First Group Ride....Any Pointers??

[Virginia Archer]

I'm going on a Group Ride today and its the first time with more than one person! Ya'll got any pointers?

[OldMsocko]

Just a couple quick ones:
1: Ride in a staggered formation
2: Ride at your comfort level. Don't ride faster than you feel comfortable at.
3: Don't run red lights to keep up.

[ike1518]

VA,

Everyone's experiences are different but here are problems I've seen on some group rides I've been on:

- The lead takes off from stop signs at full speed. This assures the tail will have to greatly exceed the speed limit to stay with the group. This is my number one gripe with group rides.

- People following each other too closely. Riders should be staggered at least 1 second apart so you are at least 2 seconds behind the rider directly in front of you.

- I have a book called "Proficient Motorcycling" or something like that that has a good section on group rides. It might be worth your checking out for that as well as a lot of other good information in the book.

- Ride your own ride. If you just can't stay with the group, too fast or too slow, break off and meet the rest of the group at your destination independently.

- Assuming you stay together as a group, the ride captain will ride at a pace appropriate for your weakest rider. (This seldom happens and thus is always a problem.)

- Agree before hand about a few basic hand signals to tell the group to go single file, watch out for road debris, etc. Don't have too many, 2-3 at most.

- Have some idea of how to deal with cars you meet or that want to overtake you.

- This list is getting long but the more bikes you have in a group the more difficult it can be. I find when I'm in a group I'm watching the bikes around me more than I'm enjoying the ride and the scenery. To me a group of 2-5 is very workable but big groups can get unweildy.

I've never been on one of those huge group rides like they have at the rallyies - maybe someone can chime in on them.

Have fun, but ride safe.

[dickey]

Back home (NYC) my riding buddies knew how to ride in a group,and there were never any problems. Now that I live in Florida,not one of my friend knows how to ride with another person or in a group. As a result, I've been riding alone & loving it. My girlfriend has a RoadKing, and we will be riding together for the first time (Not counting Daytona demo rides)next week. At least I know she knows how to ride with another person.

[Virginia Archer]

Thanks Ike, We've already gone over the Route, and the distance between bikes in Stagger and single file, and hand signals! Hopefully the Road Captian will take it easy on me since I'm one of the newer Riders!

I'll let ya'll know how it goes!

[eagle56]

to disciplined for me I like to ride

[Shockwave]

Even though I have years of experience riding in large groups, if it is a group I'm not familiar with, I always ride in the last position. That way I control who is around me and can easily break off if I feel the need.
All of the advice posted is good. Heed it and ride safe.

[claydbal]

Originally Posted by Shockwave

Even though I have years of experience riding in large groups, if it is a group I'm not familiar with, I always ride in the last position. That way I control who is around me and can easily break off if I feel the need.
All of the advice posted is good. Heed it and ride safe.

i ride sweep for my safety . the slinky effect of a group will kill ya. dont like groups, but sometimes will accept if i know most riders.

be careful, and enjoy the ride!

[Thundermug]

I don't do group rides unless I am in back. i will ride with one other person, and when on the highway i will usually fall in with other people instead of passing then because there is safety from cages when in groups. As for being the "rockin' chair" in a group? Huh-uh. No way. Too many people can't really ride well enough. Dragging feet at their stops, because they can't balance. They can't ride a straight line longer than 30 feet.

Only a time or two was I comfortable when in a group...well as for as being comfortable with the skill level, not the people, was when I stopped on a road ttrip to eat. I passed a Burger King and had to turn around. I did it in front of a bar. A couple of those guys came next door at BK and asked me a few questions as I was on a road trip on a sporty. Where I was going where I was from amI sore, tired, etc. I said no, I'm just hungry and gotta few hundred miles left for the day.
I went in to eat, and darn it, if they didn't see me pull out and they came too. As I got on the expressway, so did they, when I hit 70 and leveled off, half went in front the other half followed behind. about 30 of them. An hour later I pulled off at a rest area and so did the ones following. The ones in front came in from the other way.
Patched 1%ers. Asked if I had a problem, and I told them it was the first time I'd been around the (I'm not saying the name) and was feeling nervous.
They asked me who wasn't riding good enough and I said it wasn't that, They were some of the best riders I'd seen, it was just the patches. Anyway we had a cigarette and coke and talked awhile. Friendly bunch, asked me if I wanted to hang around. I said no, I gotta couple hundred miles left and want to get to the hotel. They laughed and let me finish my trip...alone.

Now I know what "hang around" means.

[Scrubs]

I'll ride in a group if I know one of three things:

A. I know I'll be leading

B. I know I'll be drag (sweep) bike

C. I know the other riders; and that I won't be
humming "Stuck in the Middle with You" by Stealer's Wheels

As a word of advice to anyone I'm riding with...
in the passing-a-cage-on-a-two-lane-road-predicament,
if you're in the unlikely position of leading me DO NOT pass the vehicle then reenter the lane (track) nearest the centerline and then SLOW DOWN leaving barely enough room for me to reenter the lane in front of the cage.

That $H1T is wrong! And if ya do it to me, I'll tell how much it pisses me off to your no riding skills face.

[claydbal]

scrubs, you just descibed the slinky! when he speeds up and slows, the chain reaction hits the rear of the group like a wall. that kinda riding kills people! i wouldnt blame you for smackin him around.

[faroogoo]

Defenitely stay at the rear of the group if your not experienced at riding with a large pack,Seen it before when a rider thats had no pack riding experience just jumps straight into mid pack & before they know it theyre stuck with no way out.

[Sarge7]

Bout once a year I ride with a large group of a 1000 - The trip isn't to long but I make sure I am in a spot that I can get out of without worring about the the people in front or back of me. This usaully means outside or rear. Even with a police escort we have a slinky effect and it's something to be very aware of. Best to buddy up with someone you know and someone who has ridden with you before. And above all - if you don't feel comfortable get out of the pack and ride at the rear. Ridin in large groups can be a lot of fun but it brings dangers that solo or small groups don't have.
Have fun and ride safe.

[Faast Ed]

I'm going on a Group Ride today and its the first time with more than one person! Ya'll got any pointers?

Drink lots of beer to relax yourself.
Rev your bike a lot to show your presence.
Change lanes frequently to hide your lack of experience.
Randomly hit your brakes hard to keep the folks behind you alert.
Don't use your mirrors, as it distracts you from watching the bikes in front of you.
Instruct your passenger to move around her seat a lot.
Ignore this post because it was meant as humor.

[BoomerBob]

It's hard for me to find a group I feel comfortable with.

What I look for in a group:

>Constant speed. No slowing down speeding up. It just ruins the ride for everyone behind the person(s) doing this.

>Good communication from the road captain to everyone in the group about what to expect, where the next stop is, etc.

>Confident riders. Not hesitant or squirrely.

>Riders are able to maintain an equal distance between them and the person in front of them on the straights and freeway.

>Trikes in the back. There are exceptions to this though.

>Pack moving fast enough. Nothing makes the ride more unbearable than to be going too slow. IMHO.

>Rotate road captains. Give everyone that wants to lead the group a chance.

I agree with a previous poster in this thread. Sometimes the pack needs to split up into various smaller groups to accommodate speed preferences. The group might have fun together but not ride together all that well so splitting up is a major plus.