Day trip to Wales

[littleperson]

Found thid on MCN
Some of you may be very interested in having a day out on the 13th Sept

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/General-news/2009/August/aug1309-help-mcn-reclaim-north-wales/

[orose]

I'd be interested in it if purely to see how many people started at the start compared to how many were arrested and deported (or worse, crashed) en route.

[Red Herring]

I'm not convinced there's that much of a problem unless someone on here has personal experience to the contrary. Lots of forces run purges every now and then and it may just be that North Wales has had a bit of a run on bad crashes and their stats aren't looking that good at the moment. Generally when this happens someone high up in the Force decides they need to be seen to do something to get them back on target so they chuck loads of resources in that direction for a while. North Wales has got some lovely roads and I'm sure they get their fair share of day visitors trying to get out of that industrial estate we call the midlands, and I'm willing to bet a fair minority of them like to get a shift on.

[Ed]

I have never been stopped in north Wales. Or mid Wales for that matter.

[kwak zzr]

neither have i and i'm there quite regular.

[thedonal]

I have never been stopped in north Wales. Or mid Wales for that matter.

Nice one.

Have you ever been to Wales? :D

[Ed]

Nice one.

Have you ever been to Wales? :D

No. Never. No intention of going either, it sounds an awful place:D

[Baph]

I've been stopped countless times, but then I live here. I also may not of been riding in accordance with the law in some form or another. So basically, I look at it as a calculated risk.

I don't see it as victimisation. You play the game, you take the chances. Ride normally with a 100% legal bike, and you'll never have an issue.

Still, I'm off on the 13th, so I now know which area's to avoid. Thanks for that. :D

[hovis]

No. Never. No intention of going either, it sounds an awful place:D

yeah its ****

[Bluefish]

yeah its ****


And it rains all the time.

[Spiderman]

So we having AR10 there then?

[hovis]

yup

[Spiderman]

Do you think they'll pull the ride leader or TEC tho? be funny if it was TEC and the ride got spread out over miles and miles with markers hanging about for ages...and the cops could blame no one but themselves :lol:

[Ed]

Complete nuisance, this. MCN are going to make a complete non-point on a day when I was organising a 675 ride around Bala and Celyn. Botheration.

Ah well, there's always the Elan Valley:p

[Stu]

Thought your 675 was sold? :???:

[Ed]

Thought your 675 was sold? :???:

It was and then it was unsold. I couldn't bear to part with it:D

[Stu]

Good on you :D
& I'm glad you enjoy it that much :)

[xXBADGERXx]

Can`t see this doing any good to be honest , but I think I shall avoid going out that weekend on the bike . I do 1000 miles a month in North Wales and have never been bothered at all . And from the sounds of it they are "Policing" the wrong places at the wrong times , they should be outside my bedroom window on the A55 when some DILL HOLE comes past my house with an inline 4 screaming the tatters off it at 140mph at 3 in the morning .

[BanannaMan]

I don't see it as victimisation. You play the game, you take the chances. Ride normally with a 100% legal bike, and you'll never have an issue.




+1
Part of the game is knowing where and when you can get away with what!
But yes the bottom line is...
"Don't roll the dice if you can't pay the price".

[Luckypants]

Well to my mind it's not a bad thing. Sure, as Bananaman says knowing where to ride and when has a massive effect on whether you get 'policed' or not, BUT why the **** should I (as a resident) avoid certain places and roads so as not to be stopped for no reason? Policing at the Ponderosa (one of MCN's meet points) is covert and they tend to stop you further in. The Rhug farm shop on the A5 has seen mass pulls of bikes for no reason. Bala really needs to be avoided on Sunday as they pull 20 bikes at a time for a 'safety check'. Porthmadog is another 'policing' hotspot. One of our number got pulled by panda plod in a quiet town on a totally standard bike, riding within the limit and all legal, the officer admitted they were 'just stopping bikes'. This last example shows how the N. Wales bobby sees it as 'ok' to hassle bikers as this is the message they get from the top.

N. Wales Police are being discriminatory by stopping bikers for no other reason than they are bikers. Red Herring has a small point when he says that the accident figures have probably gone up. They did last year. However, using this as an excuse to make N. Wales a no go zone for bikes is plain wrong, but of course no bikes = no bike KSI = good figures = good bonus for top cop.

I doubt I'll be out the weekend prior or after this 'protest' as I think N. Wales cops will be 'extra vigilant' but might be out on the weekend itself. I suspect N. Wales police will relax their indiscriminate pulling policy on that weekend to avoid giving MCN a publicity coup.

Final point on MCN's geography. They witter on about the roads of Snowdonia but the final meet point barely enters Snowdonia itself. Therefore most bikes will not go on the roads of Snowdonia - in fact the A5 will be extremely busy with bikes and all other roads barely touched. To really 'reclaim the roads' they should have chosen a meet point further into Snowdonia that can be approached from several different roads. If I'm out I will avoid the A5 as usual, but not for the normal reason ;)

[DaveP]

its funny as i have never been pullled in north wales and i would say 60% of my riding has been done there. As mike and others have said. Choose your roads wisely and you will stand a better chance of not getting into bother.
Something else that always makes me think... Lots of people have this downer on north wales why is that? Did you go and get a fine or points... If so i would take a stab in the dark that you deserted it/them.
Or is it that you aint experienced this amazing part of our island yet and are goin on only what you have heard... If thats the case i suggest you get your gear on and learn for yourself how much there is on offer over there....
I cant wait to be riding that way again soon.

Dave

[xXBADGERXx]

Wouldn`t waste yer breath Dave , obviously they are too girly to ride here and are scared of what "Might" happen . If that was the case , nobody would ever fly a plane in case it crashed or eat Apple Seeds in case a Tree grew in their bellies .

[lee67]

never had a problem riding in wales in 26 years...great place and better roads:cool:

[mister c]

Got pulled in Bala a couple of years ago £60 fine for exhaust & small plate. On the way out as Mike says, they were mass stopping bikes for "Safety Checks", so I stay away as much as I can on sunny weekends

[Sir Trev]

Some of my best biking memories are from trips to Wales: first holiday with my girfriend (now wife) was in Snowdonia, and I loved every minute of my epic ride last year from Buckinghamshire to Shrewsbury via Brecon which took me up through south and central Wales on some fabulous roads. We've just come back from a week on Anglesey and hardly saw a single police car on any of the journeys so it's nothing like as bad as the weekly rag makes out.

[mkz9876]

i drive 40+ thousand miles a year in wales with work and during the week the majority of police i see out and about is in south wales to be fair, although i do see a fair few around the a5 in n.wales.

sunny weekends when im out on the bike you get a lot of police on the coast roads ive noticed and that seems to be the case all over with the odd exceptions, i live in aberystwyth and have ridden to aberaeron (about 16 miles) on a sunday and seen 5 different police cars/bikes so i avoid the coast roads weekends and go for a play on them midweek.

i think a lot of it about n.wales is hyped up for the benefit of the moaners out there who have been done for something like plates or exhausts up there. sorry but take ya chances and you pay the price, i have a technicly illeagle can on my bike but its not excessivly noisy i have a standard plate and in the last 2 an half years i have been stopped once, and that was for bit of bad judgment on my part.

i think all this is going to acheive is getting police backs up, they may stay quiet that weekend for mass influx of riders who have probably never stepped foot in that part of the world and then procede to take it out on the rest of the regular visitors for the following 6 months,

[Red Herring]

i think all this is going to acheive is getting police backs up, they may stay quiet that weekend for mass influx of riders who have probably never stepped foot in that part of the world and then procede to take it out on the rest of the regular visitors for the following 6 months,

I doubt it, if I worked there I'd be stocking up my FPN folder and sharpening my pencil..... Not because I hate bikers but i do love it when someone throws down a gauntlet and there's nothing like a challenge to bring out the best (or worst) in us. If anything the only people that will be upset by this plan will be the local residents, and they're the last people we should be trying to annoy further.

[Stu]

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2009/08/08/biker-stopped-by-policeman-on-way-to-ravine-999-call-55578-24347971/
Biker stopped by policeman on way to ravine 999 call

[Red Herring]

Tragic story Stu but the point is? As the article says the copper was one of 13 attending, there were already others at the scene, and given the persons had disappeared over a waterfall and out of sight I suspect the only use he would have been at the scene was to do traffic control to keep the rubber neckers back. I would take issue with the fact that he left the lay-by on lights and siren though, might have trouble justifying that.

[Jabba]

I've done 90% of my riding in Wales (coz I live there :-)) and I've never once been stopped by coppers for anything. Ever.

My bike is standard with regard to lights/plate/exhaust and I suspect this is part of it. Also, I don't ride like a tit either :lol:

I have 3pts on my licence (November 2006) and I got those (in S Wales) in the car when I was driving inappropriately. My fault.

Wales is no different to anywhere else with regard to the way that bikes are policed other than the roads, particularly in North/Mid Wales can be a bit "hairy" and there are incidents (I won't call 'em accidents because thast implies no fault on the part of the rider) each year.

In short, ride well on a bike that doesn't attract attention and you'll be fine in any part of Wales :thumbsup:

[Luckypants]

From the local press http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/conwy-county-news/local-conwy-news/2009/09/03/protest-rally-to-hit-the-conwy-valley-55243-24591716/

[timwilky]

I support the initiative. But me and North Wales police have major issues, so this copulating illegitimate English person will be nowhere near.

[skeetly]

past my house with an inline 4 screaming the tatters off it at 140mph at 3 in the morning .

Phew! I've always worried that the triple might wake you.

[Ed]

Have decided to go ahead with the 675 ride through Bala. We will all be behaving ourselves:smt096 The MCN mob will be 25 miles up the road at Llangollen. By the time they get to BYC late afternoon we'll be long gone, probs in Barmouth by then.

[xXBADGERXx]

Phew! I've always worried that the triple might wake you.

Your well in bed by then dude :makelurve:

[skeetly]

Your well in bed by then dude :makelurve:
Ah 'tis true. Its a rare thing for me to still be up the same day i get up...
But back in the day! You should have seen me; I'd be up sometimes until nearly one! I used to have an enormous cocoa cup.
It's smaller now of course..........

[xXBADGERXx]

they should be outside my bedroom window on the A55 when some DILL HOLE comes past my house with an inline 4 screaming the tatters off it at 140mph at 3 in the morning .


Well I was totally wrong about that .





It sounded more like 150mph and was 2:45 in the morning