Hoggin the Bridge 2009

Its taken me rather a long time to get round to uploading these pics but I thought I'd share them with you anyway. On Oct 18th over 5000 bikers rode 22 miles from Aust Services, across the old Severn Bridge, along the motorway and finally back to Chepstow in South Wales. The ride was for charity and it will have raised over £20,000 as each biker was asked to give a donation of between £5 to £10.

My pics aren't really really representational of the ride as I decided not to chance photography whilst moving, but you can always google for more if you want to. Aust Services (the start point), got filled to bursting point, mostly with cruisers and Harleys as the event started off 10 years ago, just run by a local Harley Chapter. But over the decade its been going its been growing steadily. It was so cool to be on the motorway, with bikes as far as the eye could see in front, and the same behind us, all riding 2 or 3 a breast in each lane.

When we got to the villages on the route all the locals were out to wave to us, even grannies in wheelchairs! Children put their hands out into the road and you tap them with your glove as you ride past (quite a challenge when you really need to use that hand on your clutch just at that moment). Happily I managed to keep my balance so I didn't run any over.

Finally we arrived in Chepstow in desperate need of a chip butty but the carparks were overflowing with bikes so parking was tricky. Wandering round the town was like some massive bike show, there were even trikes and sidecars made of bath-tubs! I wish I'd had longer to look at them all!

So here's the few pics I did manage to snap...

Aust Services, just by the river Severn on the English side.




My Ninja, my friend's Ninja, and me.


Chepstow castle had to ward off an invasion of bikes.


Every parking space had been filled.


All in all it was a fantastic day and I'll definitely be going again next year if the weather is good!

Nice, wish i was there to rip all the bigger bikes with my immense speed, looks and handling!

LOL Will.

It a bit like to the reclaim North Wales one I went to. I didn't get many pictures, but I'm sure there will be a load on google images.

Nice to see your bike next to another Ninja Rhap, it sounds like quite a fun ride, I may consider doing it next year myself

Will-Radford wrote:Nice, wish i was there to rip all the bigger bikes with my immense speed, looks and handling!

Well I'm sure you do have better looks than all those hairy Harley types, you would be much more handsome ;p

Danham - I'd love to meet you at the next one... thats if we could find each other amongst all the thousands of people

I know, the amount of people at these places, I thought I was going to loose myself

Which bike is yours Rhap, is it the Ninja with the DB screen or without it?

The one with the DB screen. But I'm thinking of ditching it back to the stock one because I raised up on my footpegs at 60mph last time I was out and my helmet got 100x quieter. This screen seems to direct the wind blast at my head, where the stock screen sends it at chest upwards. My helmet is a Schuberth C2 which claims to be a very quiet flip front, but it says in the manual that its quiet when not in direct turbulence. I think my DB screen is funnelling turbulent air onto the lid making it much noiser than it need be. So perhaps the DB is best for the winter when the weather protection is more helpful but something to ditch for the summer months. I need to swop it back and check my theory.

Almost all helmets will be noisy..

You might need to get some ear plugs! lol
Will save your hearing for when you get older.. I need to start using them too

If its aiming at your chest and the air moves upwards, then it will make the helmet noisy anyway, try a wind stoppa, or a scarf around the bottom of the helmet, always works for me

Schuberth claim that the flip lid that followed mine is the quietest helmet in the world. Mine is pretty darn quiet anyway, the sound proofing is really good. My work mates know they have to shout at me if I walk in with it on in order for me to hear them properly.

When I raised myself up on my pegs the wind noise round the helmet got loads quieter, so if I get out of the screen turbulence then it should help. I'll know for sure when I swop back.

I don't normally wear ear plugs as things only get noisy for me at about 60mph+ and I don't ride fast roads like motorways very much. I also wear sound isolating earplugs most rides. I still have the stock can so the engine noise isn't too loud either.

I wear ear plugs, when I'm out on my bike, the ones I use are ones that Morgan kindly sent me and damn they are brilliant! I went through a stage of not wearing any, now when I ride without them, I wondered how I managed it. It feels soo much better and you can concentrate more.

I'm considering wearing an ear plug in the ear that I don't need to use a radio on test but I'm not to sure yet, any opinions?

I never wear earplugs

Ipod or listen to the beefy sound of my rs

You mean the 'ring ting' of a leaf blower haha

Go on my riding backwards thread and watch the vid of my bike

Doesnt sound that ring tingyy

I was joking mate lmao

Ear plugs are the best inventions ever!

Nice Rhapsody ~ looks like a crowded event though!

Funny that your friend has exactly the same colour bike and shape/design etc. Now if two guys did that, they'd be called really gay and love it

I see there's quite a cross of different bikes, from Harley biker queens with the overkill wardrobe packs on their rear, as well as more conventional naked bikes and tourers.

Did you bring your own plastic puck then? I'm hopeless at remembering to take mine away with me. ... like, how are you supposed to pick up a plastic puck after you get on a bike?! If you put the stand down again, it'll just sink without the puck! Doh. I'm sure there's something I'm doing wrong

Haha Morgan, I think exactly like you do, when ever I try and pick something up while on my bike it turns into a wobble or cramp in my leg lol.

Bluecollarlove wrote:Funny that your friend has exactly the same colour bike and shape/design etc. Now if two guys did that, they'd be called really gay and love it

Hee hee, I talked him into buying a Ninja when I was shopping around for mine. We made friends when we were having biking lessons. I'm really lucky to have him as a buddy to ride with as we like travelling at the same speeds and have a good chinwag when we stop for a cuppa.

nice pics rhaps did you get my pm about the sig ?

Erm nope, didn't get your PM Ben. Would you like to send it again? As soon as you send me some pics and words to work with I'll put something together for you.

Rhapsody wrote:Erm nope, didn't get your PM Ben. Would you like to send it again? As soon as you send me some pics and words to work with I'll put something together for you.

okies but surely ill have to e-mail the piccys

You could post them in your PM and I'll save them to my computer from there or I'll PM you my email if you'd prefer that (tho you may already have it as a mod?).

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

tu

as a mod lmao im admin bABy

yeah OK raps nice point though didn't think about that lol ,


will get something sorted many thanks