Bike Meets / Rideouts and Motorcyclists (rant)

[TheDonUK]

I was just reading through the fun and games in the Long Way Down thread and someone mentioned something that touched a nerve that has been waiting to be touched for a while now...

I have stopped going to bike meets alltogether now because for the most part i agree that it is a bunch of middle-aged guys standing next to their bikes lieing about their demon riding skills or how fast their bike will go, when in reality they would never have the balls to find out.

And im sick of mincing my words when it comes to these... motorcyclists. I have been on a couple of rideouts with members from what shall remain an unnamed group who will stand there all day in their full one-piece race leathers with all the trimmings, sparkly new GSXR (6 or Thou, doesent really matter tbh) and talk the talk but when it comes to it they cant walk the walk so to speak (50p cornering, hesitant overtakes, you know the type...).

Its not that which annoys me as fair enough each to their own and im glad they are enjoying riding in their own way, but on a number of occasions after rideouts on the usuall post-ride chat about things certain individuals try to make me out to be some sort of anti-social hooligan that gives bikers a bad name...
Now i have not had that said to my face but its implied, usually by what i would consider "Motorcyclists" rather than through and through bikers, and usually a good 10-15 years older than me...

Fair enough i do like to ride, briskly from time to time and im sure in excess of the posted speed limits but im certain whatever speed im doing its appropriate to the conditions on the day and more importantly im not endangering or inconveniencing other road users, unlike the kind of rider i have described, that invariably ends up holding a whole procession of riders/ drivers up because of their hesitancy and lack of finesse. It really gets my goat when im then told by these same types how i should be riding...
Coincidentally they always seem to be the IAM type riders with ugly hi-viz vests and an equally ugly wife in tow...

Just because i dont adhere to a strict roadcraft or "advanced" riding technique doesent mean you need to tell me what you think is best, I havent been riding long compared to many on here, 4/5 years but in that time i have ridden quite a bit and i feel i have developed my own "system" of road positioning, observation, machine control etc... It might not be IAM approved but its done me ok thus far (touch wood). I feel far safer using what i have learned through painful trial and error than what someone else believes to be the "correct" way

To these guys: Fuck off you saggy old cunts, do you hear me mocking you after a ride about the fact i run rings around your gixxer thou on a clapped out bandit 6? no i keep my mouth shut and say "Nice ride mate some lovely twisties back there ey". Do you even remember what it was like to have fun on your bike???

Alright fair enough im obveously riding/hanging out with the wrong kind of riders and i will return myself to solo riding where i can do as i please, I just felt the overwhelming urge to vent at these posers and nobs that feel the need to share their enormous wealth of "experience" with me... I just wish they would save it for the pub carpark where they can share daring stories of how cold their nipples got under their heated Gerbing vest on the 9 mile ride to the meet while sipping warm shandy, im off for a ride....

[McGee]

I couldn't agree more about the poser comments.

It makes me die a little time inside every time I go on a ride out with a load of posers who ride to a cafe/pub and park up and thats the day done. Oh wow we just nudged 90 on a b road straight we are such rebels, and dude that overtake on that caravan was truly awesome

It's even worse out here.

I started off a newbie with these guys I ride with and its depressing that in a year my skills have far exceeded that of "Road Racers" and "Ex-Pro Racers".

I don't mind a cruise just chilling out enjoying the scenery and the weather but if your gonna talk about being nutters at least keep up through a series of bends.

Nothing beats hitting a series of bends perfect with a group of bikers who know how to ride, its like you are almost preforming a ballet of through the twisties.

And just as you enter that one corner your exhaust burbling as you close the throttle and then come out the other side of a low gear corner you whack the throttle back and the front comes flying up and your gone.

Another thing that kills me inside is when you hear some one trying to ride their r1/gixxer thou/zx10r/blade hard. You can hear them in the distance with their 3 second gap between clutch and gear changes, or they bounce it off the limiter trying to push it. It just kills the symphony of a bike.

One of the best sounds from a bike to me is an il4 flying up to the red-line and that quick die off and back on as you close the throttle slightly and kick it up a cog. Also love the sound as you let off the throttle and the extra fuel says hello with that ever sexy burbling back fire noise.

A proper ride out with some friends is one where you get off the bike and feel physically pushed, your sweating and your heart is beating and the reason your laughing is not from a joke but the nervous type because had you been going any faster in that last bend you would of ended up as stain on the road.

I love those moments where you chest goes light and you just make it.

Oh I'm sorry I'm to young to have an opinion.

Don if your ever up for a ride, hit me up once I'm back
____________________
◙◙► K6 GSXR 600 ◄◙◙◙◙► K5 GSXR 1000 ◄◙◙◙◙► K5 GSXR 600 ◄◙◙◙◙► 96 RF600r ◄◙◙
◄◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙►◄◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙►◄◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙►
Its pronounced Jixxer!

[tatters]

You need to come on a ride out with us south-east lot we really do know how to ride and crash
____________________
Past:NRG50,AF1125(x2),NSR125RR,ZZR250,CX500,VFR400,KR1S,ZZR600(x2),CB400N,YZF1000(x2),KH125,Z200,FX400R,CBR954RR(x2)GPZ500S,GT550,VFR750F(x2),RD350N,XR650R,CBR600F,CB250,KDX250,YZF750R,CRM250,400EXC,KLR650,TTR600RE,DR350S,R100GSPD,RGV250,VMAX1200,DL650,KZ750 Present:G650XC,C12,CRF450X,1190ADV

[LUXY DJ]

agreed well, cept mcgee, cause his always on here so how the fuck he ever gets to ride amazes me


:ps: spose to be sunny as fuck today so a lil blat is on the cards for me,

don, where you from btw? cause you should link up with us gixer lot for a naughty blat tho when they pull up @ box or bury (tho the roads tha link these are niiiiice) & sit drinking tea for HOURS it gets friggin boring , all good pulling up for piss,smoke,drink,etc but dont pull up then stay there for hours then say, oh well, time to go as its getting late now.........?> WTF, na really!?

ace is a decent place to pull up tho, as theres some action to watch
____________________
GSXR750
(FAR FAR from standard) www.gixerjunkies.net

[TheDonUK]

[ram_doom]

Ooh wasnt my comment in the LWD thread was it? Just describing the local "biker's" here, bunch of middle age poofters, shit scared of their sportsbikes, who ride from one watering hole to another, same old route all the time, and regale one another with fabricated tales of daring and one upmanship, and have severe inferiority complexes funny to be told these stories, just after witnessing them ride as though theyre fresh from cbt.
Especially funny when you lose them, and when the rest of them arrive at wherever youre stopping, they'll tell tall tales about their heroics whilst they were held up behind some car and got seperated from you (nothing to do with them being shit through the bends mind honest), and "oh you should have seen me" is then followed by an action sequence worth of a hollywood movie, involving a massive tank slapper/wheelie combo, saving it on the brakes and stoppying around a hairpin.

You know the type
____________________
TL1000s, KDX200

[Hetzer]

But isn't it nice to know, after you've hacked past 90% of all the other bikes you meet along the way (most of which are top-end sports bikes) that you're in the top 10%?

They do provide a service.
____________________
"There's the horizon! Ride hard, ride fast and cut down all who stand in your way!"

[Kickstart]

Hi

Not a great one for ride outs. Too easy to get sucked into doing things you don't want, as the same time as getting delayed.

And bike meets tend to be OK to meet up with people you know and can chat with. Those who are full of bull are easy to spot.

However what one feels is safe others won't. A lot of it is down to perception and experience, but both vary. There are plenty whose experience (despite their age) is nominal as all they have done is ride a couple of dozen miles a week. Just as those who have done loads of miles but are rubbish and have survived by luck.

I know how quick I am. I know that there are plenty of people quicker than me, and that some of those might be quicker through trusting their luck and some are quicker through skill. Suspect plenty of us are in that situation, but a few cannot recognise it.

All the best

Keith
____________________
Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[veeeffarr]

Do you see the irony of this thread?

[TheDonUK]

[NSR Mick]

I prefer riding on my own these days. That way I can ride as slow or as fast as I like, go where I like and stop when I like etc...

As for your comments re other riders comments Don see the sig.
____________________
If you dont like the way that I ride.......Stop trying to keep up!!!

[slimjim04]

[_Will_]

I think i'm quite lucky with the group of people i ride with.

The type of riders vary. whoever is fast is at the front, whoevers slow is at the back, simple.
We always have one person who makes sure no one is behind them (which changes every ride) so the ones at front can go as fast/slow as they like.

Always get a good blat
____________________
Past -Honda qr50 | 2004 Peugeot Tkr s 50| | 1996 Yamaha XJ600s Diversion|

[TheDonUK]

[stitch]

I havent found anyone willing to go on a ride out with me yet as I am to slow for them, I am happy to just trundle along and enjoy the ride, I don't have the experience alot of others on here do even though I have been riding possibly longer than some even at 3 years.

I take my young daughter on the back with me where ever I go so I'm not about to start throwing it round corners trying to get my knee down.
We do go for short rides only get off go for a drink, to the park then head home again. She gets off the bike with a gin from ear to ear having loved the day out.
A possible biker chick herself you never know.

Do have to say though when ever I have watched others on the road or even the gp i love the way they seem to dance on the bikes, everything is so fluid like a ballet, probably sounds daft that but I do enjoy watching.
____________________
BAARRR HUMBUG CHRISTMAS IS CANCELLED THIS YEAR
A Vida Suga...
Kawasaki ER5/sold Suzuki SV650S/loving it

[Ben.]

im a complete novice at biking, but i can relate this to other areas in life, theres nothing wrong with being slow etc. in my eyes, as long as you dont try to spout bull, and are honest about your lack of knowledge, no one seems to mind.
The best thing to do is admit your a novice, and listen to the advice rather than try to act like you know what your doing.
One thing i dont like though is people telling you how to do something because theyre better at it than you, by all means give some advice but when it comes down to, 'why have you bought an r6 you cant even ride it properly' At what point did I say I can ride it properly then? So why do i need a lecture about it? It does get boring when people just nag on and on. Prehaps he bought the bike because he likes it, is that ok with you, oh God of rideing
I think it all comes down to admitting how good you really are, some are deluded and big headed and some aren't, When i am good enough to race provisionally then I'll give advice if you ask for it, but untill then take advice form others rather than dishing it out.
____________________
follow my racing season
Race bike - R6
Road bike - sv650

[killa]

I don’t do big ride outs really never have done, and bike meets are ok if I go with one person I know and just go round looking at machines.
I’m a lone rider 90% of the time. If I do go for a ride out I like it to be me and one other person.
I rode out with Sickpup this year and a lot of the time I was thinking ‘I wonder if I ride how I usually do if he’ll say something about it’. Turns out he rides consistently smooth with no funny business, which means I didn’t have to think about him and just ride how I liked.
When in a big group I worry about others and what they are going to do and what they are thinking. It might be because I don’t know them.
Earlier this year I rode out with 4 guys I didn’t know, one guy was so fast I couldn’t see him half the time, the BMW rider in front of me was a bit up him self at the garage we started at and was infront of me trying to catch him, I just watched him go round corners the whole time thinking ‘eerrr, steady mate’
____________________
Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult.
Bike:- Yamaha TRX850 | Killas Biking History | Killas Gaming History | Killas autmotive history

[stinkwheel]

I don't like going on rideouts with people I don't know. They keep falling off among other things. I preferr to go out with my club. There are people in the club slower than me and there are people WAY faster than me. You can usually find someone who is happy to match you for speed

I also know the guys well enough to have them riding close and for me to ride close to them. to give an example, on an overtake I'll quite hapily follow someone in the club out as they pull out. I know they know I'm behind them and will pull well forwards and over to the left to leave room for a following bike to pull back in. If I go on an 'open' rideout, I'll wait for the other bike to move up again before I'll go. They'll oftenleave you sat out in the road with nowhere to go if you follow them out.

It's unspoken stuff like that that makes for a good rideout. You'll be toddling along as a group when someonewill wind-on and give it some welly. Maybe a couple of people will follow them if they feel in the mood, maybe they won't but the front runners always move across to let them pass (maybe they'll drop back then perform an extreme overtake further down the road, but they always pull across).

What REALLY pisses me off is when you get someone on a fast bike that deliberately blocks you from overtaking. That busts my balls. I'm muttering "Look mate,I know you're on a GSXCBZZX1,000,000RRRRSP but I've just caught up with you on a 500 twin. This means I am riding faster than you are. Just move over and let me past, you never know, if you follow me you might even find out how.".
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[The Tot]

My experience is that form uni group ride outs - they suck. I just want to have a blast on the bike through the local roads and that's that. The idea of riding in a big convoy is compelling i must say, but you're always stuck with guys that are too slow, riding beyond their ability, or simply have a point to prove.

I wouldn't even consider myself to be a good road rider, but i'm quick enough (I'm possibly the type to agree that i'm quicker on my 250 than i am on my 600).

It has always been the case on rideouts that I HAVE to carry a pillion because i've got the most comfortable seat of the lot - i mean i don't mind, but it dillutes the experience.

Usually, you have a notion in your head about the capabilities of the riders and their bikes. Usually i'm in the top of the list ... but like people say - what really irks me on rideouts is when i pick a very conservative line through a series of bends but people are either 50-pencing it or running wide and cutting in. Sure, i know i should anticipate it, but i'd rather be taking in the enjoyment of the road as opposed to be watching the red light flicker in front of me.

To be perfectly honest, i always loved riding in fast pairs; leaving sufficient space between the person you are following or followed, shadowing a faster rider through the roads, that way i can take as much knowledge from the road through him, giving me advanced warnings of looming hazards. At least you don't get to bullshit as much and neither does the other rider- you can chat about where you can possibly have gone quicker and how you feel you could have slowed down - the feedback from the observing rider of similar ability makes you a better rider in the end. Having 3 or more bikes makes it difficult since you have to focus on the 3rd rider. Rallies on the other hand such as killspills are fun cos you just make a lot of noise!

Always cool at uni when u see two bikes and bikers kitted out just heading out making noise and making even more noise through the bends - bliss. As for uni ride outs, i only go if i'm forced (and usually with a pillion obligation). Fortunately the guys at uni that wear all the tat are pretty damn quick - so it looks like I'M the poser lol
____________________
The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism

[TUG]

i moved onto the whole post ride bullshit stuff a while ago and got well flamed.
i agree, only time i go rivington barn is because the gf likes the twisty roads and scenery. i wanna look at a few bikes for insperation then she says its timne to go lol.
____________________
Haz ER-5, innit!

[MoshizZ]

[sanchezz_182]

[TheDonUK]

[binge]

Sounds just like ebbsfleet.

Ok, so you have the likes of me, LukeVFR and a few others who ride ride ride. And rarely sit down in the "lay by" area and talk. When we do pull in and talk, the only thing you can hear is guys talking about speed or lies about their riding.

Again, Standing by their spanking Gixxers with matching leathers etc.

Typical biker meet to be honest.

[Hooky]

One thing to remember, empty vessels make the most noise (including post whores /keyboard warriors )

I very much doubt the are more than a 5 -10 people on this forum can REALLY ride, IMHO these few are all racers (ex) whose choose not to give it the berries on the public highways because they know better.

The average road rider has NO idea how "fast" this can be .

IF you think you are a riding god who can get your knee down at will on a local roundabout etc you need to take it to the track.

That is the only place to see if you can cut the mustard.

So you think your quick at the track-day ? try club racing, you WILL be in for a shock.

Then try to gain a national licence (a pretty difficult thing to achieve)

Next is to get your International licence, ! how many of the bcf massive have managed that . ( only one that I know of ! ) > unless you know better ??

You are all SLOW , all of you, so get used to it leave all this fast riding for the track, you will live longer and it will save a shit load of grief for those that are left to pick up the pieces

When riding in groups its better to keep it slow (ish) its all about a mature attitude which again is missing in the majority of the BCF forumites.