Lost A Sea Of Bikes

[PCC]

Rode the best 4.9 miles ride ever in the TOY FOR TOTS RIDE several years ago.
It was a wonderful warm December day. I had a great time and even caught a hat and won a raffle. 

I was planning to ride it this year but instead went on a weekend trip with someone and let's just say, I wish I would have rode the Toy Ride.

[Spitfire]

Hopefully we may work into this kinda activity. We are too new to riding to get mixed up with large groups yet but now that I've got a throttle lock installed on the wife's bike and we have intercom on our helmets to communicate better on our rides we will start racking up a few more miles this coming year. Don't want to rush the wife and ruin the experience for her.

[Jolsen]

Cool pics

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[Suzuki Johnny]

The Marine Corps League puts on a Toys for Tots poker run, actually it;s a Charity affair...
Everyone who wins any cash donates it right back to the organization.... it's a wonderful cause and it's support by a large segment of the biking community in these parts.

[old time rider]

Glad you had fun.Did go on lots of Charity runs over the years,even led a few.Seems more and more riders on them that were a danger to others IMO.The only time I see some of the owners is at these type of events or bike shows.They like what I do not in the blocking of stoplights etc while they cruise by.I like the kind were they give you a map and you go as you wish with friends or riders in your skill level.Feel blocking a green light only makes some car owners that all ready not liking you more reason to feel that way.If they would make the first rider course a must do before any type of permit in all states feel it would really help on motorcycle wrecks.

[Jolsen]

I had a ride a few years back that was supposed to be 6-7 bikes. At the meet up spot we had 47 bikes. I guess the goldwing club decided to join. Talk about a change in dinner plans. By the time we reached Duluth the goldwing club decided to go back a different way then us. Something about riding too hard ?!?.? So the remaining 12 bikes had a blast. The group I ride with knows I ride fast you ain't doing it right unless you are using all of the tire.

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[Suzuki Johnny]

I don't like to ride with that many bikes in one group.... too many riders I haven't rode with before scares me....much rather ride with a smaller group..10 at the most...
Six is the perfect combination in my book.

[Jolsen]

I agree. Our rides have gone both ways. Had one that 16 signed up but only 2 showed up including myself...

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[old time rider]

Three to six works good for me.Today we had five and the Wing wanted in back and shound have been.He did not mind at all the little 650s were leaving him big time in the tight stuff but with the roads wet he did not want the big thing on him.He rode his new 1973 903 too fast too many times and said ",he has lots of reasons to show on x-rays from breaks all due to motorcycle and him going down.The Alaska trip with 10,300 went so good with four of us and same four have rode more miles than that in the two and a half years since.Find ones that you get along with off the bikes and ride the way you like makes motorcycles so much fun,maybe not fast our slow but the way youall like it:thumbup: .

[Jolsen]

I ride like my dad and uncle taught me. If you ain't scrapping your going too slow.

On a side note at 100mph water feels like concrete.
At 100mph concrete feels like nothing till you wake up in the hospital.

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[YoDude]

I ride like my dad and uncle taught me. If you ain't scrapping your going too slow.

On a side note at 100mph water feels like concrete.
At 100mph concrete feels like nothing till you wake up in the hospital.

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If you wake up at all.

Yo-

[Suzuki Johnny]

Three to six works good for me.Today we had five and the Wing wanted in back and shound have been.He did not mind at all the little 650s were leaving him big time in the tight stuff but with the roads wet he did not want the big thing on him.He rode his new 1973 903 too fast too many times and said ",he has lots of reasons to show on x-rays from breaks all due to motorcycle and him going down.The Alaska trip with 10,300 went so good with four of us and same four have rode more miles than that in the two and a half years since.Find ones that you get along with off the bikes and ride the way you like makes motorcycles so much fun,maybe not fast our slow but the way youall like it:thumbup: .

Your comment about the wing rider brought to mind once in the Texas Hill country we were six riders going through our usual fast (what we thought was fast LOL) pace on the road between Median and Leakey on hiway 337... we were scootin' along until we hit the long straight upgrade after Vanderpool when these three riders on Goldwings, all riding solo passed us up like they were in a great hurry ... the roadway was clear ahead so three of us took off after them....It was almost a futile gesture on our parts...we did catch up with them but they were really pushing the limits in the tight corners and we just stayed up with them for a short while....I wasn't going to let a dangerous situation roll into a worse scenario... they quickly faded out of sight in no time at all.( we were still going at our brisk pace LOL ). we later met all three in Leakey where we all stopped for lunch.... all three were from Tennessee and North Carolina, hence the capacity to run those twisty turns at break neck speeds.
We ran into them later the next day in Uvalde and we had lunch together again... they were headed to Big Bend National Park.
Good Memories :thumbup:

[Jolsen]

I ride like my dad and uncle taught me. If you ain't scrapping your going too slow.

On a side note at 100mph water feels like concrete.
At 100mph concrete feels like nothing till you wake up in the hospital.

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If you wake up at all.

Yo-

My dad was doing about 135-140 when he went into a high speed wabble. He says he thinks he got it down to 110ish before he left the road.

I was living in ga at the time 1500 miles away. I made the trip in 20 hours on my bike. Broke my record by 2 hours that trip. Lucky he had on a brown leather Walmart jacket and helmet. The jacket is still in one piece but covered in blood. It hangs in the garage above our bikes.

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[MadCow]

I've been wanting to do a ride for a cause, but I haven't yet. Maybe in 2015.

Be careful of what you wish for. I've done lots of benefit rides, rides for a cause etc etc over the years and I find them stressful...most of the time folks don't know how to ride in a large group, or any group for that matter. MOST of the riders are new riders without a clue.

Remember that a group ride is just that, a group ride...it isn't YOUR ride....you will be bored and will see people doing stupid crap. I've bowed out in the middle of group rides when I see guys starting to show their asses and show off. Yup, just made my own unscheduled turn off.

This is also one of the reasons I stopped riding with the Patriot Guard.

[Suzuki Johnny]

And poker runs for the most part are just as dangerous to ride
Mainly because some if not all of the stops are at bars or beer halls where those novice riders after a few brews think that they are genuine Evil Kneivels... and that's where the trouble lies......There's a few Charity rides I attend during the course of the year..and they are all very good causes and deserve the support of the biking community...they are well publicized in the local rags and the recognition of the various bike clubs in our area are given good press...and that helps a bunch as to the usual attitude given to large groups or bike gatherings...
we are more than willing to donate to a worthy cause and the public sees that.

BUT.... when we do ride in these Charity affairs...our small group of 8 to 10 bikes lags waaaaaaaay behind the main group.... the various stops along the way are given before the ride starts so we know where the next stop is going to be....
And we don't consume any alcoholic beverages during any of these rides..

On another note someone noted before........
I still belong and I am still active in the Patriot Guard...and we as a group have certain rules and regs that the group adheres to during the many PG functions..one is behavior during a procession from one place to another, usually to the cemetery...and we do have a Sargent at Arms ( appointed before the ride starts) who will and has many times asked an uncareful rider to please remove himself or herself from the formation...
They don't like it but they all cooperate and hit the road...they are also asked if they want to participate again to take a riders safety course and find out all the do and don'ts on a group ride.. otherwise don't bother to show up again....

As to this day and after too many missions that I can remember we haven't had one mishap or crash on any of our PG rides.....because the word is out in our area....if you don't know how to ride please don't ask to participate in the processions....they are more than welcome to join us at the funeral home or the church and the cemetery, just not on their bikes.... and for the most part we have had complete compliance in that regard..

[old time rider]

Only been in six PG runs but all a + for me.One in London,Ky we did meet the nutbrow chruch members .Every ride was really good safe wise.More and more now are for ones not killed in combat.Still good just not been on any of those.How gratefull the parents of some of the young men were just gets to you so much.One couple would not leave till they shook the hand of each and everyone of us and told us how much he would have liked this as he was a rider allso.
Say again I really like the kind of poker runs etc where they give you a map and can go with who you want and at own pace.No blocking lights and other places that is bad IMO pr to public and others.

[Spitfire]

The few mc gatherings I've been to in my very short riding career have all had the route handed to you and you made your way at your own good speed. I have always rode to these under the tutelage of more experienced riders and our group was always small. Were there some irresponsible riders at some of these events? Sure but I/we gave them a wide berth and if they wanted to play through we just backed off and let em go, nothing to prove to them or ourselves. I'm a novice and I know it, when I drive my cage I'm not but then I've nothing I need to prove then either so no pressure to show em how it's done.

[Suzuki Johnny]

You are wise beyond your short riding career Spitfire... Common sense goes a long way when you are on two wheels surrounded by wanna be Evil Kenivels... :thumbup:
One school of thought that has took me a ways all these years is always paying attention to everything around you, try not to day dream on your bike....your attention to detail of the open road will allow you to live longer and a lot safer. :thumbup:

[Jolsen]

What do you do if you and a buddy are the trouble makers?

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[Spitfire]

Er, wise up and go home? ;IDunno: