Friday Night Bikers

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

The spyder is perfectly fine with either lining up in front or at the back. Hehe...

 

OK, it will be fun planning the formation with you in front. We will use some armoured cavalry tactics to divide the scout IFVs from the main battle force: -

 

First platoon: Recon and route navigation

 

@tankee1981

@gutripper

@Metal_Heart

 

http://www.gkburgin.com/cavscouts/images/bradley2.jpg

 

The M3 Bradley is a typical modern example of a "armoured cavalry scout" IFV.

 

Second platoon: "Main battle force" and photographic support units

 

@spyder@sg, Super Fours, Crusader Team & heavy cruisers if any

 

We will treat this group like MBTs (main battle tanks) following the above cavalry scouts.

 

http://cimg2.163.com/cnews/2007/8/21/20070821093043c4f96.jpg

 

Third platoon: Rearguard

 

HMS Black Swan

 

 

---

 

In plain English that means we have a command team to act as "pilot boat" for the Spyder to follow. And the rest of us will cruise behind the Spyder.

 

When we reach a critical turning point or command team needs a navigation fix, I will turn on searchlights and move to the front. My "laser cannon" emits a squarish beam and can be used for signalling quite successfully over a distance of 200m (we tested firing it from Riders' Cafe lol)

 

Lastly, the event start point as been confirmed as Seletar area. For those unfamiliar with a certain famous grill & bar set in a picturesque Colonial-era neighbourhood we can arrange to do a mini convoy from Marsiling area at 8.00pm. Otherwise, the google map location will be provided Tuesday or Wednesday night via sms to invited parties as usual. **

 

** Note, we ARE open to new members, there are no membership fees or ANY fees besides your own petrol, so just PM me if you want to ride with us. Heck, fine dining is also provided FOC it seems :3

Edited July 24, 2011 by Pandora's Kitten :3

[gutripper]

Company 2IC may be doing recce tonight on the next meetup point. Top Gear style race vs pizza delivery needs Dawn Patrol style precision gathering ability so we will leave that out for now.

 

It appears that beside Eurocopter Asia you have two huge new roundabouts and a colonial era restaurant. From there we can exit Seletar area via the shortcut through Yishun covered by the 9th July Dawn Patrol. This will be a "urban shortcut" route from Yishun - Sembawang - Admiralty - Kranji for the first stage, and the second we will view several important factories.

 

List of industrial objectives includes a refinery, shipyard, and brewery and there may be more. There is also a secret pit stop facility consisting of an uncompleted road in the middle of an open field, known only to heavy vehicle operators :3 The trick will be locating all of the key industrial facilities and "underground" parking facility and not getting lost.

 

After industrial prospecting we'll send the "Battlestar" home via KJE and see if anyone is up for part 2.

 

So we have for now a route and if platoon sergeants may temporarily take over the front end of the convoy during Yishun Ave 7, Admiralty Road and Kranji sections (the "go straight only" parts) I can do some HD video recording to capture the awesomeness for all eternity. Lol.

 

 

Next planning detail:

 

Battlestar in front or behind?

 

Of course, for the past month we put battleships in the rear and small units in front

The reason being we use the "frigates" and "light cruisers" to clear a path through traffic before the heavies pass through.

 

However the Spyder's four "laser cannon" might be invaluable serving as a beacon at the front to alert other motorists of the convoy's presence. It might be worth experimenting to put heavies first and light units tagging along behind.

 

I am always up for any part 2. This is a very interesting topic. Spyder's "laser cannon" is versatile. It can illuminate our path from the front and warn other vehicles of our approach. On the other hand, the Spyder can also illuminate the whole convoy to be visible to all road users from all sides. Having some medium recce/strike units (Phantoms/CL2/S4) in front of the Spyder is also a good idea as they can lead the lane changes while having some light strike support units from behind the Spyder to lane change from taking cue from the recce units and block the traffic which in turn paves the path from the Spyder to lane change effectively in traffic.

 

Actually, on the road, an experienced convoy rider group can keep up and employ effective techniques without any particular strategy as long as they exercise their judgement and road skills wisely. But I am just a p-plate...the only one in the grp hahaha. Alot more to learn but I hope you all don't mind if I share my opinions now and then

Edited July 24, 2011 by gutripper

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

Opinions are more than welcome :3

 

Indeed our last few outings involved "freestyle" riding to see how everyone's personal driving styles meshed with each other. There were no problems at all and the little tactical corrections that were needed got resolved within 5 minutes of starting off. I notice that a fast start into an expressway keeps everyone's morale high. Constant stoppages for any reason create 'combat fatigue' so route planning is really important to ensuring everything is smooth and predictable.

 

More or less in Singapore roads, this means picking roads nobody uses during their everyday commutes. Out of the box thinking = nice empty roads

 

While we're doing well with freestyling, tactical discussions like these hopefully involve more people into the planning and design of each outing. Eventually, no one will have any fear of leading the convoy because IMO, that's the best place to be for any rider.

 

Unlike some more 'experienced' groups, we don't have anyone in our team who will question the leaders' decisions in the middle of the road. Cos we are team, we'll just follow and watch your back until the next checkpoint. Each platoon sergeant has his own individual style and that's great! :3

 

Instead of rigid formation we have been practising "platoon based" maneuvers so that instead of leading one dozen individual motorcycles, we only have 2 or 3 platoons each operating in their own individual tactical unit. Making a big convoy look like "3 units" makes leading the convoy a LOT easier. **

 

In emergency situations there is always the option to split the company into platoons and meet up at the next rally point automatically - like we did for the time @adesmond2 visited us at Pasir Ris Camp. This allows one platoon to secure the next venue while second platoon tackles a different challenge (like fuel stop, Phantom re-tuning or emergency repairs). Leapfrog is much superior to halting the whole company at once.

 

 

** Additional note:

 

Last year we had "Toa Payoh" convoy rules which encouraged riders to pair up and operate like wingmen of a fighter squadron. Platoon tactics now were developed from that (one platoon = 2 pairs, giving more unity to the whole formation).

[Lexanez]

Heya! Seems like something great is going, might I join in?

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

@Lexanez - you had rode with us before last year with @niteblade and others, sure thing, just sms me at 9226 4999 during the course of this week to receive targeting info (i.e., the meeting location :3). Your GSR should fit in perfectly.

 

If you have any feedback on route planning, event management, etc, pm me for the facebook event page.

 

 

 

Continued tactical procedure development (for platoon and LST commanders):

 

Do we have any standard signal right now to split company into platoons and attack next objective independently?

 

Right now waypoint based navigation is perfect and so is automatic lane switching. But I'm thinking next time if the event becomes even bigger, we can run two convoys in parallel or break the company up into tactical assault groups to get past a congested zone by whatever means possible, saving time and increasing safety (my experience with convoy + traffic = rigid formations get overrun while being able to use motorcycle agility = win).

 

(Erm, of course we will leave a light cruiser or pair of frigates with the Battlestar, don't worry :3 )

Edited July 24, 2011 by Pandora's Kitten :3

[liquidnoise]

hi, sorry didnt really make it last friday. Work came up, will look forward for rides if any. tried to add cat or meow x 3 on facebook to look at pics. but cun. There are other links but can see as well.

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

@liquidnoise - care to PM me your facebook name or address? There were some "security issues" a while back involving people from LTA, so I do not add 100% of the friend invites. Sorry :3

[jx87]

hey guys, this fri i am avail, so i will be in too ...

 

See you all on friday

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

hey guys, this fri i am avail, so i will be in too ...

 

See you all on friday

 

Ok I will make sure we show proper respect to the Ducati LOL

 

Feel free to add us on facebook

(This is the event page http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/event.php?eid=195674307154954)

[jx87]

lol .. added you all already

[niteblade]

carmen! you changed number alr? hahah texted you a couple of times and got ignored

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

Yep the number is as posted above :3 9327xxxx is my work phone.

[spydersg]

But one thing I have always been wondering is that when the spyder is covering the back, are the "laser cannons" blinding the riders in front of the spyder? I really hope not, but feedback appreciated.

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

But one thing I have always been wondering is that when the spyder is covering the back, are the "laser cannons" blinding the riders in front of the spyder? I really hope not, but feedback appreciated.

 

No, the quad lasers are not especially blinding, I think some of the assistant convoy leaders and myself use your headlight beams as a means of reassuring ourselves that the convoy is still in one piece after a major maneuver.

 

We need to do a test of my kopitiam HIDs because I think cars stayed well clear of my front quarter for a reason...

 

 

That reminds me - before we had these new tactics and ideas we used to stop very often for people to catch up or rejoin. Nowadays... no more. We always manage to stick together or do a rolling rendezvous within a minute or two (cos the routes are pretty much straight and free from congestion).

[AhGui]

Argh~~!!! why do i have to work on fri and sat nights... DAMN IT!!!

[gutripper]

But one thing I have always been wondering is that when the spyder is covering the back, are the "laser cannons" blinding the riders in front of the spyder? I really hope not, but feedback appreciated.

 

My mirrors can't see behind so it will never blind me....wahahaha! But its that when I turn and look behind, the familiar unique "laser cannon" patterns let me know that the convoy is still behind me lol. Yep so it works.

[guiderer]

wish to join, but suffering from 5.5days work week... >.

[E Aumno]

But one thing I have always been wondering is that when the spyder is covering the back, are the "laser cannons" blinding the riders in front of the spyder? I really hope not, but feedback appreciated.

ya, as gutripper mentioned..u r the last bike behind, whoever fell behind u & if u waited for them & when we looked back on our side mirror & could not see u means we have to stop to allow pples to catch up..

 

however i personally think not nice to always have the same person at the rear, sometimes should change if road conditions or if road familiarity allows

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

The meeting location has changed. Online research of the restaurant initially proposed revealed incredibly poor reviews by many Singaporeans. The new location will be revealed during the mid-week update.

 

All riders who registered online (facebook) for this Friday's outing will be given priority; the group is large enough for our purposes and we will not be increasing the convoy size further.

 

To preserve operational security, only those registered on the facebook event page (now closed to public) may access tactical info :3

 

That's why must add us on facebook and have forum account! Faster book your convoy slots, before stolen by Malaysian cubs! Lol.

 

8.00pm Monday update:

 

New battle plan & meeting location posted @ facebook event page. Note gathering timing and interception point for those who'd like to join us at 10.45pm. ( @palzzz ) .

 

We aim to try and achieve a rolling rendezvous. See flashing laser cannon coming down the hill, faster deploy and fall in. Like Air Force like that!

 

Dinner meet has been removed - not many of us eat at 8.00pm. Own time own target!

 

I wish we all had those new SAF spec ipads so we can all whip out our ipads and play angry birds while at the rally point :3

Edited July 25, 2011 by Pandora's Kitten :3

[nabil15]

The meeting location has changed. Online research of the restaurant initially proposed revealed incredibly poor reviews by many Singaporeans. The new location will be revealed during the mid-week update.

 

All riders who registered online (facebook) for this Friday's outing will be given priority; the group is large enough for our purposes and we will not be increasing the convoy size further.

 

To preserve operational security, only those registered on the facebook event page (now closed to public) may access tactical info :3

 

That's why must add us on facebook and have forum account! Faster book your convoy slots, before stolen by Malaysian cubs! Lol.

 

8.00pm Monday update:

 

New battle plan & meeting location posted @ facebook event page. Note gathering timing and interception point for those who'd like to join us at 10.45pm. ( @palzzz ) .

 

We aim to try and achieve a rolling rendezvous. See flashing laser cannon coming down the hill, faster deploy and fall in. Like Air Force like that!

 

Dinner meet has been removed - not many of us eat at 8.00pm. Own time own target!

 

I wish we all had those new SAF spec ipads so we can all whip out our ipads and play angry birds while at the rally point :3

 

How can I find the facebook event page? (:

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

How can I find the facebook event page? (:

 

No more slots liao, all eaten up on Sunday already.

 

Got experimental bikes and special vehicle tactics on trial, convoy will not entertain last minute entrants for safety reasons.

 

Sent from my hong kong gangsta phone using Tapatalk

[nabil15]

No more slots liao, all eaten up on Sunday already.

 

Got experimental bikes and special vehicle tactics on trial, convoy will not entertain last minute entrants for safety reasons.

 

Sent from my hong kong gangsta phone using Tapatalk

 

Alright. Thanks then.

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

Last consideration:

 

While our group's discipline and maturity has won us public approval many a time there is something which we cannot entirely control, because we own and enjoy several 'experimental' type vehicles, mine included.

 

That which we cannot control is the bane of aircraft pilots - systems failure.

 

I propose we design a procedure to deal with technical issues, including flat tyres and broken down engines.

 

Some issues we can conduct basic field repairs so long as the fighter escort of the day has experience with the issue at hand, others will require calling for technical assistance.

 

Here are some of my recommendations:

 

1. There should be a designated "alert team" to escort the damaged vehicle to safety, leaving the convoy to proceed on its route.

2. The alert team members should be proficient in automotive engineering concepts, can instinctively diagnose vehicle issues, or plainly just has a huge list of tow truck and emergency numbers on hand. Do not attempt major component disassembly or repairs on the roadside unless the problem can be surgically and rapidly fixed.

3. As far as possible, do not attempt to contact members of Black Swan who are not riding on that day. No one likes being woken at 3am to deal with accidents, broken down motorcycles, etc especially on a working week. The risk of bringing an experimental or fresh-from-shop motorcycle to a long range / high speed convoy route is fully borne by the vehicle owner. Unless of course the bike in question has everyone's name on the ownership papers :3

4. The convoy main body is not obliged to stop in the event of a breakdown, since there shall be an attendant alert team to escort the damaged vehicle to safety and transport the rider to the next rally point if necessary. Stopping a large convoy means crucial momentum permanently lost, and I have personally witnessed people stopping large convoys for minor issues right in the middle of busy traffic junctions... a big no no in our operations as far as I'm concerned.

 

We're not just bikers, we're Force Recon operatives. We do think of the world around us as well :3

 

Finally, while I'd like to say most will go ????? at the incredible chimilogy we deal with on a daily basis, just keep in mind the concept of a successful wet weather plan.

 

The best way to deal with rain is to use all available resources to correctly predict rainfall and weather patterns, so as to ensure there is no possibility of rain in the first place.

 

Apply the same strategy for vehicle breakdowns

Edited July 27, 2011 by Pandora's Kitten :3

[tankee1981]

But one thing I have always been wondering is that when the spyder is covering the back, are the "laser cannons" blinding the riders in front of the spyder? I really hope not, but feedback appreciated.

 

To be really honest, for me it does...one possible reason is that my eye sight haven't really been good especially at night...not like last time in NS...

 

But the pros out-weight the cons so we just have to continue maintaining this safety distance between each other's bike then should be fine.

 

So far the spyder have been in quite a few rides and no serious issues from other riders, so should be ok.

[yc86]

on a side note for weather prediction.. I did do a bit of aviation meteorology before. With a synoptic (pressure) chart of the region (daily trend), which is for some reason unavailable from the NEA which prides itself as a meteorological service provider, we can predict whether it would rain or not 1 or 2 days in advance.

 

but since sg is located on a pretty much perpetual equatorial trough.. an area of constant low pressure due to high tropical temps.. this partly explains why nea predictions are as accurate as tossing dice.

 

Hope it doesn't rain... my rain coat is still in its original packaging. lol!