Salisbury plain avoiding the mobs

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DavidS
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Re: Salisbury plain avoiding the mobs

Post by DavidS »

As excellent as the charity fundraising is, groups of 20 bikes are not the way to endear ourselves to the great British public IMHO. There seems to be a weird thought process in ‘a certain collective’ that groups should be no more than 6 but mass rides are perfectly ok. As I understand it, the Wessex Wanderer manages to spread itself over a large area with small groups.

We (a group of 5) met a female horse rider on Monday who had a terrible time earlier this year when she got caught up twice in a bunch of 30 on an LDT. Although the riders were polite and helpful, that many bikes were freaking out her horse. Maybe not so bad on the Plain but less good on normal narrow byways.
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Re: Salisbury plain avoiding the mobs

Post by ~ACP~ »

Nice one Timmo.

Was certainly the busiest I've EVER seen the Plain! But good fun. Plenty of room for everyone :D

Image

Image

Here's Disco dude getting dragged out.
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipM ... JGL95YbjXL

And here's the little blighter that caused my woes.
Image

I can confirm that a can of Holt's isn't a shortcut to carrying proper tyre change gear and didn't work.
But also knowing what a c**t the rear tyre is to get off a 950 I rode the bugger 40 miles home - FLAT!!!
Those safety beads actually do have a use, but I suspect the tyre is toast :lol:
Last edited by ~ACP~ on Wed Jan 02, 2019 1:26 pm, edited 10 times in total.
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Re: Salisbury plain avoiding the mobs

Post by ~ACP~ »

DavidS wrote: Wed Jan 02, 2019 9:16 am As excellent as the charity fundraising is, groups of 20 bikes are not the way to endear ourselves to the great British public IMHO. There seems to be a weird thought process in ‘a certain collective’ that groups should be no more than 6 but mass rides are perfectly ok. As I understand it, the Wessex Wanderer manages to spread itself over a large area with small groups.

We (a group of 5) met a female horse rider on Monday who had a terrible time earlier this year when she got caught up twice in a bunch of 30 on an LDT. Although the riders were polite and helpful, that many bikes were freaking out her horse. Maybe not so bad on the Plain but less good on normal narrow byways.
The plain is a big place and you don't generally see members of "the great British public" wandering about. They're usually motorised themselves or on horseback, in which case they should be used to the activities going on around them. But yes, the group of 20+ was the biggest I'd ever seen, anywhere, and did seem slightly preposterous. Can't have been much fun to ride in.
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Re: Salisbury plain avoiding the mobs

Post by Wonkyconk »

DavidS wrote: Wed Jan 02, 2019 9:16 am As excellent as the charity fundraising is, groups of 20 bikes are not the way to endear ourselves to the great British public IMHO. There seems to be a weird thought process in ‘a certain collective’ that groups should be no more than 6 but mass rides are perfectly ok. As I understand it, the Wessex Wanderer manages to spread itself over a large area with small groups.

We (a group of 5) met a female horse rider on Monday who had a terrible time earlier this year when she got caught up twice in a bunch of 30 on an LDT. Although the riders were polite and helpful, that many bikes were freaking out her horse. Maybe not so bad on the Plain but less good on normal narrow byways.
Bit silly to horse ride in the middle of a ldt, they are usually well signposted with date and times etc.
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zimtim
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Re: Salisbury plain avoiding the mobs

Post by zimtim »

~ACP~ wrote: Wed Jan 02, 2019 12:42 pm Nice one Timmo.

Was certainly the busiest I've EVER seen the Plain! But good fun. Plenty of room for everyone :D

Image

Image

Here's Disco dude getting dragged out.
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipM ... JGL95YbjXL

And here's the little blighter that caused my woes.
Image

I can confirm that a can of Holt's isn't a shortcut to carrying proper tyre change gear and didn't work.
But also knowing what a c**t the rear tyre is to get off a 950 I rode the bugger 40 miles home - FLAT!!!
Those safety beads actually do have a use, but I suspect the tyre is toast :lol:
I did wonder if it worked, did you sort out your ugly sticks.
One of the group's I chatted too recond there was a group of 30.
It was nice to see a good number of younger riders and also women out.
The main problem I could see with the larger groups was they were all riding to close to each other, so when one had a problem it creates problems for those following and if the guy in front takes the wrong line then those following do and if you stop on a snotty chalky gully then you have no chance of staying upright.

Which is exactly what happened when I met that group.

All in I had a pretty good day and it looks like everyone else I bumped into did aswell,
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Re: Salisbury plain avoiding the mobs

Post by DavidS »

Wonkyconk wrote: Wed Jan 02, 2019 1:22 pm
DavidS wrote: Wed Jan 02, 2019 9:16 am As excellent as the charity fundraising is, groups of 20 bikes are not the way to endear ourselves to the great British public IMHO. There seems to be a weird thought process in ‘a certain collective’ that groups should be no more than 6 but mass rides are perfectly ok. As I understand it, the Wessex Wanderer manages to spread itself over a large area with small groups.

We (a group of 5) met a female horse rider on Monday who had a terrible time earlier this year when she got caught up twice in a bunch of 30 on an LDT. Although the riders were polite and helpful, that many bikes were freaking out her horse. Maybe not so bad on the Plain but less good on normal narrow byways.
Bit silly to horse ride in the middle of a ldt, they are usually well signposted with date and times etc.
Agreed but, Historically, the signing hasn’t been the best with that club.
There aren’t that many lanes so could easily be posted by volunteers for the weekend before.
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Re: Salisbury plain avoiding the mobs

Post by ~ACP~ »

zimtim wrote: Wed Jan 02, 2019 1:53 pm I did wonder if it worked, did you sort out your ugly sticks.
One of the group's I chatted too recond there was a group of 30.
It was nice to see a good number of younger riders and also women out.
The main problem I could see with the larger groups was they were all riding to close to each other, so when one had a problem it creates problems for those following and if the guy in front takes the wrong line then those following do and if you stop on a snotty chalky gully then you have no chance of staying upright.

Which is exactly what happened when I met that group.

All in I had a pretty good day and it looks like everyone else I bumped into did aswell,
Yeah, the prop was attached to the rack. I'd have got it out if I was going to change the tyre. I meant to show you but you zoomed off in a cloud of roost!! :lol:
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steve the grease
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Re: Salisbury plain avoiding the mobs

Post by steve the grease »

Something here about the memorial in German.

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-salis ... 78575.html

Hey , I like the double ended crutch prop.
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Re: Salisbury plain avoiding the mobs

Post by 92kk k100lt 193214 »

I am lucky, live rural and use my bike for work as well, Its done 18k miles in 8 months and did 1,000 miles the week of Christmas.

For New Years Day it didn't even get fired up, preferring to spend 3rd January on a ride out with my son, him on his VFR800 when we had roads and places to ourselves.

New Years Day I spent giving the bike a really good clean up and check over and get ready for fairly major service. It has done 28,000 miles since I got it 15 months ago and now again needs all the major stuff like brake fluid, caliper seals, timing chain, etc as it will do over 20,000 miles between now and end of year.

I live next to a riding school on a not very used road and often meet riders on horseback. To be fair the horses are always used to traffic but not always motorbikes so I usually stop and kill the engine for a moment to avoid scaring them. Always polite, always a thank you back from them. I do think that is a necessary action as a bike can frighten a horse quite easily. I don't mind sharing the road, nice t have the company.
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Re: Salisbury plain avoiding the mobs

Post by Thedktor »

Nice report zimtim :)

There are some nice slippery grooves where you stopped, can't believe you didn't get a pic of the carnage! I think the Great Christmas Escape has kind of become a victim of its own success with far too many riders attending these days, anything more than 3 or 4 in a group always results on lots of delays and waiting around, not my idea of fun.
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