[MOTU]

Last Saturday I went riding with a group through Lake County in Central Florida through some backroads that were surprisingly full of turns! I didnt know these existed in Florida and it's one of the benefits of riding with a group of expirienced riders who know the lay of the land.

Anyway I hung out in the back of the pack and we did some fairly sprited and responsible riding but these roads in Florida have sand and small rocks embedded deep in the pavement that likes to get kicked up with the back tires. Needless to say I was getting pelted and sandblasted pretty good!

Now Im one of those guys that pride himself of keeping my SF in immacualte condition. When I got home to clean up the mess as I do after every ride I discovered the sandblasting had put gashes all over the front fender, the forks, the headlight (painted and glass surface), and anywhere on the lower radiator that wasnt protected by the guards. It momentarily made me sick and then I quicky got to thinking if Im going to use this machine the way it was intended it's going to get buggered up and I can simply consider this "character marks". I can still keep the rest of the bike looking pretty but the front is going to be the sacrificial end. Maybe one day when Im old I can replace those parts (likely $4K+ yikes!). Either that or stay in front of the pack which would be impossible due to my abilities or lack thereof.

I was curious if anyone else felt the same way the first time you discovered the damage life introduces to your baby.

In the end the ride was way too much fun to not go again and the pelting will just make it worse. I have to just accept it.

 

[****]

In the end the ride was way too much fun to not go again and the pelting will just make it worse. I have to just accept it.

Or.....you can take the "spirited rides" to the track and rest assured, you'll be in less rocky and sandy situations. Plus, you're guarantee'd to have a more spirited ride at the track, than anything you've experienced on any street ride.

 

[proheli]

I'd hang a little farther back. If its getting marks after just one of those rides, imagine what it will look like after 50.

 

[Lsberrios1]

Just say they are character marks. My SF was full of them and pretty beat up honestly after 7k miles of riding mountains, rain, and even mud trails.

The Panigale I dont treat it as bad but it is still full of bugs, rock chips and oil stains due to heavy use. It still looks good when clean but you can tell it has been used pretty darn hard. The torn up tires also look the part

 

[MOTU]

I've never done a track day but I cant even imagine how much fun that would be!

Im glad that Im not the only one getting rock chips. It must be a southeast us thing!

Oh yeah! Also my brand new Shoei RF1100 has some chips of paint missing too.

I forgot to mention that halfway through the ride the idle was stuck at about 3K rpm with no throttle. Im not sure what was causing that but i was hamming through the gears pretty good and giving the bike a decent workout. I shut off the bike and restarted it and it was fixed and didnt do it again for the rest of the ride. Weird. Also a very small amount of clutch fluid started floating itself on the top of the cover and it looked like it may have been coming from one of the mounting screws. I checked it when I got home but they were all secure. As many vibes as that container goes through Im not surprised I guess.

 

[proheli]

Just say they are character marks. My SF was full of them and pretty beat up honestly after 7k miles of riding mountains, rain, and even mud trails.

I dunno... 5.5k and no marks you can see, except the two I put there when I dropped a wrench on the dash, both small, and a scuff mark on the fender from someone else too. Don't be where the floating sand and flying rocks are. Zen your way to a less damaged bike, err, ya.

 

[pendulous]

Last Saturday I went riding with a group through Lake County in Central Florida through some backroads that were surprisingly full of turns! I didnt know these existed in Florida and it's one of the benefits of riding with a group of expirienced riders who know the lay of the land.

Anyway I hung out in the back of the pack and we did some fairly sprited and responsible riding but these roads in Florida have sand and small rocks embedded deep in the pavement that likes to get kicked up with the back tires. Needless to say I was getting pelted and sandblasted pretty good!

Now Im one of those guys that pride himself of keeping my SF in immacualte condition. When I got home to clean up the mess as I do after every ride I discovered the sandblasting had put gashes all over the front fender, the forks, the headlight (painted and glass surface), and anywhere on the lower radiator that wasnt protected by the guards. It momentarily made me sick and then I quicky got to thinking if Im going to use this machine the way it was intended it's going to get buggered up and I can simply consider this "character marks". I can still keep the rest of the bike looking pretty but the front is going to be the sacrificial end. Maybe one day when Im old I can replace those parts (likely $4K+ yikes!). Either that or stay in front of the pack which would be impossible due to my abilities or lack thereof.

I was curious if anyone else felt the same way the first time you discovered the damage life introduces to your baby.

In the end the ride was way too much fun to not go again and the pelting will just make it worse. I have to just accept it.

I know how you feel. I have several Euro bikes and any time I get a scratch or ding, I get sick. I went and purchased the 3M film for them. Then I realized I bought the bikes to ride and enjoy and never put on the 3M stuff. I do try to keep them clean, but I'm a bit less concerned about it.

 

[TallyRex]

I've ridden those roads (not on my SF) and they are surprisingly nice. My SF doesn't have rock chips, but the hardbags on my VFR do and it klls me everytime I look at them. I think I'll get some colorite and then use the 3m film.

Try and hang back a bit or take the lead.