Scary encounter with a group of BABS
Discussion
i think BAB is a state of mind as much as anything. anyone who hasnt ridden/driven/done anything really for 20years (or any long period of time) and expects to be as good as they were is a prat. thats what BABs do, they dont ride for years. buy a bike way faster than they had in the past & think they are barry sheene - they are dangerous to everyone including themselves due to their attitude.
does it matter if you rode in a field till you were 10 - then try again at 25 or ride on the road till 30 & get another bike at 30? you've still not ridden in years, your basicly starting again & have to remember that when setting your limits.
does it matter if you rode in a field till you were 10 - then try again at 25 or ride on the road till 30 & get another bike at 30? you've still not ridden in years, your basicly starting again & have to remember that when setting your limits.
Biker's Nemesis said:
Phil Dicky said:
Biker's Nemesis said:
Phil Dicky said:
I'm not a biker, but what does BAB stand for ?
Born again Bikers, the roads where I live are awash with them...As I have said there are countless BABS around where I live who are spoling things for everyone.
John.
Pettsie said:
Agreed Hooli; always within YOUR limits and watch the tinned idiots very carefully! Not riding for 20 years and buying a busa or R1 is probably the dumbest thing imaginable... Start with something that will not try and kill you and build up. At 51 I am nowhere near being 25!!!
I have to disagree with the comments about buying something that you expect ‘will not try and kill you’. Anyone who buys a motorcycle expecting the bike to ‘control them’ is looking for trouble and will be a real danger on the road. Any motorcycle of any capacity is a danger to the rider and pretty much anything vaguely sporty of more than about 400cc has the performance and capability to travel at speeds well into triple figures and well beyond what is safe in most road situations.It’s not just the BABs that are the problem. I know a few and have seen a lot of riders riding the latest sports bikes reasonably quickly but, they ride the same stretches of road again and again and are riding that stretch of road as though they were on a track. They have developed some pretty good techniques for getting their bike briskly around the same set of corners or for nailing the throttle on the straights, but they have no ability to read the road and are in serious trouble if something out of the ordinary happens. These people are just as much of a danger as they too are riding beyond their ability; it’s just not so obvious until it all goes wrong.
Good riders will know that for most modern bikes, sports or otherwise, the bikes performance is well beyond their own capabilities and well beyond what can safely be used on the road, thus will know that they will only be using a sub-set of the bikes performance in most road situations. As such, the amount of the bikes performance that they ‘do not’ use is irrelevant. Larger capacity bikes make road riding easier due to the increased low down torque.
While I too get frustrated at the BABs and the weekend warriors, I think that rather than criticising them we should be trying to educate them.
Edited by black-k1 on Tuesday 4th September 09:15
Agree with some of the sentiments here, but don't actually think there is anything wrong with choosing to spend increased disposable income as we get older on toys ! Frankly, I would have thought that was one of the 10 commandments of Pistonheads. I'm very much a weekend fair weather rider these days. I've done my time as sole means of transport and now have bikes for fun in my free time. I think it's also the case for many of the performance car drivers on PH - Hauling round the M25 in the company Mondeo all week, and bring out the 911 at weekends.
I'm sure I'm not as quick on my R1 as I would be if I still rode every day, and I don't get stressed if someone wants to ride their 400 quicker than me and then tell all their mates they've just 'blown away an R1'. But I also think I ride safely and don't cause problems for other bikers or road users in general.
I suppose what I'm saying is that there is nothing wrong in principle with being a BAB. If someone posts on here saying they haven't ridden a bike for 20 years but want to come back into the fold, they will on the whole be welcomed with open arms. But when he buys a nice new bike and leathers he becomes public enemy number one !
Need to clearly differentiate (as I know many have here) between the 'mature weekend riders' who don't ride as quickly as others might on the same machinery, and those that ride dangerously beyond their ability. There's nowt wrong with the former, and like K1 I'm not convinced that the choice of bike makes much difference to the latter.
I'm sure I'm not as quick on my R1 as I would be if I still rode every day, and I don't get stressed if someone wants to ride their 400 quicker than me and then tell all their mates they've just 'blown away an R1'. But I also think I ride safely and don't cause problems for other bikers or road users in general.
I suppose what I'm saying is that there is nothing wrong in principle with being a BAB. If someone posts on here saying they haven't ridden a bike for 20 years but want to come back into the fold, they will on the whole be welcomed with open arms. But when he buys a nice new bike and leathers he becomes public enemy number one !
Need to clearly differentiate (as I know many have here) between the 'mature weekend riders' who don't ride as quickly as others might on the same machinery, and those that ride dangerously beyond their ability. There's nowt wrong with the former, and like K1 I'm not convinced that the choice of bike makes much difference to the latter.
I agree that it's not the bike that makes the difference, is the rider that is the dangerous element....although some bikes provide greater capability to get into trouble.
Case in point, I have been riding for 6 years, and up until this March the most powerful bike I rode regularly was a ZX636. As i do alot of miles and I go 2 up regularly I decided to upgrade staying with Kawasaki and went for the ZZR1400. As I was about to purchase said bike a chap I was talking in the dealership said he had just downgraded his for a Z750 as he thought he was getting into too much trouble with it....it was too quick. I must admit I did think twice, is the bike too powerful for me etc etc. I went for it in the end as a decided I was more than capable of riding the bike safely regardless of the power it has, I am glad I did as I find the bike effortless to ride and not intimidating in the least. I realised the chap in the dealership was the dangerous element in not being able to have any restraint...i bet he is out there now on his Z750 taking it beyond his limits and still an increased danger to himself and everyone else.
Case in point, I have been riding for 6 years, and up until this March the most powerful bike I rode regularly was a ZX636. As i do alot of miles and I go 2 up regularly I decided to upgrade staying with Kawasaki and went for the ZZR1400. As I was about to purchase said bike a chap I was talking in the dealership said he had just downgraded his for a Z750 as he thought he was getting into too much trouble with it....it was too quick. I must admit I did think twice, is the bike too powerful for me etc etc. I went for it in the end as a decided I was more than capable of riding the bike safely regardless of the power it has, I am glad I did as I find the bike effortless to ride and not intimidating in the least. I realised the chap in the dealership was the dangerous element in not being able to have any restraint...i bet he is out there now on his Z750 taking it beyond his limits and still an increased danger to himself and everyone else.
Pettsie said:
BAB's - jeez... Oh to be so young and perfect. I started (on the road) at 17, 51 now. Still alive and do not race on the road - ever. "I was not trying when I was catching up", maybe the guy in front of you just wanted the 'young gun' to overtake and pi$$ off out of the way!
Just what i was thinking, i only do about 3k a year, to be honest i find it funny sseing rider out in the pissing rain in January, me i take the car!!! Keep the bike for nice sunny days to enjoy myself. Oh i wish i was as fast on the road as some of you guys, the perfect riding gods you are.
Funny cause most of you sound like you are 12 year old scooby owing wanabees.
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
.... 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
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.
That's the camp I'm in. Done all that year round riding stuff for years, and quite frankly, I find it tedious to say the least. .... 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.
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. .... 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
Regardless of whether you're a BAB or not there's a couple of rider types;
1. Upright "Ride magazine" beard riders who are concerned about reviews of Bike security
2. Sportsbike riders concerned with hooning.
It's the second type of rider that's at risk of a serious accident simply because your test only teaches you to be the upright kind of rider. So... fresh after their test pass the BAB will go out and purchase an Sports 600 / 1000 and try to ride it in the style of rider type 1 because they don't know any different. This is why most people buy a bike and sell it and go back a few years later. It's simply not enjoyable trying to hoon when you have no real idea how to do it so you’re constantly thinking "thank goodness I'm alive" at the end of every run because they corner in an upright stylee.
I don't think it matters whether the rider buys a 1000 or a 600 - both are able to get you in trouble. I agree with the comments about new riders buying the latest bikes, new leathers etc - I don't blame them, you got the cash then why not? Whatever bike you're on - if you want to hoon, you need to know much, much more than your test can teach you.
1. Upright "Ride magazine" beard riders who are concerned about reviews of Bike security
2. Sportsbike riders concerned with hooning.
It's the second type of rider that's at risk of a serious accident simply because your test only teaches you to be the upright kind of rider. So... fresh after their test pass the BAB will go out and purchase an Sports 600 / 1000 and try to ride it in the style of rider type 1 because they don't know any different. This is why most people buy a bike and sell it and go back a few years later. It's simply not enjoyable trying to hoon when you have no real idea how to do it so you’re constantly thinking "thank goodness I'm alive" at the end of every run because they corner in an upright stylee.
I don't think it matters whether the rider buys a 1000 or a 600 - both are able to get you in trouble. I agree with the comments about new riders buying the latest bikes, new leathers etc - I don't blame them, you got the cash then why not? Whatever bike you're on - if you want to hoon, you need to know much, much more than your test can teach you.
my comments arent aimed at 'fair weather riders' im considering a car for the winter as well. its just that the majority of riders riding outside their skill level ARE fair weather riders. just because they dont ride enough to learn how to ride their toy at the speeds they want to ride. obviously people who have ridden for years are not normally like this, its the people who either havent had a bike before or not ridden for years then get a bike again.
yes by all means by a thou if you want as your first bike (or first modern bike) but respect the fact you are the limit to the bikes performance.
i started on a RF600 & its in no way a quick bike compared to modern toys (147 flat i believe) but it was more than enough to almost kill me when i was fresh off my test. the ability to get to silly an hour in a few yards leaves you with a big panic moment when you realise the corner is coming way quicker than you can ride it.
yes by all means by a thou if you want as your first bike (or first modern bike) but respect the fact you are the limit to the bikes performance.
i started on a RF600 & its in no way a quick bike compared to modern toys (147 flat i believe) but it was more than enough to almost kill me when i was fresh off my test. the ability to get to silly an hour in a few yards leaves you with a big panic moment when you realise the corner is coming way quicker than you can ride it.
I'm not sure how you can judge someone to be a "BAB" purely from their riding style: I've seen quite a lot of scary riding from many riders of varying experience this summer. Quite how people expect to be able to safely travel beyond the limit of visibility I'm not sure; it becomes quite irrelevant how much experience you have or the size & specification of your equipment when a moped could put you in danger thanks to a fundamentally flawed approach to riding & driving.
However, I'll quite happily continue to wear my "BAB" label with pride as it's much better than "No bike", ta.
However, I'll quite happily continue to wear my "BAB" label with pride as it's much better than "No bike", ta.
Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff