Update: As of Feb 09 I am no longer a member of Rideout South West. I made a number of good friends, but I felt rideouts were evolving to be not as enjoyable and in the end the actions of one particular person made it impossible for me to continue.
On more than a couple of occasions I found myself going fast enough with the group of motorbikes at the front of the group to put my licence at risk on straight 'A' roads. I also felt that an 'every man for himself' attitude prevailed in rideouts towards the end of summer 2008.
There are also no measures in place to help keep the ride together such as a drop-off system, riding to the bike behind or having a designated 'tail end Charlie' in Rideout SW. In my opinion, implementing at least one of these widely documented best practices would have decreased the number of times bikes got separated and 'lost'. Indeed, I believe implementing a system has been suggested by various different people at different times, but each time it has been ignored.
I would not recommend Rideout SW to novice riders. I believe they would most likely get left behind, or try to ride beyond their abilities in order to keep up, unless a more experienced motorcyclist attached themselves to that group. However, confident riders who enjoy a faster ride may find that style of rideout enjoyable.
Rideout South West does raise money for charity throughout the year, Bikes4Flight being one of the biggest. Well, it was. Bikes4flight has now been cancelled indefinitely according to the website.
Its nearly time for Bikes4Flight 2008 - a charity rideout organised by Rideout South West, ably assisted by the First and Last Motorcycle Club as we shall be marshalling the ride and the parking at Wadebridge.
The day will begin as two mystery tours starting from Penzance and Plymouth and ending up, via a scenic route, at Wadebridge. The weather is slightly worrying, if its like the last few days, we'll wish we were at a Land Rover rally. On the other hand, if it is baking hot, we'll all be baking in our leathers wishing we could swap the burger van for a nice cold food hamper.
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
Charity Rideout in the South West
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4 comments:
rideouts aint inproved much. We went to westbay not weymouth and got lost at exeter services m5 ending up at the airport not tiverton.
Hmm hey Mostly M you say:
"I found myself going fast enough with the group of motorbikes at the front of the group to put my licence at risk on straight 'A' roads"
Isn't it nice to know you are in fast company?
Are you telling us that 65mph is the normal cruising speed for bikes? Scooters maybe but only gay bikers would tootle along at the speed of a mobility scooter.
In my club, rideouts are organised down to the last detail, as much as humanly possible.
We keep to the speed limits at all times and always keep the bike behind visible in our mirrors. This ensures that we ride to the slowest motorcyclist and that no one is forced to ride beyond their capabilities. We also have a designated Tail End Charlie for each rideout dressed in a fluorescent jacket.
We are also lucky to have a number of advanced motorcyclists in our club who mentor less experienced members.
I would not consider going on a ride with Rideout South West if it is as you described and it is totally asinine of them to refuse to consider these methods.
Ride safely.
@ FastCompany,
Thanks for your comment. Na, fast company isn't that impressive. Anyone can go fast in a straight line if they want to. Given the choice, I'd rather go for a rideout in slow company and get there in one piece.
I wasn't inferring any sort of universal 'normal' cruising speed for bikes. However, the speed limit is 70mph and we all know the consequences if we speed and get caught. Personally I'd rather avoid that.
@BikeRider
What a great word asinine is! Now I know what it means I shall try and use it more. The funny thing is, I have heard that Rideout South West are actually starting to implement some of the things I mentioned. Ironic seeing as how this was exactly the issues which caused the toy throwing in the first place.
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