April Fools Meet - we haven't had one for a while so how about it?
Where?
Motorcycle Museum.
sorry to ask but ,,,,, were is this I am in kent
Quote from: Mrg on Saturday, 11 March 2017, 07:05 AM
sorry to ask but ,,,,, were is this I am in kent
National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham, just off the junction of the M6 and M42
http://www.nationalmotorcyclemuseum.co.uk/
Its an event that years ago on the old org used to be well attended, but over the past few years has really died away to just a few attending - mainly due to poor weather at Easter and the distance many had to travel (ok for guys in the Midlands, but a heck of a trip from down South etc). Not sure that this forum is yet at the strength for sufficient to attend in all honesty. Happy to be proved wrong, but that's my view
Hmmm..
A quick 100 mile blast for me and I should be riding again by Easter..Hopefully :cool:
As you will see from my post elsewhere in this section there was a bit of an "unofficial" meet in 2016.
It was not formally organised through the Org forum (a few people who came along had stopped using the site but were networking through Facebook) but there was probably still around 20 of us turned up and seemed worth doing.
I'd certainly be up for it - any other interest?
I'd be up for it provided it's reasonable weather, I always have to see how I am on the day whether it's by bike or car though.
Yeah was nice last year.
Would be nice to see a bit of a bigger turn out though.
Would pop down if weather is OK.
Touch and go if mine will be road ready but defo will attend if possible
Red
Went to the meet at the national bike museum last year and turned out to be a cracking day, would love to do it again this year. What day we looking at 2nd of April? :boogie:
I hadn't even thought about a date, when's Easter that might be a good time for people?
Quote from: essexboydave on Monday, 20 March 2017, 04:14 AM
I hadn't even thought about a date, when's Easter that might be a good time for people?
Easter Sunday is 16/04 - OK, some people will have more time on their hands as it is a long weekend but equally a lot of people may already have family commitments.
It is always impossible to find a date that suits everyone, I think it just needs someone to pin a date up and see if there are any takers.
Personally, I have a holiday booked 08-15/04 so I could manage Easter Sunday but not the one before.
It someone bold enough to name a date? If I can make it I will......
sounds great to me I'll be at the dutch april fools meeting with blubber in the afternoon hopefully. :cheers:
Quote from: Rynglieder on Monday, 20 March 2017, 04:44 AM
Quote from: essexboydave on Monday, 20 March 2017, 04:14 AM
I hadn't even thought about a date, when's Easter that might be a good time for people?
Easter Sunday is 16/04 - OK, some people will have more time on their hands as it is a long weekend but equally a lot of people may already have family commitments.
It is always impossible to find a date that suits everyone, I think it just needs someone to pin a date up and see if there are any takers.
Personally, I have a holiday booked 08-15/04 so I could manage Easter Sunday but not the one before.
It someone bold enough to name a date? If I can make it I will......
I can't do the Sunday before either so lets say Easter Sunday and see what the response is then. The extra couple of weeks might come in handy for those with their bikes in bits too ;)
Are you going to set this up and run the poll for it then Dave? You'll need to check with the bike museum as well (don't forget) that they can accommodate, but you will need to give an idea of numbers attending
Quote from: gsxbarmy on Monday, 20 March 2017, 04:59 AM
Are you going to set this up and run the poll for it then Dave? You'll need to check with the bike museum as well (don't forget) that they can accommodate, but you will need to give an idea of numbers attending
I hadn't intended to I originally was just wondering if it would happen, the way my work is at the moment I'm reluctant to commit to anything as I have no idea how much free time I'll have over the coming weeks.
It’s a problem â€" certainly if using somewhere like the NMM they should be asked out of courtesy but unless there is a reasonably accurately known commitment from members what do you tell them? At this time of year the weather comes in to play and I understand people will be reluctant to decide until a day or two before.
What we need is a modest sized car park, access to refreshments and toilets. If it is somewhere well frequented by bikers anyway, the proprietor will probably not notice if an extra 20 or so turn up (or not) â€" no big deal.
As a suggestion there is a midlands Suzuki dealership that has all of the above, I would be happy to ask the manager if he was happy to accommodate an undefined number of us for a couple of hours. They are often used as a meeting point for clubs, charity ride outs etc and I don’t see why he would not consider it unless there is another group already booked in.
After a coffee or breakfast and looking at things you can’t afford in the showroom there are options for short runs in the area if anyone is in the mood.
As I say if there are enough positive responses I am happy to ask, equally I’m happy to listen to any other suggestions for venues that could be flexible.
It would be nice to do something though.....
Pete.
Jacks Hill Cafe on the A5 too.. Nice spot, big car park and a well known biker cafe.. No appointments needed..
Quote from: froudy on Saturday, 11 March 2017, 08:14 AM
Hmmm..
A quick 100 mile blast for me and I should be riding again by Easter..Hopefully :cool:
Sounds good to me - could climb over the mountain meeting you on the way !! :smile2:
I can't see it being a problem with a bunch of us turning up at the Motorcycle Museum although I guess a phone call would be courteous, it does have a massive car park, reasonably sized cafe and best of all the museum itself to wander round which could make it worthwhile for people travelling a fair distance :)
I've just called them (BMM) and they are fine with it, the lady I spoke to said she would make a note in the Diary :computer_type:
Cheers
Red
Just needs someone to organise it then in that case.....
I would normally step up here Dave (honest) but ironically I cant make the Easter Sunday date :frustrated: Nothing comes before Mum's Beef Wellington!
Red
I really can't see why this would want to be run in all honesty Nigel, attendance has been very low the past few years, so much so that one year it didn't run. Personally I think it a non-starter, but that's me
If i had more time on my hands i would organise it and rally the troops. But in my oppinion, if only 5 people turn up its a success.. Life to is too hectic these days and sometimes just getting together with fresh faces can be a huge breath of fresh air. So even if it isnt made an official meet up and even if we just decide on a date like the 3rd sunday in april, I for one will be there.. Even if i have to turn up on the MT-09 because my new throttle bodies havent arrived, i will be there..
official / non-official what's the difference? A meet is a meet is a meet...
Two or more = success. The more the merrier !
How much organising does it need since the Museum is fine with it-how does 11am National Motorcycle Museum car park sound to everyone? I know previously the time was set at 10am but that did mean a cold,early start for some so I thought about maybe pushing it back an hour, I'd personally be quite happy with 12 noon and make it a lunch meet :)
I'm in, do they have bacon??
They have bacon and as I recall they did a fine fry-up ;)
Hold on!! no one mentioned bacon :smitten:
I'll see if I can swap family Easter to Monday.
Red
So what date exactly are we talking?
11:00 BST Easter Sunday (16/04/17) then. Sorted.
I'll be there as long as there isn't snow and ice on the roads. I hope I'm not alone it would be nice to see some of you.
Pete.
Quote from: Rynglieder on Friday, 24 March 2017, 05:19 AM
11:00 BST Easter Sunday (16/04/17) then. Sorted.
I'll be there as long as there isn't snow and ice on the roads. I hope I'm not alone it would be nice to see some of you.
Pete.
Title of thread changed to include the date
I'll be there.
Hi Ryngleader. It's Trev (butch). Actually got myself onto the website. Heard there was talk of an April meet up. Would be interested. :cheers:
Count me in :smile2:
Yep i will be there even if i end up being on the MT but im hoping the 14 is fixed by then.
I'll try and be there. Boring ass ride on A14 and last year froze my tits off but was a good day.
If my 14 isn't ready I'll be in the GTR
As I've a Euro trip booked in June I need to use the GTR a bit
@Stolichnaya They have bacon there mate . . .
I'm 50/50 as to if the bike will be back together
and this
Personally I'm wary of leaving the bike propped up on a car jack especially a hydraulic one, if there's a dodgy seal or anything in there it can either suddenly fail dropping the bike to the floor or creep down slowly so you don't notice until the bike drops to the floor-either scenario is not good. I prefer to use the jack to raise the bike up then sit it on some solid wooden blocks.
This is also why it's a very bad idea to work on a car supported on a jack, when I was young I remember my dad's mate doing that in his garage and the car came down on his chest, when his missus went out to tell him dinner was ready she found him dead under the car!
I do have a car jack and lots of paddock stands but like EssexBoy - would not leave it only to that to keep it upright. ive spent too much on it to risk even thinking about it being unsafe. id not trust it at all.
Ive been thinking of throwing a strap over the roof rafters and suspending it
what i need is an abba stand but they are £100+ or a stand that sits under the triple tree but they are also £100
my grief is.. i only need it Once! and for a few days.
the front end on the 14 is SHOT! adjusters leak and ive already got REVS on standby to fix but no way of having the bike safe / steady when i take the front end off
As that jack is fully down it should be okay, my work table has a steel rod to prevent it dropping in an emergency but I still lower it when I leave the garage, just in case :)
I should point out that the jack is only there as a support, the bike is on mainstand so no real weight going on the jack, which also has a lock by the way. Feel scared now as left it like this for 2 months :notworthy:
Relieved Red
The best way to do it if you don't have a headstock stand in my opinion - if you are going to leave the bike "up" for a few months - is to take off the collector, put a block of wood underneath the sump and then jack it up so its sitting back on the rear wheel (rear wheel just touching the ground), then put axle stands under the frame on each side and lower the bike down onto it.
To be honest though investing in a headstock stand for maintaining a 1400 is a good investment, I had one from Bike It which was very similar to this one http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/STFL-FRONT-HEADSTOCK-LIFT-PADDOCK-STAND-YAMAHA-BMW-KTM-/310226107601?hash=item483aeabcd1:g:MFoAAOxyXTRR8mOP (which will also fit), all you need to purchase on top of the stand is a 23mm pin so it fits firmly into the 1400's head (I assume here of course that one already has a paddock stand, or you will need one of those as well). At £52 delivered that is an investment!
Hi Dave,
I've e mailed you a dilema! any help much appreciated.
Thanks
I use 2 scissor jacks & a block of wood that's "stepped" so that bike is supported on frame rails. I removed whole front end doing this in conjuction with a paddock stand supporting the rear.Bike is completely stable.
OK so i have been told by my wife if its easter sunday, i cant come.. We are at a wedding in Devon on the saturday and will be traveling back on the Sunday.. Something tells me i wont be back in time to get the bike out.. ANY OTHER SUNDAY!!! FFS its my f*cking luck, dont see her family from one year to the next, the one weekend i want and they interfeckingfear.....
sorry guys ... I cant make that meet ... were going to Devon for a dogs holiday break with the family so I cant get away from this one yep its for the dog in the wood near that garden of edam place :facepalm:
I've been meaning to visit the NMM for years but 'life' just seems to get in the way. So thanks for the kick-up the arse! See you there :onya:
well for me I will not be attending. as nice as it is to see other members and their bikes all in one place, I and I know others feel the same are just a bit tired of the same venue year after year. this is the reason numbers have dropped same as the MCR, sykehouse is a great venue but the event was much better when we moved it around.
I realise that birmingham is a central location but come on there must be other venues
Quote from: Ktmjunkie on Saturday, 25 March 2017, 04:54 PM
well for me I will not be attending. as nice as it is to see other members and their bikes all in one place, I and I know others feel the same are just a bit tired of the same venue year after year. this is the reason numbers have dropped same as the MCR, sykehouse is a great venue but the event was much better when we moved it around.
I realise that birmingham is a central location but come on there must be other venues
Absolutely spot on Gordon. I'd also add that we previously discussed moving April Fools to a later date like MayDay, as it was too cold for many to ride the 100+ mikes each way often in poor weather to go there. NMM car park isn't the best for a meet either. Ok fir the Midlands based boys but from anywhere else it was not good.
Sykehouse - well the facilities there if you are camping are just atrocious, I won't be going again.
My thanks to those who have agreed to support this.
I do have some sympathy with those who are not enthralled by another visit to the NMM but I still think it is important that we do something. As a Midlands man I’d actually be happy to go somewhere else, my ride out there is going to be 20 miles of dual carriageway and the M42 â€" more of a commute than a Sunday ride.
Let’s do this for this year, but also get proactive for next year. The midlands are as central as it will ever get for everybody, but let’s widen the search radius a bit for next time. Matlock Bath could be a candidate, perhaps Jack Hills Café as someone suggested or even Montford Bridge picnic area near Shrewsbury.
Fixing a move to the May Day bank holiday for 2018 will also give our relatives plenty of time to plan their holidays and weddings around it.
Quote from: Trevor Williams on Friday, 24 March 2017, 07:36 AM
Hi Ryngleader. It's Trev (butch). Actually got myself onto the website. Heard there was talk of an April meet up. Would be interested. :cheers:
Nice to haer from you Trev, I'' see you then if not before.....
Pete.
Quote from: Rynglieder on Saturday, 25 March 2017, 07:32 PM
My thanks to those who have agreed to support this.
I do have some sympathy with those who are not enthralled by another visit to the NMM but I still think it is important that we do something. As a Midlands man I’d actually be happy to go somewhere else, my ride out there is going to be 20 miles of dual carriageway and the M42 â€" more of a commute than a Sunday ride.
Let’s do this for this year, but also get proactive for next year. The midlands are as central as it will ever get for everybody, but let’s widen the search radius a bit for next time. Matlock Bath could be a candidate, perhaps Jack Hills Café as someone suggested or even Montford Bridge picnic area near Shrewsbury.
Fixing a move to the May Day bank holiday for 2018 will also give our relatives plenty of time to plan their holidays and weddings around it.
114 Miles of Motorway for me :smile2:
Quote from: Notty on Sunday, 26 March 2017, 01:29 AM
Quote from: Rynglieder on Saturday, 25 March 2017, 07:32 PM
My thanks to those who have agreed to support this.
I do have some sympathy with those who are not enthralled by another visit to the NMM but I still think it is important that we do something. As a Midlands man I’d actually be happy to go somewhere else, my ride out there is going to be 20 miles of dual carriageway and the M42 â€" more of a commute than a Sunday ride.
Let’s do this for this year, but also get proactive for next year. The midlands are as central as it will ever get for everybody, but let’s widen the search radius a bit for next time. Matlock Bath could be a candidate, perhaps Jack Hills Café as someone suggested or even Montford Bridge picnic area near Shrewsbury.
Fixing a move to the May Day bank holiday for 2018 will also give our relatives plenty of time to plan their holidays and weddings around it.
114 Miles of Motorway for me :smile2:
Only if you want it to be :)
If it's a nice day go back via Bromsgrove, Worcester, over the Malvern Hills and take in the views, drop down through Ledbury, on to Ross on Wye and Monmouth, turn down the beuatiful Wye valley past the ruins of Tintern Abbey and on to Chepstow and then get on the M4 if you really feel the need to avoid Newport!
Nothing wrong with a run between the West Midlands and Cardiff - here's my Z1000 on just such a day:
How about a meet at a seaside town? fish-chips and a cuppa (no kiss me quick hats tho)
i think if we truly want to be involved in meeting up then 1 meet south and one north and as many as possible attend so the ride is shared..
jeeees guys.. got a bike to ride it not look at it !!
ill shut up now as i know I'm gonna get abuse
Stoli
114 Miles of Motorway for me :smile2:
[/quote]
Only if you want it to be :)
If it's a nice day go back via Bromsgrove, Worcester, over the Malvern Hills and take in the views, drop down through Ledbury, on to Ross on Wye and Monmouth, turn down the beuatiful Wye valley past the ruins of Tintern Abbey and on to Chepstow and then get on the M4 if you really feel the need to avoid Newport!
Nothing wrong with a run between the West Midlands and Cardiff - here's my Z1000 on just such a day:
[/quote]
Thats the plan - 114 Motorway miles up and 130 scenic miles back :smile2:
Sorry to let you down at short notice but it looks like I probably won't be able to make it now, as far as I know though there are still a number of people going both from on here and on the facebook group. Also I may very well not be a 1400 owner by next weekend-testing a Bonneville today and if that's OK my 14 will be traded in for it!
Ha - you'll love the Bonnie Dave, lovely machine with bags of charisma :)
Drive a hard bargain for trading your 14!
The test ride is postponed until Saturday now as the shop realised this morning that the bike had no MOT on it! I am well looking forward to it though, I've ridden Triumphs before and do like the Hinckley Bonnie and this is one of the rarer ones that doesn't have the tarts handbag chromed engine cases that I so hate!
Oh dear, it seems a bit quiet on this thread.
Not the best looking day tomorrow but I'm still intending to head over for 11:00, I hope to see some of you there :smile2:
Pete.
I'm gonna try and be there but I will be on the MT as the 14 is still in the shop having it's PC fitted.
I have just been informed that apparently I have Family Lunch tomorrow and guess who is chief chef :bugga:
How embarrassing - I've just gone to start her up and all I am getting is a farting noise from its innards.
Perhaps 20 minutes on the charger might get it sorted out, if not I may be arriving on something else :embarrassed:
Not only do I not have a bike to go on at the moment but my son was rushed into hospital Friday, had his appendix out yesterday, and is still in at the mo so I'm not straying too far from home right now.