Poker Run ??

[nksmfamjp]

I'm sorry, but has to be asked. How long can the Poker Run concept continue in biking? From what I can tell, it is about going from bar to bar drinking alcohol at each and continuing to drive. Is this what weekend biking is all about? Let's not forget the complete lack of safety gear by many to keep cool.

This is my opinion based on trying it and not drinking most of the time. There were about 3 of us not drinking, but some were doing shots!

My question is: Is there a low or no alcohol way to organize this kind of event?

Also, when these groups of bikers roll down the road, why doesn't the OHP stop the group and get like 10 dui's? Just askin'? I think they are protecting them on purpose.

Do I just not get it? Please explain.

 

[Spideyrex]

I guess there are different types of Poker Runs out there. All of the ones I've been a part of (both motorcycle and cycling) had no drinking involved. Just riding to a certain point to get a card and the best hand at the end of the ride wins a prize.
Any event where riding and drinking are paired is just asking for trouble.

 

[Bates121]

I guess there are different types of Poker Runs out there. All of the ones I've been a part of (both motorcycle and cycling) had no drinking involved. Just riding to a certain point to get a card and the best hand at the end of the ride wins a prize.
Any event where riding and drinking are paired is just asking for trouble.

+1 these are the only poker runs I have heard of is go to 5-7 points and collect 5-7 cards and then the best 5 card hand wins

 

[The Dude]

I guess there are different types of Poker Runs out there. All of the ones I've been a part of (both motorcycle and cycling) had no drinking involved. Just riding to a certain point to get a card and the best hand at the end of the ride wins a prize.
Any event where riding and drinking are paired is just asking for trouble.

+2
I don't participate, but none of the poker runs I've heard of involved drinking. I'm sure they're happening, but those guys don't advertise it online. Just chalk it up to living in OH. What else are you going to do but drink? Heck, I might even consider a cruiser if I lived in one of the flat states. I don't think I could get past the lack of gear though.

Whenever I see a group of cruisers with little gear, I treat them just like a pack of squids on race replicas. I stay far enough away that they can't get me hurt, but close enough to see any good carnage that might unfold.

As for the law... there's not much of a police presence in my neck of the woods, and I like it just that way. I've never ridden intoxicated, but I don't think it's too much more dangerous than what most sport bikes do on back roads. And when I say intoxicated, I mean having a few drinks over the course of an afternoon as you troll around on your HD. The guys you read about in the paper, who tried to ride home from the bar at 2am sloshed out of their minds, are a different story. I'm just glad those guys choose to ride their bike and removed themselves from our world. Better than having them drunk behind the wheel of a car where they'll eventually kill someone else.

The cops shouldn't hassle motorcycles. Unlike drunk (or reckless) drivers, the odds of us hurting other motorists are pretty slim. The odds of hurting ourselves are pretty much a lock. So it's basically the opposite of drunk/reckless drivers.

 

[nksmfamjp]

Maybe. Need to look around more, but every poker run I've seen or heard about is run by a group of bars and they NEVER say no drinks available to riders. I like personal control for myself, but I also would like some accountability for the guys doing shots at 5-7 places...

Not asking for police harassment or much more than self control, but I also know that a bar or restaurant in Japan will ask if I walked here before serving me. Just sayin'!

 

[ELIZABETH]

Most of the ones I have seen are also bar related. Must be a midwest thing! LOL
I won't participate because I don't want to be associated with the drinking riders.
I bet if you had a good cause you could put together a poker run and have the stopping points be at churches or schools, which would avoid the alcohol possibility. I'd be interested to hear if the turn out is better or worse.