Final Ashby Folville Bike Night of 2025

[Millietant]

I have to say that I'm very lucky living where I do, in a hot-bed of motorcycle social activity throughout the Spring and Summer Month's - so much so that my wife has actually complained about the amount of time I spend socialising with my biking friends. This likely comes from multiple VJMC evening meetings each month, monthly and weekly VJMC ride outs, regular ride-outs with my local buddies, lots of local Bike Night gatherings (at least 6 per month) and just ad-hoc sunny day rides !!

One of the best of the Bike Nights, is held at the Carington Arm's pub in the small Leicestershire village of Ashby Folville, around 50 miles (by the twisty route) from home, which attracts the most eclectic mix of bikes and riders of all ages, creeds, colours and bikes from every era, of every style and every continent.

I do wonder if the biker scene in the USA is as varied and inclusive as we seem to have over here (no biker-gangs, as such) ? What's your thought's guys and gals ?

One night a month, the village and it's pub WELCOME 200-300 bikers, who take over the village roads for 4-5 hours as they meet for a catch up with friends (or to make new riding friends), to show off their bikes, to sample the delicious Indian Street Food on offer, or to just enjoy the ride there and home.

The local's are unbelieveably welcoming and usually come out to join in with the chatting and the admiring of the bikes (and some of the characters that ride them). There is very little anti-social behaviour, or riding, as the vast majority of riders appreciate the welcome and don't want to spoil the event.

Here's a few photos from the last meet at the end of September. Mine was only FJ that turned up, but there was, at least, one other XJR 1300 that came along (and that's me under the yellow arrow with my back to the camera, standing with my buddy Raz (who was on the red VFR 800) and Will (who was on his Aprilia V4 1100 Tuono Factory), the usual suspects Mike and Simon are behind us in the ride-in photo.

There were too many brilliant bikes to list, but a few that really caught me eye were a showroom mint GPZ 750, 2 Laverda Jota's, a Benelli 750 Sei, a gorgeous MV Agusta F4, a six-pipe CBX.

Hope you all enjoy the photo's (some are mine, some taken from a semi-pro photographer, Matt.)

[Sparky84]

Excellent photos Dean, big range of bikes.
You also have great Weather temps.
Couple of bikes I saw last week, not as many as you.

[Motofun]

The UK is much more "dense" in terms of bikes per square mile than the US.  Couple that with the difference in distances between towns and the bike scene is understandably less crowded.  Big events like Sturgis or Daytona require going hundreds or even thousands of miles.  The other more disturbing thing is that our youngsters seem to less interested in bikes.  As the boomers are aging out there is a problem with getting enough interest in big events.

[Millietant]

Excellent photos Dean, big range of bikes.
You also have great Weather temps.
Couple of bikes I saw last week, not as many as you.

Not as many bikes, but the quality is top notch - GS1000E, GS1000S, Z1R, CB1100R and Z1000R (cooking ELR) in the first photo alone   

We don't do too badly for weather temp extremes, but get a lot wet days and a lot of salt on the roads in winter!

I always feel jealous of the Aussie weather LOL.

[Millietant]

The UK is much more "dense" in terms of bikes per square mile than the US.  Couple that with the difference in distances between towns and the bike scene is understandably less crowded.  Big events like Sturgis or Daytona require going hundreds or even thousands of miles.  The other more disturbing thing is that our youngsters seem to less interested in bikes.  As the boomers are aging out there is a problem with getting enough interest in big events.

Yeah, I think our population density is around 10-12 times that of the USA overall.

The biggest difference I find is the variety and acceptance of different bike types and rider types over here.

Cruiser riders, mixed with sport bike riders, mixed with adventure bike riders, all in the same groups and much more of an "overall" feeling of biker brotherhood (more culturally inclusive), rather than specific toe brotherhoods.

Maybe it's an incorrect observation, but in my travels and time living in the USA over the last 20 years, I've rarely seen different rider types and backgrounds, mixing as socially as we do here.