Ride of the Century?

[ncsonderman]

I was riding home from the BMWMOA BBQ in Ballwin, MO this Saturday :dancewhen I encountered what appeared to be close to 200 sportbikes coming the other way on the STL outerbelt (270). I realized that these guys/gals were taking up all 5 lanes in that stretch with many doing stand up wheelies, tank sit wheelies.... There was even a pick up truck amidst the organized mayhem videotaping [yes, there were idiots (Darwin Award Nominees if you prefer)standing in the back of the truck at freeway speeds and beyond recording this stuff.] I read about it in the paper today and noticed that many of the law enforcement agencies in our city had been flooded with calls of hooliganism on the streets and utter lawlessness, but they did not issue any violations throughout the weekend. :scratch

Here is a link to some you tube video of these guys from last year http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEWcaNHuv8U and from what I saw, heard, and read it was even larger this year.

At least one guy died trying to retrieve a back pack from the middle of the freeway. Any LEOs out there? What can we do about these goons? They are dumb enough to post their antics online.

BTW - I am very pro sportbike. I love a good wheelie, but there is a time and place. The guys that I saw were very good at what they were doing, but should choose to do their stunts on deserted stretches of road where they won't injure anyone but themselves. That is what I do when I choose to break speed laws in twisty stretches.

Anyone else happen upon these riders?

[barryg]

It's all fun till the horrific crash/wreck and all the maimed, mangled, and dead happen.

[RUDYJO]

What a bunch of idiots. Would I feel sorry for anyone killed? Not for a second.
It's stupidity like this that give all motorcyclists a bad name. If this is something
they do every year, where are the police? They could pay a couple of teachers
a full years salary with the fines they would get from this.

[Voni]

http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2011/09/17/bikers-swarm-st-louis-highways/

Imagine my relief to find out it wasn't BMWs going to the Open House!

:whistle

Voni
sMiling

[ncsonderman]

What a bunch of idiots. Would I feel sorry for anyone killed? Not for a second.
It's stupidity like this that give all motorcyclists a bad name. If this is something
they do every year, where are the police? They could pay a couple of teachers
a full years salary with the fines they would get from this.


It is yearly from what I've seen on YouTube and could be the next wave of taxation:usa. If I were a LEO, I'd have called ahead and shut down the entire freeway. I know that would inconvenience some motorists who were uninvolved, but using their own video.....Ticket them all.

[brewmeister]

I feel sorry for the dead dog on the side of the road,It should of been some of those no-minds giving us all a black eye!:thumb


Hopefully they belong to some organ donor society!

[RUDYJO]

There must be a drag strip or racetrack somewhere in the St. Louis area that
could put on a stunt riding show once a year. Have the riders sign a release.
I'm sure plenty of people would pay to see a show like that.
After reading my responce to this tread again, I guess it shows how people
change as they get older, I did a couple of drag races in the streets late at night
back in the 60's. There must have been some older people at that time who
thought I was one of those Idiots.

[R80RTJohnny]

Lots of skin ready for road rash. Cool on dudes but the girls might want to think twice about it (if they could of course).

[bobh41]

Why are they wearing helmets?

[glenfiddich]

it is yearly from what i've seen on youtube and could be the next wave of taxation:usa. If i were a leo, i'd have called ahead and shut down the entire freeway. I know that would inconvenience some motorists who were uninvolved, but using their own video.....ticket them all.

+100

[Visian]

There must be a drag strip or racetrack somewhere in the St. Louis area that could put on a stunt riding show once a year. Have the riders sign a release.


you can't get insurance for an event like this, afaik.


I'm sure plenty of people would pay to see a show like that.


they already do, they pay for cable TV to see Stealthriders (http://stuntride.com/stealth-rider-tv-show-exclusive/).

[Statdawg]

Love the event or hate it, its all because of social media is getting people involved and excited about something. Social media is similar to Peter Pan, he is climbing through your windows ( unless you have a MAC ) and snatching your people up. :laugh

[drew3714]

The report says there were several accidents, and they had to close 270 for a while to airlift injured riders to the hospitals. So I guess they weren't as good as they thought.

Update: just watched the video, read the comments. There's teenager dumb, and then there's full on stupid. This is 100% pure, unadulterated, full on stupid. I'm sorry for the families that have to identify them at the hospital, hopefully they're organ donors.

[cookie]

I remember when I had my first beer.

[froggy]

Who pays the helicopter flight time,and med bills when all is said and done...

[Statdawg]

Who pays the helicopter flight time,and med bills when all is said and done...



Insurance vs the hospital system doing it as a charity case / tax deduction.

In Pennsylvania there s a EMS / Trauma Act that allows the health care provider to submit a claim for immediate reimbursement.........no need for them to wait months as they may do with Medicare.

If you have your insurance(s) combined to save money and since they are attached to other belongings / property the health care business could seize assets if coverage could not be received. *I was told that at a medical meeting and very off the record. This may explain the big push to combine your coverage into a nice package ?????????? Not for you but to lower the insurance company risk, and you thought you could save money ..... you can, till something very bad happens. Please check with your insurance comapny on what if you exceed your limits, think long term hospitalization to rehab to long term care !!!! If you are young and have nothing well that is differant...... heck they may even qualify for help. :dunno

What is tough are the Life Flight guidelines. For example if you fall anymore than 18 feet in height, any head injury, and any motorcycle accident etc etc. you can get flown. A friend of mine dumped his motorcycle trying to avoid an animal, he was shaken by the incident, EMS showed up and he was flown to the Trauma Center and discharged within the golden hour with a sprained ankle and about 30 grand in Emergency Services to look forward to. He never hit the dog nor did much damage to his motorcycle. Maybe if he wasn't upset he could have picked the bike up and rode off.

Society may say they can't afford this luxury but the health care system here went from a 2 helicopter based system to a 7 since the Act was passed so someone has money to pay for it.

[AKsuited]

Why are they wearing helmets?

That's all they are wearing. And some are fake helmets.

I saw almost no protective jackets or pants, and almost no gloves! That's really unbelievable, to be doing wheelies down an Interstate with virtually no protective gear.

Darwin would not be impressed.

Harry

[brewmeister]

I don't remember my first beer ,just my first hang-over.

[reactortrip]

What a bunch of idiots. Would I feel sorry for anyone killed? Not for a second.
It's stupidity like this that give all motorcyclists a bad name. If this is something
they do every year, where are the police? They could pay a couple of teachers
a full years salary with the fines they would get from this.

They are there, there is just way too many bikes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAjhKu3Ir5Y

But then there are just some that totally don't give a crap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROfeG5dPZ4U

They tried a road block this year

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuDpRdKtstE

[reactortrip]

Heres a long video of the road block stuff

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jofp-Bq-CrE

[R80RTJohnny]

I don't remember my first beer ,just my first hang-over.

Or when I first prayed to the porcelain God. My promises were never kept.

[Visian]

Or when I first prayed to the porcelain God. My promises were never kept.

i remember waking up in a Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill stupor (as in passed out on the floor) in college. I used to keep my Bultaco Matador Six-Day in my room (much to the displeasure of the housing authority) and woke up with an eyeful of Trelleborg knobbies. :hungover