Back when I had my 2000 Vulcan Classic 1500 V twin, I "joined" a local riding club. I got regular emails about rides but I never got around to going on any and eventually the emails stopped. After I got my V650 I thought I would give it another shot just to maybe connect with some of the local bikers. Sent an email to the "ride captain" and got a reply saying all were welcome, all types of bikes, etc etc. So seems they are going on a ride Saturday about an hour 20 minutes up the road to a BBQ place for lunch, outside service, social distancing and so forth. But I happened upon a video one of the members posted and all I saw were big V twins, mostly Harleys. Now I could be wrong, but I think I would feel a bit out of place if I showed up riding the Versys 650. The only other clubs I found were most definitely Harley clubs. I enjoy riding alone but I thought it might be good to have another rider once in a while for company. Oh well, a solo I will go.
When i first brought my V-650 out to California in 2010 or 2011. I rode with several groups that i found on www.meetup.com Lots of Harleys and V-Twins and some groups mostly sports bikes. Pick a few to ride with that i felt comfortable with as far as how organized they were and riding styles. Finally wound up riding with several folks that liked riding together and wanted to get away from larger groups... Some of my best friends wound up being Harley Guy's....
Beside they need a reliable bike to get them home or help when they break down.......
People are people. I would rather ride with the big V-twin guys who might actually ride sane, than with the Supersport Riders who almost always have someone low side on a ride, and have the locals call the law on the crazy bike riders.
You might feel out of place, but if you don't go, you will never know if your feelings are warranted or not. If people are ignoring you because of what you ride, then don't go back. If you don't go at all, it is you who are making a judgment based on feelings only.
You might find that there are some guys in the group who also own other bikes, and you will find someone to ride with.
I prefer to ride alone, or with one or two others at most, but finding riders who are compatible with your riding style, need for breaks, etc. can be difficult. I think you have to become friends first, and then it is easier to compromise some with your rides.
In my experience riding with most sportbike groups is scary unless it's a bunch of 50 year olds with ton's of experience. Most of them think they're motoGP ready when they can't negotiate a corner, then relying on that 1000 cc's to gas it and catch up on the straits. I've had sport bike rider's behind me who I warned multiple times to NOT ride as fast if they weren't comfortable, follow me through anyway and go head over heels off the side. That sobered me up quickly to very carefully select who I ride quickly with once I trust them. Some people see a Versys and think that the RR bike they're on obviously outhandles it so they'll just try and come in right behind you, avoid those people unless they actually know what they're doing.
Much more relaxing to spend an afternoon with cruiser riders and just have a good time and slow down. Once you get to know them they probably won't mind you scooting up through the corners and waiting a the other side to ride again.
If you like to ride quickly and with capable riders "The Pace" is a good read and set's you up for success on spirited road rides. Obviously you can't go at it like on a track without luck running out fairly quickly, but you can have a really fun pace safely with the right group.
I went to feel out a local bike group which I won't name. There were no women there "by design". They had a meeting where the leader used strong racist language. It was not an exclusively Harley group. I live in the Northeast. It's like forest Gump's mother used to say about chocolate. "You ever know what you are going to get."
Good points all... I'm not interested at all in riding super fast through the twisties, etc. I've reached the point where I just cruise along and enjoy the ride. Maybe I should have kept the Vulcan , but it was going to require a good bit of work and expense to get it to where I would feel comfortable riding it any distance (tires, clutch, etc). So, yeah, depending on the weather Saturday I may very well join the group and see what happens. At least it is not like one of the local groups which does appear to be exclusively Harleys, by design. At minimum I should get a nice ride and good BBQ out of it.
I joined the local riding group for a nice 65 mile or so (one way) on some 2 lane roads to a BBQ place for lunch. There were 8 bikes, 1 650cc Suzuki scooter and 4 3 wheelers. 13 in all. Lots of V twins, Harleys mostly, 1 gold wing. I was the only one on a "dual sport" or however the Versys is classified. I was the only rider with a protective jacket on, everyone else was in short sleeves. Several denim and leather vests with lots of patches and pins. It was a laid back ride, pretty warm out though. Wife asked me if I would ride with them again and I said sure, depending on where they were going and how long the ride. Today was about my limit until I get more saddle time. Pretty good group of folks and I wasn't made to feel unwelcome at all. Plus the BBQ was pretty good. I rolled over 700 miles on the odometer so I'll be taking it in next week for the first (break-in) service.
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