Some Group Riding Tips.....

[skuuter]

OK, It's getting to be "Riding Season" for a Lota' Folks (mine is 12 months, but I understand not Everyone has my zipcode advantage...). A lot of you will be attending "Formally Planned, Led, Group Rides", Others will be simply riding with Friends, but either way, 3 or more will be a GROUP RIDE.

"Most" Everyone has had some of the Old Standby Basics told to Them such as Staggered Formation, etc. I'm gonna' toss in some Little Tips that will help Everyone from Your Ride Leader, Tailgunner/Sweep, and Every Rider in front of and behind You have a Better, Safer, More Enjoyable Ride. All of These Tips are with the assumption that Your Ride Leader and Tailgunner are Experienced, Capable Riders, with a Full Understanding of adjusting Rides to that Day's Rider Capabilities and Experience. My Ride Leader
Motto has ALWAYS been this: "I would rather have ALL of my faster, experienced Riders bored than have even one newer, slower, less experienced Rider stressed"...with me, this will ALWAYS remain so...ThumbUp

Now that we have established that we have a Capable Team taking the Ride onto the Road, and the Pace will be fine for Everyone, let's discuss some Tips...

(1) Try to ALWAYS maintain a fairly equal, comfortable distance between You and the Trike in front of You on the Open Road. DO NOT vary Your Speed and Distance all day...!!!

(2) Close up that distance if the Ride starts coming into a Town, or up to Traffic Lights and Stop Signs..."THIS" is the single-most important Rule I see broken constantly. If You lay back too far, think how far back You're moving the Riders behind You. Too many will get caught at Intersections, etc., and will sometimes allow Cars to get between the Trikes. The more Trikes that get through each Traffic Light together before a light change, the smoother, less stressful the Ride will be for Everyone.

(3) When leaving Parking Lots, Traffic Lights, Stop Signs...accelerate quickly. Move as soon as the Trike You're following starts to move. Do Not Leave Large Gaps...Everyone needs to get moving as quickly and efficiently as possible...Besides slowing Everyone up, Gaps caused by delaying are potentially dangerous.

Now, back to that "Staggered Formation" Thing......Open Roads, Wide Lane Roads, and Roads in the "Lands of Straight Roads", this is fine. To some of You coming to the TRIKE TALK RALLY IN THE VALLEY V and/or riding in the Tennessee, North Carolina, North Georgia Vicinities...Our Roads tend to be Narrow, Twisty, Hilly, Mountainous, and sometimes even "un-lined". You will need the whole Lane making these corners correctly, USE IT...ThumbUp...You've probably heard that "THE DRAGON" averages 30+ curves per mile...it is not the twistiest Road in Our Area by any means. Where I live and ride daily has an average of 10+ curves to the mile on most any non-4 Lane Road. Well, my "Little, Important Tips".....Learn Them, Practice Them, Use Them, and have a VERY FUN, SAFE RIDING SEASON...Hope to ride with as Many of You as possible in 2012.....See Ya', skuuter.....ThumbUp :Trike1:

 

[skuuter]

Almost RALLY Time......ThumbUp:Excited:

 

[Mr.Wizard]

Skutter... Good rules to ride by.

My fav is the headlight rule.

The headlight behind you is your responsibility. If you don't see it, slow down until you do.

If you slow and have waited long enough and still don't see it, pull over, the bike in front of you will do the same until the group leader is made aware.

Wait for the group leader to come back and get you before heading out to find the headlight that you lost.

The group leader has already made plans with the sweep rider in case something happens normally something like, stay put I'll find you and leave your phone turned on if I call.

 

[skuuter]

Skutter... Good rules to ride by.

My fav is the headlight rule.

The headlight behind you is your responsibility. If you don't see it, slow down until you do.

If you slow and have waited long enough and still don't see it, pull over, the bike in front of you will do the same until the group leader is made aware.

Wait for the group leader to come back and get you before heading out to find the headlight that you lost.

The group leader has already made plans with the sweep rider in case something happens normally something like, stay put I'll find you and leave your phone turned on if I call.

THANKS Wizard....Another Good One.....ThumbUp :10:

 

[JohnC]

Here is some information on group riding that I've posted to a couple of web sites I developed:

You've probably all seen groups of motorcycles traveling together on the highways. Some look like totally disorganized hordes. Others are well spaced, organized and move as if they've been choreographed. In fact, they very often resemble a formation of airplanes.

When you ride in a group, your actions not only affect you, but the other riders as well. It is important to recognized and remember that group riding is a team effort. To reduce the risks and increase the fun and enjoyment, you much rely on the cooperation of all the riders in the group.

Generally, groups ride in a staggered formation with a minimum of a one second interval between the rider on the left and the rider on the right. There should be a minimum of two seconds between you and the rider directly in front of you. At night, or any other time visibility is reduced, spacing should be increased to a minimum of two seconds and four seconds, respectively.

Get Briefed
Before each ride, including return trips, there should be a pre-ride briefing. At this time, the leader and road captain should discuss the destination, route to be taken, planned stops for fuel and meals and how tolls will be paid. In some groups, the leader collects the tolls before hand. In others, each rider pays at the booth. Either way, the method of payment should be decided at the briefing. Another item for consideration is an emergency phone number at the destination should anyone become separated from the group. The route is preset; everyone should know the route and the final destination.

Some of the most annoying delays are having to wait for someone to get gas or stopping every half hour because the group wasn't prepared for the trip. Schedule the assembly time one half hour before departure time, for those who forget, are always late, or never ready to go. Remember to come with a full tank of gas, full stomach and an empty bladder.

Stops should be planned in advance, based on the shortest cruising range. A good rule of thumb is to plan rest and gas stops approximately every two hours, or between 100 and 120 miles. As a good rule of thumb, always consider planning the first rest stop after about an hour on the road. This allows those who need to re-cycle their morning coffee the opportunity and also allows for checking and readjustment of luggage.

Role Playing
As part of riding in a group, there should be certain riders who have specific duties or roles.

The Leader, as the name implies, rides at the front of the pack and sets the pace for the group based on the ability of the slowest or newest rider. The Captain, or safety, acts as the sweep or tail, at the rear of the group and monitors the group. He or she also helps to control the group by communicating with the leader and watches at entrance ramps, signaling the leader if vehicles are trying to cut into the formation. Road Lieutenant(s) ride in the middle of the group and act as a second leader in case the group becomes separated or divided. They also act as additional leaders if the group is too large and has to be divided.

The leaders, road captain, tails and lieutenants should have CB's or some other form of bike-to-bike communication.

Taking Off
Entering or pulling onto a highway from an assembly point or rest stop can be confusing and frightening to everyone on the road. The best method is for the leader to pull out first, with each member pulling out when it is safe, assembling into formation when possible.

Traffic Lights and Stop Signs
When the group stops at traffic lights or stop signs, it should close ranks by forming a double file. After the traffic light has turned green, the leader moves out slowly to allow the group to reassemble on the other side. No rider should pass another bike while doing this. If the light changes before the entire group has made it through, the leader should either proceed slowly until the rest of the pack catches up, or pull safely onto the shoulder, if possible, to allow the group to catch up.

At stop signs each bike must stop at the sign and then proceed. Regroup as in stop lights. After the group has gone through the intersection, the last bike, which should be the tail or sweep, notifies the leader that everyone is through and he can pick up the pace.

Toll Booths
As the group approaches a toll plaza, they should form a single file, even if leader is paying for the group. This allows the toll taker to count the vehicles more easily. Watch for the oil and other fluids like antifreeze that accumulates in the middle of the lane at toll booths, and pay attention to where you place your foot if you are stopping at the booth.

Avoid using unmanned toll booths that have gates, they can drop unexpectedly, causing damage to your motorcycle and injury to you. Unmanned booths cannot accommodate more than one vehicle at a time, so the leader cannot pay for the group.

Curves
When approaching curves, the group should form a single line and maintain a two second following distance through the curve. By forming a single file, your line of sight increases and the single file formation allows each rider more maneuverability in picking their own path of travel.

Lane Changes and Passing
When more than one bike, or any other vehicle for that matter, attempts to pass another vehicle, it takes a tremendous amount of time and space. Above all else remember to be patient! Before initiating a pass, ask yourself these three questions: One is it necessary? Two, is it safe? And three, is it legal?

When passing vehicles on roads with only two lands, one rider passes at a time. As each rider completes the pass, the next rider moves into the left side of the land and gets ready to make the pass.

The leader must leave enough room for the rest of the group to complete the pass and the sweep should signal the leader when the pass has been completed. If the whole group has not completed the pass before reaching the end of the passing zone, the remaining bikes wait for the next passing zone to complete the pass. You already know this, but it bears repeating: Never attempt to pass on hills or through curves or anywhere where your line of sight is limited.

When traveling on highways and the leader wants to change lanes or pass a slower moving vehicle traveling in the same direction, the best method is to use the following sequence: The leader signals the tail/sweep of the lane change by either using the radio to communicate or directional or hand signals for those in the group without radios. Each rider in turn makes the same signal and waits for the sweep to secure the new lane. This prevents other traffic from passing him and creates the space for the rest of the group to move over. When the sweep has secured the new land, he signals the leader and the land change is initiated by either of two methods. One, riders move one at a time from the rear to the front of the new land. This is the best method, since it allows each of the riders to make the change by themselves. Or two, on command by the leader, all bikes move together. This looks very sharp, but takes a lot of practice. This is a precision exercise and takes more time and space to execute. The first method can take place in less time since the whole group doesn't have to wait until there's enough space for the whole group to move as one.

Entering and Leaving Entrance / Exit Ramps
Various situation call for different methods. Ideally, when entering a highway from an entrance ramp, the group should merge together. This is a difficult task and is not always possible. Have as many riders merge as safely as possible, with the remaining riders entering as they can. The group then reassembles after they've all entered the highway. Remember, the leader stays in the right land until the group has reformed. It may take until the next exit ramp you're going to before the group is able to reassemble. Reassemble after making exit. The rationale for this is that there shouldn't be any situation that requires any of the riders to have to speed up trying to catch the rest of the pack.

When leaving the highway on an exit ramp, all riders should move to exit land as a group if possible, using the land change procedure. Exit ramps generally have a deceleration land, use it to bake and downshift before entering the actual exit. As the group enters the deceleration land they should preferably form a single file, due to the changes in road configuration. Be alert for vehicles that ant to exit or enter the flow of traffic and cut through the formation. It is not always possible to maintain the formation at exit ramps or when passing entrance ramps. Pay close attention for vehicles that may cut into your formation.

Breakdowns and Pulling Over
In the event of a breakdown, the tail/sweep is generally the only rider to stop with him or her to find out what's wrong. The leader will stop the group when and where it is safe for everyone else to pull over. Once the group has safely pulled off, the leader may designate one rider to go back and find out what's wrong. This is another reason for radio communication between the leader, road lieutenants and the sweep. If there are more than the leader and tail that have radio communications, the radio should remain silent unless it is absolutely necessary to communicate.

Personal Stuff
Medical conditions of individuals like allergies and emergency medications should be made known to either the leader or someone else in the group. If carrying emergency medications, the people should know where it is kept and how to administer it if necessary.

The group should always have first aid kits, flares, and flashlights. It's also a good idea to carry a cellular phone for emergencies. It's a good idea for the Road Captain and Lieutenants to have had first aid training.

And Finally . . .
Remember, it may seem like there are a lot of rules when riding in a big pack of bikes, but group riding requires a sense of order so that everyone can actually enjoy the ride. A beautiful ride through the autumn hills can be slightly less enjoyable when you've got to continually worry about the rider next to you cutting you off or ding some other unexpected move. Also, before riding in a big group, consider improving your own riding skills through an advanced MSF rider training course.

 

[skuuter]

THANKS JohnC.....More Definetly Good Stuff.....ThumbUp :10:

 

[OlBandit]

Very good info Skuut and here in my area and with the local HOG Chapter, we do many, many group rides and our bike count on any given ride can be as many as 30 to 40 bikes. We have very little problems as the leader and sweep are in communication with the CB and anyone else that has a CB can listen to what is going on.

We do use hand signals, this is very important to us here, so everyone front to back knows what is going on. The group does not do anything until the leader does it then it is just a follow back to the rear kind of move.

We always ride staggered, however if at any point any of our riders feel uncomfortable with this they just raise there hand with one finger to signal single file. We have had very good acceptance with this and works really well for us.

Ride Safe and Enjoy!!

 

[skuuter]

THANKS Bandit.....GOOD STUFF still rollin' in.....ThumbUp :10:

 

[Shimpy]

Lots of good info. For a group to function smoothly as one, no one should rubber band. You can preach forever, but you will always have a few for some reason or other lag 10-15 seconds behind. Try doing a lane change in traffic when 5 bikes are stretched out 1/4 mile. It's no wonder why the group doesn't make it thru the light, or a 4 wheeler gets into the group.
The best group riding I've done was with a club that limited group size to 5 or 6. If we needed 5 groups fine. Each group was on their own and always gave space between the group in front in order for 4 wheel traffic to pass and have a place to pull into without crowding into the group. At times the groups were miles apart and sometimes took different routes but always got to the restaurant within minutes of each other. Admittedly it wasn't as impressive as 40 bikes riding down the highway, but we didn't care about that.
In addition each rider was given a route sheet that gave them the route, turn by turn.

 

[Rick Kay]

This is some great info! Thanks so much for the input, and for starting the thread!ThumbUp

 

[Lunchbox1983]

If passing on a 2 lane country road, the #2 bike to pass will then slow down a little to "hold back" the vechicle being passed, while the Road Captian opens it up a little, this allows the rest of the bikes to have another 5 to 10 mph to pass. Works well give a friendly thankyou wave once all have passed.

 

[oahe]

Reading all of this makes me wonder why anyone would want to ride in a group? Oh well! To each his own!

 

[skuuter]

Reading all of this makes me wonder why anyone would want to ride in a group? Oh well! To each his own!

ALWAYS a Very Fun Experience......"Sharing the Ride" with Others is a Really Great Way to make Lasting Friendships, Share Ideas and Experiences.....I do a lota' Solo Riding, but ALWAYS enjoy Groups the Best.....ThumbUp :10:

 

[Lunchbox1983]

Reading all of this makes me wonder why anyone would want to ride in a group? Oh well! To each his own!

Because most of my friends are riders and we like going places together.

 

[Mr.Wizard]

It's all about the BBQ


:10:

 

[Lunchbox1983]

It's all about the BBQ


:10:

ThumbUp no doubt about it. I live in the BBQ capital of the world, Lowcountry of SC, all rides are based around the BBQ lunch stop

 

[tommy loso]

very interesting rules to make it a safe-enjoyable ride..Thanks to all entrys....Thanks also, to Mr.Wizard for the most important comment..It's all about the food (BBQ)lol

 

[skuuter]

It's all about the BBQ


:10:

........:laugh::laugh:.....:Trike1:

 

[Ed Hobgood]

My group likes ice cream stops... well maybe I like the ice cream stops the best. This is all great information and from my military experence keeping a group of any vehicles together is a chore. I've never been in a group of over six or eight bikes and trikes but it sounds like a lot of planning must be done before hand.

Ride safe and enjoy the country!

 

[Ed Hobgood]

Funny thing, I just said that I've never ridden with a large group. Well I just got home tonight and went riding with a group of seventeen. Remembered some of the things posted in this post and everything said was good advice. The group was mostly members of the 1st Baptist Church and they go for rides every first and third Thursday of every month (weather permitting). Anyway it was a good ride and liked riding with the group.

Happy riding everyone

 

[sparky1597]

New trike owner here. All these tips sound great for 2 wheelers. These are the ways that we rode as groups, no 3 wheelers. I'll be the first three wheeler in our group. I always liked the back, and I think I will be the last guy, now that I have a trike. Just got the trike, only 10 miles on it, so far.
Can a trike and 2 wheeler double up at stops?
Can we stagger?
Thanks.

 

[ben721364]

I can't help you (OP). After a couple tries I gave up on riding in packs. Just the thought makes me break out in a cold sweat!

 

[willom]

All of this is super info, only thing I can think of which may be of interest is this. If you are invited to ride with an MC as a guest you will be placed in the middle of their the formation. This is good practice for any group to put new riders in that position also, but do not be insulted if you are asked to ride there, the club assumes responsibility for anyone riding with them and just want to keep you safe and comfortable.

 

[GARYD]

I like this thread. My one pet peeve is how to change lanes.

Her is what JohnC posted and I agree: When traveling on highways and the leader wants to change lanes or pass a slower moving vehicle traveling in the same direction, the best method is to use the following sequence: The leader signals the tail/sweep of the lane change by either using the radio to communicate or directional or hand signals for those in the group without radios. Each rider in turn makes the same signal and waits for the sweep to secure the new lane. This prevents other traffic from passing him and creates the space for the rest of the group to move over. When the sweep has secured the new land, he signals the leader and the land change is initiated by either of two methods. One, riders move one at a time from the rear to the front of the new land. This is the best method, since it allows each of the riders to make the change by themselves. Or two, on command by the leader, all bikes move together. This looks very sharp, but takes a lot of practice. This is a precision exercise and takes more time and space to execute. The first method can take place in less time since the whole group doesn't have to wait until there's enough space for the whole group to move as one.
I believe "land" should be "lane".

This is how I have always done it. After researching it on the internet I found that about 85% of groups do it this way. My HOG chapter does it the opposite way = The sweep will secure the lane-tell the leader he has it- then the leader will wait until the last car reaches him and then he will move over with each bike behind him moving over one at a time from front to rear. That takes a lot of time as JohnC's post suggests.

Let's hear from all you riders on how you do a lane change with a large group. This should be very interesting. I would really like to hear from everyone.

I still have trouble remembering to do it per my Chapters rules - it's hard to break decades of conditioning.

In my small "click of 6 or 7 of us", we do the move in one shot(we all have CB's). on the count of 3 we all move over at the same time - and it is impressive.

 

[Mr.Wizard]

Our group will foresee the lane blockage and the sweep will take the open lane. We don't use CB's.

Once the sweep has the lane we all move at will and the lead rider will make the pass with us following.

We do this for lane end closures as well. Everyone keys off the lead and sweep.

In heavy traffic we key off the lead rider and make a move individually. Lead rider will secure the open lane and accelerate to allow as many in as possible. The next rider left in the slow lane is now a second group and he is their lead. When all bikes are secure we rejoin the groups as one. Sweep riders securing lanes in heavy traffic doesn't always work.

ROT (Rule of Thumb) Secure yourself first then secure the group track. The group will always make an adjustment so no one is left behind or hung out to dry.

I have been hung out to dry many times when riding large groups and the lead will not slow to allow the group to rejoin or doesn't care because he is riding at his pace not a group pace.

Good example of proper group lead etiquette is Skutter... During the TT rally's he and his sweep team the entire group. Skutter will also have a center rider involved who knows the route and can take over as lead in case of a split.

 

[GoSlo]

Reading all of this makes me wonder why anyone would want to ride in a group? Oh well! To each his own!

Actually, if it's done right, group riding is fun. Been group riding and a Road Captain in our H.O.G. chapter for many years and we're constantly training and getting the chapter members familiar and comfortable riding in groups safely is the key.

One thing we do is when passing, the first bike/trike that passes, stays in the left lane letting people know it's safe for them to pass. Once the lead bike sees oncoming traffic they pull over so others know it's no longer safe to pass. When it's safe to pass again, they'll pull back over into the left lane. Maybe not "legal", but it's the safest way we've found to get around the slow moving traffic. Obviously, this is usually on more of a back road and not a major one with multiple lanes.

Speaking of safety, has anyone taken the Accident Scene Management class? We've taken the CPR and other first aid classes, but this is geared towards motorcyclists. It's a two day class, 8 hours each and is invaluable in teaching you what to do if you come upon an accident or someone in your group goes down. They teach you how to secure the scene, access what's happened, how to contact the EMS, and then how to determine what you can do for the injured and how best to help them.

 

[ben721364]

Reading all of this makes me wonder why anyone would want to ride in a group? Oh well! To each his own!

AMEN to that! I guess you and I don't get it!

 

[oahe]

AMEN to that! I guess you and I don't get it!

+1 I ride to get away from the herd, not join it!

 

[GARYD]

...............and we appreciate that. ThumbUp

Don't want inexperienced riders in our herd. It's too dangerous.

You have to be a very good rider in order to ride with a group.

TIC

 

[ben721364]

...............and we appreciate that. ThumbUp

Don't want inexperienced riders in our herd. It's too dangerous.

You have to be a very good rider in order to ride with a group.

TIC

"You have to be a very good rider in order to ride with a group." I think that is true, but don't find playing 'follow the leader' fun. I like to ride at my speed and stop when/where I wish. I sometimes ride with one other and even then will sometimes agree to meet up at a specific place down the road. The couple time I tried riding in packs, I found the 'leaders' to be full of themselves. :Joker3: