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Insurance. I buy insurance, but I don't intend to use it, unless I have to. .

You're such a cunt, and for so many reasons..... A: you cannot prove intent, so you're a cunt. 2: people have things like first aid kits and fire extinguishers because they might need them but they never WANT to use them, so you're a cunt. III: shut up.

You worry too much. The level of organization you seek is really unnecessary & may end up hindering more than helping. Specifically 1 yes & 3 maybes right now. There may be more as I'm going to my Mild Hogs motorcycle club meeting tomorrow & am extending an invitation. This may bring some for the large touring bike group.

Yea. We are going to stick with one route

If ya wanna wave, sell your bike and buy a boat.

I really can't stand you.

You intend to use those things, just as gun owners intend to use their guns. You didn't buy that wind up radio thinking "man, I'm never going to fucking use this, this shit is gonna rust away in my basement" No, probably something more like. "Hell yeah, next time there is a bad storm and the power goes out, we're gonna be in the know cause of this kick ass radio"

Sounds like you have things under control Brian, I will graciously bow out of the thread.

Stick with the 180 for the Q3 and any other street performance tire for that matter. You won't need to worry about 180 v 190 until you step up to the DOT/slick tires.

Don't need to worry about future large gatherings. Just need to worry about this one. Don't put the cart before the horse. As an Organizational Leader, the last page or two of this thread is driving me nuts

We are looking at 10-13. We have Rollinhot, so there could be hookers and blow too. Relax Jack we still have time for things to change, like the weather.

Everyone should know the route in case someone gets separated, but that sounds like it would turn into a huge, unorganized cluster.

holy. how are people so incompetent these days..

My off for that weekend approved now to get bike ready and pray that I don't get called in the last moment. Hopefully I can make it. Regarding organizing we always went with less is more and take the 'less rigid rules' approach. The first two years went well as it was manageable number of people and more importantly someone took charge eg Pauly, or UP the first two years. But last year, it was bad as the number was high ( which is an awesome experience ) and we missed a central figure. Brian knew I always hide in real life and tried to help in the last moment with cdub’s help. But we lost some time and sort of hap hazard groups were formed. But still it was fun and could have been so much better with less head ache. So my 0.02$ if at all helps, 1. Leads, leads, leads : in an ideal group ride we also need lead - sweep coordinated but for this once, to minimize confusion get as many lead volunteers as possible. These guys need to know the route really well, thats why getting them ahead would help. ( last three years, we didnt have enough leads going in and people just volunteered last minute) Most exp riders are willing to sweep on the spot so this was never a problem. 2. Need central figure who is good with talking to every one and addressing big group (no stage fright ) Imagine there will be around 100+ people there with riders, pillions just passer by etc. So if your good at it and this can be of good help to organize. Here again why i say just one guy because too many cooks spoil it. even if its a bad plan, one bad plan is better than 5 good plans. This one guy just needs to ask the respective leads for speed class to step up, ask for a sweep, ask for who wants to go with them and that group leaves. One group leaves while other group is being called up. This will also give enough time gap between groups. I would say, these will be the only two things we need for sure and rest will be easy. At least around 14 to 15 Leads for sure (not even maybes) Why 14 to 15 because we might have to split that many people who will show up. Lastly, plz every one assemble for a big group picture I know in my lifetime i am not going to get another chance to be in a same frame with 100 other riders. And keep that pic for old times sake years to come. And i am pretty sure if not all most would feel the same.

I think a lot of people are mistaking increased gun violence for increased awareness of gun violence... You guys keep talking about back in the day like there didn't used to be gun violence... People aren't changing, the reach of the media is just carrying stories farther than before, and all the gun grabbers are blowing up every story they hear www.thenation.com/blog/171838/gun-violence-american-schools-nothing-new

I'm kind of a lazy asshole. I usually only wave at bikes I like or people I know. Or hot joggers of course. People who wave at me usually just get a couple of fingers lifted off of my left handlebar in redneck salute style.

^^^this isn't a typical group ride. This is a massive event, group rides are cake

You can take a look at mine this weekend, and see if it might work for you.

I agree that we should expect many more riders than what have posted up. My intent was to find the holes needing filled by additional LEADs and Sweepers as we do not have enough stepping up to the plate for these roles. One of the largest issues from last year was that the groups were too large. Knowing where planning is deficient early on can help one to avoid ending up with groups of 25 riders with no one wanting to lead or sweep, and no one in the group having ridden the route before then. Based on what you said here >> Last year, we only had about 40 or so people listed to showing to the event and we had over 75 bikes. .....to me that suggests we need twice the number of LEADs and Sweepers that we currently have listed. >> I just want organize leads sweeps based off how many riders we think we will have (and have some on reserve in case we get way more riders than expected). I think we have in the neighborhood of 60 riders listed. So, an expectation of 120 or more showing up is not out of order. Friends from the north are not even listed and Doc with his, probably growing, group of Michigan friends, could easily add another ten, being a group all their own. I think this thing is growing exponentially faster than the list of skilled riders needed for leadership roles. In the beginning, I was tempted to try and piece together what it would take to make this ride a success, but was glad that you stepped up and ran with it. I didn't want to do it without the support I wanted from others, but thought may be difficult to get. There are lessons to be learned here that can highly benefit us on future rides, if we pay attention to them, and use the information for improvement and fine tuning. We may also find that strict guidelines may need to be enforced in order to maintain a manageable event and for safety purposes. This is an event that I, as a fairly new rider, look forward to. But, I think I am now beginning to realize why some prefer to avoid riding on group rides, due to what it takes to put it together and keep it manageable. Anyway, I'm not trying to step on toes. I'm here to help do what I can, if needed. . .

I understand your point however that again was a HUGE issue of not having pre planned groups going in to it. As the person who got thrust in I the day of organizing role, it is way easier to have 50 people pre planned into groups and add in the additional people who aren't listed than to deal with a 75 person clusterfuck. I hope you're not taking offense to my tips and suggestions but just trying to help things go smoother than last year. Being the one who ended up in the middle helps me recognize some of the short falls of such a massive gathering.

I hate it when I don't see someone until it's too late to wave. That person rode off thinking I was an asshole and there's nothing I can do about it.

Or Biggie, he crashes like a boss

When has anybodies rates ever gone down after a "Safety Study"? I figure that once you get the government involved to waste hundreds of millions of tax dollars in studies and research. The insurance companies spend hundred of millions in lobbying the government to get their way. The price that every single person gets to pay out will increase a fair amount and the unsafe people that own guns will not be any safer than before the studies. Everybody from the lawyers to congress to the research and insurance companies get rich but little Johny still gets shot because some uneducated buffoon left his gun unlocked and in reach. All the bar graphs, pie charts and talking heads on CNN will not have saved a single persons life. If we could take that 200 million dollars and put it into gun safety, education and reducing the criminal element, wouldn't that actually make the country safer? You wouldn't need lawyers and insurance payouts and studies about how dangerous life can be if the event was prevented in the first place and the kid was still breathing.

http://i.imgur.com/VN1Z97n.gif

I'm going to take my waving hand and slap my forehead with it for wasting my time reading that whole, incredibly worthless article.

Or a Jeep.

I always wave to Amish buggy's and female walkers & joggers.

I don't wave at trikes... or motorcycles/scooters with training wheels. Not just out of spite (because they aren't REALLY motorcycles), but god forbid they try to wave back and can't manage the multitasking, wrecking in some fiery crash... I'd feel terrible.

Man those can am people are pissed. If people don't wave at me, for whatever reasons they have, I promise I won't care. Waving is stupid. Ride for yourself, not other people's approval.

For the OP's story. Boom, badguy gets just deserts. Nothing better than hearing a CCW holder vindicated for reducing the number of violent asshats on the planet. For Mattm, not totally sure how to reply to your post. You claim to not be anti-gun but the rest of it sounds as if you are or at the very least misinformed about the issue. You compare gun ownership to owning dogs. When was the last time a handgun jumped a fence and mauled a child. Never. Having a gun in the house does not automatically make that household less safe. I have two firearms in my house that have been fully loaded with ammo in the chamber. They have sat in this condition for emergency use for almost 7 years now and there has never been an elevated risk to anybody that has ever been welcome in my home. The problem with the logic I seen in your post is that you are blaming the shortcomings of "people" with the damages that a gun creates in the hands of said "people". In this reality (as far as i know) when an inanimate object like a firearm is used, it always takes a person to commit a crime against another person. Why is the firearm now given a face and called a criminal as if it had a choice or a say in the actions of the person holding it. A child, tween, teen, adult, psycho, depressed, enraged, moron with no respect for another humans life will find a way to harm another person with no regards to the tools they are provided. It could be a knife, a rope, a baseball bat, skateboard or a firearm and it would not stop them. A child, tween, teen, adult, psycho, depressed, enraged, moron with no understanding of the consequences of their actions may harm another person with no regards to the tool they use due to the fact that they have never been taught better. If all of you concerned citizens really want to prevent crime and reduce the violence in society, how about you turn to your children and teach them not to be criminals. Take your head out of your ass and teach this generation what not to do. Stop looking towards the government to pass the end all law that will force criminals to obey the system and do something proactive like raise less children to be criminals. I bet since they are old enough to stand you teach your kids that knives are dangerous, why have you ignored guns. If you teach them about dangerous things in their lives like sharp objects, poison, tripping hazards, deadly animals, why would you leave something out as important as firearms. The current crop that has reached their teen years is probably already lost. Turn to the young ones that you have a chance of fixing, and teach them not to be purse snatching, carjacking, child shooting prison fodder and maybe the issue of gun control will be turned into an issue of criminal control.

Riding the cherry cola in the fog and rain took the party out of me last year. Hope this year is minus the the f&r!

In case you haven't already, be sure to check you tire pressures before you ride this spring. Low pressures from sitting all winter can make your steering feel heavy, and isn't the best for handling and tire life.