Do you have to?

nobby50 · Post by **nobby50** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 9:20 pm

we never leave anyone .!like others have already said you only ride as fast as your slowest rider ....we done 550 miles one sunday a few years back an never lost anyone ....you tend to find the more bikes on a run the more incidents !!!!!!!!

bluesman · Post by **bluesman** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 9:21 pm

JonVTR wrote:
yellowtrev wrote: Am i just too slow?
Too sensible?
Too inexperienced?
Too naive as to what goes on during rideouts?
Am i just too slow? yes
Too sensible? yes
Too inexperienced? yes
Too naive as to what goes on during rideouts? yes

Dunno if its because im 21 or what?

If all above true, why do you ride VTR?

If you are competitive and want to beat "them" at that game - why not to get yourself one of countless faster-than-VTR bikes? Or point is to catch GSXR rider on VTR?
Well, if so - french guys do manage it - ride corner around super-fast sprotbiker on old shaggy XR600-based garage-made supermoto. That is really cool, I wich I could do it. Much closer-to-reality type of riding.

yellowtrev · Post by **yellowtrev** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 9:30 pm

The bloke has phoned me back and admitted that things were a bit quick early on. They stopped further on and he got my text so they knew i was okay and that i had turned back.
Thinking about it now i know i did the right thing and that they really were pushing it, but i still can't get my head round that all the other 14 riders were going for it.
Every group has a couple of fast and or crazy riders, but all of them!

Guess i'll be enjoying riding the storm on my lonesome, sad but safe<r>

Casey Stoner was riding on his own today and thoroughly enjoyed it.

pearlorange · Post by **pearlorange** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 9:38 pm

Best thing done, like others I too have a family to think and the thought of seeing my boy's in a state at my funeral is more than enough to make me think, I have had spills before and don't want any more at 47 I always think back and think lady luck smiled on me when I was younger.

bluesman · Post by **bluesman** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 9:46 pm

I'll drink to that

I have 3 kids

KarlosVTR · Post by **KarlosVTR** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 9:51 pm

bluesman - this is exactly why the storm has that awful 'old mans bike' stigma attached. a bike is a bike and its the rider that can adapt to getting it to catch an inferior rider

ive caught loads of stuff on mine and not passed them when i could, just to prove a point. the vtr was and is a ferrocious bike and more than capable with its 'mere' 100hp of catching stupid crap il4s because of its sensational grunt out of corners.

im glad it worked out ok yellowtrev

bluesman · Post by **bluesman** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 10:04 pm

You've taken the bait then

Noticed comment about supermto riders?

And IMHO all that still does not justify "over-confident" behaviour and pushing it too far. In here bikes do not have stigma. Well, may be except Goldwing and Harley

I noticed that UK is race-reps playfield, but it does not mean that you should push it if you missing some element allowing fast riding be accurate, or safe let's say. Often (most of the time) it is not knowledge or skill that makes fast sportbike rider, more often it is ignorance IMHO. I saw it way too many times... This is why it is soo cool to ride in Alps, where speed is limited not by roadsign or bhp but by rider ability to manage what he have and where lower bhp play to your goal rather than against you. And there there is a racetrack to push limits. Every time I was in UK I was amazed by bravery (or is it ignorance?) of people riding your roads, at your weather amongst your car drivers. UK moto journos known as craziest amongst them all. Good ar bad - I don't know, I am just telling you my impressions.

VTRgirl · Post by **VTRgirl** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 3:54 am

Reading through this seems to have brought something to light... The couple who have admitted riding with a keep-up mentality are the young'uns. Most of us are a little older & have been there, done that & are lucky to still be here.

I guess it comes down to the same thing as when we all started driving at some ridiculously too-early age... The invincibility factor. Fortunately, most of us live through it. There are some who don't & ruin their family's lives and there are some who don't actually grow out of it. The latter are the saddest, in my book. Farrrrrr too many mid-life crisis guys out there who get left by their wives & go out & buy Busa's or R1s just because they can. Cruisers should be compulsory for these guys

.

I was impressed by a guy I rode with on Saturday. Only young & with a sporty little bike, but he tootled along at the speed-limit most of the time, only having a serious blat occasionally. Did me the world of good.

Kitch · Post by **Kitch** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 7:29 am

Well, on the Visordown Easter Tour, we were riding with 15. Some of whom were seriously quick, most of whom were quicker than me.

Everybody rode their own pace and a great time was had by all.

I did find myself upping my pace to "going for it" over "pootle" but my going for it was nowhere near their league. I knew it, and it didn't bother me, nor anyone else in the group.

Only one incident all weekend with a guy on an R1 dropped at low speed on a really unbelievably crappy farm track.

Post by **sirch345** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:33 am

YellowTrev,
It takes gut's to do what you did and not try and keep up

Well done

I personally prefer going out on my own purely for that reason, or just with my brother as we both ride about the same pace. As already mentioned imo you do see the dangers more so as you get older

Cheers,

Chris.

Jaglifter · Post by **Jaglifter** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:14 am

I've ridden in groups quite a few times. What always happens is that the people toward the back have to put in spurts where they are going faster than the people up front in order to catch up. I guess the mathematicians would confirm this as classic queing theory - thats apart from lunatic overtakes, traffic lights etc.

In the end its not so much about who is the better/quicker rider, but more to do with who wants to risk their licence the most!

Mostly I find its best not to get too close to the guy in front anyway and just to travel at the speed you are comfortable with - but then again.........

Pete.L · Post by **Pete.L** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:28 am

What's the point in going out and not enjoying it

You did the right thing and decided you didn't like the pace and you left them to it.
Personally I would have just caught up with them at the next stop and enjoyed my own little ride but I can fully understand if the others peed you off so much you didn't want to carry on.
The last few ride out I've been on we've normally got a set destination and have a slow group and a fast group. That way depending on how you feel you can choose your pace.

Pete.l

rs_tubby · Post by **rs_tubby** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 12:04 pm

you defonatly did the right thing, i am 20 years old and i know i only currently ride a lil 400 but i went out with another bunch of mates all on 400's and i felt forced to keep up with them even though this was my first proper rideout and the fastest i had been, i was quite scared though as they were still going very fast round very tight corners which were very wet as it had just rained on ground which had been dry for 2 whole weeks!!!!!

Needless to say i learnt alot and got alot of your a very good rider to keep up when its your first time but there is no need to go mad

Riding is about more than how fast you can go, you should enjoy the company of your mates, the thrill of riding and also take in the lovely scenery not rag the s**t outta ya bike and not see anything but a blur, ride at your own pace and maybe pick it up more as you get more confident.

JonVTR · Post by **JonVTR** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 12:48 pm

I just enjoy riding in fast groups,

why have i got a vtr?

simply because it is a fast bike and is meant to be ridden that way, it handles great (thanks to my ohlins shock) and makes a difference from all the common inline 4's.

I dont see myself on it forever, hopefully will be getting a SP1 or a mille next year, but at the moment the vtr is a very enjoyable bike to ride for me.