Motorbike chase in peckham Rye

[Baggs]

I should have said "organised" :D

[*Bob*]

Blah Blah Wrote:

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> There have always been youths riding bikes where

> they shouldn't and how they shouldn't. Wheelies

> seem to be about the limit of their skills

> though.....

The video's not badly made at all either. So video editing, motorcycle maintenance, the ability to, er, work independently as well as part of a team.. Great selection of hats. They're role models, really.

[steveo]

rollmops

[Blah Blah]

Good points bob. The only issue here is where they choose to ride, but without legal access to some private land or a scrambling track, they are pretty stuffed. I think that anything that engages young people, especially young boys and men is to be welcomed. We just need to find a solution that doesn't endanger anyone else.

[Jeremy]

Think you're being rather na?ve, Blah. The antisocial/illegal aspect of it is part of the appeal.

Anything that engages young people is to be welcomed? ANYTHING?

[Blah Blah]

Of course not ANYTHING! But equally niaive is the idea that an interest is only appealing if it has some element of antisocial or illegal behaviour. I would be willing to bet that if there were a legal scrambler track locally where things like competitons take place, that a fair number of those young people would go there instead. It's the thrill of the activity that appeals I'd argue. I grew up on a farm, and I and my friends had 50cc scramblers. But we also had land we could ride on, and do jumps and things with no issue to anyone. It's too easy in dense urban areas to demonise an activity as opposed to looking at engagement and opportunity.

[alice]

agree

[madger]

I agree it would be good for kids (though they looked adult size and given the masked faces it's hard to tell) to have somewhere to ride, but having stood right in the middle of this while it was going on, it felt pretty menacing. There were kids' parties in bits of the park where they were riding, they were all masked, probably going at c.25/30 mph past pedestrians on pedestrian paths, about 30 of them on motorbikes, the helicopter was circling, the police team locked the gates, and when I asked if they were dangerous one of the police team looked at me as though I was a real banana and said 'yes'. I totally get the theoretical arguments for more engaging activities for young people (if indeed these were kids) but being in the middle of 30 roaring bikes, ridden by people with full balaclavas in a pedestrian park felt a bit menacing really.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Yeah, its all about a dearth of youth clubs. Pull the other one.

[KestonKid]

Interesting piece of possibly related filming to be found at

[Earl Aelfheah]

Blah Blah - where would you put this dirt track out of interest? I imagine those living near to it will be delighted to hear and smell the two stroke engines whining all away all day.

Also, I think it's naive to think that the cat and mouse game with police, helicopters whirling overhead and the donning of balaclava's etc is not part of the thrill. Building a dirt track isn't going to solve anything.

[JohnL]

madger Wrote:

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> I agree it would be good for kids (though they

> looked adult size and given the masked faces it's

> hard to tell) to have somewhere to ride, but

> having stood right in the middle of this while it

> was going on, it felt pretty menacing. There were

> kids' parties in bits of the park where they were

> riding, they were all masked, probably going at

> c.25/30 mph past pedestrians on pedestrian paths,

> about 30 of them on motorbikes, the helicopter was

> circling, the police team locked the gates, and

> when I asked if they were dangerous one of the

> police team looked at me as though I was a real

> banana and said 'yes'. I totally get the

> theoretical arguments for more engaging activities

> for young people (if indeed these were kids) but

> being in the middle of 30 roaring bikes, ridden by

> people with full balaclavas in a pedestrian park

> felt a bit menacing really.

Well I recognised at least one guy (just seen him around)

- so understand the masks to an extent :)

[Salsaboy]

Was he talking English as I could hardly understand a word he said.

KestonKid Wrote:

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> Interesting piece of possibly related filming to

> be found at

>

[Jeremy]

Yeah from the video, I'd say these are young adults old enough to take responsibility for their own actions. Let's not pretend that riding your motorbike through the park and evading arrest is a reasonable reaction to the lack of a motorbike scrambling course...

Besides, what you're describing Blah is more of a rural pursuit, not something you'd expect to find in inner London.

[JohnL]

Salsaboy Wrote:

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> Was he talking English as I could hardly

> understand a word he said.

>

> KestonKid Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Interesting piece of possibly related filming

> to

> > be found at

> >

My mother called it "Patois" - not sure is that is an acceptable term now even.

[bobbsy]

On a slightly different note, major manufacturers are now releasing electric dirtbikes that are claimed to perform as well as petrol engines - utterly silent running, and they look the business. So the whine and whiff od 2-strokes may be coming to an end!

[Earl Aelfheah]

I may land a plane on Lordship Lane - a reasonable response to the lack of a local airstrip I think we can all agree.

[Blah Blah]

Don't dirt bikes use the same petrol and diesel as them things we call cars and busses and lorries that drive all around us every hour of the day?

Of course that group of 30 wearing balaclavas were on an antisocial pursuit (where have I said otherwise?), but you all know as well as I do that peer pressure plays a huge part in that. Early engagement does stop things getting to that point 90% of the time and youth clubs have disappeared, along with mentoring schemes and other forms of engagement that had good success rates.

[*Bob*]

bobbsy Wrote:

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> On a slightly different note, major manufacturers

> are now releasing electric dirtbikes that are

> claimed to perform as well as petrol engines -

> utterly silent running, and they look the

> business. So the whine and whiff od 2-strokes may

> be coming to an end!

Silent motorcycles.. Now that sounds like a recipe for disaster when it comes to trying not getting hit by a car.

[JohnL]

*Bob* Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> bobbsy Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > On a slightly different note, major

> manufacturers

> > are now releasing electric dirtbikes that are

> > claimed to perform as well as petrol engines -

> > utterly silent running, and they look the

> > business. So the whine and whiff od 2-strokes

> may

> > be coming to an end!

>

> Silent motorcycles.. Now that sounds like a recipe

> for disaster when it comes to trying not getting

> hit by a car.

and Googles self driving motorbike will get you if that doesn't :)

http://www.notimpossiblenow.com/the-latest/google-self-driving-motorcycles