EAR Rideout 20th September

never been on a group ride before, hopefully we'll get good weather and it'll be an enjoyable experience

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Originally Posted by Rob969

never been on a group ride before, hopefully we'll get good weather and it'll be an enjoyable experience

Its always good fun - its been a while since the last one so will be good to meet up again - also will be the first 'Org rideout I have done on an SV

Originally Posted by maviczap

We shall see. Unfortunately I have no choice but to ride the A14 to get there

Average speed cameras, YUK!!! But it'll be worth it, you've just GOTTA come, definitely the more the merrier (not that it matters cos i'll be at the back anyway )

Originally Posted by Rob969

never been on a group ride before, hopefully we'll get good weather and it'll be an enjoyable experience

Ive only done 2 group rides - the AR was my first, although there were bikes everywhere and it was so well organisd it made it a fab introduction to group rideouts.
And then last week i did a much smaller one with only seven bikes which was also good but felt a bit like an oap's trip out cos the leader was my ex-instructor and he's so protective of his license that when we reached roads where it would have been good to 'stretch our legs' we sat at 60 all the way, he'd also told us no overtaking! Now, im no threat to Valentino Rossi but i do have my moments and it would've been nice to have the odd short blast (you know what i mean, 64-65mph ), so it was a bit frustrating. Group riding is loads of fun though

the nearest i've come is a track day at snetterton but its not quite the same!!!!

OK, getting closer to the rideout, so thought I'd post the helpful/serious stuff. Listed below are some guidelines for the ride, just to help and make everyone feel comfortable with it.

We'll use the usual 2nd man drop off (numbers permitting) which is detailed HERE

The helpful/serious bit
- Introduce yourself to the ride organiser and swap mobile numbers with him and at least 1 other participant
- Arrive with a full tank of gas or as near as is practically possible.
- Tyre pressures checked and in good condition.
- Breakdown cover. Check if your bike is covered in the event of an accident or breakdown. Full recovery is best. And make sure you have contact numbers for them.
- ICE (In case of emergency numbers) These should be in your phone under that heading. Should someone need to be contacted on your behalf.
- Map. If you haven't got proper ones then rip out the page(s) of an old map book, or get a photocopy, or print one off the internet. It is NOT the responsibility of the organiser to get you home.
- If you're using a dark visor, bring your clear one as well.

- DO bring waterproofs. Just because it's sunny doesn't mean it's gonna stay that way.
- DO Keep an eye on your mirrors.
- DO Ride responsibly.
- DO Stagger your position on the road so as to maximise forward observation and braking distances. This also makes you visible in the mirrors of the bike in front.
- DO ENJOY YOURSELF


- DON'T Do anything you're not comfortable with. It's not a race .
- DON'T Follow too close to the bike in front.
- DON'T fixate on the bike in front.
- DON'T Assume the rider in front knows what he's doing.
- DON'T Stop if one of the group get pulled over.
- DON'T Worry about keeping up and what the others might think.
- DON'T CRASH!

As of yet there's no TEC, but anyone willing to do it would be great. (I got hi viz's so no problem there).

Any comments can be posted on this thread

Don't worry it's not stuffy and up ourselves, we do have fun on the rides really

The majority of the roads we're going on are quiet, so the bikes may get opened up a bit, maybe up to 62MPH

Mike, you forgot to add " dont stop in front of a bike that pulling away" ....

Never heard of the 2nd man drop of before, read the link but i hope someone will explain it on the day, i'm sure i'll understand what to do once i see it in action

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Originally Posted by Rob969

Never heard of the 2nd man drop of before, read the link but i hope someone will explain it on the day, i'm sure i'll understand what to do once i see it in action

Its dead easy - basically if the main leader is in front of you he will point to a place at a junction or roundabout and you stop there and tell everyone else which way he went and wait for the designated "Tail End Charlie" (the last person) - once you see them you can go on your way.

Simple and it works!

OMG, you mean i actually have to take some responsibility for making sure we end up in the right place - hah, you're happy to end up lost in the middle of the fens then!