Scary encounter with a group of BABS

[Mon Ami Mate]

Witnessed the most ridiculous display of two wheeled incompetence today on some of my favourite roads over the Mendips, ending up going down the gorge into Cheddar. These are roads I know well, but I've never understood why there are so many bike accidents in the area. I know now. Caught up with these guys - I think there were six or seven of them, all in shiny new leathers and riding litre sports bikes, the oldest of which seemed to be on an 06 plate. The fact that they made it to Cheddar was pure luck and no judgement. I hung back and watched these guys ride way outside their capability, ridiculous overtakes, clueless lines resulting in them running wide on left handers and braking out of right handers to avoid going farming. Something has to change in motorcycling and until it does we are all becoming sitting ducks for the legislators.

[Mon Ami Mate]

Hooli said:

oh thats true its due to rain soon. cant get the bike dirty.

always amazes me when you talk to a 'biker' & they've done 873miles (& they do know exactly) this year. errr thats a decent weekends ride mate.

It always pisses me off when I come to sell a bike and get told that it isn't worth book value because of the "high mileage". I've hardly ridden my ZZR1200 this year and last year because of a serious leg injury, but it has still done 16,000 miles since summer 2003. So, not only do BIBS kill themselves, give us all a bad reputation, invite the interference of bureaucrats and get in our way on our favourite roads, they also directly cost us money!

[Mon Ami Mate]

rsv gone! said:

The flipside is that those are precisely the bikes I seek out. My R1 only had 1800 miles on it after a year and had never seen rain. Roughly a 30% saving over the new cost

IN all seriousness, I'd rather buy a bike that has done a few miles too many than many miles too few, especially if it has been properly maintained.

[Mon Ami Mate]

John Laverick said:

It does make my cringe slightly when people criticise weekend or fair weather riders .... that’s what I am and there is nothing wrong with it in my opinion.

Personally I don't want to be on a bike when its raining, its simply not fun. I carry too much stuff with me day-to-day to be able to commute on a bike so there

I ride all yar round, but not in crap weather. That's what my cars are for! I don't think that fair weather riding is the issue, I think that buying a bike that you are patently not able to cope with and then riding it beyond your ability is the issue.