Where are all the nutters?
Discussion
I had a very “spirited” ride in this morning with an old ZX9R who proceeded to go mono-wheel after each speed camera zone.
After a mutual pat on the back before we went our separate ways I started thinking how rarely I see such behaviour. When was the last time you saw somebody pop a wheelie away from the lights, or two bike getting amongst it on the daily commute?
The reason is the fact that speeding and “dangerous” riding are now about as scorned upon as kiddy-fiddling. That and the fact that the newer generation of riders have grown up with speed cameras and CCTV everywhere, while those of us longer in the tooth only had to dodge the local Bobby on his bike when we started hooning around.
I for one have definitely slowed down a lot. Part of this is that after 15 years with a minimum of 9 points on my licence, I got bored of getting fleeced by insurance companies. Another reason is that I tend to take longer to recover from bouncing down the tarmac these days. Or, maybe I’ve just grown up … how dull.
At 40 years old on a mediocre bike, I still find myself as one of the fastest riders on my commuting route and that’s kind of sad. I look forward to seeing the young guns come tearing past on the latest RRR race rep, or some cobbled together rat bike. I see the shiny clean race reps, but they’re ridden with fear, all straight line speed, then hit the brakes for bends or tight gaps
Are there any heroes left or have all the old ones slowed down and young ones had “speed kills” drummed into them from birth?
I’ll now stand back and wait for the onslaught of how irresponsible I am to ride like I do, or even encourage such ludicrous behaviour
After a mutual pat on the back before we went our separate ways I started thinking how rarely I see such behaviour. When was the last time you saw somebody pop a wheelie away from the lights, or two bike getting amongst it on the daily commute?
The reason is the fact that speeding and “dangerous” riding are now about as scorned upon as kiddy-fiddling. That and the fact that the newer generation of riders have grown up with speed cameras and CCTV everywhere, while those of us longer in the tooth only had to dodge the local Bobby on his bike when we started hooning around.
I for one have definitely slowed down a lot. Part of this is that after 15 years with a minimum of 9 points on my licence, I got bored of getting fleeced by insurance companies. Another reason is that I tend to take longer to recover from bouncing down the tarmac these days. Or, maybe I’ve just grown up … how dull.
At 40 years old on a mediocre bike, I still find myself as one of the fastest riders on my commuting route and that’s kind of sad. I look forward to seeing the young guns come tearing past on the latest RRR race rep, or some cobbled together rat bike. I see the shiny clean race reps, but they’re ridden with fear, all straight line speed, then hit the brakes for bends or tight gaps
Are there any heroes left or have all the old ones slowed down and young ones had “speed kills” drummed into them from birth?
I’ll now stand back and wait for the onslaught of how irresponsible I am to ride like I do, or even encourage such ludicrous behaviour
bob1179 said:
Not that I would condone such behaviour, but my old man (63) still rides like a nutter when he get's half a chance. I remember, many moons ago, when he bought a brand new GSX-R 750 taking it out one very early summer morning onto a motorway to see how fast it went...
Top marks to your old man. That's what I'd like to think I'll be like at that age Alas we'll have trackers on all vehicles by then and/or avarage speed cameras everywhere Edited by m3psm on Thursday 24th April 08:24
I think it’s the fact that people have landed up in jail for nothing more than speeding (convicted of dangerous driving where the only danger was their speed) and the fact that loosing a licence would impact so many peoples ability to earn an income that people travel so much slower now. The fact that speed enforcement appears to have little to do with safety and more to do with propaganda means that roads where travelling at speed is actually a reasonably safe thing to do are exactly the roads where speed enforcement is concentrated.
It is politically incorrect these days to enjoy travelling by road and this mantra is slowly being ‘drip fed’ into all or subconscious’s.
It is politically incorrect these days to enjoy travelling by road and this mantra is slowly being ‘drip fed’ into all or subconscious’s.
black-k1 said:
Legal consequences and propaganda
I agree and fall victim of the first one myself. I still don't hang around, but cannot afford to lose my licence, let alone get sent down. I do like to put my brain in my top box occasionally though to remind myself that I still have a pulse.What a sad state of affairs.
Being one of the 'new generation' riders but only having my bike as a weekend or nice evening 'head clearer' I find myself very rarely being anything but a 'spirited' rider. This is probably brought on by the fact that I live up in north wales and although the plod are very strict and unfair (have the points to prove) the infamous A5 is on my back door.
Admittedly i'm not a fan of wheelies from the lights but I dont complain when the front lifts (and on the vary rare occasion back seems to follow :s) from time to time over various sections in the road.
I'm definatly not saying i'm an experianced rider but will note that I have a bike for the freedom and love for the speed and the adrenerlin rush the accompanies it!
Admittedly i'm not a fan of wheelies from the lights but I dont complain when the front lifts (and on the vary rare occasion back seems to follow :s) from time to time over various sections in the road.
I'm definatly not saying i'm an experianced rider but will note that I have a bike for the freedom and love for the speed and the adrenerlin rush the accompanies it!
rich_vw said:
...I'm definatly not saying i'm an experianced rider but will note that I have a bike for the freedom and love for the speed and the adrenerlin rush the accompanies it!
That's what it should be about and I must admit that whenever I'm oop norf or around Wales, the riders seem much more spirited Maybe it's just us soft shandy drinking southerners
When I ride with some 'spirit', I make sure there's nobody around to see it, not just plod. I don't want an unmarked Hayabusa or R1 on my tail and I don't want some off-duty plod a
hole taking my plate for a perfectly safe overtaking move and then telling whopping porkies in court to get me convicted of due care... again.
If a tree falls down in a forest and nobody's around to see it...
hole taking my plate for a perfectly safe overtaking move and then telling whopping porkies in court to get me convicted of due care... again.If a tree falls down in a forest and nobody's around to see it...
y2blade said:
its all about the knowing right time and place!
As I only seem to ride at rush hour, I find that the perfect time 
I'm riding up to Croft early Saturday morning and doubt I'll even break the limit at all on the deserted motorway because that's where I tend to find more plod laying in ambush
Rawwr said:
I don't want an unmarked Hayabusa or R1 on my tail and I don't want some off-duty plod ahole taking my plate for a perfectly safe overtaking move and then telling whopping porkies in court to get me convicted of due care... again.
Well must admit I've never seen any unmarked bike and had never heard of off dutey plod taking down details (except for a chav mate in a boy racered nova or similar, who upset one on a bicycle once...found that quite funny really and probably justified)! hole taking my plate for a perfectly safe overtaking move and then telling whopping porkies in court to get me convicted of due care... again.Think I probably should take that in to account...as for being worried of people seeing me or riding when there are few/no people around, that does not bother me. Been used to holiday makers blocking the roads and since passing my bike test have found my CBR being a great tool to combat the problem, although do find I get a good few flashes or hand signals... o well
I'm still prone to riding quickly, but never really mastered the art of wheelying. I've done some, and done a couple of impressive ones, but the expense if it goes wrong deters me from keeping at it until I get good.
I've also not done a stoppie for a long time.
Or a rolling burn out.
... or got me knee down.
fk, I'm getting old.
I've also not done a stoppie for a long time.
Or a rolling burn out.
... or got me knee down.
f
k, I'm getting old. 
I got 3 points last year, (I passed my test in Aug 05, so 3 more before I need to retake my test)
I actually think it makes me less safer on the road as I'm constantly looking at my speedo when going past cameras, constantly looking in my mirrors when the police are behind me, if they weren't there then I'd be able to focus 100% on the road.
Is it safer for someone to go past a camera at 30 whilst looking at their dashboard, or 40mph whilst looking at the road ahead?
I actually think it makes me less safer on the road as I'm constantly looking at my speedo when going past cameras, constantly looking in my mirrors when the police are behind me, if they weren't there then I'd be able to focus 100% on the road.
Is it safer for someone to go past a camera at 30 whilst looking at their dashboard, or 40mph whilst looking at the road ahead?
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