more perfect than the last. Every last drill I've learned in Level I & II came into perfect play. The feeling of those laps were what every racer/rider strives for, but few achieve... Up until the last few weekends, expert races could be won at BHF with consistent low 13's and some 12's. It's lowered down into the 11's and touch a 10 range now. I'm not sure how low I can go, but I'm no longer behind that invisible laptimer barrier of 1:15.01. Subsequently, I got VERY greedy, controlling and agressive in a later race (with a completely different setup) which yielded poor results (read 15's again). However, I KNOW what it takes and will be there... Full race report pending.

Thanks Wayne. It's funny how this stuff can be so easy and logical. The biggest gains can be had from the most basic things...

I think the biggest confusion on this topic is the term "weight". Physically, you are GOING to apply weight to the inside peg because that's what supporting your body. You simply can't avoid this. HOWEVER, you can (and should) LOCK yourself in using your outside leg. My speculation is that Keith termed this "weighting" because it was the easiest way to convey "add pressure/push down/lock yourself in" in his writings. (I could be wrong). If you actually add body weight to the outside peg, you will pick the bike up. Now before anyone argues this with me, do this... Take 2 scales. put them a little wider than shoulder-width apart. stand one foot on each. Get into a racer crouch. Move your body to the left to simulate a turn. Read the scales. Now see how much weight you can transfer to the right without physically moving your body...

Okay, I believe I have about as much experience as you (books, CD's, racing for 5 years, lev 1-2 3 is coming in Aug, and I'm a consistent top 4-8 finisher in expert middleweight/heavyweight CCS classes), so I'll try to throw out some opinion. There are a couple different FASTEST ways around a track. What you have to look at is (1) how comfortable are you with your method, (2) how well does it work for you, (3) how much risk is associated with it. Trail braking can be extremely effective in VERY fast laps. Watch most of the MotoGP guys, or the top AMA guys, and you'll see them cranked over at max lean angle with the front end packed down harder than a 20 year old dirt logging road. HOWEVER, these are guys who can feel and react to the front end sliding a bit quicker than the average joe. For the most part, this is what I do as well. There are times when I can get harder on the gas quicker, and that's what I always strive for. I try to be WFO AT the apex. Sometimes I can do it, sometimes I can't. Additionally, I try to give more throttle during the initial part of the corner. Not just 'maint' throttle, but accelleration throttle. First you have to define what "correct" means. Correct by whose standards? Keith Code's? Your faster buddies? Your own? If I read this right, you're asking "should I be trail-braking"? My question back is "do you really need to trail brake? Will it make you faster? Will it make you more comfortable? Can you physically/mentally/financially handle the added risk?" Why is this not good? If you're holding your line, not correcting and can accellerate, why wouldn't you?? It sets you up for a much faster exit. Ahhh yes. Now you've JUST described the exact reason why trail braking is a RISKY proposition. Can it be done? Absolutely! Is it effective? Extremely! Is there a higher level of risk associated with it? You'd better believe it! Do you NEED to do it to be fast? NO!!! Change your perception on what feels right. If you're gaining speed, getting through the corner comfortably, turning safely, what's the problem? From my reading your post several times (and laboring whether to reply or not), I believe you are basing your feelings off what people are telling you or what you are seeing, vice what you are EXPERIENCING. You are seeing people beat you while trail-braking, so you feel it's faster. But in reality, you state you're riding fast and comfortable! How can you go faster? Well, you can't go faster if you're slowing down TO the apex. All that's going to do is increase your entry speed, along with kill your drive out (UNLESS you can carry an insane entry speed, and it *may* help get you past someone outbraking them into the corner). If you're to the point where you can continue increasing your speed after turn-in point, you might try carrying a touch more speed INTO that turn-in point. However, you shouldn't really strive to slowing down to the apex. I prefer to be on the gas at that point. Trail-braking is much like using the rear brake. Once you've mastered everything else, go for it... However, most people spend a lifetime (or race career) without coming close to mastering the simple basics of throttle control and turning. Just my $.02...

That's cool... By all means, run the 1000. Just bring a fat wallet for that tire bill (and make sure you perfect your throttle control)

Don't sell yourself short on a 600... On most tracks (barring those with 1 mile straights or EXTREMELY long tracks like BIR or Road America), a 600 can beat a 750 or 1000...

you're holding onto the bars too tight out of one of the following: 1. Fear of front end wobble. (holding too tight will induce wobble) 2. Lack of leg strength. (you're pulling yourself onto the bike vice pushing up with your legs) You'll find yourself faster and more relaxed, not as energy whooped when you loosen your grip.

Pick up TOTW-II, I think it's described in there. It's also covered in level one. Short and sweet, it's finding your reference point for turn entry using your peripheral vision while watching for the apex of the turn and your turn exit points, then executing the turn. It's kinda difficult to explain vice showing you...

Slipper clutch or not (my previous post was pre-slipper clutch, and this response is after installing it), you still need to go 1 at a time. More than one is a wheel slide, cut and dry. And that will cost you far more time than you'll ever make up by dropping 2+ at once.

your body should really be parallel to the bike. If you look in this pic and draw a line along the riders spine, you can see how 'crossed-up' it is on the bike. People forget that the overwhelming majority of the body's weight is ABOVE the waistline. Drop that chest down, lead with your head and be parallel to the bike. Put your head where the mirror was. You'll use less lean angle and be a HELL of a lot more comfortable/stable. That said, I've seen many many professional riders (Doohan, Duhammel, etc) who ride 'crossed-up'. They carry INSANE lean angles, and still manage to go fast. I don't know how they do it. I personally run out of tire too fast when I ride that way.

Not to mention easy to handle, easy to repair, and TONS of repair parts are readily available new & used... I would tell anyone though, to stay away from liter (or litre if you're across the pond ) bikes as something to start on. They chew up tires pretty quick, and require a level of throttle control that few mortals can provide within the first number of years of riding...