overtaking a large group

[username]

a question.

let's say im out for my leisurely sunday ride and i come upon a group of riders, say 20 motorcycles, and theyre riding in formation. theyre going slow, and i want to pass them. they are too big for me to pass in one fell swoop. let's assume they are nice people and dont get all pissed off that i want to pass. theyre willing to let me do it. whats the right/safe way to accomplish this? or maybe there isnt one, and i should treat them like a long line of cars that i cant get past, and just be zen about it, relax, and appreciate the smoothness of 4th gear.

[kbasa]

Around here, if you catch up to another rider, they're bound by some code of unspoken courtesy to let you by.

Even large groups have let me by when I've caught them on the back roads.

Back east, I used to stop, get something to drink and get out of the traffic.

But only if I couldn't pass them all at once. :evil

[MarkF]

If you pass certain "gangs" it's like an invitation for them to try and kill you. If there are sportbikes or metric cruisers in the mix you should be safe.

MarkF

[Rad]

Originally posted by KBasa
Around here, if you catch up to another rider, they're bound by some code of unspoken courtesy to let you by.

Some groups let ya past, some do not.

My rule is simple.

I will be polite, yet let it be clear by my position in relation to the last rider, I want past them.

I will give them a few miles to start to let me pass. If they fail to do this I pass them one at a time until I have passed them all.

[username]

MarkF - are these gangs identifiable? any patches or giant emblems or any of that business? how the heck am i supposed to know whether they are badass or not?

and can they catch me? :evil

im thinking of starting my own gang. it'd be a RIDER gang and i'd call it the 'butterfly killers.' to get in you'd have to be a good person and show up with a butterfly or moth splattered on an actual riding jacket. (no, not on the windshield, the fairing, etc. on YOU.)

nobody would mess with us. ;)

[Cliffy777]

Butterfly Gang that is.
I came upon a group of Wings on one of my favorite roads last year and worked my way through the pack. A couple of them seemed irritated, but I just let it roll off my moth-stained jacket.

[rocketman]

Originally posted by username
MarkF - are these gangs identifiable? any patches or giant emblems or any of that business? how the heck am i supposed to know whether they are badass or not?

and can they catch me? :evil



Well from what I know of the "unwritten rules" of bikerdom on the east coast, one way to tell if they are an "outlaw" gang is if they have 3 "rockers" on thier jackets/vests. A rocker is an addtional patch that sits just outside the main emblem, they are usually arranged in a circullar pattern in such a mannar that it is fairly clear each addtional patch is part of the main insignia. My experiance with outlaw gangs has been that they are pretty unpredictable, best leave plenty of room.

Looks can some times be an indication, but there are any number of "gangs" that aren't really outlaw or bad-ass types, they are just weekend riders who affect the look simply because it's "The Look" but might well be just your average joe esp. if the bikes are mostly new, clean and really done up in lights and such, but again no way to tell for sure. I've met and ridden with some groups that I might have misconstrude as bad-ass, and some that it turned out, were!

If you're not comfortable with passing the group, modify your route if possible or just stop and wait a while as Kbasa said. On the slab it's generally not a problem as you have other lanes to pass in. The longer you have been riding the easier it becomes to judge the situation, up to a point at least. Kind of a pain but feeling uncomfortable about a given situation is prob. worse.

RM

[oldcarkook]

I think that this is the new millennium and it's more likely that the leader of the pack will file a lawsuit from the comfort of his downtown law office on Monday as opposed to chasing down a high performance bike and trying to beat the crap out of you. I have never found any aggression towards me from other bikes and in this area, we are all brothers of balance and respect each other. Drinking heavily in a biker bar with a sleeveless jeans jacket club and then trying that trick might result in a different outcome though?:dunno

To be safe, I find that riding a wheelie during the pass and a stoppie in between the bikes when you have to dive back in usually will take the edge off any animosity towards the person who's doing the passing.

http://204.193.156.25/forum/smiles/next/biglaugh.gif

[username]

all good comments.

down here in texas most every person ive come across on a motorcycle has been 1st class. it's good to hear about other parts of the country and also any info on this whole, 'outlaw gang' thing which is intriguing to say the least.

i wonder what kind of voter turnout they get in those outlaw gangs... ;)

[rocketman]

Originally posted by username
all good comments.

down here in texas most every person ive come across on a motorcycle has been 1st class. it's good to hear about other parts of the country and also any info on this whole, 'outlaw gang' thing which is intriguing to say the least.

i wonder what kind of voter turnout they get in those outlaw gangs... ;)

probably settled "out back":D

I too find the whole outlaw gang thing intriguing. Several source I've read indicate that it all started after WWII, when returning MC Corps soldiers bought up many of the bikes they had ridden during the war. Having been accustomed to riding "hell bent for leather" during the war, in many cases where there were no roads to speak of, and certainly no cops to worry about, when they returned home, they continued to ride the surplus bikes in pretty much the same manor. After years of war time some just weren't ready to settle down yet. And many felt like something of an “outsider” after years overseas so they started forming clubs for companionship. Ggiven they way they tended to ride, the local authorities didn’t much care for their rather unruly riding style so there developed some friction between them (the cops and bikers). Then it all sort of escalated over the years, and they (the clubs turned "gangs") came to be known as “outlaw” gangs. I think it may have started as a media label more than something they choose for themsleves. and the media hype over the years probably didn’t help either, just as it still today tends to concentrate on the seamier side of biking in at least some publications. And of course there were those (that were already living outside the law) that took advantage of the situation to further thier own ends.

At least that's one interpretation, how much truth there is to that is anyone guess, but as I said, I’ve read that version of the events in several different sources and it certainly does seem plausible. Or maybe it's a mixture of fact and myth.

RM

[James.A]

On a 2 lane, I would recommend that a rider just fall in behind, or pull off the road, or take a diversionary route. The safety of yourself and the other riders is the most important consideration here.

If a rider chooses to cut into a large group, that rider is INVADING THEIR SPACE.

"Outlaw Gangs"; I would recommend against passing more than 3 riders who were flying colors for the same reasons as mentioned earlier.

I recommend Hunter Thompson's book "Hells Angels" for any one seeking insight into the outlaw motorcycle gangs in their heyday.

In my goegraphic area, the Outlaws are the most popular club. I know several of the local members. They consider BMW riders to be mis-guided dweebs, which is probably a good thing. Then again, I'm a two hundred and fifty pound moose. The locals see me as a Viking berserker. No animosity, but I don't stop by the clubhouse either.

[GeoffMiller]

Oh hell!, just pull out and go! The bikes at 45 mph are on their own program. Don't worry about it. Slip in, slip out. If they have a problem with it, they are probably half toasted and won't make much of an attempt to follow and kick any, well, whatever. Plus, I don't think that you should be worried about a hogly ferguson catching you anyhow. Besides, if you filled your tank, they will be coasting long before you are looking for gas! geoff:bliss

[username]

my goal is to avoid being a jerk when possible, so unless i was pregnant and rushing to the hospital, i'd likely pull off and have a drink of water, or just hang back and relax.

one of the things i say to myself often when riding is, 'impatience causes wrecks.' (i'd argue with myself that impatience increases the probability of a dangerous situation that could result in a wreck, but it sounds better inside the helmet when it is short and sweet like that.)

my thinking is that a slow ride on a motorcycle is better than a fast ride in an ambulance. if i think that way, i think i answered my own question regarding the large group. and geoff makes a good point, although he might not have meant to - those folks are likely to pull off every so often anyway and take a break, so i can get by them at that point.

[j-budimlya]

I pass them all the time. Just wave and go for it. they all respect a GOOD pass and a nice bike....


Cheers;) ;)

[lorazepam]

It depends on how many there are, and if they are Goldwings or other bikes. It also depends on the road. If I can see far enough ahead I will go for it. The wingers usually let you pass, if you are courteous when doing so. I was in Knoxville Monday and Tuesday, and I saw a whole lot of bikes on the interstate coming south. The Hoot is this weekend, and I have never seen more bikes pulling trailers in one day before.

[CustomSarge]

"If a rider chooses to cut into a large group, that rider is INVADING THEIR SPACE. "(woodnsteels' phrase).
I wholeheartedly agree, having been both pack (10 yr HD) & loner (20 yr BMW). When I come up on a pack, (again in agreement) type of road & pack is ALL the diference. If flying colors, I'll pull up & get gas or whatever, just let'em go. If time is of essence, find an alternate; cheesing off some 1%ers strikes me as being PeeWee Herman whisiling on a NewYork subway at 0200.