.....I'm definitely an old bastid now !

Did over 200 miles today on some of my favorite scratching roads ie. Disley, Buxton, Matlock Batch via both the A6 and the Snake.

Some of the riding I witnessed was truley scarey.........nothing more or less than I was doing 20 years ago but these guys have very little skill and even less self preservation awareness.

Bearing in mind that I'm riding a bike that's new to me and I'm still running it in ie. less than 400 miles on the clock.......I'm watching guys pass me on blind bends, over solid whites and narrowly missing oncoming traffic etc. only for me to catch them very easily a few bends later........and then watch them risk everything all over again.

I very rarely break the speed limits unless on unrestricted stretches, where I still keep it under the ton (just) and I can still keep up with the morons on their crotch rockets whilst they dice with death

I'm wondering how long it will be before these roads are closed to bikes on a Sunday ?........the cops, ambulance service etc. must be sick to death of scraping idiots off the front of cars etc.

The only skill involved in riding these once great biking roads is now reduced to spotting un-marked plod bikes, mobile speed traps and any one of the 3 traffic helicopters deployed to cope with the Sunday dickheads

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Mithered ta death.
92 MB
96 S2T
98 S1W
00 M2
01 X1
03 P3
10 CR

Same down south Maz, on the A272. Very little skill and lots of throttle (on the straights) and very easy pickings for plod.

Superb road in February though.

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I started out with nothing and still got most of it left.

Funny you mentioning being an old bastid now Maz...we were discussing your birthday present at Glencoe

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Go big!! Or go Home!!

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Mithered ta death.
92 MB
96 S2T
98 S1W
00 M2
01 X1
03 P3
10 CR

just passed a bike splattered all over the road with the rider beside it. I hope the bloke is ok.

No idea what happened but it's the first time i've really thought about my own self preservation, my stomach was churning just looking. I suspect looking at the road layout it was a case of a car pulling out from a side road.

I'd just minutes before commented to the wife that most of the daytrippers seemed to be pretty tanked up on booze from lying out in the sun with their carry outs and i'd bet a fair share of the drivers whilst not over the limit were not far off.

Totally Agree and I definately ain't or even that experienced and I catch them up on the twisties without having to go silly. Do have a very good teacher in BSA man though.
Snowdonia is just as bad, with the added hazard of motorists gauping at the view and evil magnetic walls everywhere. Hence the ridiculus police presence.
They think that because they look like fecking power rangers, they have special powers.
Bloody hell during that rant I've just aged.

Off to wax up me belstaff, polish me sawn off piss pot and clean the bugs off me goggles.
Gill get me slippers warm for when I get back.

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Buelling is exhillarating
But downhill bike racing is so terrifying it makes your arse grow teeth

The plastic fantastic mob end up giving us old school bikers a bad image, the filth get sick of scraping the roads, become over zelous and give us all a hard time.
As restone said here in snowdonia is a prime example, speed traps in horse boxes or hidden behind trees etc, you cant fart without getting pulled.
Puts you off doing these popular sunday routes, i am lucky in that i can get out during the week, i get the boat out and fish at weekends but even that is heading the same way with fucking jet ski tossers, we now have enforced speed restrictions on certain areas of water thanks to them.
Big brother state.

Same here in the south.....seen a couple of broken rice burners being recovered on the A4 already this year. I thought it was just me who could not keep up, gotta be an age thing

There have always been dickheads and there always will be. Perhaps the difference now is they can kill themselves faster with the bikes available today.

Personally, I've got no interest whatsoever in keeping up with the Joneses, or dickheads on bikes, which may be part of the reason I chose a Buell (good old subliminal marketing). I love that the type who'd buy an R1 simply cannot get their head around why anyone would want to ride a bike with a tractor engine in it.

I had a few bikers pass me yesterday, but none dangerously so. The only issue is they come up so fast you don't always know they're there until they pass you, even with frequent mirror checks. More trouble with cars - surprise surprise. There were only 3 occasions when I could have been punted off my bike by mindless driving yesterday. Bonus! Luckily it's so far proved easy to spot the plonkers and the mistakes they're about to make.

Stay safe folks.

PS. I'm not even bothering to fight the thing. Joined the local IAM group!!

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'08 X / '16 SX

these morons are the reason that i get out of bed early on sunday and ride, then head back home before the mayhem starts. its not unusual for me to be out at 5 am. also glad i work shifts so i can get out during the week.

got to say that down here in devon there are not that many fast roads about. most roads are tight and twisty, and with the high hedges its impossible to see around a corner, so speeds are relatively slow. accidents still happen though. glencoe this weekend was a real treat, but hard work sometimes as im not used to group riding or long stretches of fast road. i can see why if things go wrong it can be nasty.

as for the power rangers, if they resort to crossing solid white lines, wrong side of the road on bends, and other dumb stunts then i let them go. if they have to do that kind of thing to get past me, then i dont want to be around when they screw up.

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My Smugmug Photos

I went out with the b-king owners club (or some of them) and fuck me bad bad riding (imo) i could keep up on the tl but dropped back to last and let them get on wth it.
As maz was saying overtaking on blind corners comming past on inside/outside on roads that no one knew.
No not for me anymore still got there (devon) a few minutes later on roads i did not know.
After hitting road side furniture last year im so so slow and or wiser i do not know.

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Do you want it right or right now ?

All the gear in top gear! I do not ride in a group as some start showing off and they don`t want to ride down to bingo anyway

I see your point, to a point, but it also chimes of one of those circular type discussions too. (e.g.: kids were much better behaved back in my day...).

Was riding a motorcycle not considered dangerous back in the <insert decade>? Did this element not influence your attraction to bikes even a little? I'm sure skinny tyres and shoddy brakes, etc, all contributed to the image. I'm sure part of the thrill was pushing your bike to the limits of its ability and perhaps something that perversely contributed to the safety of riding was being able to know exactly what the limitations of your machine were.

Now bikes are more reliable (unless I’ve been near them) and more stable and you're less likely to come a cropper because you've run out of tyre/brakes failed/you've run over the red-flag carrying chap walking in front. In other words, you're now almost certain to reach the limitations of your own talent before ever getting near that of the bike. So when you see a BMW S1000RR scrapping the pegs doing 90 through some twisties that means you'll be able to do it too-right?

How to you address this? More nannying and insist that people who are wanting to buy an 180bhp bike are tested as competent on an 180bhp bike? An acceptance that these rocket-ship riders are themselves going to be replaced by Tron-like ninja's in a generation’s time, and they'll no doubt be more moaning? How about live and let live? The wheel turns. If someone wants to 50 pence every corner and blast at mach 2 along a straight, that's their business. If they want to overtake on double whites or swerve into oncoming traffic, that's their business.

I am in total agreement that the speed limits posted in the UK are antiquated from a bygone era. I am in agreement there is too much traffic, with too many income cameras. I agree that the roads in the UK are in a shocking state. I am also in agreement that there are too many dickhead riders out on the road, including myself. There was a time when I was getting up at 5am just to enjoy a ride out. Now, I’m enjoying my commute and trips to France (where the roads are miles better). I don't really do pleasure riding anymore, not at the weekend. The A272 mentioned is a few miles from me and you can barely move there on a Sunday because of traffic volume/cops, so what's the point?

I prefer riding on my own and going at my own pace rather than have the pressure of keeping up with others. I don't enjoy riding as part of a group much, most are faster than me and so Now a days I let them have their own rides out and I stick to going out on my own. I dont feel that I'm holding anyone up then and enjoy my riding which is what its all about in the first place.

There are a some members here I have ridden with and really enjoyed my day but for the most part, egos and testosterone take over at some point and then a few bugger off into the distance, cant be doing with all that. Its guaranteed in a group of blokes riding I suppose

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"With square conduct, level steps, and upright intentions ..”

Couldn't agree more. The standard of riding by the majority of sports bike road riders these days is shockingly poor (Maybe they think that power will get them out of scrapes they get themselves into).

It doesn't just appear to be sports bikes but the 'Born Again Bikers' in general who at fault here. I was driving along minding my own business recently on my way back from Scotland, when an old Norton Commando ridden by a 50 something came round the bend ahead overtaking a car on teh blind (wrong) side of the road. I had to pull over into the grass verge to avoid him and he shook his fist at me as if it was my fault! His mates following just shook their heads

The local news this morning highlighted 3 more deaths in North Yorkshire over the weekend. 2 of which appear to be a head on collision between two bikes on the Hawes - Ribblehead road (again!).

I'm not one for legislation but there really needs to be another driving test for bikers returning to bikes after a number of years away. How they think they can be in control after taking their test 20-30 years ago (and not riding since) is ridiculous.

Otherwise the health & safety brigade will just ban bikes altogether in the interests of 'safety'.

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"Racing is life. Everything before and after is just waiting".