Still being active on the Kawasaki Z1000SX forum we have at least two meets every year.
We have just organised one for this coming April 23/25th. The venue has been chosen and it is pay back time for the lads that for the last 4 years have travelled over from North & Southern Ireland.
We are going for a long weekend to N Ireland taking in the Tanragee 100 road race meet followed on the Sunday with a ride out around some great Irish roads. Those that do not want to go to the road race meet are having a ride out on the Saturday as well. We have booked to stay at a Premier Inn near Lisburn. The usual format is, arrive on Friday afternoon / evening. Bite to eat and a few beers. All meet for breakfast 0900 and head out for a ride out at 10 am , lunch somewhere on route then carry on , coffee break , then complete the run back to the hotel , few beers then all meet up for dinner. During dinner we will talk a lot of bullshit about how fast you thought you could have gone .
We usually have a group of 20+. We sometimes split the group with the lads who have no respect for national speed limits. The way this works is we reverse the route fast lads go one way and plodders go the opposite way. We operate the buddy drop off system so if we take a left hand turn some one predetermined drops off and waits on the last bike to make the turn. That way we stay together. It has worked this way for the whole time we have been doing it. Someone local to the area will do a pre plan for the route and email the route and way points so you can have the route already in your Sat Nav. Then set up way points etc! on three or four guys with Sat Navs. We have tended to try and arrange the meets in the NW/NE of England , North Wales. Reason being we have as said lads over from Ireland and lads coming down from Scotland also lads from the SE/SW of England as well.
I note on one of the threads someone said as long as the meet is not to far down south?? Well here is your solution then, have the meets in and around North Wales or Middle England that way it is as fair as you can get. Then every few years toss one further North and again further South works for us on the SX forum.
Me being retired distance is not really an issue for me. I have just agreed to get myself across to the N Ireland meet this coming April. My route will be Costa Blanca to Cherbourg then catch the ferry to Rosslare then on up to the Belfast area (Lisburn for the Hotel) and basically the same back. I am probably looking at a round trip of 2500 miles + whatever we do on the ride outs. I may well invest in an Air Hawk seat pad. I find the stock seat okay for about 150 mile or so but for doing mileage like I am looking at and doing the first leg in a day and a half 990 miles the bum may get a bit numb. Most I have covered in a day was 760 miles on my Z1000SX and a similar distance on my FZ1. Wish me luck, Oh I never use toll roads when touring unless there is no alternative. I honestly think trying to organise a meet as a track day for a decent group size would be a non runner. My reason being is as sure as hell will end in grief for some poor soul. The usual will happen there will always be at least one knob who fancies himself as Lorenzo or Rossi, he will be in the middle of the pack and end up binning it taking a few out along the way. Personally I would not attend such a meet as my skill levels are not good enough to enjoy it were as my skill levels are good enough to have fun on a normal type ride out.Before I depart on my next meet there will be a set of tyres put on, nothing to fancy just reasonable wearing as they will be squared off by the time I get back home.
Always nice to hear compliments.
