Great big convoys of slow motorbikes - everywhere

[Dog Star]

First off I'll just point out that I love bikes, currently got two R1s and a supermoto, been riding since 1984.

However I'm beginning to find a lot of "bikers" a bit of a liability and I now reckon they're more of a menace than the stereotypical Sunday driver. I'm not on about the odd bike or two together here, but these great gaggles of bikes all travelling at about 35mph in NSLs, often (oh the irony!) with a queue of fuming car drivers behind them - overtaking a great long crocodile of bikes is going to be pretty difficult unless you're in something with enough grunt to get past the entire line in one go - and you can bet your botton dollar that they'd go ballistic if you tried "hopping" along the line of bikes. Someone in the office here has just described them as "worse than caravans".

Yesterday I had a fabulous (possibly one of the best drives of my life) roof down drive back from Tan Hill to home (Rossendale) via Reeth, Muker, Buttertubs Pass, Hawes, Settle, Wiggleswick... and unbelievably only needed to overtake about five cars in over 80 miles. Magical However the standard of bike riding I saw was often utterly awful (I am thinking maybe born-again types here - shiny new sports tourers and GSs? Made me wonder.), several times on bends I ended up with numpties coming at me on the wrong side of the road, clearly having overcooked it - and one twerp on a silver VFR near Hawes who missed me by >|< that much. I can honestly say that I'd gladly trade them for Honda Jazzes full of OAPs - or even caravans. The guys (and gals) out for a well ridden hoon appeared to be very much in the minority

On the upside at least they don't appear to have mucked up my insurance - my renewal has just come through at exactly the same as last year

[Chris71]

Sounds like the Nurburgring on TF days.

[Old Trout]

Only yesterday - A64 dual carriageway.

Long snake of bikes in Lane 1 doing about 55mph (70mph limit).

I had the temerity to pass them and immediately one bike pulled out behind me encouraging his mates to do the same. Immediately I had three bikes right on my arse with them clearly looking to have a go.

I can't pull in due to the long snake of bikes going slowly inside and I didn't want to 'race' them which is what I am guessing they were hoping for.

So irritating - and you wonder why bikers get a bad name.

[Caulkhead]

We get them here on the IOW as well - grey hair, leathers and a Harley doing 35 until you overtake then they angrily accelerate up to 70, wobble, scare themselves and back off to 35 again. I have nothing against bikers, but they should be overtaking me, not the other way round!

[carlove]

Old Trout said:

Only yesterday - A64 dual carriageway.

Long snake of bikes in Lane 1 doing about 55mph (70mph limit).

I had the temerity to pass them and immediately one bike pulled out behind me encouraging his mates to do the same. Immediately I had three bikes right on my arse with them clearly looking to have a go.

I can't pull in due to the long snake of bikes going slowly inside and I didn't want to 'race' them which is what I am guessing they were hoping for.

So irritating - and you wonder why bikers get a bad name.

They had a police convoy on the A64 a few weeks ago, but it was for Help For Heroes so that's ok. But the queue was enormous.
http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/features/charity/895147...

[Petrolhead_Rich]

with fuel prices I guess bikes will be becoming more popular with those wanting a weekend thrill so the new breed aren't really bike riders, rather car drivers that have been priced out of their car?

That and speed traps!!

Eta - there seems to have been a massive influx of the old vespa type scooters too, my god are they annoying, particularly when a gaggle of them decide to go down the bypass at 38mph!!!

Edited by Petrolhead_Rich on Monday 18th April 10:55

[Mark Benson]

Dog Star said:

Yesterday I had a fabulous (possibly one of the best drives of my life) roof down drive back from Tan Hill to home (Rossendale) via Reeth, Muker, Buttertubs Pass, Hawes, Settle, Wiggleswick... and unbelievably only needed to overtake about five cars in over 80 miles. Magical However the standard of bike riding I saw was often utterly awful (I am thinking maybe born-again types here - shiny new sports tourers and GSs? Made me wonder.), several times on bends I ended up with numpties coming at me on the wrong side of the road, clearly having overcooked it - and one twerp on a silver VFR near Hawes who missed me by >|< that much. I can honestly say that I'd gladly trade them for Honda Jazzes full of OAPs - or even caravans. The guys (and gals) out for a well ridden hoon appeared to be very much in the minority

I live near Tan Hill and they're becoming a real pain. I thought it was just me that had noticed how many there seem to be this year.
As you point out, there's no overtaking a line of bikers, but they don't (or won't) get out of the way for anyone else.
At least caravans tend to stick to the main roads, the slow bikers can get up all the little roads that used to be the preserve of sports cars and well ridden bikes - there's nothing more annoying than getting to a favourite bit of road and seeing a snake of them trundling away in front of you. It's either stop for 10 mins and allow them to get away, or sit behind and hope they stop to admire the view.....

[Dog Star]

Mark Benson said:

I live near Tan Hill

That's not far from where we were staying over the weekend - the Charles Bathurst Inn - few miles down the road.

As to sitting behind them - do that behind a queue of badass accountants out for a cruise on their Harleys and you'll go deaf.

[EDLT]

Its probably the first time they've been out on their bikes this year.

To add some balance to the inevitable car vs bike fight, I was nearly killed by a convoy of Subaru drivers when they all decided to overtake a slower car without looking to see if anyone was coming the other way

[Dog Star]

EDLT said:

Its probably the first time they've been out on their bikes this year.

To add some balance to the inevitable car vs bike fight, I was nearly killed by a convoy of Subaru drivers when they all decided to overtake a slower car without looking to see if anyone was coming the other way

TBH I don't think I have started a "car vs bike fight" - I doubt that the sort of person who is on PH would be the sort to sit in a convoy of his mates on chromey bag of w@nk cruisers wearing @rseless leather chaps doing 13mph - let alone try and justify that kind of behaviour.

I think I've started a "everyone vs convoys of idiots" fight I bet they even hold up caravanners.

[trackerjack]

Road between Petersfield and Winchester passing throuh West Meon hut spotted several power rangers plus two cop bikes and three fantastic Vincent Black Shadows, nice.
Great roads for bikers round there plenty of good curves.

[EvoBarry]

Bear in mind that any convoy must travel at the pace of the slowest vehicle, and a lot of the time these groups will have a newbie or nervous rider, or maybe even the odd 125 on L plates. We try to keep our groups down to six or so, and split into seperate groups if there's too many riding at once, as its just too much like hard work trying to keep a group together and maintain any kind of pace. Its as boring for me as it is frustrating for any other road user.

I'm not part of these mega group rides btw, just giving you some idea as to why they *may* be riding soo slowly..

[AdeTuono]

Dog Star said:

the sort of person who is on PH would be the sort to sit in a convoy of his mates on chromey bag of w@nk cruisers wearing @rseless leather chaps doing 13mph

Bank managers pretending they're 'hard-ass', in my experience. And revving their st-sounding chrome-guttered 'Iron Hoss'. (potato-potato my arse)

(This from a long-time biker who can't see the point of 'convoys')

[Rawwr]

In my experience groups, runs and conveys of any type of vehicle bring out the worst behaviour, whether it's too fast, too slow, dangerous or tedious.

Fly solo.

[Old Trout]

Living in East Yorks - the bikers are crazy, especially cross-country on sunny weekends. Brid, Scarborough and Whitby seem to attract. It can be quite disturbing when you are suddenly surrounded by a swarm of very fast riders on a the moors roads!

[Dog Star]

Old Trout said:

Living in East Yorks - the bikers are crazy, especially cross-country on sunny weekends. Brid, Scarborough and Whitby seem to attract. It can be quite disturbing when you are suddenly surrounded by a swarm of very fast riders on a the moors roads!

Yebbut at least they're gone quick!

[rsv gone!]

AdeTuono said:

Dog Star said:

the sort of person who is on PH would be the sort to sit in a convoy of his mates on chromey bag of w@nk cruisers wearing @rseless leather chaps doing 13mph

Bank managers pretending they're 'hard-ass', in my experience. And revving their st-sounding chrome-guttered 'Iron Hoss'. (potato-potato my arse)

Personally, I can't think of any thing worse but vive la différence.