Charity Rides

[RossKean]

Our local riding club sponsors a charity ride each year in support of the children's unit at the local hospital. It is a great cause and they always appreciate our donations. I have made no secret of the fact that I hate riding in groups of more than a few riders and only then if I know (and trust) their riding skills.

Beautiful day today and the start was early enough to avoid traffic and before the pirates had a chance to grab "refreshments" so I thought I would go - almost an obligation as a club member. Maybe 150 bikes or so in total; maybe thirty from our club. The route was through a "not busy" part of town and then 30 miles of country road to a nearby community. Return along the same route ending out at the hospital.

Within two miles of the start, there was a five bike crash and two ladies ended out transported to the hospital by ambulance. There was NO reason for the crash other than careless/inexperienced riders. The road was a two lane divided highway. No entering traffic and no lights or intersections. These bikes were about two thirds the way back in the pack; about a dozen bikes in front of me. We sat at the side of the road for an hour by the time they got the victims dealt with and the scene cleared well enough to let traffic proceed.

I did follow them out to the midpoint stop but decided to make my own way home.

Never Again!

 

[airboss]

Charity Rides?

I give............I don't ride.

 

[RossKean]

Charity Rides?
I give............I don't ride.

Me too (from now on). Just isn't worth the risk.

 

[redzgrider]

The perfect riding group is the Gilligan trio -- me, myself, and I. All additional participants from that number up degrade the ride. That said, I often send an email to the other riders I know at work that I'm doing a Saturday ride, with my route and schedule. Sometimes three or four others come with me, and the ride is still good. But once we had nine people show up, and, sure enough, one young Harley rider (with a whole bandana for safety gear) tumbled his NightRod and another rider lowsided his duck coming forward to tell the front guys.

Gilligan trio. More is not better.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Harley riders are untrained, unskilled ******* *******. **** them and their BS charity rides.

 

[bluesdog]

Harley riders are untrained, unskilled ******* *******. **** them and their BS charity rides.

Don't hold back, AJ

 

[HotRodZilla]

Harley riders are untrained, unskilled ******* *******. **** them and their BS charity rides.

Don't hold back, AJ :tonguesmiley:

Oh, I'm definately holding a grudge over that last BS. Losers.

 

[MEM]

News report (https://www.telegraphjournal.com/telegraph-journal/story/42773519/?nopromo=1. I don't know if you can see this; may be password protected) states 4 bikes; 3 people to hospital. Yes, they were prolly riding too closely and one likely did something stupid. They don't look like Hardleys to me but what do I know?

It was a Toy Ride in support of the Child Life unit at the local hospital. It's been going on for years and this is the first I've heard of an accident

Ross - being a member of the Freddy Beach MC Club doesn't mean you have to participate in huge clusterfucks group rides ...

 

[steveoreno]

I don't do them anymore either. Riley hospital for children in Indy has a huge ride and one of the perks is you get to do a lap on the oval at IMS but there are always inexperienced riders on borrowed bikes etc so I tend to avoid it. Plus, I go to the Indy Gran Prix, qualifications and the 500 and then the Miracle ride is the next weekend after the 500 and by that point I want a weekend away from the track.

 

[MrZappo]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="HotRodZilla" data-cid="1237234" data-time="1434243338"><p>

Harley riders are untrained, unskilled ******* *******. **** them and their BS charity rides.</p></blockquote>

Wow. Don't hold back.

I know a few Harley riders who are actually great riders. But, sorry to say, not all.

But man, at least fake it. Harsh.

Your actually correct though.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Not really all Harley Riders. Just HARLEY RIDERS. Lol. And like others, I'll drop off my donation and then get the Hell out of there before some ***** runs me over.

 

[bluesdog]

Couple of weekends ago I noticed two ambulances wail by along the highway that fronts my digs. Well, the dog actually noticed them -- he howls at sirens.

Anyway, a short time later I drove into town for my weekly grocery shopping, and found the place packed with heards of Hardleys, in the midst of a poker run. The ambulances had been for some of the hapless pirates who managed to accident themselves fairly seriously. I didn't get the details.

In other news, I was invited on a poker run tomorrow. Shame I'll be too busy with yard work in the morning while it's cool, and taking a nice, leisurely solo ride later. Oh well.

I never did like crowds of idiots.

 

[Bungie]

This. Donate and go out on your own ride. I haven't done a 'group' ride in years because of these fucktards. Except for yesterday. Lemme explain.

I post up on FB that its a motorcycle riding kind of day. A lady friend of mine, whose ridden all over the country, solo, says she's riding down to the Muskoka's. I hop on the bike and meet her, her husband, and, 'them' at the start point.

My friend immediately walks over to me and says, "I know you don't like riding in groups. meet us at the bakery here" and shows me the map. Smart girl because I would've ditched them all in a huge hurry. "She goes on to say they are going to join up with a group in French River". Their are about 6 bikes in her group. All of the chrome turtle variety. One of the guys, apes, chrome WWII german helmet. Greeeeat.

I split and ride on up ahead of them. Beautiful day for a ride. I get to the bakery, get me a fresh sticky bun and cup of coffee, sit outside under the porch and wait. I heard them LONG before I saw them. Their ranks had grown to about 20 bikes. All riding in a pack about 10km/h under the speed limit. A big string of cars behind them.

Okay, number 1. If your gonna ride together, make a rule, no pack bigger than 4 bikes. People, you know, other tax payers with just as much right to the road as you, cannot pass you. God help if you they do, they will MAKE room in the middle of the pack you bunch'a of FUCKTARDS.

German ape boy was riding behind the leader, about 10' off his six, slaloming in the lane. Ya, this probably isn't gonna end well. I'm not gonna make eye contact with this ****.

Long story short, I rode the entire day by myself. I haven't heard back from my lady friend to see if they all made it home safe.

It's no wonder the statistics show the most dangerous group of riders is the 50+ age group. Even ahead of the drunk, unlicensed squids. Just stay, the ****, away from them.

 

[RossKean]

Based upon the news story, I guess I was wrong on the bikes (one fewer) and the injured (one more); there was a lot of confusion at the time.

As MEM mentioned, the Child Life unit is a good cause and I have no trouble supporting it whether I do the ride or not. We have had other events to raise money for this charity (i.e. mid-winter bash/dance) but nothing brings in as many people (contributors) from outside the club as the "Toy Ride".

I won't be doing this event again and there are quite a few who share my feelings on this (although I'll show up to make my donation). Under the circumstances, I would not be surprised if the municipality bans charity rides within city limits in the future. I'm pretty sure that the cost of police, fire trucks and ambulances (not to mention health care for the injured) exceeded the few thousand dollars raised by a factor of several times!

 

[MEM]

Based upon the news story, I guess I was wrong on the bikes (one fewer) and the injured (one more); there was a lot of confusion at the time.As MEM mentioned, the Child Life unit is a good cause and I have no trouble supporting it whether I do the ride or not. We have had other events to raise money for this charity (i.e. mid-winter bash/dance) but nothing brings in as many people (contributors) from outside the club as the "Toy Ride".I won't be doing this event again and there are quite a few who share my feelings on this (although I'll show up to make my donation). Under the circumstances, I would not be surprised if the municipality bans charity rides within city limits in the future. I'm pretty sure that the cost of police, fire trucks and ambulances (not to mention health care for the injured) exceeded the few thousand dollars raised by a factor of several times!

Nice idea, Ross. But inside the municipality or outside, the cost of accidents will be the same; perhaps more since the responders will have to travel farther :dribble:

 

[RossKean]

Cost will, of course, be the same or greater if outside the city but I could easily see our city council using this as an excuse to ban such events from within city limits. They tried a rather heavy-handed motorcycle-specific noise ordinance a couple of years ago.

Out of town emergency services costs would be borne mostly by the province rather than the city.

 

[NMRoadRunner]

I thought we all talked about this a couple of weeks ago and decided not to put ourselves in harms way on purpose.

Thats why we call them "Suicide Rides". Is it me? or are there a whole lot of ******** riding these days. I've been noticing a lot of crap riding going on lately. Be careful out there!

 

[bluesdog]

I thought we all talked about this a couple of weeks ago and decided not to put ourselves in harms way on purpose.

Thats why we call them "Suicide Rides". Is it me? or are there a whole lot of ******** riding these days. I've been noticing a lot of crap riding going on lately. Be careful out there!

Pulled over in Penticton by one of the Queen's Cowboys a while back. I wasn't speeding, and he assured me I wasn't in danger of being cited. He was checking licensing/insurance on motorcyclists, and when asked told me that between 70 - 80% of newer riders were not appropriately licensed.

Yeah, I've been noticing a significant number of 'unskilled' riders, doing stupid stuff like riding too close in packs, tailgating cages, passing on solid double lines and blind curves etc

 

[Big Sky]

When we're out and encounter a "poker run" we quickly find a different direction to go. The pack stops at every saloon and engages in dangerous riding tactics, i.e. too tightly packed or even directly side-by-side. No protective gear, of course, too manly I guess. These are recipes for disaster and some in this area have ended that way. We have NEVER ridden in a "charity run" or "poker run," never will. Besides, we'd never be accepted, probably ridiculed. No thanks.