A bit off-topic, but if you have a minute...
As a possible future Wapping's Wanderer I'm wondering how much progress you do make on these trips, are we talking straight line speed or cornering speed here? Mine's an '82 R100RS, which I do think would be quite comfortable at 90mph all day, but having to keep up with an exuberant K1600 would be asking a lot of it. I would hate to be a burden, obviously. What other bikes come on your trips?
Hi John,
No worries about the pace at all.
On the Dijon jaunt there was more often than not just the four or five of us, so we could all crack along at a reasonably fair lick where it was safe to do so. Nobody got left behind at all. With just a small group we didn't have to run the marker system, if we got split up those at front simply waited or slowed a bit until the headlights appeared and we gathered ourselves together again. I don't think we ever waited more than about 30 seconds. Similarly, on any major deviation or turn off we slowed and / or waited.
I will, I promise, adjust the pace to suit everyone and am happy to run the marker drop off system for a small, a medium or large group as required. The idea of the jaunts is to have some fun and a bit of craic not get lost or go into a hedge.
On the assorted 'Wanders' we have had a complete mixture of bods, bikes, solo and pillions, beginners and seasoned campaigners. Touch wood, we have never lost anybody........ other that is than the spectacular bomb burst on the Agincourt jaunt at the very difficult roundabout over the St Omer ringroad. Here, we lost about 15 bikes in about 50 meters, ending up with just me and NCPierce, my back marker. Everyone in-between had vanished into the black hole of France.
It's an amateur holiday and holidays are meant to be fun. If someone feels too pushed then it's not fun for them and it can get dangerous very quickly. That is NOT the intention, so things have to be changed to suit them and EVERYONE still have a good time together. That is all that I want and all that I can hope for, each and every time. I would rather go slower to suit one bod than faster to suit two or more.
By all means PM me to have a chat or contact any of the past or present 'Wanderers' (the names of everyone are in the individual threads' roll calls) if you want an independent second opinion. It would be great to have you along some time.
Richard
