Topic: Starting a vintage ride in my area, input requested

[JBMorse]

Hi Folks,
I've been pondering the idea of starting a vintage ride in my area, New Hampshire, for some time. At this time it's just an idea but I would love to gather some input from fellow riders. My current (actually future as I have to do another carb refresh) vintage bike is a CB500/4, which I love to pieces (I mean this quite literally).
I don't envision a rolling parade but rather a "Slimey Crud" like general route and perhaps a stop for lunch or coffee and gawking at bikes. I'm not interested in involving any money or charities at this point. This is just for fun and for a chance to get to know some of the other local vintage nuts. I know there are lots of like minded riders in the area and I'd like to get some opinions to help get me going in planning.

I don't have an exact route in mind but the idea of Rt. 153 up through Evans Notch keeps coming up. That's a great road, not too much traffic, gorgeous views, and it's near other great routes. I think it would be fun to pick a meeting point south of there and ride up to the end of 153 and perhaps beyond, depending on how far people want to go. Of course there are many great roads nearby too.

Here are some questions I'm grappling with:
1. Timing. I guess it would have to be a weekend day for most people. I keep wondering if I should plan this for one of the days during idiot week (sorry I meant bike week) since lots of nice normal folks also ride up here around that time. Or is that week just too crazy? Too much traffic, other things going on, etc?

2. How far would people want to ride? For me this whole trip would only be a few hours, but I live relatively close to the area in mind. How far do you all ride your vintage bikes? Would you want to devote a whole day to something like this or keep it down to a couple of hours? I have many ideas in mind for a route but they're all sort of contingent on this question.

3. Since the emphasis is on "vintage," should I stick to pavement? Or would vintage riders be okay with a little unpaved road? Not off-road, but dirt roads. When I think "vintage" I think of the pre dirt bike era when a dirt bike was a street bike with chunkier tires. As such, my CB500 has been down many a dirt road. This being NH, we might need a dirt road or two depending on the route.

I'm working on getting an interesting chase vehicle that I can fill with tools, air, and whatever else I can think of. And I think it would be fun to throw a simple BBQ if I can figure out a good location.

And finally, I am calling it a vintage ride but really all would be welcome. Of course if your bike is not vintage than it better be interesting! And if you're bike is not vintage or interesting, than you'd better be interesting! Really though, it's just for fun!

So what do you all think? Would you enjoy something like this? Would you rather go your own way? Any input is welcome and appreciated!

[DohcBikes]

The only suggestion I have is to not exclude non-vintage riders.

[Steve F]

I personally totally avoid dirt and gravel roads. I see them as unsafe and they chip up the paint.  But, on a modern non-collectible bike that isn't an issue.
Also, I've tried on a few occasions to organize a local ride, and all I got was maybe two or three persons interested and someone would back out or not show.  The only time we had a decent showing was for the rides to the Slimey-Crud runs.  I wish you success in rounding up the riders. 

[JBMorse]

Of course any riders would be welcome! Sorry if that's not clear in my post.
Thanks for the input on dirt roads. I know some people's vintage bikes are not their daily riders. It will be easy enough to stick to pavement, there are plenty of good roads around here.

[chewbacca5000]

I have ran several successful groups to a church I once belonged to and there a a few successful components to having a highly engaged group or ride in your case.

1.Lay out your vision for the ride and what you hope to accomplish ie. All groups are different some are small and ride hard, others go to the local pub, or BBQ and hand out.  Huge groups aren't that much fun IMO.  Six or less is a great number.  If you state that rides are limited to 6 you might have people banging down your door.  Lots of bikers have done the slow cattle type rides for charity and 50 MPH with a large group is not too much fun.  I ride alone, but might start a small CNY group in the spring.  Let people know exactly what to expect.

2. Same time and place every week.  This is key as people don't have to think about it and it is a done deal.  You need to be committed to that time and stick to it.  At first you might get one or none.  That is ok stick with it.  It takes time for the word to get out.  This what I did with my hiking club low turn out at first, but I wanted to meet new people, am highly enthusiastic, and stuck with it.

3.  Have a start and end time.  This is key as people aren't crazy about the never ending ride.  It becomes a real drag, and is the top complaint I hear from other riders.

4. Have a ride captain  It is the ride captin's job to set the route and watch out for others.  Have an experienced rider in the back and inexperienced riders in the middle.

If you can do these 4 things you will have some great rides, meet new people and lots of fun.  Remember trying to make everyone happy results in no one being happy. Pick the type of ride you want to do and go from there.

[Don R]

  Flyers are the cheapest way to spread the word. I'd hit the local bike spots like restaurants, bars, and shops. Once you get it started a mailing list can be made, if not everyone at least groups. I'd stick to pavement, avoid times when road tar might bubble up, The chase vehicle is cool but it's hard to lead from the rear.

[754]

If you have a dirt section, try to have an alternate route around it..less chance to exclude some riders..

[faux fiddy]

If you have a dirt section, try to have an alternate route around it..less chance to exclude some riders..

If there is a dirt section have everyone get some distance between each other. My street tires can get squirrely on gravel and I wouldn't want to be crowded.

[flybox1]

  Flyers are the cheapest way to spread the word. I'd hit the local bike spots like restaurants, bars, and shops. Once you get it started a mailing list can be made, if not everyone at least groups. I'd stick to pavement, avoid times when road tar might bubble up, The chase vehicle is cool but it's hard to lead from the rear.

Social Media is even cheaper.
Create a Facebook page for your proposed Group Ride(s).  Share it with everybody you know who rides.  Ask others to SHARE the page on their Facebook pages....your goal is to get a high number of followers of your page.
Post the link to the Facebook site on any other advertising you might have. 
Its the easiest place for you to communicate with a large group without having to maintain an email database, you can create events, invite followers of your page, and poll attendance.

[JBMorse]

I've received some good input on this and would like to share my thoughts so far:

 1. The vision:
 I'd like to do small, scenic, less travelled two lane roads. You know, the ones that go past farms, little rivers and lakes, and offer an enjoyable twisty ride at a moderate pace. (Moderate is key, I don't want to start a race! But I also don't want to lolly gaggle along like a girl on her first tricycle). I'd like to keep the group somewhat together by choosing stopping points ahead of time. But we don't need to be fender to fender either.

 2. The timing:
 Right now I'm thinking a weekend day, but I'm not sure the best time of day. Hopefully you all have opinions. The route (more on this later) is a little over 3 hours from my starting point of my hometown. So, do we start early in the morning and make lunch our end point? Or, given my location, start later, like after lunch and end in the early evening for food and or drinks.
 I don't plan to do this during bike week. Maybe even once a month if people are interested.

 3. The route:
 Here's my idea so far:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Bri...0x4cb35e8843b0b5d7:0xa99dc2442e298ea0!1m0!3e0

This is a 3.5 hour ride without stops, and a little over 100 miles. These are all paved roads. I've ridden most of them and find them to be in pretty good shape. I'll do some scouting when spring arrives.

 So here are the points of interest:
Newfound Lake starting point. I live nearby and could have everybody meet at my place for any last minute chain lubricating or tire inflating. Then on to scenic Haverhill, NH via country roads. There is gas there. Next, Bath, NH, covered bridge and another potential gas stop. Then over 112 to 118, both awesome roads. Into Warren ending in Plymouth for food and drinks at Foster's Boiler Room. (We could also do a BBQ back at my place).

 4. Inviting folks:
 As mentioned, I would welcome anyone to join, but I'll be riding my old bike. These roads are prime habitat for vintage machines. I'll continue to update here and on a couple of other motorcycle forums and will start a Facebook group as well. There are some local opportunities to connect too, through bike shops and the local bike night for example.

 5. What do ya'all think? Input is welcome and appreciated!

[754]

I think 2 hrs is more like it for a weeknight. .
What start time ? Some folks work till 5:30 or 6...and like a few minutes to half our to decompress...before a few more continuous hours of activity..
 And some folks like to shuterdown be 11 on weeknights...... So they have trouble squeezing in 3 or more hrs on a weeknite..

 Of course the above will have little meaning to the "sleep when I am dead " bunch...

[Alan F.]

Sounds good to me. It's been a rough few years and I need to get out riding again.

[andy750]

Hey JB we have a New England (mainly Mass; http://nehondaguys.info/forums/index.php) forum for local rides and we usually get a good turnout for Spring Rides and Fall Rides (anywhere from 3 -8 riders). I find that smaller is usually better but as long as everyone is clear on the route then any number can work.

Id be up for any ride you put together and Ill be riding up from Boston on my CB750 (K2 or 4). Evans Notch is a great road! Lots of good riding around there. Dirt roads also fine - done plenty in NH, VT and Maine - I actually seek them out . We had a great vintage bike run up to the Adirondacks in 2014. I think we have 10 riders for an extended weekend. Was a lot of fun!







Let me know what you end up deciding on for a route. I am sure I can bring a few riders up for it.

cheers
Andy

[JBMorse]

Thanks Andy! Yes, I meant to post this in the New England rider's forum too. I will do so later.
Since creating this thread, I've chosen a date and figured out a route. Here are the vitals:
Time: Sunday, June 19th. 1:00 PM departure
Location: Depart from Bristol NH (near Newfound Lake), end in Plymouth NH
Route: Bristol-Haverhill-Bath-Warren-Plymouth. This route is only about 100 miles, but I think that will be great for people who are coming from further away.
And here's the little writeup I posted in another forum:

Okay let's call it Sunday June 19th. We'll start in Bristol, NH and can meet at the little riverfront park just north of downtown on 3A, 43.60197, -71.74596, departing at 1:00. If anyone would like to meet up at my place beforehand for a last minute chain or tire check, feel free to let me know and I'll send my address.

 We'll follow the route I laid out in an earlier post. I'd like to stop for a stretch in the Haverhill town square. There's gas nearby. There are a couple of other nice stops along the way too, if anyone needs a break. We won't pass many gas stations but the route is only around 100 miles.

 Again, I invite anyone to join in on the fun, regardless of your bike's age (or your age). These are mostly small country roads, all paved, but I can't say much about the pavement condition yet. I'll check it out after frost heave season.

 I also started a Facebook group called Newfound Vintage Ride. Join it! I'll update there as well.

Here is the route:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Bristol,+NH/Haverhill,+NH/44.1289562,-71.9503899/44.0216499,-71.7320244/43.9383232,-71.8832385/43.7685098,-71.6850144/@43.8595967,-72.1544606,10z/am=t/data=!3m1!4b1!4m58!4m57!1m35!1m1!1s0x4cb351c63a6a9711:0x907532606290bce5!2m2!1d-71.7367162!2d43.5911499!3m4!1m2!1d-71.7905656!2d43.6518053!3s0x4cb3573162cca5bb:0xa150c5ce975d9e15!3m4!1m2!1d-71.8725762!2d43.7615201!3s0x4cb4a6cd031b6fd7:0xd5a5ac5b07d421cf!3m4!1m2!1d-71.9606789!2d43.9628693!3s0x4cb491044b5d29d1:0xb2a9bacf38ac469!3m4!1m2!1d-72.0402283!2d44.0325068!3s0x4cb48d447931847d:0x330391b8911b9733!3m4!1m2!1d-72.04713!2d44.0351827!3s0x4cb48d465e52f4c5:0x5c379ef95db78ac!3m4!1m2!1d-72.0515941!2d44.0372277!3s0x4cb48d4909da20f7:0x8b72d830544cdbe0!1m10!1m1!1s0x4cb48c901a0d082f:0x57cf01be5185b398!2m2!1d-72.0639781!2d44.0345102!3m4!1m2!1d-72.0199719!2d44.0615685!3s0x4cb48cdd12296f0d:0x2adb44fc7e42ea3f!1m0!1m0!1m5!3m4!1m2!1d-71.7150078!2d43.7763301!3s0x4cb35e8843b0b5d7:0xa99dc2442e298ea0!1m0!3e0

Poster3 by Jeremy Morse, on Flickr

[andy750]

Ah sorry but thats Fathers Day so I wont be able to make it. Have a great ride! Lets ride sometime over the summer and you can show me some NH dirt roads.

cheers
Andy

[JBMorse]

Whoa I didn't even think about Father's Day! Some son I am!
Ok so I would now like to move the date. It will be too difficult to schedule around Father's Day activities.  If anybody is thinking about attending the ride, which would you prefer, June 12 or June 26?
Thanks! And if there is enough interest, I'll do this each month over the summer, so don't worry if you can't commit to this one.

[Alan F.]

Just a thought to add. My work has me spending every second weekend on call, likely I'm not the only one. If you're scheduling a ride each month, perhaps you could alternately stagger the schedule an odd number of weeks followed by an even number of weeks to allow for schedules like mine?

[ekpent]

Do you have a Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club (VJMC) in your area or are you a member ? Maybe coordinate with them a little for riders.

[Alan F.]

The VJMC has a presence in NH. I've met a few members at swap meets and such, but they really didn't seem the type to ever leave the pavement.

[ekpent]

The VJMC has a presence in NH. I've met a few members at swap meets and such, but they really didn't seem the type to ever leave the pavement.

Bunch of posers of there than I guess. We have a little crew over here that gets them out on the road ,but not as often as I would like.

[Alan F.]

No, no, I didn't mean they were posers. The guys I met, and their very shiny bikes just seemed like they'd never take a dirt road.

[Alan F.]

Bump.

Hey JB, how's things?

[Dunk]

Did you get something together for this season?

There is a group near me that does a weekly ride. I go fairly regularly. Mostly vintage bikes but there are some new bikes and cruisers that come. Meet at same place same time every week, ride one of a few routes, end at the same pub. Weekday night, start meeting around 8:00 and BS, ride at 9:00. Ride typically about an hour, give or take a bit as some routes are longer. I think this is a good format and time. Traffic is minimal so easier for a larger group or spirited ride.
http://www.chinonthetank.com/weekly-ride/

For me it's important that it's the same time and place every week. No thought goes into it, if it's not raining or freezing and I have no obligations I just show up. I'd be less likely to show regularly for a weekend or all day ride as I'm either on the river or working on projects most weekends, or if I ride it's doing my own thing or to a particular classic bike or car event.

[JBMorse]

Hi folks! Well the CB500/4 is still in 1000 pieces on the bench, but I should be getting some parts back this week and will hopefully have it together. I figure, let's still plan on the 26th of June, and if my bike isn't together I'll borrow somebody else's  

[Lostboy Steve]

Anything a bit more north?


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