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UK SW Owners Meeting 19th September 2010

20K views 169 replies 41 participants last post by  andyw 
#1 · (Edited)
Thanks to all who attended!

$155 donated to the Site and Hope you all had a great time, No rain too!!

My soul is so so going to hell!!!
 
#95 ·
would I be considered a killjoy etc if i aired my concern over this latest event?
Now I know I am perhaps the last person here who is in a position to say anything at all, but we have now had more than a few warnings in the form of accidents over the last 7 or 8 years Luckily without too serious an injury so far, but does the panel think it perhaps time to reflect on this latest warning and see how we can adjust things for the next ride out? The first thing I have a problem with is splitting things into named groups such as the fast group etc I have seen this at trackdays and inevitably someone with a huge dose of testosterone and little experience gets into the wrong group and then comes a cropper by rideing way beyond his ability just trying to keep up. Now I am not saying that is the case in this latest event as I dont know the guy, but many of us long serving forum members have ridden together many times and know how each ones rides but throw in an unknown person. a friend of a friend, and all of a sudden you may have an 8 ball in the middle of the group.
Would it not perhaps be better if the "fast group" split off from the rideout and do a trackday for a few hours and meet up later with the others in the time honoured tradition? After all hareing around unknown, narrow country roads at whatever speeds, however exciting, could, one day be terminal. All it needs is a landrover and horsebox pulling out of a field on the blind side of a corner! Perhpas my last accident last year has just driven home how easy it is to come a cropper even though I was riding slower than the speed limit on an empty road.
Ride safe guys!
 
#97 ·
would I be considered a killjoy etc if i aired my concern over this latest event?
Now I know I am perhaps the last person here who is in a position to say anything at all, but we have now had more than a few warnings in the form of accidents over the last 7 or 8 years Luckily without too serious an injury so far, but does the panel think it perhaps time to reflect on this latest warning and see how we can adjust things for the next ride out? The first thing I have a problem with is splitting things into named groups such as the fast group etc I have seen this at trackdays and inevitably someone with a huge dose of testosterone and little experience gets into the wrong group and then comes a cropper by rideing way beyond his ability just trying to keep up. Now I am not saying that is the case in this latest event as I dont know the guy, but many of us long serving forum members have ridden together many times and know how each ones rides but throw in an unknown person. a friend of a friend, and all of a sudden you may have an 8 ball in the middle of the group.
Would it not perhaps be better if the "fast group" split off from the rideout and do a trackday for a few hours and meet up later with the others in the time honoured tradition? After all haring around unknown, narrow country roads at whatever speeds, however exciting, could, one day be terminal. All it needs is a landrover and horsebox pulling out of a field on the blind side of a corner! Perhpas my last accident last year has just driven home how easy it is to come a cropper even though I was riding slower than the speed limit on an empty road.
Ride safe guys!
Some good points Nigel. I always worry about the guys trying to keep up and we have seen what can happen time and time again. It happened with the doc last year. These ride outs are a social event not the world championship. I am not suggesting we all become a funeral cortege but a fast rider on roads they have ridden countless times has an unfair advantage and people following will and can get into difficulties riding on unfamiliar roads. After all racers get to a track and learn it before they ride like complete loons. We don't have the chance of sighting laps !!!!!
 
#96 ·
As far as what happened to Dave yesterday I'm sure the only person he would hold responsible is himself... We're all big and ugly enough to look after ourselves and should be riding within our limits as individuals regardless... The leading bikes will always stop and wait for their groups at junctions, roundabouts etc. so there's never a need to "keep up"
 
#98 ·
I think Nigel has a point. We have been lucky that no serious injuries have been caused and no one else has been involved but sooner or later our luck will run out. I don't want to be a killjoy. i love the ride-out and the group (who are all much better and faster than I am) but some of the roads require a lot of respect. I also think that the residents who live in the 30mph areas deserve respect and consideration too.

But I will be back for more - so have a go at me face to face next year
 
#101 ·
May I take the chance to wish Dave a speedy recovery and to say thanks to them cyclists that helped keep the road safe. I was 2 behind Dave when he came off and saw the bike cartwheeling along the ditch , but it could just as well been a deer bounding along as he was so far into the hedge.
As regard the naming of the groups, we could just say the first , second and third group as I didn't feel anyone was pushing anybody else to ride to their limits. Bandit200 was well out of site and riding really fluently when Dave came a cropper and I am sure that everyone in that group were aware it wasn't a race. Group 1 was quicker than when I have ridden in group 3 but the speed was all relevant and in the right places and not faster than the training day I did recently with an AIM trainer.
I am sure there are points to be taken from recent incidents on the ride and then again we are all grown ups making choices that suit ourselves.
Oh and of course I must say thanks to Skidz for arranging another exciting day.:bigclap:
 

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#104 ·
Glad to hear Dave's relatively OK - tell him not to laugh, cough or sneeze for about 3 months, as it seriously hurts with broken ribs :eek:hmy: His RS250 was a really neat looking bike - hope it rebuilds OK :)
He can count himself lucky it wasn't up the road a bit where we had close encounters with a herd of lairy cows that had left their mark on the road for the next mile or so - that would have really been a shitty prang. :shocking:
Great to meet everyone again - hope the Trike didn't slow you up too much - which would be the answer to slowing the event down - SV Trikes Only - tho 90% of you would end up in a ditch :whistle:
 
#105 ·
Many thanks to Warren and... everyone! For a great day out. :bigclap: was good to see so many old faces again, and more new ones! Glad to hear about Dave, guess it could of been a whole lot worse, considering the distance he travelled an everything!

I think Nigel has maybe called on the renewal of a reality check here on this topic, so that no one gets carried away. But i do think people for the large part, make up their own mind how far their skill level goes (or they should). The groups are a..... basis at the end of the day! You could argue that any rider should just be responsible for themselves and decide on a group. I for example, having now been to a few meets, have found i am very comfortable riding behind Matt and Bish. I have done i think, all the groups now, and can honestly call on the group/level i'm happy with.

MAYBE.... ANY new rider regardless of skill/experience should run the noob or lowest group as a sort of safety run of the road layout, and then progress up? Yes the impact on maybe looking cool and impressing mates or other members for the first time does bode some weight, but i think in a very small percentage!? And i think its the responsibility of ANY great forum to promote sensible riding in general!

Perhaps, for others reading these posts, young riders or those new to bikes, members or not, will take heed on this incident and Nigel's and others comments since. It's always the case that something bad has to happen to highlight on age old topic, and draw on it once more. There were a few ideas floating around about how Dave's incident happened on Sunday, mud - speed - experience etc??? The only person who can for sure say either way... is Dave! But he is, for the most part able to walk away from it, luckily.

:)
 
#106 ·
But i do think people for the large part, make up their own mind how far their skill level goes. The groups are a..... basis at hte end of the day! You could argue that any rider should just be responsible to themselves and decide on a group.
Precisely - you're not duty bound to keep up with whoever is in front - the group leader & everyone else will wait at road junction changes.
To be fair this point is always made in the pre ride brief, you've just gotta be honest with yourself & back off if get's too hot for you.

I'd rather the above simple statement is taken heed of than dictate who rides in what group - that in itself can lead to "competition" problems.

Let Common Sense prevail - if not then at least get BUPA & RAC cover :whistle:

This in no way is a dig at Dave as I did not witness the prang & can well see how you could come unstuck on that corner - without the ditch you may well have got away with it.
 
#107 ·
I'm glad Dave is doing ok and hopefully the 250 is fixable. Looks like the weather god was in a good mood at least.
 
#108 ·
Hi guys, got back about 5:30 pm today as I stopped for a 2 hour nap on a grass bank as I felt myself getting tired and loosing concentration on the motorway.

Had a great time, the roads/route was fantastic and the weather held for the 3 days except for some heavy damp first thing this morning.

Thanks to Warren for organising it, a good turn out too. Nice to see some old faces and sveral new ones. I have to thank him again and his good lady Jackie for thier hospitality on sunday evening and his kids who made the stay so much fun.

I covered about 900 miles over the 3 days, it would have been less but for Warrens little joke, he invitied me to stay at his on sunday night which I accepted. After the ride out I said " So I'll just follow you home, how far is it ? " as I assumed he lived near Taunton...... About 80 miles he replies, Plymouth...he lives in bloody Plymouth, totally the wrong direction :wallbash:

I've returned the offer of accomidation at mine next time he does the Cumbria ride out :)

I'm glad Dave is reasonably okay, I was in the fast group to start with but was uncomfortable with the speeds down roads I didn't know and the Tiger while it's good can't corner as sharply as a 600 sports bike.

Strangely my parting words were " I'm dropping out, if I try to keep up with you lot I'll end up in a ditch ".

It's latre, i'm knackered, I'll catch you properly tommorow.
 
#109 ·
Nice to catch up with you all, some new faces i see, hopefully to return for next coming meets, had to chuckle to myself when Warren (a serving :pcplod:) say's to me "beg borrow or STEAL a bike to get out next april", lol. :devil2:
But seriously hope you all had agreat time enjoying some fantastic scenery, and some great roads, hopefully see you all soon with a bike underneath me next time. Get well soon Dave!! :doctor:
 
#110 · (Edited)
Thank you....

Well, first of all before I my 0.02 in, many, many thanks to all of you for making the effort to coming to the run and to Andy, Bart and Martin for helping out in the lead roles in the absence of 2 of our more seasoned leaders, consider yourselves promoted into the leader pool!

Also big thanks must go to Nigel who was able to see to Dave whilst awaiting the Ambulance allowing others to be used as advace warning to motorists as we were all in the group and also to Ben for assisting him with Dave. What was good was that EVERYONE stopped to try and help where possible and again that says something about the riders on these runs in a very unselfish way and for that I thank you very much. Big thanks also goes to Mike and Steve for sorting the bike out and staying there, allowing everyone else to carry on with the day. Hope to see you in April chaps :). What was also very good to see was the level of concern from everybody in Daves welfare and I can only echo my personal best wishes to get well soon.

There is some debate on here and I personally agree with much of what was said. What happened was very unfortunate and it is by the Grace of God it could have been anyone in the group.

First, Nigel has a point about track days, but the first and foremost point of this run is a social meet with a rideout with like minded people so by putting group 1 in a track day spoils the social side of it and that can always be arranged by plenty of very capable people on this site as we have seen. Unfortunately the South West is not blessed with any decent tracks either.

It is difficult as when doing groups one has to take what a new rider says on face value about their ability. Nigel again is correct that in 75% of the riders that attend these meets, I know their style etc and they are easy to place. There is also the difficulty for the same reason that certain riders will not ride in a group different to their mates whom they have ridden down with and so juggling people around to keep groups to a safe number (Ideally no more than 8 or 9) or riders happy is no mean feat.

Like what has been said, ride to your ability and not to anyones agenda. All getting back in one piece just because some mph has been sacrificed if obviously more preferable to what unfortunately happened.

This is not to villify any individual in particular but I have conversed with some of you face to face or through PMs and would like to throw these ideas into the melting pot. Comments are of course always welcome to ensure that all of us have a good time on these runs.

1. The groups are diluted with mixed ability riders and those who are a little more spirited than others can always wait for the others to catch up at a junction/bus stop whatever before carrying on. The risk there is the impatience of those riders stopping so often knowing they have a good few minutes wait on their hands, but really you should be old and bold enough to suppress these feelings and remember that its a social meet, not MotoGP.

2. New faces, which, of course are very welcome, are, as we well know are a unknown quantity and as such do not go in group one until (a) that rider has done the route at least once, maybe twice before to familiarise themselves and have a better knowledge of the roads themselves and also it may well be beneficial for that rider to maybe receive feedback from other members not as a way of getting at them, moreover to help them stay safe too because red mist and "catch up" will always factor in some and people are more brave when rather trying to keep up and putting themselves over the limit thereby increasing the risk to themselves and their fellow riders. As stated there are many whose style I know and would pick to ride behind conversely have ride behind me.

Please comment so we all get the best experience from this and future rides.

Once again, many thanks for the Donations which Spanks has got and will keep this very valuable resource going and a future date for the diary will be 30th April 2011 :)

Finally It was very good to host Peter and i think he is now an honourary adopted uncle now! Thank you very much for everything and Plymouth in the Daytime is only marginally better, trust me!!!!!

Cheers Guys :niceone:
 
#112 ·
Glad Dave is on the mend ,gutted I could not be there but extension nearly finished so with a little luck I will be back next year and the Wilts Dorset run will also be back ,I have managed the grand sum of 83 miles this year and still only have 2700m on the R1 ,I love the Idea of a forum track day as mentioned above ,I don,t think there is any problem with the way the southwest is run ,It comes down to the individuals choice ,if you push beyond your normal skill level your more likely to meet something you can,t deal with ,so don,t get carried away and just enjoy the day :supsmiley:.
 
#113 ·
Good to hear that Dave is doing well, and not too badly hurt.
It was a great day out and a superb ride. I am getting to know the roads a bit better and feeling more confident with the ride now, but I still know my limitations as a rider and that is to ride with the intermediates!
As for the other interesting happening on the ride, I have photographic evidence of the Bovine interdiction.....
 

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#114 ·
The way forward is 1 group with the front members waiting at intersections for everyone to catch up. This seems to be the way on all other ride outs I have attended. That way there should not be as much rivalry. I have experienced both ends. At the Scottish meet, because of the neck, went from the leading group to the slowest guy there and didn't bother me in the least. As the old saying goes got the T shirt nothing to prove. Thats what we have to realise it's a bike ride not a competition ! Gutted I wasn't there but that's the problem with shift work ! Pleased that everyone had a great time and the weather was kind.
 
#117 ·
Just like to say as a newcomer to the ride outs I found it no different to ride outs of previous sites I have been a member of. I didnt feel at any time I was being forced to try and keep up and if I had of got left behind then I would have just waited for the next group.
It was my first good outing since the bar conversion and after 450 miles on the day all felt well
Thanks to Skidz and all being well will be back in April
 
#118 ·
having had a few chuck it down the road here and having seen others here with the same predicament there probably isnt an easy solution to this,
I expressed my thoughts because there is such a fine line between having a great run out , and the whole thing ending in disaster.
The french do it as retro proposed with the leaders dropping off at every turning point, the problem with this system is you dont know who is actually last, how long to wait, or if the last placed person is waiting in a hedge!
I also agree with skids that having a track day does spoil to some extent the social interaction of all.
But I think we should debate the subject none the less.

What I do is hand out a map of the route we are planning to use that day so if someone feels that the pace is a bit too hot he can ride at his pace and catch up with the group at the next group stop, it is also expalined to all that it is not a race (which many rideouts can virtually become) I know this goes without saying but we all have different limits and my slow pace a month or two ago had 2 coppers (1 with only 2 years riding experience) having canipulations as to the insane pace that i was going (no intended dig here skids they just happened to be coppers) whilst the rest of the group felt the pace was easy but good.
maybe the only real solution is for all the group to be in radio contact I suppose this may be feaseable in the near future.
keep the thoughts coming!!
 
#119 ·
The french do it as retro proposed with the leaders dropping off at every turning point, the problem with this system is you dont know who is actually last, how long to wait, or if the last placed person is waiting in a hedge!
The easiest way round this is for someone to agree to bring up the rear, then it is easier for the leaders to know when everyone is through. The tail end charlie can be changed after every stop, unless you happen to have someone who likes this role.

It sound a bit trite, but if someone actually stands up at the start of the day and reminds everyone about the rules including not pushing beyond limits, it actually puts everyone more at ease, and reminds to some extent that this is a social ride out and not a race or talent show.

Hope this helps.
 
#122 ·
The format of the ride can't be held as a contributing factor to Sunday's incident and neither can it be said that one persons riding dictated that of another...
However it's proposed, a group rideout will always have someone at the front by default and that person doesn't assume responsibility for those behind - it lies with the individual...
 
#124 ·
i have jus spoke to steve[900 blade]and dave is up n about in hospital.:bigclap:.should b out tomorrow if his lung is drained properly.....hes already booked a go on his blade tomorrow nite..:niceone:...and then he wants to go to were it happened to see what went wrong....i guess.....and hes gonna buy back the 250 n sort it out....he told me to say thanks to ever one and especially the gp[still cant mem his name..:doctor:] and torchwood......he also said he`ed be there nx april.:bigclap:.but in the middle group this time....:lol:
 
#125 ·
Just to throw in my thoughts. Firstly, glad to hear Dave is on the mend. Second, no matter how much you safety brief, and organise, someone will always try to go beyond their limit, or their luck will run out. Last time I was on the ride, our group leader stopped after a while, and asked us all if the pace was ok. It was then, but I felt it got quicker and quicker as the day went on. I think we should all be honest with ourselves, and say if we're not comfortable. I hope I'm up to the task also of admitting if I'm not fast enough, and riding within my limits. I agree also, that where possible, new riders do not go straight into faster groups. It's a long old ride really, and imagine trying to learn the TT course as you blast round it! Plus we have oncoming traffic, cyclists, pedestrians, distracting young ladies etc. Perhaps make sure at each rest stop that everyone's happy with the groups and pace?
 
#126 · (Edited)
Admittedly, the last time I led the group I did loose you in a hedge, but I thought you said wildlife ran out infront of you??, not that you overcooked it trying to keep up. Apologies if this was the case, we split the group as there were too many in group two for Warren's liking, and you were unlucky or lucky enough to end up in my group.

All that can be said to the matter, is do what I did, sell the bike, drive a big metal cage, and rock yourself to sleep at nights, wishing you had a bike again, lol..... :supsmiley:
 
#128 ·
Yes, I did stupidly dodge a critter, I was concentrating so hard on keeping up though, which could also be stated as a contributing cause! I should have backed off, rather than trying to keep up. Next time, them's critters had best beware!

I don't have a car licence, so I'm stuck with bikes for now!
 
#129 ·
Again apologies for turning up the dial on the group pace.

So the no car licence.......ADSA home delivery or do you carry the shopping on your handlebars, lol.
 
#131 ·
Here are a few more photos from the ride.
 

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