Ride Outs in General

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Deeping
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Re: Ride Outs in General

Post by Deeping »

I would be happy with just the tea and maybe a bag of chips.
The attraction for me would be the ride and the meeting people with the same interests; anything else is just an expense on top of what I have already spent to get there, money is tight at the moment. Just my opinion.
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Gerard C
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Re: Ride Outs in General

Post by Gerard C »

Hi Earl i agree with you. It was a comment as to perhaps some members thinking. And yes I think we have to bear in mind the costs involved. I think thats why its best to vary as far as possible the destinations. Long rides to meetings are OK but not another 100 on top when we get there unless its an overnight.
Other Scooter and Biker groups pull the balance off so why can't we?

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Re: Ride Outs in General

Post by Deleted User 62 »

Iam with Deeping on this one......
like the idea of a ride and a meet up, and a coffee and eats.
But a ride and stop overnight in or around London is out of my pocket.

I will wait to see what arranged before i commit to anything.

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Waldorf
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Re: Ride Outs in General

Post by Waldorf »

As an aside: the X9OC was formed for the sole purpose of members riding together.
It's evolved into much more but the ethos remains the same.

There is a yearly 'Anniversary Weekend' where riders from North and South meet up. I can't remember whether this year's was the ninth or tenth.

It's quite difficult finding somewhere which is reasonably accessible for the two main groups with good roads to ride and it's likely we'll be revisiting former venues.

Forums/clubs which appeared for other reasons don't have the same foundation so it's bound to be more difficult to get Rides organised - many members join for information alone.

A personal observation: August is not a good month for organising anything!
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richie the 1st
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Re: Ride Outs in General

Post by richie the 1st »

pikey wrote:I tell you what I enjoyed when Richie led a tour thro London for German tmax group would need for any from the north to stay over but we met at Ace cafe then saw the sights of London by scooter which if you dont live in London and never seen it would be good
Thanks Pikey,glad they liked it,me on a Honda sh125 lead the way,a for a North/South meet up lets go for it..??? The Rutland meet up,s never did them cos wasent on here at time.Have got some members no. too,the weather will allways put a damper on a meet up,like me for the Pie/Mash meet,sorry.
I Would like to do a Matlock meet up but its a night stay over for me,and Wales also never been.So any nore surgesstions.. :kiss:
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tallpaul
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Re: Ride Outs in General

Post by tallpaul »

I would love to meet up but as I feel limited to the distance on my 125, if there are any more meet
Ups in north York's this year I will try to attend.

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TmaX9
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Re: Ride Outs in General

Post by TmaX9 »

As far as I'm concerned, this year is a wash out for pleasure rides, for personal reasons. Hopefully next year will be different, but one thing that always makes a ride impossible for me is a too early start, that if you are travelling any distance to get there means a ridiculously early time setting off from home. If there is a last minute problem and the ride is cancelled, by the time an email or a forum message is posted, you are already on the road.
10 o' clock is the very soonest that a ride should meet at the start point or you eliminate half the possible interest straight away.

Also a ride that ends near to the organisers home and which is also further away from the start point for everyone else will help kill some interest. A loop with a finish where you started is always best as anyone who isn't familiar with the area at least knows their way home from there.

Long rides to a café on your own just to sit around for an hour then ride home again alone is not a ride out in my book and has limited appeal? There has to be a secondary incentive to make this sort of 'meet' worth while.

What often happens if rides are any of the above, is that the same few regulars who also live close by tend to make up the total and if anyone else does attend, it will probably be a one off.

One thing that should never happen either is the organiser cancelling when there is a reasonable amount of positive interest. If they don't want to go through with it, then don't start anything in the first place. Cancelling in this situation should be by mutual agreement only and only for a really genuine valid reason.

The best rides are when a person plans a route, test rides it, puts a bit of effort in to find stopping places, lunch breaks etc and picks a popular date and gets lucky with the weather. The trouble is on this forum is that if there is a cloud in the sky, after all that effort and time, so many people drop out for a range of reasons that are pretty obviously just excuses because they don't want to go out if it might rain, that it discourages a lot of people from having a go at organising anything.

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Dexter
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Re: Ride Outs in General

Post by Dexter »

pikey wrote: :kiss: :kiss:
Blimey, I'm in that vid.
I sold the Deauville and have had my Burgman 400 for 3 weeks. :D

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TmaX9
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Re: Ride Outs in General

Post by TmaX9 »

As the X9 club annual bash has been raised as an example of what can be done if the organisation is done properly, then maybe an insight as to how it is achieved might help.

Sometime between the end of the summer and Christmas someone usually asks the question as to where next years bash will be held. Either a broadly acceptable location is suggested or several are proposed and we used to vote, or just broadly settled on a location based on an extensive search for suitable 2 night stay venues. We currently use a system where each year at the bash the location of the following year is proposed and decided on by those that attended, rather than by a public vote which often was influenced by voters who had little or no actual intent to turn up.
Everyone puts in a few hours browsing time to find a suitable venue once a rough idea of the likely numbers attending and after a few telephone calls or emails somewhere is usually chosen. Often a deposit is volunteered by someone to fix the booking. You have to work this way and trust people and also once you have been part of the decision and organisation, have the decency to stick with the plans and turn up so others are not left out of pocket, barring genuine un-forseen circumstances, and even then be prepared to lose your deposit unless you can arrange a substitute for your room.
It isn't easy and can cause ruffled feathers, but we have not yet had a bad meeting, and because it's started early enough, saving up can be done so the cost can be spread and it doesn't seem such an expensive weekend.
We always try to find somewhere that has evening meals and real ales in house or within a short walk, and that isn't too expensive nor a complete flea-pit.
The Saturday is always a ride out stopping for a few hours somewhere for lunch which is either pre-recce'd or simply calculated using Google Maps and Tyre and using Street View. It's worked so far for every year since 2005 and has been well attended every year and is always a good laugh and a good ride, so this method does work and we do not let the weather affect us one little bit!

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Funkycowie
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Re: Ride Outs in General

Post by Funkycowie »

Earl wrote:I'm not too sure about the 'mines a 300 and they are on 500's' comment. The rule of scooter riding in a group is you go as fast as your slowest rider. I go out with a load of Vespas and Lambrettas on my 850 mana and sit at the back quite happy at 45mph sometimes slower.
A scooter can be chucked about at 10 mph or 70 mph, engine size is not important, if any one thinks so they might as well go join the power rangers or LML/Lambretta types :D

I'd quite happily sit behind a 50cc if the ride was enjoyable :D
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