MAY 28th Ride then Cookout!!

[Ducrappy]

Originally posted by Half Squid
I'll be riding after noon time if you want to join.

Where & When? I'm not really into this big ride, but I'd like to get out with some people that I know. Gimme a PM or something. We could do our first "The Other Ride" of the year.

[OreoGaborio]

Well, like i kinda mentioned, I gotta be in Beverly at 2pm for the usual b-day cake & ice cream, but I just talked to HBerry bout tomorrow...

I can ride in the morning or i'll just meet up w/ him around 4 & ride around for a bit then head up to the BBQ.

It's either gonna have to be a nice easy cruise or i'll be puttin shorts & a t-shirt in my tankbag & ride around in my 1pc to break it in a bit.

If anyone wants to ride in the AM gimme a ring... Mike & Timmay, u guys both got my number, right?
I'm sure you do, but just in case, here ya go - (978)835-1575.

[mikeb]

Originally posted by Ducrappy
Where & When? I'm not really into this big ride, but I'd like to get out with some people that I know. Gimme a PM or something. We could do our first "The Other Ride" of the year.

check your pm's tim otherwise i'll be there at 11:00 at ruby's

[Ducrappy]

Originally posted by mikeb
check your pm's tim otherwise i'll be there at 11:00 at ruby's

Sorry Mike, I was liking the idea of a relatively short, later ride with the other Mike. I might just meet you at the big ride and we can do our own thing from there

[Ducrappy]

Originally posted by OreoGaborio
Well, like i kinda mentioned, I gotta be in Beverly at 2pm for the usual b-day cake & ice cream, but I just talked to HBerry bout tomorrow...

I can ride in the morning or i'll just meet up w/ him around 4 & ride around for a bit then head up to the BBQ.

It's either gonna have to be a nice easy cruise or i'll be puttin shorts & a t-shirt in my tankbag & ride around in my 1pc to break it in a bit.

If anyone wants to ride in the AM gimme a ring... Mike & Timmay, u guys both got my number, right?
I'm sure you do, but just in case, here ya go - (978)835-1575.

If I hadn't slept late today, I would've called you because I was looking for a half day ride today, but by the time we could meet up, we'd have an hour to ride before you had to make a b-line for Beverly.

[Half Squid]

Gave up on the idea of riding today. I am beat up after mountain biking for a few hours!


Tomorrow is another good day!

[SVRACER01]

just got back.. did just under 400 miles. a few of us decided to break off fromthe group early because there was some animosity building between some people so me, amanda, Ducrappy, mikeB, and reiobard took a different route and headed into VT. AWESOME weather a little slow at times (traffic) but had a good time.

NO OFFENSE to Ninja Swan, the ride was a great idea, but lots of rough edges. not a bad turnout for the first group ride. im sure there will be a HUGE one like last year (cant wait). i dont want you to think that people at NESR are snobs and wont ride with certain people. but when the 2 people that are going to LEAD the trip are on 'Busas with no helmet, shorts, t-shirts, and sandals, i have a hard time wanting to be a part of that. im sure that they are great guys and they may even be good, resposible riders. im willing to look past the shorts and t- shirt. i might even be willing to look past the helmet (although difficult) but i draw the line at Tevas we werent trying to be assholes... but you will learn that when you go on rides with us.. we ALL dress for the crash, not for the ride. i realize these were guys from work or something and they may ride like that all time but that really doesnt sit well with us. its not just the danger they impose on themselves but the rest of us as well. we dont care if you bring friends but inform them to dress properly. if they dont like that idea then maybe they shouldnt ride with us. i also realize you came dressed properly and that is great. but your friends need to do the same.

if anyone has input on this subject please jump in. does anyone disagree with my veiws on this?

again Ninjaswan... not trying to be a dick...

OH!! sorry i missed the cookout.. i really wanted to go..

[reiobard]

I agree i looked forward to the ride as a big group, there is nothing better than a huge group rollin' through a small town and getting everyone to look and then as we go out of town for some twisties tearing it up as a whole. but Like SVracer said, the minimum that i like the people that i ride with to wear is a helmet and shoes and i might even be able to forgive the no helmet thing for a 20-30 min jaunt (although i personally wouldn't) I was also looking forward to the cookout and am truly sorry i missed that but there is a whole long summer ahead of us and we will do it again sometime.

PS: To the breakoff group, great ride today, good roads and when we were able to pass the slow cars and slow hardleys we were able to hit some great turns. I had a blast

[mzdagrl]

I wish I could have ridden today, but after Rob's account of said 'busa guys, I think I would have the same feelings as you, Oxx. I won't lie - I sqidded my way to ice cream tonight. All 2.5 minutes I wore shorts, a tank top, a HELMET and SNEAKERS. (I know, flame away....I never said I was perfect). I can't even fathom how anyone could go for an all day ride in TEVAs? If you know you're going to be riding hard (and further than 25 feet) why wouldn't you want to protet yourself?

[reiobard]

I also rode in gym shorts, t-shirt, sneakers and a helmet for the .5 mile ride to the ice cream place, but i felt horrible doing it...



Oh yeah, Oxx post those 4or5 pics you took when you get a chance

[OreoGaborio]

Yeah, I didn't make it to the BBQ either... i spent alot more time w/ my family today than i planned, but i talked to Oxx on the phone & heard how the ride went down.

I rode for a little bit today by myself & felt naked w/o my leather jacket (Jannus has it for the moment)... however i still wore helmet, jeans, a long sleeved t-shirt, closed toed shoes & my gloves.... Now although i have ridden in shorts, t-shirt, sandals & no helmet before, the only place i've done that is on the infield up at NHIS.

There's just something that doesn't sit well w/ me when riding w/ people i haven't met before that don't wear gear... makes me uneasy wondering what other kinds of risks they'll take.

[RdDevil]

I rode with the so called busa crowd today and although I broke off and didn't go to the BBQ because we were closer to my house then it. we had a pretty decent ride with no incedents.

Now for my rant,

Although I may be new here and you can tell me to shove it and I hope you won't hold this against me something needs to be said. I feel it was super rude to just blow off the ride without saying a word. You could have at the least pulled into that gas station with us and voiced your concerns and then gone your own way. But to just blow by us at the light made me a bit upset. In fact I don't know what it is about those people who do Trackdays on a regular basis but they seem to have a hollier than thou attitude about helmets, gear and just plain riding in general. I myself wear a helmet and gear but i'm not going to lay judgment on anyone who chooses not to I live in a state without a Helmet law and i'm ok with that because I feel it is your right to choose to wear it or not.

[MissTwisties]

You know....this is very ironic. The guy who crashed on our ride today apparently said to the other guys at the meeting point this morning something along the lines of "What are you guys doing wearing those jackets and everything, it's so hot outside today!"

.........he was wearing a t-shirt...no jacket. He was wearing a helmet, boots, and jeans, and his gloves were made of what seemed to me as cotton, soft fabric (NOT riding gloves, it would have ripped apart have he dragged his hands on the ground).

He got VERY lucky...he ended up with stitches on his elbow, he got a separated shoulder and some abrasion on his arms...it could have been much worse. I'm pretty sure that NOW he knows and understand WHY we wear gear. Sadly, his wife won't let him get another bike.

It really sucks that he went down...and I'm glad he is relatively OK. The poor guy had this look on his face...

I have hopped on my bike a handful of times wearing sneakers and just a sweater...but NEVER going on long rides where I expect to really "ride" the bike. I'm not perfect either, and I know accidents can happen hundreds of feet from your home...but I try to avoid doing it...it's just tempting sometimes, specially when you're not "going too far"..

[MissTwisties]

Originally posted by RdDevil
In fact I don't know what it is about those people who do Trackdays on a regular basis but they seem to have a hollier than thou attitude about helmets, gear and just plain riding in general. I myself wear a helmet and gear but i'm not going to lay judgment on anyone who chooses not to I live in a state without a Helmet law and i'm ok with that because I feel it is your right to choose to wear it or not.

This is a dead-beat subject....riders wearing their gear V/S riders that don't....but why is it that you say "people who do trackdays"....I only did one trackday and I feel pretty much the same as them about wearing your gear....maybe because I do not want to be the one to see your guts spread all over the road when you crash hard, ya know? Imagine that picture in your head for one second...a friend that goes down...spreading his body parts all over the road in front of you? Sad...and an unforgettable sight...

I agree that if you're gonna break off from a group, you should at least make the others know about it, so they don't wonder/worry if something has happend to you, that you're alright and just want to go your own way.

[RdDevil]

I feel the same way I said that because it just seemed to me that the trackday crew was the one that broke off

[reiobard]

Originally posted by RdDevil
I rode with the so called busa crowd today and although I broke off and didn't go to the BBQ because we were closer to my house then it. we had a pretty decent ride with no incedents.

Now for my rant,

Although I may be new here and you can tell me to shove it and I hope you won't hold this against me something needs to be said. I feel it was super rude to just blow off the ride without saying a word. You could have at the least pulled into that gas station with us and voiced your concerns and then gone your own way. But to just blow by us at the light made me a bit upset. In fact I don't know what it is about those people who do Trackdays on a regular basis but they seem to have a hollier than thou attitude about helmets, gear and just plain riding in general. I myself wear a helmet and gear but i'm not going to lay judgment on anyone who chooses not to I live in a state without a Helmet law and i'm ok with that because I feel it is your right to choose to wear it or not.

One of the people from the group that broke off walked over to the Busa guys before even leaving Ruby's and said he prefered not to ride with people wearing sandals and shorts. He then got laughed at and poked fun at because he wanted to ride with a group that was safer as a whole. So pulling into the gas station would have resulted in even more ridicule. I personally have never done a track day and although i think it would be fun, i don't really see the correlation to doing track days and having a "hollier than thou attitude" about not wanting to see someone catch a pebble or bug in the face and go sliding down the road with no protection. If you want to ride without gear go for it, but don't laugh at people that choose to ride in full gear as they roll up to the meeting spot (which happened when the ducati showed up in full gear) and make jokes at the fact that we would prefer to not see your brains all over the road at an event associated with NESR. it is a preference of the group as a whole to be safe and take acceptable precautions. I am truly glad that your group made it without incident but if it hadn't made it without incident then I wouldn't want to be calling other peoples family members to tell them about an injury that could have been lessened ot completely avoided if the person had on basic gear.

[RdDevil]

Ok didn't know something was said before we left so i'm in the wrong here and i'm big enough to admit it so I'm sorry and I apologize for any ranting hurt feelings or stereotypes placed on my part

[reiobard]

It's all good, I just hope there is no hard feelings and I look forward to more rides, just as long as people understand how the group as a whole will work then everything should be all set

[BigShel]

So, When is the next group ride? Now that everyone is one the same page.

[OreoGaborio]

Originally posted by RdDevil
In fact I don't know what it is about those people who do Trackdays on a regular basis but they seem to have a hollier than thou attitude about helmets, gear and just plain riding in general.

To be honest, Rd... I completely see why you would think that way, and although I don't think of it as being "holier than thou", I understand where you're coming from & kinda agree to a point with what you mean.

I don't think it's always a "trackday attendee" thing vs "non-trackday attendee" thing though... I think it's just a different type of personality. When I first started riding, i would normally wear boots, jeans, leather jacket, leather gloves & a helmet.... after i doing many trackdays I STILL normally wear boots, jeans, leather jacket, leather gloves & helmet... It's just a different way of thinking.

That said, i have no doubt that many people think differently after attending a trackday... I don't think I have to explain why we have that "attitude" (I prefer to call it a philosophy ), I'm sure you can probably speculate why we think the way we do... but if not, maybe I'll see you at a Tony's Trackday in the future & you can find out for yourself what goes on in our heads when it comes to gear and riding in general

I know I'd much rather have you come to an event and find out that way than hear you found out the hard way on the street w/ no gear, that's for sure.





It's kinda funny... today when I was leaving my appartment, since i don't have my usual jacket at the moment and I close to leave my boots at home, I went riding in just sneakers, jeans, longsleeve T, gloves & helmet... I thought I was 'squidding it' Figured if I showed up to the BBQ, the regulars might give me some shit about not wearing boots & my jacket

[Ducrappy]

From the moment I pulled up to the meeting spot in Nashua, I knew that I wasn't going to ride with at least a few of the people that showed up. As soon as I turned the key off on the bike, all I could hear was laughing from the guys wearing shorts, and right away, I knew they were laughing at me because I was wearing full leather.

Also, about a minute after arriving, I realized that I knew one of the Busa guys from the gym, Chris. When I used to see him there (at the gym) on a regular basis, he would always tell me stories of how he and his buddies would always do triple digit rides to the beach with no gear, and I don't do that kind of riding, so this was also a factor in my decision to not ride with the rest of the group.

Mike was very cool about how he approached the small handful of guys in shorts to say that he makes it a point to stay away from group rides where people aren't wearing adequate gear. But one of the guys (Chris) got very defensive and had quite an attitude about what Mike said. Chris' response was quite combative, and I half expected the disagreement to turn physical based on the tone of his voice and what was said to Mike. Chris seemed to get quite angry and took Mike's statement as a suggestion that he was a poor rider, when that clearly was not what Mike was trying to say.

They could have been great guys to ride with, but my taste for them was soured from the get-go because of their obvious disrespect and their lack of understanding of other people's ideals pertaining to riding.

I will say that it was my idea to keep riding past the gas station that you guys were pulling into. I believe nothing good would have come of us pulling in with you guys. It likely would have turned into a big argument resulting in, at the very least, a few pissed off riders, and at most, a physical altercation based on the apparent egos that were displayed at the meeting spot in Nashua from the guys wearing beach attire.

For the record, I would have loved to ride with all of you except the two on the Busas. I could tell based on their remarks and actions in Nashua that I would have had a terrible time on the ride if we stuck with the big group. Everyone else seemed very cool, and I apologize for making the decision to not tell the rest of you that we were not comfortable riding with a select few in your group, but I thought that the argument in Nashua was loud enough for everyone in the group to have heard, so I figured that everyone understood that we would break away at some point.

I don't do group rides to have gear/no-gear arguments and listen to ego trips. I ride to meet cool new people and to get out for the day on some nice roads.

[Ducrappy]

Also, I too have never done a track day. I wear all of my gear every time I ride to be safe because I too believe in the adage "dress for the crash, not the ride".

I don't feel that I was acting "holier than thou" because my decision to not ride with the group wasn't as much about the gear (or lack therof) as it was about the egos of the select few.

[ssg]

Originally posted by Ducrappy
I don't do group rides to have gear/no-gear arguments and listen to ego trips. I ride to meet cool new people and to get out for the day on some nice roads.

[trackdog]

Also, I too have never done a track day. I wear all of my gear every time I ride to be safe because I too believe in the adage "dress for the crash, not the ride".

Could keep the group fom spending the rest of the afternoon in some hospital in the event of a "mistake"

[Tricky Mike]

I don't really see it as a holier than thou attitude either, but I guess you could say I see both sides of it, too... I hold nothing against people who choose not to wear gear. That's their choice. I may not agree with that decision, but I think freedom of choice is a very good thing. I've met plenty of great people at rest stops who weren't wearing gear. I've also met plenty of dicks. It's neither here nor there. When it comes to riding in general and group riding in particular I also wear full gear regardless of how some people may think it looks (I've been asked if I'm from outer space more times than I can count...) It's not an elitist thing at all... just the product of a bunch years of riding, a few crashes witnessed and a few crashes myself. I'd rather not see some poor guy slide across the pavement at 60+ in shorts. It would tear my heart out. This is perhaps the ultimate dead horse subject on NESR.

At any rate... sorry I missed the ride. Really wanted to go. Instead, I had the wonderful opportunity to spend the day climbing dead trees with a chainsaw strapped to me (not recommended), pulling stumps and sweating like a pig while some dude on the loudest frickin DRZ ever blasted around the neighborhood.