hey trip, since you hate cyclegear

[NeonspeedRT]

Originally Posted by RACER X

fail. i see what you did there......lol

Speaking of a prime example of picking and choosing who we ride with, here is alittle story Nee posted about a group ride we went on....

Originally Posted by neebelung

Here's a nifty little story with a moral:

So we had a nice group ride planned today. Posted it (as usual) on the local board. Went to the appointed meet spot, where a few people were already waiting. Noticed a new face/bike in the crowd... asked around, no one knew him. Seemed... .well... a bit sketchy, but (I think it was the Italian Pimp Shoes, and the ticky-tacky paint job, but I digress).

I asked him how he learned about the ride. He said he was at Cycle Gear, and someone mentioned to him there was a group of people meeting for a ride, and told him when/where to go. Hmm, okay... well, we'll give him a chance. We're cautious, but not total snobs.

We have a pre-ride meeting, go over hand signals, staggered riding formation, etc... (we had a couple other new faces with us today, some friends of friends kinda thing). We capped off the pre-ride meeting with "In short, just don't ride like an asshole, ok?"

We head out, on a big 4 lane divided parkway, and just in the first couple of miles, Mr. Pimp Shoes is... well.. riding like an asshole. A MAJOR asshole. Just completely unsafe, and no regard for anyone else around him. I'm way back in the herd (near PhiSig) and we're both shaking our heads goin' "Uh uh...." I've already got it in my head I'm going to tell this guy to head out, that he can't ride with us (something we've never, ever done before on a group ride). But then lo and behold, we come to an intersection, and he darts out of the group, cuts off some traffic and leaves. YAYYYYYYYYY!!! (we literally clapped in excitement).

We head up the highway a bit, then stop to meet up with another group of friends for the ride. As we're standing there, telling our friends about this asshat that we 'lost,' here he comes, zipping into the gas station. Oh no, no fucking way. We discuss it briefly, and decide we're just going to tell him I'm sorry, you can't ride with us.

I volunteer to be the asshole (it's a role I play quite well), and I go tell him just that -- Hey, we've decided as a group that you can't ride with us, you're unsafe, and you're a danger to the whole group. He starts to say something about his two other friends (both in Italian Pimp Shoes as well) that have come to meet him, but I stopped him and just said "There's no buts... you're not riding with us. Thank you." And I walked away.

I kinda felt like a major bitch, for about 2 minutes, until he and his friends SCREAMED outta the gas station (Asshat #1 literally coming within inches of hitting a car head on), revving up their bikes, and making a scene as they left. It was almost like a little temper tantrum on two wheels.

About 10 minutes later, we head out and get on the road. We're on a 2 lane road, surrounded largely by water, with some gentle sweeping curves, but nothing super sharp or technical. We're in a straightaway, and we see two bikes parked in the grass on the right hand side... and the shoulder is littered with pieces of red plastic. Hmm.. .then on the left we see the three guys walking along the opposite shoulder, and Asshat #1's bike parked (front end completely a mess) in the grass. No other vehicles were around, but the rider was up and walking around, seemingly unhurt.

Around the next bend, we get stopped for a drawbridge, so we all park. Everyone was kinda shaking their heads, laughing at the irony of it (thinking this guy probably went spouting off to his friends "These guys say I'm unsafe... they won't let me ride with them. Dude, I'm not unsafe!!"... and then this happens).

All I can say is, I'm glad we made the decision to not allow him to ride with us, because with the size of group we had today, the end result could have been much worse if he continued to ride like an asshole, and caused other riders to go down as well.

[RACER X]

NO they are evil! and can't slack at work like us and surf the net!

[z06boy]

Why don't ya'll just slow down...trade in your sportbikes and buy some cruisers ? Ok...maybe not.

[wildchild]

Originally Posted by z06boy

Why don't ya'll just slow down...trade in your sportbikes and buy some cruisers ? Ok...maybe not.

he he he I did. LOL I haven't had a ticket since I turned 40.

I did get stopped last year though on the CBR. cop looked a the gray beard and probably thought I was senile and forgot where the speedo was. He let me go with a warning.

[z06boy]

Originally Posted by wildchild

he he he I did. LOL I haven't had a ticket since I turned 40.

I did get stopped last year though on the CBR. cop looked a the gray beard and probably thought I was senile and forgot where the speedo was. He let me go with a warning.

I was over 40 when I got my last two potentially "big tickets"...both times in the Vette though.

105 in a 55. I slowed down and pulled over and then had to declare my concealed weapon. I had taken my radar detector out of the car because it was going to the shop the very next day to get the supercharger installed and dyno tuned.

He was actually cool and although he did give me a ticket...he lowered it to 70 in a 55 and I was able to get a pjc...it never hit my insurance.

The other time I was cruising down the road and some young guy in an SS Camaro with NOS came up beside me and kept trying to get me to race and I wouldn't...well he made some comment about Vette drivers scared to drive their car so I got weak and we hammered it and happened to pass a cop that was writing someone else a ticket on a side road ...well he gave chase and I pulled over but the Camaro ran and they never found him.

I'm actually glad because he said if they had found him we would both get tickets for racing.

He wrote me for careless and wreckless so I had to hire a lawyer. He got it put off for a year and then reduced to "Exceeding Safe Speed"...which was only 1 point and my insurance never went up for that either.

Oh yeah...I was ahead of the Camaro.

Just to be clear...it was a 4 lane road both times with NO other cars/bikes around...well except for the officer and the car he initially pulled over on a side road.