Easter Monday Wellington ride.

[phil_elvey]

Fortunately I was hanging back for a reason. I didn't want to be anywhere near...

Well, mate either the back or the front. I was up the front and had a cracker of a run. Myself and the other front four (reduced to three when Yo's gixxer radiator went for a leak, and I wish I could remember you other guys names - there was Yo plus a GSXR1000, SP-1 and a CBRF600) were ahead of the second carnage and broke ahead of the group and headed over the gladstone hillclimb. This was a primo road - choice corners and real good seal. And to add icing to cake the sun decided to come out for us right through to Masterton. Highlight of the day for me.
Cheers WT.

[Drew]

Even tho I headed home, I gotsta say that it was a good day. And when the fizzer is up and running again. ( If anyone knows what bearings I need, to get a YZF front wheel up an FZR I'll bear your children.) I will be first in line, for the next one.
Cheers anyhoo for the SRX today WT

[White trash]

Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou to those you stopped to look after Alan and his Multistrada at accident site #1. I know Lynda, Hamish, Sally, Andrew, Damien, Mike and many more were there looking after things. I sure hope Alan is alright.

My huge thanks also to Mr Hitcher for leading a small group through the Wairarapa playground once everybody got split up. Drunken Monkey seemed to enjoy himself when I finally saw him again at 5:30 at my place! I haven't spoken to Matt but I'm sure he appreciates it too.

My appologies to everyone in the different groups who got split all over the place. It seems a lot of people headed home after the first accident and we had no idea how many to wait for. Sorry.

I need help people. I want to organise another ride, the turn out for this one was friggin amazing, but I want to make sure the same stupid shit doesn't happen again.

What do we do? Have led groups that you're not allowed to overtake the leader? Split it up into 20 groups of 2 bikes, evenly matched in riding pace?

If anyone has any real suggestions, please post them or if you don't want your oppinions made public, PM me. Feel free to let loose with verbal abuse because after my piss poor organisation yesterday, I feel like I failed and I definitely wont be running another for a while. (Not a dig at Alan, Rowan or Barry 'cause shit does happen, and horrible as it sounds, Barrys crash was the funniest fucken thing I've seen in a long time)

Also sorry to the people who's day was fucked up by the actions of a few (that includes being abused by a PMSing cop)

See you round

Jimmy

[James Deuce]

Don't take it too hard bud. Organising a group ride is harder than it first seems, and is often the genesis of a club organisation, just to address the difference in speed issue.

I went on a Vic club ride about 12 years ago and it scared the crap out of me. Those guys were FAST!

I'd be happy to help out (provided I'm allowed out) on the next one. I reckon you could come up with 3 groups, Fast, Medium, and Legal, with a group leader, and a group sweep to keep the bunch together. Plan for accidents before the event, so that there are a cadre of first aid/tool twirlers/ambulance or tow truck callers nominated for each group.

Have designated meeting points and only move on when the group leader/sweep for each group are satisfied that everyone is ready to go. If it gets more complex than that, you may as well organise a race meeting

[Hitcher]

I have been mulling on this overnight as well. Smaller groups are definitely the go -- particularly for the first bit over the Rimutakas, given the road and traffic issues. I would suggest doing the 'takas in groups of five or six, with a couple of minutes gap between each. At Featherston, regroup and assemble larger groups. The opposite on the return -- stop at Featherston and break into smaller groups for the 'takas. Let the quicks go first and the amblers last.

I'm not big on "rules" for these sorts of events -- I reckon that generally if you treat people like adults they respond appropriately. However some guidelines:

Ride within your abilities and the prevailing road conditions;
Treat other road users with courtesy and respect;
Remember that bikers are a "family";
Have fun;
Get home alive.

[svs]

Good ride anyways white trash. Even with rowan on the back from martinborogh to castle point and back its still a top road. The sv couldn't quite keep up two-up - maybe next time.

With that many bikes and the weather being a bit crappy in places, groups are always going to split up. Maybe hand out maps next time? And arrange for more bikes with pillion seats

[F5 Dave]

Scary thing is all those people driving past the accident scene, you know that is forming their opinion of bikes & a percentage of them will be or will become the bureaucrats of the LTSA & ACC who shape the future of legislative & financial (read ACC rego slice) future of motorcycling in NZ.

Problem is you can say as many things as you want to people (as WT did at the start of the ride) & it disappears in a puff of adrenalin. I’ve been on so few group rides lately but struggle to remember any (except WTs Thursday night ride a week back) that we haven’t spent a bunch of time waiting for crashes to be picked up.

Ironically one of my riding mates I met during one of these lay ups when young Rach stacked her bike just approaching the Rimas on an early morning group ride.

[White trash]

Thanks for all your support, guys.

I will have another ride soon, albeit a bit better organised with the help and advice from a few great people.

For those who have organised these things before, you'll know how responsible you feel for when it all turns pear shaped.

I still enjoyed the day immensly and had great company to spend my time with and WILL NOT be giving up on this.

If the Harley Owners Group can get 1400 bikes in convoy from Wellington to Masterton without a SINGLE incident, then I'm sure there's hope for us.

[White trash]

If it gets more complex than that, you may as well organise a race meeting

There's more than a small chance of a KB Manfeild track day.

Watch this space.

[White trash]

For those who missed it, here's some pics courtesay of 'Busa Jim.

Naration is as follows.
1) Outside WMCC early Monday, heaps of bikes, everyone on time.
2) Some good looking guy giving a riders briefing "No crashing! ". Not that it helped.
3) Gladstone pub.
4) Martinborough. (These aren't in order! Sorry)
5) Tainui pub (see a theme?)
6) Panoramic of Featherston (waiting, waiting, waiting "I think there's been an incident")

[LB]

Problem is you can say as many things as you want to people (as WT did at the start of the ride) & it disappears in a puff of adrenalin.

WT: I agree, you can only say/do so much. However, there's some good thoughts coming through this thread, and Jim2 and Hitcher have some sound advice.

Alan (Multistrada) was apparently on the phone to Motomart this morning asking how his bike was (it's not back there yet, they're expecting it tomorrow) so that's hopefully a very good sign.

Thanks for your organising before/on Monday WT, please don't beat yourself up too much.

[Pickle]

sounds like a good turn out, how many actually started the ride?
Might have to join the next ride as no big trips planned now untill Oct.

Just returned from a trip to the South Island doing 2600kms

[matthewt]

WT: don't beat yourself up about it. No matter what you say/do at the end of the day everyone is responsible for their own safety.

I agree with the others about splitting up into smaller groups (divide and conquer!) but then I don't think anyone quite expected that many riders to turn up.

The only comment I'd add would be communication. I wasn't far behind the first pack up the hill and I stopped (as planned) at the summit. We knew something was wrong when no more bikes came past but there should of been another 20+. Sometime after you must of been wondering the same thing coz you made it back up from the other side to see what the story was. If you split into groups all it takes is one person is each group to swap mobile numbers and it would of saved a lot of waiting and guessing for the people ahead of the accident. It would mean you could also plan what to do next for all the people involved.

[matthewt]

Did anyone actually do a head count ???

I'd guess about 40 bikes.

[Slim]

Check this out for the running of future rides:

Rideout Etiquette


Also I noticed we had a really good time without any major incidents on our last Coromandel Blast. The group got broken up naturally by the traffic when we left the Kopu Pub (there's that theme again!) and we all knew where we were meeting next. The fast ones overtook the slower ones & everyone seemed to have fun at their own pace. I quite often found myself riding on my own, and occasionally with another rider or two happy to sit at my pace. Still, it's not hard to get lost doing the Coromandel Loop. Check out the suggestions for not losing everyone in the above rules (Boyd Honda rides follow the same procedure too).

Loved that panoramic piccy of the group.