Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride Team

[Greybeard]

At the moment there are 1040 forum members. Online currently there are 158 guests and 55 members. My calculations make the ratio of forum members to DGR team members 1.34%!

If you are reading this, please make the effort to sign up to DGR, preferably to our virtual forum team. All that is needed from you is some kind of monetary contribution to the DGR charity and in return, if you wish you can ride your motorbike on Sunday morning, either on your own or with an organised event local to you. If you feel like it, you can dandify yourself, as the ride is intended for Distinguished Gentlemen. Many women take part in the rides as well, often with false moustachios! However, that is not necessary.

[Greybeard]

Those who have signed up for this... do you know the local route that your riding?

If you go onto the DGR site, (spit!). Look at 'The Rides', (top of the page). Search for your country, then rides. Your organisers should have put a route map on there. My lot have

[berger]

i have not been to the pub, I didn't know George best rode a BSA, looking good there georgy GREYBEARD

[LJ.]

Those who have signed up for this... do you know the local route that your riding?

If you go onto the DGR site, (spit!). Look at 'The Rides', (top of the page). Search for your country, then rides. Your organisers should have put a route map on there. My lot have

Haha wish it were that simple... The Peterborough Ride page... clicking 'View Route Map' leads to a new page that says... 'An Error Was Encountered
The URI you submitted has disallowed characters.'

I've let them know on the FB page as I feel it is a safety issue... one needs to know where they are heading. I always like to plan my journey rather than blindly riding along following the leader in front.... taking into junctions etc.

[Greybeard]

i have not been to the pub, I didn't know George best rode a BSA, looking good there georgy GREYBEARD

In my twenties, I used to be mistaken for a bloke in The Small Faces or Godber from Porridge. Later I was George Best. One evening a rather drunk chap came out of a pub, saw me and wanted to give George Best cuddles. I was not drunk so the intimacy was scary!

Luckily I've managed to avoid Georges health issues.

This picture is me in my early twenties.

This is Godber from Porridge

This is an older George Best

[Topdad]

Yep ,totally agree ,ran off a full map with directions from my ride and am very pleased with it , a fair bit of effort as been put in to run it around and then back threw Liverpool, only problem we end up next to the arena where the Labour conference is being held, our poor old bikes may overheat from all the hot air coming out of that place !!  Only found the ride info by accident actually !.

[bsa-bill]

In my twenties, I used to be mistaken for a bloke in The Small Faces

"Wouldn't it be nice to get on with me nieghbours ................) Steve Marriot
Not sure , think your more of a Dave Berry

[berger]

blinkin ek greybeard that's cool man, mind you looking again you could be dennis hopper

[Sluggo]

Those who have signed up for this... do you know the local route that your riding?

Each ride has a local ride organizer/co-ordinator.  And if you dont have one in your area you can sign up to put one on.   Some rides have hundreds of riders and local sponsors, Some are 3 guys & German Shepard.

My local is in Portland Oregon,  They DONT want the route published prior to the event, But in most locations you DO know it, just dont share it. (You have to be registered before you get the details)  So, I printed off mine, but will just try to ride with a group, It is not critical to me to make the entire route as in my local case its ALL central city and in many cases very stop & go. 2.5 hrs of meandering around city streets when in actuality we have some of the nicest scenery and roads along rivers, mtns and rolling farmland in the entire Pacific NW, so  not every one is keen to suck exhaust fumes in the city for hours on end.  (Get my drift?)
But I anticipate it will be a grand gala before and after the ride.  Bearded hipsters and millennials especially.  Here in Portland, The hipster style is Gay lumberjack-Lumbersexual, Flannel, dungarees or canvas pants, Designer work boots and beards.... Ill post a pix to illustrate the popular style. 
So, my point is, A chance to flaunt that style is not to be missed by many, so I anticipate a big crowd this year.
What was funny was at the Cannonball run finale last weekend, (See my post on this, watch the video) There was some very well established old school grey beards.  No hipster or millennial could hold a candle to these guys, and can only aspire to be as seasoned and cool.  (Patina and aged is cool right now for bikes and cars, to LOOK the same,, well not really possible.  Again., Ill illustrate the difference.)

So heres the blurb (not giving out the route, but heres whats shaking locally)

-----------------------------------------
ABOUT THE RIDE
Portland Ladies and Gents,

Welcome to the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride. Portland has proudly been part of the DGR since the very beginning. We'll be kicking things off like we did last year with a start at Two Stroke Coffee Co. in St. Johns.

Event Details:

8:30 am - Rider breakfast provided by Oatly

9:45 am - Announcements and Rider Safety Briefing

10 am - Kickstands up!

Noon - 5 pm - Back to Two Stroke Coffee Co. for food, beer, music and fun

Food carts from St. John's Cart Pod behind Two Stroke
Beer and cider pouring from Betsy the Booze Truck
Health and Wellness vendors featuring accupuncture, cbd and massage
Music from Bitches of the Sun
Axe Throwing!!
Prizes for Highest Fundraiser and Best Dressed will be announced after the ride. Best Dressed will take home a free night stay at a Kimpton Hotel!

Tally Ho!

Portland Ride Host - Chris Sell

[Sluggo]

I will just like to add, I passed an important benchmark today thanks to some awesome people who sponsored me.   Not one penny-cent-centavo-peso-ruble-lira goes into my pocket, However thanks to donors I am now well over $200.  I DO get a patch, you have to earn these, not bought. 
So, a LOT of people registered but have not raised or contributed anything, I would like to encourage folks to do so, Toot Suite.
(I did over $200 last year as well)

[RichardL]

Oh, where to start, without committing myself to an evening of typing.

LJ: I think the error you're receiving is what you get when the local organizer hasn't posted the route map.  You could try contacting Mikey at DGR direct with the email mikey@gentlemansride.com. He's pretty good about answering. Right now, it might take a day or so.

I think I've mentioned before that this is the first year they have blocked viewing routes from those not registered for the specific route you want to look at. I miss this feature. For me, it was like a little travel log to see the routes in Ho Chi Minh City or Katmandu or Prague or everywhere. I particularly  liked looking at the routes forum members would ride. In some cases, I could use Google Earth to get a sense of your experiences. I just looked at my Chicago route and see that they are also advising against sharing the route. I'm comfortable saying that it heads out from the Cobra lounge and ends as far south as the Museum of Science and Industry. This is a longer and much more interesting route than the last two years. Don't know if there is a pub stop along the way this year, as there was in 2016.   

About the stop-and-go in the city, for the last two years we stopped for nothing except really old folks and mothers with strollers needing to cross the street.  Otherwise, we have escort riders who ride ahead and stop traffic at intersections. Not exactly like police escorted, but I think the police must know it's for a good cause and just turn their heads. Before the start of the ride we get stickers to slap on our license plates to avoid being ticketed by red light cameras.  The last two years it's been about 400 bikes, this year it looks like 600.

About the money, I've suggested to the organizers two or three times that a minimum donation should be required. Obviously, they don't want to go that way. It seems I may have less pull than I wish. In any case, If the organizers are not all about a minimum, I won't break any arms if someone chooses to follow those organizers' attitude. Nevertheless, remember, your prostate is not getting any smaller or younger.

I think there will be more chat about it before Sunday, but if we don't hear from you all (I'm not from the south, so you won't get "y'all" from me), have a great ride.

Richard L.

 

[LJ.]

Well, I have changed my ride location. Not going to do the locally arranged one as there is no planned route, I need to know. So have changed and will now be riding the Cambridge one, a lot more riders taking part and I can see a well planned route with a good regroup place, bit more riding to do but it's what it is all about, and yes I have put my donation in. Have a good day to all those taking part... keep it safe and show us some pics afterwards. 

[Butch (cb)]

Yeah - good riding all.

[muskrat]

G'day fellas.
Just got home. Numbers a little down on last year but still had 70 riders in our little country town ride. It's a holiday long weekend here and always busy. First of the warmer weather breaks. So didn't we raise hell with all the holiday traffic! All roundabouts, stop signs and traffic lights were blocked to allow us through on mass. A great day had by all. Now to sit back and recover.
Cheers
I need a new camera. More to follow when emailed to me.

[RichardL]

Muskrat, Berger and Everyone in the Awake Zone,

3:00 AM here and I just finished reassembling my bike and going for a test ride. It wasn't the dynamo, but the dynamo now has a nice new greasing. Hours of disassembly and reassembly. I just rode up to the local gas station to listen to it idle. (The neighbors would be upset if I was running it very long at this hour.) Damned if I didn't forget my phone to take another video!  Anyway, the noise is under the primary cover. Sitting in neutral, the noise will start while idling and mostly go away when the clutch is pulled in. It sounds like scraping ore maybe bearing failure, but it is not continuous. I don't thin it's there when riding.  Anyone know what is for sure? (I know that's almost impossible.) If it would help, and people will look right away, I'd go out again to get a new recording. As it is, without knowing it's not disastrous I can't do the DGR in about 7 hours.

Richard L.