Wellington Wednesday Night Cruisy Summer Rides -- 2008/09

[henry]

No longer cruisy, to the point where people modify their perfectly adequate motorcycles to "keep up".

I went on out on Wednesday and it was very cruisey. Speeds weren't excessive at all so I'm not sure what every one is on about. quallman1234 was giving it some but he was on a RG150, it was all noise and elbows.

Especially surprising was the bollocking a few of us got at the top of the hill for riding too fast. I'm not sure what else I could of done apart from getting off and pushing it round the corners. Mind you it wasn't without incident and it was nothing to do with speed.

I think people are getting a bit confused between 'keeping up' and 'catching up'. The group got a bit spread out because of the traffic lights. Nothing you can do about that. If it happens there is no point killing yourself to catch up. After all we had the traditional tyre cooling stop at the top so no one was going to be left behind.

[325rocket]

Especially surprising was the bollocking a few of us got at the top of the hill for riding too fast. I'm not sure what else I could of done apart from getting off and pushing it round the corners. Mind you it wasn't without incident and it was nothing to do with speed.

I think people are getting a bit confused between 'keeping up' and 'catching up'. The group got a bit spread out because of the traffic lights.no one was going to be left behind.

I agree. If you don’t have the self confidence to be your own man (or woman) and ride your own ride to your own abilities maybe motorbikes aren’t for you. Alternatively if this wasn’t the problem but you thought you could get lost on a hill with no turn off point’s maybe invest in a GPS.
Last week was faster then other Weds night rides I have been on but it wasn’t excessive and I didn’t hear any learner riders complain at the speeds. I will admit the cruisiness has slipped a little since BuckBuck pulled back. I know he was there but you know what I mean.

[James Deuce]

You won't hear any learners complaining about a "less cruisy" ride because they all want to emulate people with far greater skill and experience.

Losing your license, riding 10/10ths, and crashing are all things that seem to be acceptable to KBers, and it's a shame to see the Wednesday ride become yet another race. As Ixion has pointed out before, presenting an accident as a bad thing on KB is often viewed as a soft cock mentality, and a necessary step on teh road to becoming a true "motorcyclist". Hanging out with people with both skill and a survival ethic seems to be deeply uncool.

It doesn't mean you have to ride like a Nana either. If my last Wednesday experience was anything to go by, some people could do with learning some throttle control and staying off the brakes.

[Ms Piggy]

It doesn't mean you have to ride like a Nana either.

Never fear James! I shall be there soon and riding like a good ole Nana on Betty. I don't want to and can't keep up with fast riders anyway!

[ukiwi]

me and the wife (lilly2wheels) really enjoyed the wednesday ride we were on a couple of weeks ago, as did the other couple of L platers and 250's that were there. I dont think any of us ever felt like we had to ride to keep up with anyone, in fact we were in front of a couple of the guys on biger bikes for most of the way, and they were still smiling at the top of the hill, cant get much cruisier than that.

[James Deuce]

My word. One REALLY has to push hard to get the nice people to pipe up, doesn't one?

[325rocket]

My word. One REALLY has to push hard to get the nice people to pipe up, doesn't one?

are we not nice people?

[James Deuce]

I wouldn't know

[Weaver]

Perhaps someone should take on the role for headmaster and tell the people that are trying to race that maybe they should ride elsewhere at a different time.

I think alot of this can be turned around by the faster more experienced riders, riding slower. If this was to happen, then the more inexperienced riders won't push their abilities trying to keep up.

Or just fuck it and the wedensday will just dwindle away.

[Pedrostt500]

Perhaps someone should take on the role for headmaster and tell the people that are trying to race that maybe they should ride elsewhere at a different time.

I think alot of this can be turned around by the faster more experienced riders, riding slower. If this was to happen, then the more inexperienced riders won't push their abilities trying to keep up.

Or just fuck it and the wedensday will just dwindle away.

Nobody is holding back the faster riders, let them go for it, there is always the Thursday night rides for those who wish to ride a bit quicker, and feel constrained by the Wednesday ride.
It would be good to see more "L" plate riders on the Wednesday night ride.

[ukiwi]

Am I missing something?
It all seemed fine to me, just like the Sunday morning ride.

Youre right though Pedro it would be good to see more L plates, not so much for the pace or style of ride but just to get them out there. Me and the wife have picked up so many good tips and advice through riding with those a bit more experienced.
I think it also makes the whole experience of owning and riding a bike better when you can spend time with like minded people. Even if some of them do ditch the GT and buy an everybody look at me, dogs knob red, "bike of the year",
Do I sound jealous?

[James Deuce]

Yeah I think you are possibly missing something.

The initial intent was to go for a gentle pootle, roughly as a group, and have a meal, or an ale, or coke or whatever takes your fancy, talk "biker" and then a gentle ride home.

The last one I went on was ridiculous.

There was no group ethic, just a bunch of people riding far enough beyond the speed limit down the motorway to make a ticket unpleasant, and then the very odd experience of riding over the hill at a gentle pace, sometimes too gentle, and then people buggering off in three directions once at Featherston.

I dunno, maybe I'm expecting too much, but I saw a few stressed people riding just beyond themselves, and some people riding in an annoyingly erratic fashion. It's just supposed to be fun, with an emphasis on the sort of fun you have spending time with people at the pub. It's now more like an NCEA subject you have to get an "achieved" in before you can buy a "real' bike and go on a "real" ride on Thursday.

Fundamentally, I don't like riding with a bunch of people who are riding just hard enough to be unpredictable because they are riding just into their discomfort zone. I also don't like the fact that there just isn't ANY discussion AT ALL about adhering to any sort of protocol in terms of riding formation, leader and TEC, and expectations around getting L-Platers home before 10.

The Wednesday rides were started by a guy, now dead, who could see that people needed to learn a bit about riding with other people, and developing some good habits that you need to do that.

It's just a free-for all-now, and worse for it I feel.

[Ocean1]

The Wednesday rides were started by a guy, now dead, who could see that people needed to learn a bit about riding with other people, and developing some good habits that you need to do that.

It's just a free-for all-now, and worse for it I feel.

Seems to me Jim that you're amongst the best qualified of the local crustyoldcunts to do something about that...

[Weaver]

Nobody is holding back the faster riders, let them go for it,

I'm not saying anyone is. I'm saying they could set some sort example on the wedensday night by riding at a "gentle pace". That is what the the wedensday nights are about.
As you said, if the faster riders want to ride at their own pace, which in this case is a bit faster, then they maybe they should ride on the thursday night.


The C in TCWNR stands for Cruisie.

[ukiwi]

Yeah I think you are possibly missing something.

The initial intent was to go for a gentle pootle, roughly as a group, and have a meal, or an ale, or coke or whatever takes your fancy, talk "biker" and then a gentle ride home.

We must have turned up on the right night cause thats what happened.