Bear Mountain/NJ/NY State ride Sunday 7/16

[ImmaSquashYou]

don't wanna spoil anyone's fun, but its suppose to be 95 degrees on sun......sooooo........if ur in full gear.....be careful not to get dehydrated

[Onedwn5up]

Originally Posted by Cakes

A "spirited" type ride would be that of not slow, not crazy fast, but somewhere in between. An agressive ride would be just that. Usually a group consisting about 3-5 riders going all out. At any rate, most know their own skill level, faster riders up front, less experienced riders in the back. Stager formation, stay diagonally oposite from the person in front of you along with a few feet of space. In the turns everyone should go single file, then back to stager formation when it straitens out. Never try and keep up with the pack, ride your own ride and enjoy the day, the group will(should) wait for everyone at any point where there would be a turn off. Hope this helps.

Oh...FTM...just another tip...should the person infront of you go down, as hard as it maybe, DO NOT LOOK AT THEM. Keep looking where you want to go, fixate on the downed bike/rider will most likly cause you to wreck as well.

for all of the above and thanks for taking the time to break it down.

We'll have a riders meeting while we're all drinking our coffee and I'll break it all down. Being cautious on the street is more important than even on the track since other things besides your own actions can get you in trouble. And there are certain responsibilities of riding in a group setting as well. So no need for anyone to worry. It's going to be fun and well organized and no one will get left behind.

[shamster]

Well said above.

I know of several accidents this year already, one of which I was there for. The one I was there for was a result of the guy trying to keep up with the more experienced riders, being a relatively new rider himself. Moral of that is don't push your limit. Another accident is a result of popping a quick and small wheelie before coming to a stop. Moral of that one...don't pop wheelies, especially in a group ride. Not only will you take yourself out, but you risk the safety of other riders. Another accident happened because one rider was trying to follow a more experienced one during a tight twisty and almost bit the dust, but luckily he recovered. The rider behind him almost did the same too as a result of looking at him. And the rider behind that guy ultimately ended up running off the road and crashing into a fence. Lesson from this one...don't target fixate on the rider in front of you...keep looking through the turn as well. Finally, the latest accident happened as a result of one guy pushing his limits, and also trying to overtake another rider on a straight just before a turn. As a result, both riders bit the dust. So what did we learn here? No overtaking during or near turns.

If everyone rides their own ride and respects the safety of other riders, we should all have a good time.

I'll let Eric cover the safety details that day, but just thought I'd share my experiences from the group rides I've been on in the past year.

I'm sure none of us here are squids, but please remind anyone else you invite to not skimp out on proper gear just cause it will be hot that day.

If you're draggin' your knee on the street, then it's time to take it to the track. There is NO race line on the street!!!

I wish people would stop being "asphalt, county road cowboys" and realize that there is a SAFE place and time to "push" your limits... and it AIN'T CR-23, or anywhere else that isn't being associated with a track or race day organization!!!

Oh, and put me in for a maybe. Gotta talk to my sweetie and see if he's interested!

BTW, what is "Stands up" time???

[ffejtable]

Originally Posted by High_Revs_17

Lastly, keep the front and rear wheels down at all times. The entire group shouldn't have to get hassled by the cops due to one bonehead's actions. It's much easier for a cop to spot a bike stunting in a group than just a bunch of bikes moving at a increased rate of speed. FYI, dragging a knee (if that's the case) does not apply to this rule being it doesn't constitute careless/wreckless operation.

Huh? to what Jen said.... (except for the race line part, thats what the yellow lines are for, arent they?) The street is not the place to be dragging a knee... If you are riding hard enough and you are touching a knee thats borderline wreckless... Add in the fact its a group ride and with people you arent that familiar with I think pushes it over the top. Riding this aggressively is just as likely to get noticed by the cop you just flew by than the idiot doing wheelies mid-pack.

Oh BTW I do hope to make it out for this one.. I REALLY want to take the new bike out, but for the first 500 miles I really want to keep it below 5k RPMs for the most part and I doubt I will have that many in 2 days.

[opinion914]

id like to join in, perhaps meet up somewhere near the ny/nj border near port jervis if possible. if its a headache dont sweat it but if someone could gimme a heads up on the route....

Kevin

[Ant]

Originally Posted by ffejtable

Huh? to what Jen said.... (except for the race line part, thats what the yellow lines are for, arent they?) The street is not the place to be dragging a knee... If you are riding hard enough and you are touching a knee thats borderline wreckless... Add in the fact its a group ride and with people you arent that familiar with I think pushes it over the top. Riding this aggressively is just as likely to get noticed by the cop you just flew by than the idiot doing wheelies mid-pack.

Oh BTW I do hope to make it out for this one.. I REALLY want to take the new bike out, but for the first 500 miles I really want to keep it below 5k RPMs for the most part and I doubt I will have that many in 2 days.

Man, you would have hated riding with me....

[tommymac]

Originally Posted by Vin

Another thing to note is that I'd recommend going on group rides with people you know and trust. Ride with a bunch of people you don't know and chances are you may get left behind if you don't ride their ride.

Unfortunatley you know that from experience

Tom

[Gear Dog]

This sucks I'll be in E-town on sunday for the VW Waterfest.

[Onedwn5up]

You don't need to drag your knee to go fast. Knee draggin is a natural thing that happens when speed and lean angle come together. Intentionally going out with the mission to drag your knee is a sure way to crash yourself. AND on top of that, none of these roads allow you to go fast enough safely to get your knee down. I have worn my race suit through bear mountain a few times since I was lending someone else my jacket. And I put my knee down a couple of times and it was horrible since the road surface is anything but perfect. Then you hit a bump and it jolts up through your knee and upsets the whole bike mid-turn. So not something that is desirable. You can go plenty fast and have plenty of fun without ever getting your knee near the pavement. I know people on the race track that don't put their knee down much and still make the podium.

[Onedwn5up]

Seems like closer to 30 or so riders now. But we'll see how many actually show up.

I will have handouts for directions at Dunkin D and expect to have fun and learn something useful as well while we're at it.

And if anyone wants me to inspect their bike, let me know. I do tech inspection at all our trackdays.

Just a reminder to everyone check your tire pressures. Pressures swing wth the change of ambient air temps. For street use on mostly all brands of tires including Dunlop, Pirelli, Metzler and Michelin I run 33 psi front and 33 psi rear. Under-inflated tires are culprit to many crashes as the tire carcass can not properly support the weight of the bike and rider(s) while under load. Sluggish and un-responsive steering are also tell-tale symptoms of an under-inflated front tire. The rear end of the bike will feel sketchy or like it wants to go out on you if you try to lean on it.

Tires have a target pressure that you're trying to reach once you get the tires up to operating temperature. Heat=pressure increase. Mostly all tires and race D.O.T. tires are most happy between 34-35 psi hot. For the track on a warm day we will start with 30-31 psi front and 28-29 rear psi. We then check them as soon as we get off the track to see if they are now in the 34-35 psi range front and rear. And we adjust from there. The street doesn't allow for the same consistent friction and heat build up that the track environment provides from turn to turn, so we go with slightly higher starting pressures but still look to achieve that same targeting operating pressure of 34-35 psi front and rear.

Manufacturer specs are a bit higher since they look at it from daily street use and tire longevity. Higher pressures give the rider less feel while extending tire life. It is also a liabilty play on their part as well. But anyone that goes to the track knows that this is where optimal grip and feel is, in the lower pressure range of 33/33.

[akomplis]

Have a fun and safe ride peeps....

Oh and one thing I didnt see here which is just as important but always assumed...make sure you have all your papers straight and valid.

[High_Revs_17]

Of course everyone here has to jump to extremes regarding my comment. You all know that one doesn't have to hit a turn at top speeds and lean angle to touch a knee, it can be done at much lower speeds in a controlled manner just for fun, and if that's the case then there's nothing wrong with that.

But this has gotten way off topic...have a safe ride guys, and enjoy!

[SPRHK]

Wow, this really sucks. Sounds like an awesome ride and i'll be heading to VIR Sunday morning! Any other rides like this one planned for the near future?

[SAXON117]

Damn I would have loved to go on this ride, but heading down to VIR with SPRHK. Hope you guys have an awsome ride and plan another one soon I'll be there