Great big convoys of slow motorbikes - everywhere
Discussion
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
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
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. 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
I think I've started a "everyone vs convoys of idiots" fight
I bet they even hold up caravanners.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!
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