Do you do a first ride of 2021?

Drakhen99

The Forrest Gump of Motovloggers
Aug 31, 2020
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road-reality.com
I ride a
2019 Harley Street Glide Special, 2005 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic (bobber), 1979 Kawasaki KZ650SR
Haha, well, I went out on my first ride of 2021, like I said I would. It started with a malfunction on my Hero 9 which resulted in me having to format my SD card, then it glitched a couple of times on the way up and early in the trip home, which resulted in some glitchy footage, but nothing really lost. I did 3 takes for 2 separate videos, one of which is almost done (after 4 hours of editing for a 5-minute video, LOL?), and the other I'll start on later today.

Wet roads, humid & chilly, but an excellent 124-mile ride, in the books :D

-John
 

Arfa

Beginner Biker Adventures
Nov 17, 2020
98
142
33
London
www.beginnerbiker.com
I ride a
Yamaha FZ6
I'd normally ride year-round, commuting every day into London. But with the pandemic, I'm now working from home permanently. With current lockdown restrictions just come into play, I can't see myself riding for at least a month or two. Should have SORN'd the bike...

My wife is still commuting daily on bike as she's an ICU nurse. But it's all 12hr+ shifts, so dark riding in and riding home, mostly just riding the London North Circular and she's too knackered shoot any interesting footage. :-(
 

Drakhen99

The Forrest Gump of Motovloggers
Aug 31, 2020
1,821
1,878
113
road-reality.com
I ride a
2019 Harley Street Glide Special, 2005 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic (bobber), 1979 Kawasaki KZ650SR
Well KUDOS to your wife for fighting on the front lines of this thing!

-John
 
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R-Rated

Remember to Have Fun! - Solar Bear 2020 Champion
Aug 4, 2016
4,199
4,700
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Middle Tennessee USA
www.R-RatedCustoms.com
I ride a
2014 Harley Davidson (FLHTK) Ultra Limited
I'd normally ride year-round, commuting every day into London. But with the pandemic, I'm now working from home permanently. With current lockdown restrictions just come into play, I can't see myself riding for at least a month or two. Should have SORN'd the bike...

My wife is still commuting daily on bike as she's an ICU nurse. But it's all 12hr+ shifts, so dark riding in and riding home, mostly just riding the London North Circular and she's too knackered shoot any interesting footage. :-(

Definately respect for your wife going through all that.
 
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HippoDrone

Admin
Jan 2, 2017
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West Sussex, UK
I ride a
1984 Honda CB100-N
2012 Moto Guzzi V7
2017 Suzuki GSX-R750
2020 Beta 390RR
2022 Aprilia Tuareg 660
I'd normally ride year-round, commuting every day into London. But with the pandemic, I'm now working from home permanently. With current lockdown restrictions just come into play, I can't see myself riding for at least a month or two. Should have SORN'd the bike...

My wife is still commuting daily on bike as she's an ICU nurse. But it's all 12hr+ shifts, so dark riding in and riding home, mostly just riding the London North Circular and she's too knackered shoot any interesting footage. :-(
Am sure you could use the bike to go shopping or somit, just to get out on it and give it a leg stretch? :) I'm gonna be fitting all my panniers and will use it to commute (I am a key worker, so can't work from home thankfully), I'll also try to do as much shopping as I can on it too, I should be easily able to fit a weeks groceries in the boxes :)

I hope everyone is keeping mentally well during all this?
 
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Arfa

Beginner Biker Adventures
Nov 17, 2020
98
142
33
London
www.beginnerbiker.com
I ride a
Yamaha FZ6
Am sure you could use the bike to go shopping or somit, just to get out on it and give it a leg stretch? :)

Technically, I could probably get away with that, but I'm based in East London and have over a dozen supermarkets within 1-2 mile radius, so barely worth getting geared up for. Travelling further would be taking the piss slightly.

I'm also very conscious as to how overstretched the NHS is currently. Word from the front line is not good, all the shit political short term thinking from last couple of decades is coming home to roost. From chronic underfunding, charging tuition fees for nursing degrees, pay-freezes, anti-immigration policies, bit-wise privatisation of services, crap IT systems, private firms crippling trusts with service debts for new hospitals etc. Successive governments have sent the NHS into a downward spiral of failure, setting things up to make wholesale privatisation appear a better choice. All of which has left the NHS simply unable to cope with the current number of admissions.

Last thing I want is pop out on the bike, to find myself in some minor collision with some East London numpty driver, then stuck on side of road with just some broken bones wondering if I'm gonna get an ambulance to a hospital, whether I'll get a bed in a non-covid ward, or any bed for that matter, and then if I'll be picking up a nice covid souvenir to complement my asthma. And what for? A quick ride in some shit weather to pick up some milk. No thanks, best plan right now, is just sit tight, stay away from everybody, avoid any further strain on the NHS and await the vaccine rollout.

We'll be biking again in a few months, recent lockdown delays will probably mean it'll get worse before it gets better, but we'll get through it. It'll be better weather by then too.
 

R-Rated

Remember to Have Fun! - Solar Bear 2020 Champion
Aug 4, 2016
4,199
4,700
113
Middle Tennessee USA
www.R-RatedCustoms.com
I ride a
2014 Harley Davidson (FLHTK) Ultra Limited
Technically, I could probably get away with that, but I'm based in East London and have over a dozen supermarkets within 1-2 mile radius, so barely worth getting geared up for. Travelling further would be taking the piss slightly.

I'm also very conscious as to how overstretched the NHS is currently. Word from the front line is not good, all the shit political short term thinking from last couple of decades is coming home to roost. From chronic underfunding, charging tuition fees for nursing degrees, pay-freezes, anti-immigration policies, bit-wise privatisation of services, crap IT systems, private firms crippling trusts with service debts for new hospitals etc. Successive governments have sent the NHS into a downward spiral of failure, setting things up to make wholesale privatisation appear a better choice. All of which has left the NHS simply unable to cope with the current number of admissions.

Last thing I want is pop out on the bike, to find myself in some minor collision with some East London numpty driver, then stuck on side of road with just some broken bones wondering if I'm gonna get an ambulance to a hospital, whether I'll get a bed in a non-covid ward, or any bed for that matter, and then if I'll be picking up a nice covid souvenir to complement my asthma. And what for? A quick ride in some shit weather to pick up some milk. No thanks, best plan right now, is just sit tight, stay away from everybody, avoid any further strain on the NHS and await the vaccine rollout.

We'll be biking again in a few months, recent lockdown delays will probably mean it'll get worse before it gets better, but we'll get through it. It'll be better weather by then too.

You make good points. Even the slightest injuries are going to not get as quality of treatment when healthcare is overwhelmed.

Here in the US, Los Angles has issued a mandate that if a patient cannot be resuscitated after 20 minutes then the ambulance is not to bring the body to the hospital due to lack of beds. They also listed O2 sat should only be raised to 90%. Based on my work around 88% is when cognition starts failing for some people.

I have to wonder if our leadership at the top would have handled and presented the seriousness of the disease differently then we would not be with as many dead and sick. After all, it is not like we did not see Italy get overwhelmed.

I think the comedian Dave Chapelle said it along these lines back in 2015 - if an asteroid was going to hit tomorrow the politicians would want us to keep working so we could spend money and get taxed as much as possible before being killed.
 

Arfa

Beginner Biker Adventures
Nov 17, 2020
98
142
33
London
www.beginnerbiker.com
I ride a
Yamaha FZ6
Doesn't sound good at all in California. In my day job I work with a few companies from San Fran and keep hearing things aren't good there either. I certainly can't imagine how it is for someone now out of work over there and finding themselves without any health insurance...

Most (if not all) London hospitals are currently on disaster procedures, ambulances queued outside due to lack of beds, 1 to 3 or more ICU care (when it should be 1:1), oxygen shortages, ventilator shortages, all non-urgent elective surgery cancelled, staff have been asked to cancel annual leave and do whatever overtime they can. After the Christmas mixing of people and school kids going back for 1-day yesterday, things are only going to get worse before they improve.

As you say, none of this is a surprise, so many experts and scientists have fore-warned this for months. It's just poor leadership at the top.
 
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Moto Mengy

Motovlogger from PA, USA
Mar 23, 2020
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I ride a
2018 Honda Goldwing Tour DCT
Doesn't sound good at all in California. In my day job I work with a few companies from San Fran and keep hearing things aren't good there either. I certainly can't imagine how it is for someone now out of work over there and finding themselves without any health insurance...

It's bad in PA too. Our plant had another two cases confirmed from the shop floor last week. Hopefully no one else on the floor caught it too.
 

MickFist

Wannabie Member
Aug 20, 2018
49
47
18
37
Birmingham, UK
I ride a
Yamaha Fazer 600 '98 - The 'Mistress'
I have always liked the idea, except I end up consuming too much alcohol. Easily remedied of course. A few big Biking groups (Midlands Riders, and Midland Motorbikers) usually set something up, but not huge turnouts and tend to be localised rather than their big group rides. I either missed it this year, or nothing was arranged. Given that I don't hang with them, I may as well go on my own. May be next year I should get out there on NYD!
 

YBGuy

Yellow Backpack Guy
Aug 14, 2020
621
663
93
San Francisco Bay Area
ybguy.com
I ride a
2005 RC51, and a 2004 Honda CBR1000RR
Whoa..actually looking at my footage directory now I did record some stuff Jan 1st this year. Shoot will need to take another look at that and see if there is anything worthwhile posting.
 
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YBGuy

Yellow Backpack Guy
Aug 14, 2020
621
663
93
San Francisco Bay Area
ybguy.com
I ride a
2005 RC51, and a 2004 Honda CBR1000RR
I have planned a round trip from LA to San Francisco if Covid and the weather allow.
Wow that is solid, round trip depdning what part of LA and SF you are going to that is 600-800 miles round trip. All depends what highway you plan on taking or took. Hwy 1, 5, 99, 101 or something else?
 

YBGuy

Yellow Backpack Guy
Aug 14, 2020
621
663
93
San Francisco Bay Area
ybguy.com
I ride a
2005 RC51, and a 2004 Honda CBR1000RR
I have a first video I am working on but it feels like a takes forever + 1 day to edit my "Ride" videos. They are just super duper long, so editing takes super duper longer.
 
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