Please take note of the following ride out, we will be needing at least a dozen or more USR's on that day, are you available??
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/mrrizla/9thMay.png)
I'll do my level best to be available. I'll consult the oracle tomorrow, when she's awake, and let you know then. How many riders are anticipated to be wanting to go on this ride-out, and has a route been posted anywhere? Best wishes, John T.
I volunteer.
STEM
Yup! the Oracle says it's OK. John T.
Will get OMD to post details as soon as i can nail him down, if its a good as last years it will be a nice enjoyable ride out
I am onboard.
Can you put me down for this one as well please.
JJ
I am meeting OMD on Wednesday I'll get any updates from him then
I should be ok for that day but Stem, do me a favour, don't put me at the front this time!
that unscheduled detour last year added more grey hairs then I needed, thanks.
Norm
21.....21
Nope, the grief comes with the vest ;D
Quote from: StormingNorm-LAM on April 26, 2010, 02:44:55 PM
I should be ok for that day but Stem, do me a favour, don't put me at the front this time!
that unscheduled detour last year added more grey hairs then I needed, thanks.
Norm
21.....21
Hi Norm, are you inferring that we all need to get there at 0700hrs ;D to ride the route? Best wishes, John T.
Actually John,
I was rather hoping you would ride the route and give us all a detailed, and I mean, DETAILED breakdown and then plot it into satnav format and distribute ;D
If YOU want to get there that early in the morning, please feel free but I will certainly NOT be joining you !!
I can't see Jim waking up in time for 0700 hours either ;)
Norm
p.s. cheers Stem :-\
Actually, an early morning ride, if the weather 's like this 8) , would be rather enjoyable! Unfortunately, as this will be the first Rainbow Trust ride-out I've helped with, I need some education as far as the route is concerned.
I'll be at P&H from about 11am. Regards, John T.
Sensible man!
I don't even know where P & H is !!!
any clues anyone?
Last year we left from Boxhill (Ryka's) and not many knew the route although I had been silly enough to look it up on their site and plot it into my satnav so Stem kindly put me at the front. Needless to say I managed to take half the ride on a scenic version which was quite interesting and all thanks to my dodgy Zumo 550 which has now packed up altogether!
I'll be tailender this year I think ;D
Norm
P&H are at 61-63 Gatwick Rd, Crawley. RH10 9RD. See you there...
best wishes, John T.
Thanks John
;)
Quote from: StormingNorm-LAM on April 27, 2010, 07:29:10 PM
Sensible man!
I don't even know where P & H is !!!
any clues anyone?
Last year we left from Boxhill (Ryka's) and not many knew the route although I had been silly enough to look it up on their site and plot it into my satnav so Stem kindly put me at the front. Needless to say I managed to take half the ride on a scenic version which was quite interesting and all thanks to my dodgy Zumo 550 which has now packed up altogether!
I'll be tailender this year I think ;D
Norm
hehe
I spoke to Steve Manning last night.
He wants to use a drop-off system. He will lead us out 10 mins before the ride starts and leave stationary markers along the route. We then get sweeped up by tailend Charlie. We need about 12 USR's
He wants us there by by 11.30 and will put some petrol in our tanks
Ken can you contact OMD please he cannot remember his password.
Quote from: STEM@TLB on April 29, 2010, 01:34:32 PM
Ken can you contact OMD please he cannot remember his password.
bugger, his account got purged, recreated
As far as this USR is concerned, Steve Manning can put my fuel money into the Rainbow Trust's coffers directly.........and remind him to Gift Aid it please!
regards, John T.
PS. Are we on the usual comms for this one?
Quote from: the bloodrunner-SERV on April 29, 2010, 04:42:25 PM
PS. Are we on the usual comms for this one?
unless otherwise told, comms will be on 3.21 if available as per normal operation. Its great to see us use comms more reliably each time were out as a group :D :D well, it chears me up
"USR Leader, where the f*ck are you going..."
I cant volunteer as ill be abseiling down the side of a building @ 1pm ....lol
Feel free to come and watch me ...lol
Talking of "Come and join the ride-out", I notice that on the Afghan Heroes latest e-mail, they are currently "identifying routes to ensure a memorable ride-out". Any idea if they're expecting us to do this? Personally, I'm happy to suggest routes for them, so the ride-out is memorable for positive reasons, but if they want any of us to help, then yet again, they're leaving it a bit late. (It's only 8 weeks away now).
The original route I offered would work just as well from Chepstow Racecourse as from the original rally site, but did you get any comeback, Steve, after you passed it on to them? Or will they expect to acquire our services by booking through "LastMinute.com"?
All rhetorical questions! Steve you don't have to answer any of them, as I know you're all Afghan Heroed out!! Best wishes, John T.
Quote from: STEM@TLB on April 29, 2010, 01:34:32 PM
I spoke to Steve Manning last night.
He wants us there by by 11.30 and will put some petrol in our tanks
He's not putting any fuel in my tank ;) and I would suggest keeping the money in the USR fund.
Count me in to help on this run - fingers crossed weather will be okay
Just checked, yes I can do this one. :)
Do we know where the ride ends up ?
There is a postcode in the original post which I assume is not completely random.
Full route available on P & H website approx 41miles and end up by the sea side - bring a bucket and spade - last person to arrive will need to buy me a ice cream!!!!
Having looked at the route, once the ride has gone through and the USR's marking the junctions have been "swept up", I would suggest "making progress" to the front of the ride PDQ, particularly if there are only 12 USRs, as there are considerably more than that number of junctions to negotiate!
Leaving ten minutes before, and dropping USR's off would stretch our numbers a bit thinly, and we'd run out before we'd got to the A24.
Keeping a tighter group with the leader dropping USRs off at the front, as we do on the Fred Hill run, will mark the junctions just as effectively, with less likelihood of anyone getting lost....... as long as the leader knows where he's going! Simples!
regards, John T.
Are you still short of help for this?
Hilts! The more, the merrier! See you Sunday !?
Okay, got the go ahead from her indoors so any plan for a meet before riding down there and is there a route available to see?
Looking forward to it.
Paul
The route is posted on the P&H motorcycles website. We're meeting at P&H at about 11am, I think. regards, John T.
Hi All
Big thanks in advance for all coming to help with the Rainbow/safer sussex roads rideout on Sunday 9th :D
Can I ask that all available meet at P&H Motorcycles from 11.30 please (RH10 9RD)
The rideout will leave at 1pm with all riders on bikes & engines running at 12.55, so with that in mind I would like our team to be fueled & briefed by around 12.00 midday so we can have a bit of time to look around (& to have a play on our new Honda ride Simulator ;D ) before we leave...
If any one is coming down but not able/cant ride then there maybe the oppertunity to dress up as George, Bungle of Zippy.... (its all for Charatieeee) ;D
See you on Sunday
Steve M
Anybody fancy meeting up at Ryka's (Boxhill) first, and riding down together?
Purely selfish reason as I'm without my satnav and don't fancy stopping every five minutes to check my map!!
:(
Steve wants us at P&H at 11.30 so im guesing we would need to leave Ryka's at about 11ish ??
Norm
Actually, looking at the Rainbow site I have just realised this is NOT the ride we helped them with last year. That will be later (in August) and will start at Ryka's again :)
I have a technical question for anyone who knows the answer.
I might be helping a local PCSO to marshal a group of pedestrians to walk half a mile on the road to the local school fair. The highways agancy have granted permission to use the roads but no police escort! The local PCSO will bring up the rear in his police car (which is a normal car with the words 'police' on the side and no lights or sirens!!) and I would be at the front with my flashing ambers. The question is: does the PCSO have any power to pass to me for holding junctions or directing traffic like a police officer can?
I hope that makes sense!
Hi Norm
To put it simply no,
to have any power to direct/stop traffic can only be granted by the home office, i.e. Police officer, traffic warden, highways officer (only on certain roads) ETC, there is no mechanism in place to grant "powers" of any kind to a civilian, anything you hear to the contrary will be strictly "under the radar" and if anything were to go wrong you could find yourself liable for prosecution,
hope this clears things up
Steve M
Cheers Steve,
I had a feeling that was the case as these 'plastic' polieman have no real powers at all!!!
I will probably still help them out as I'm concerned for the childrens safety during this short procession on the public road.
I'm quite happy to ask local car drivers to 'help' by stopping them at a junction and requesting they wait for the procession to pass by. Apparently, there will be several parents with hi viz jackets happy to stand in front of the cars at junctions so we should be ok.
The things you do for other people's safety eh !
Norm,
I'll meet you at Rykas. For 11 as you said, will figure out a reasonable route down there.
Paul
Cheers Paul,
see you there
:D
Regrettably, most of the roads between Ryka's and P&H now have 40mph speed limits.
I would probably go this way. (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=B2209%2FOld+London+Rd&daddr=51.22527,-0.28307+to:Middle+St+to:Lowfield+Heath+Rd+to:Gatwick+Rd&hl=en&geocode=FYAeDgMdeBL7_w%3B%3BFWyADQMd_7X7_w%3BFYZqDAMdtrb8_w%3BFU5JDAMdtnv9_w&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=13&via=1,2,3&sll=51.2214,-0.287189&sspn=0.074184,0.154324&ie=UTF8&z=13)
What refreshments will be available as we will be arriving before lunch and busy until well into the afternoon?
Hi Julian.
Looks better than the route my phone gave me - A25 then A23.
I'll also be at Rykas.
JJ
Ryka's for me too - but don't wait!
I should be at Ryka's also.
Rubber Duck, Rubber Duck,
Looks like we got ourselves a convoy.....
;D
Will try to be at Ryka's for 10.30 with the aim of leaving at about 11am
if everyone's happy with that.
Jim, it's not THAT early, come on, you can do it :P
Like the look of Julian's route too - game on!
I don't know if P&H are having a burger van on site, but there is a BP garage in London Rd. Crawley, where we could fuel up and get some sarnies as well .....see you at Ryka's at half ten. regards, John T.
Quote from: the bloodrunner-SERV on May 08, 2010, 06:45:48 PM
I don't know if P&H are having a burger van on site, but there is a BP garage in London Rd. Crawley, where we could fuel up and get some sarnies as well .....see you at Ryka's at half ten. regards, John T.
there is a subway and a cafe which is close by
i be there for USRing the ride, has anyone got a pmr radio that i use for this ride. i had money for a pmr radio but use that for a new chain on my bike.
i be meeting up with a 125cc biker who is going on the ride down at box for 10.15 than on to P&H via A24/A23.
Andy (USR19)
All set,
clean bike, route programmed into gps, waterproofs under saddle, just one problem...... bike won't start!
Got on it to go and get petrol about half an hour ago and nothing...not even the sightest inclination to won't to turn over.
Having a new cup of tea and a think at the moment.
Obviously I won't be at Ryka's but if can get it going I'll be at P&H but I'm a tad short of ideas at the mo.
JJ
Do you have an alarm or immobiliser that could be playing up ?
Checked your battery for a good voltage?
check fuses incase one has blown?
look for loose electrical connections on the ignition circuit
then have another cup of tea !
:-\
You said you cleaned it, could there be water somewhere it shouldn't ?
Check you're getting fuel to the carb
if you have an electrical meter check your getting feed at the starter solenoid as they sometimes get stuck a light tap with a hammer sometimes shifts them.
Try bump starting to see if if will actually run and it might even clear the problem !!
Sorry to hear that John. Hope you het it started in time. Presumably as an auto it can't be bumped?
Apols for my no-show today. I thought something was up last night, I found I was often wiping my right eye. This morning it had really blown up - not really conducive to even a medium ride-out. :(
JJ, I hope you got your bike started. Usual suspects, kill-switch, brake lights working, side-stand up etc...
JJ let us know how you got on with your bike won't you?
Jim, poor excuse!
What a ride, really enjoyed it, even if Stem didn't and Wynne lost a mirror.
Steve M missed several speed limits I think!
Ken got caught fondling one of the teddy bears and and respect to Annie. Overall I think we all enjoyed it.
Thanks to Paul and Wynne for the ride home
See you all next time
Norm
How that rider managed to collide with a stationary Wynne at the most meek of right turns I will never know.
Well what a day.
Thanks to Julian for assisting at the impact scene.
Not sure how it happened - all I can remember is a heck of an impact when I am marking a corner and minding my own business!
All I can recall is seeing my wing mirror flying off and seeing a red bike ending up in a ditch minus a rider.
Luckily for me my wind mirror on the pan clips off, however the mirror bracket did not survie the impact - £54 worth of parts and in fairness to the person who had the impact admitted liability and will pay.Beauty of internet ordered allready - should receive middle of the week.
Regarding her bike, the fairings look badly scratched etc and would be surprised to hear if it costs under 1k. Her rear indicator was found on the opposite side of the road whilst my mirrore assembly was under her bike over 10 feet away.
It was her pride that was hurt and luckily no serious damage to her - I am sure she will be bruised in particular when she made contact with my wing mirror :o
Thanks to all for asking if I was okay and yes I have a way of attracting the ladies - who saidd that you cannot give the kiss of life while still conscious!
;D
Just goes to show how dangerous our job can be!! When you ride with such a wide range of abilities anything can happen!
Luckily you're ok and it was only your wing mirror.
I forgot to thank Julian for the ride down from Ryka's, lovely roads but what a shame we couldn't ride em !!
I feel a new rule coming on..... no 'L' plates allowed on 'USR only' rides ;)
Oh and Stem, I thought your lights worked great. Could always see the rear end coming.....oh er mrs !!
I think it helps having the 2 different colours.
She seemed OK. The hand that punched the wing mirror is definitely going to hurt in the morning, but there were no signs she had broken anything other than the skin on her knuckles.
BTW, my heart sank when we lined up to leave and were joined by that 125 cruiser. I had seen him lose control on a 30 mph bend and end up across the two white lines and half way cross the other side of the road. He was doing 20mph at the time! I saw someone shepherding him back up the A23. I hope both got back OK.
Big thanks are due also to the motorcycle trainer who helped mark a few corners and assisted at the accident scene. He really aught to be a USR.
Jim, hope the eye is better. Best leave nothing to chance as eyes can get nasty quickly. If you have not already done so, and if it doesn't get better by morning, at least go see a pharmacist.
Thanks Julian - it got worse for a while but has nearly subsided now. Hopefully all OK by tomorrow; I usually throw off the very few infections I get very quickly.
Some photos -
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1012/4592194001_943525d33e_o.jpg)
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1252/4592194341_50246ab107_o.jpg)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3308/4592813890_3bdd9532fa_o.jpg)
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1020/4592195075_e3a6720a73_o.jpg)
Good to see you all today. Was explaining to my missus that it was a ride and a half but possibly for the 'wrong' reasons ;) . Certainly had great fun following one of you back to the head of the column on a few occassions, great jelly babies too! Good to know that there were no broken bones resulting from the spill and that Wynne will have to explain what he was doing with a girl in the ditch.
Now I have both my very young daughters trying wrench the Afghan Heros wrist band off me that Stem gave out today....
Bests
Paul - tired and happy.
Yeah good day out and they seemed to appreciate our efforts. Had I good ride back with Paul, Annie and Julian along the Devils Dyke (no markers required).
Footnote: Did the tailend-charlie flashing lights work OK?
I had a rider turn to me as she was leaving and asked me to pass on her thanks for the work we had done.
Sorry didn't stop on the A27, I saw you too late to pull over, but fortunately you found the right exit for Devil's Dyke.
BTW, for anyone who saw me orbit a roundabout on the Horsham by-pass, the 125 alongside me stalled as we pulled onto the roundabout and went round to check she was OK and hadn't been rear-ended by one of the impatient cars etc.
Quote from: STEM@TLB on May 09, 2010, 09:56:01 PM
Footnote: Did the tailend-charlie flashing lights work OK?
Oh and Stem, I thought your lights worked great. Could always see the rear end coming.....oh er mrs !!
I think it helps having the 2 different colours.
Wynne
We normally do a debriefing after a ride, particularly when there has been an 'incident'.
Do you feel that there was anything we could learn from what happened?
STEM
Stem,
Only doubt I had was how far was I from the junction where I standing Marking the Junction - over 15' - which I thought was ample. It was except the one that hit me.
In summary I believe the reason why she has the accident was due to taking the corner at too high a speed - she did say that she just lost concentration and got caught in the group riding - trying to keep up with the person in front.
Could I have been situated anywhere else? No, I don't believe I could - even the Seargant thought it was due to lack of concentration with the speed and judgement on her behalf- anyway £54 of damage which she voulnteered to pay - very concerned that she hit me - luckily all parties unhurt - just pride and the bikes.
This is what I saw - Wynne was just past the driveway off Goose Green Lane and the red SV650 was in a ditch just before the second tree when I arrived.
The ride was turning left then turning right into Goose Green Lane.
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1302/4595420371_e80740e996_o.jpg)
Was it possible to mark the junction from the driveway?
Probably wouldn't have stopped her going wide and into the ditch but you wouldn't be 'wingmirrorless' this morning.
;D
In hind sight yes, it would have been the ideal situation.
Next time I will know where not to position myself.
and the rest of us :)
Quote from: Giuliano on May 09, 2010, 07:13:11 PM
BTW, my heart sank when we lined up to leave and were joined by that 125 cruiser. I had seen him lose control on a 30 mph bend and end up across the two white lines and half way cross the other side of the road. He was doing 20mph at the time! I saw someone shepherding him back up the A23. I hope both got back OK.
I'm afraid the one doing the escorting was me. I've never been so concerned for someone else's welfare (family excepted) as I was for this guy. A squared off rear tyre, absolutely no throttle control, his braking was all-or-nothing, poorly adjusted mirrors which he didn't attempt to employ, and no road sense or lane discipline at all. He had this fixed stare which looked straight ahead, and he didn't respond to cues from me relating to his road position, cancelling signals etc., on the rare occasions that he used them. When he felt it necessary to overtake something, ie. a towed caravan on a steep hill, he barely had the power to achieve it, pulled out in front of much faster traffic to do it, and then held up the following traffic when he didn't pull back in to the nearside again, which prompted some creative use of sign language.
It was just as well that he only wanted to go to Crawley. When we got to where he was happy to part company with me, he signalled late to pull into a lay-by on a fast dual-carriageway, overshot it, and came to rest about a 100 yards past it. I had no option but to pull up behind him with my hazards on, whereupon he offered his thanks and lurched on his way.
All I can say with certainty is that he was alive when I overtook him and turned off for home. It saddens me to say it (and I hope I'm wrong), but I expect to read his obituary sooner rather than later.
Best wishes, John T.
Yep! That would be him! Sorry you ended up with the escort job. It was certainly the worst riding I have ever seen and was clearly never in control for the minute or so I was trying to overtake him on the ride. That was difficult as you could never be sure it was safe to go past, or would he suddenly swerve across the road again!
Thanks for your concern Julian. The consolation is that I'm in the very early stages of becoming an IAM Observer, and I'm reasonably confident that I won't ever meet an associate that displays that level of incompetence, so the experience was almost worth while! I can't imagine a scenario where a qualified DSA Instructor was daft enough to pass him on his CBT.... I don't know how long ago he "passed", but hopefully it runs out soon, before some unfortunate, blameless individual collides with him. Regards, John T.
Gallery here -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ph_motorcycles
Thanks for that link Julian,
Lucky for Riz they didn't post the one of him 'assaulting' George !
Did anyone have their bike cam working that day?
I'm gutted I forgot mine because it would have had some good footage of the ride
Norm
Quote from: StormingNorm-LAM on May 09, 2010, 04:23:48 PM
JJ let us know how you got on with your bike won't you?
Turned out to be corroded ignition microswitches, which considering the corroded state of my wheels (warranty claim in on those) shouldn't have come as a surprise to me!
Still gutted that I missed the ride...sounds like it was an interesting day ;) .
JJ