Group Ride "rules" ?

[munchy]

Our club discussed having some "rules" for group riding. Not too rigid, but a few tips for those who join us on group rides.

Any one have a list of suggested "rules" for group riding?

TIA

[Semper_Fi]

Google is your friend here

I just typed in Motorcycle Group Riding Rules and got a plethora of stuff

Here are some quick links

http://www.gmasw.com/riderule.pdf

http://www.amadirectlink.com/roadrid.../groupRide.asp

http://www.njmc.org/etiquette/

And there is many more

[criminaldesign]

no more than 3 to the group

[OHScot]

1) Don't knock me over. 2) Don't be a menace to the neighbors and people who live along the roads.

[Voni]

Ride your own ride!

Voni
sMiling

[bunkyone]

Hey all; Some very simple rules that we use in our CMA rides: Ride in a staggered formation, @3 seconds apart, NEVER side by side!! Although they teach this method at the police schools, it's never a good idea. Set up a series of hand signals and go over them PRIOR to the ride. If your group is large, split the riders up into several groups and stagger the departure times a few minutes. Nothing will drive a "cage" driver into doing something stupid (and therefore dangerous!) like have a L-O -N -G line of bikes to pass on a winding road.Have your ride captain describe the ride, how you will ride, where you will ride to, and what to do in case of a problem. Make sure that EVERYONE is "on the same page", and is NEVER, NEVER ride impaired!! Vaya con Dios, Dutch

[ragtoplvr]

I can not recall a BMW group that was holding up any cars. I guess it could happen.

If they were Corvettes.

However, spreading out is good, this lets the more adventurous speed up for the corners.

A every road change always have the last person in a sub group wait for the first person in the next sub group to get close so they know which way to turn. The the person waiting gets the fun of catching up to their subgroup.

Rod

[deilenberger]

An interesting idea that actually appears to work - never let the headlight behind you out of sight.

If this is followed right through the ride by ALL members, the string that stretches out will tend to compress, and the last rider won't be getting the snap-the-whip sort of problem they usually do.

And as Voni said - ride your own ride.

That said - I find more than 3 in a group to be a PITA and difficult.. so usually when we have club rides we will split up into groups of 3, and just become destination driven. We all - eventually - want to end up at the destination. However one group decides to do it doesn't matter to the other groups. People then tend to group according to their riding desires and abilities (ie - fast groups and sane groups..)

When I'm ride leader I try to make the following clear:

• I stress (and this is made MUCH easier with small groups) - that IF I go through the tail end of a green light, riders following me should NOT run the yellow (or red) to keep up. I *will* wait on the other side of the light as soon as I find a safe spot to pull off the road. And I do it. People learn to depend on it and ride safer.
• I stress that I use ALL of my lane. I stress never assume I'm going to stay in the left or right of the lane, since I like to "split hazards" (equal distances from potential hazard locations) I tend to move around in the lane.
• Equally - there is no "formation".. this goes along with ride your own ride.
• Don't tailgate. 3 second rule is vital for safety, I actually prefer 4-5 seconds between riders, but in some cases that does open you up for cars trying to break in between bikes..
• And - I do try to remember to use my brake even when I would normally just use engine braking riding solo. The brake light gives people behind me some clue that I'm slowing down. A few people following me suggested this

[UncleMark]

Here's a start...

http://www.bmwmoa.org/club/chartered...ng/group_rides


Group rides, the positions, rules and reg's are kinda my thing. If you'd like more input...

Being a member of a group ride...
http://expressoriders.org/SMF/index.php?topic=174.0

The Pre-ride discussion...
http://expressoriders.org/SMF/index.php?topic=157.0

Riding as the Sweeper...
http://expressoriders.org/SMF/index.php?topic=146.0

You, riding in the second slot...
http://expressoriders.org/SMF/index.php?topic=143.0

The art of staggered riding...
http://expressoriders.org/SMF/index.php?topic=144.0


There's more... a lot more... but this is all I have posted to this point. I ride so much group as of late, that I haven't got time to update...

;-)

Just ride safe...

[sibud]

Here is an article on this web site written by one of our members that you may find useful.

Group Rides?

Hope this helps.


OOOPPS. I failed to see the post immediately above by the author of the article I referenced. Sorry for the duplication.

[R80RTJohnny]

Ride your own ride!

Voni
sMiling

Words of wisdom. From those words everything flows.

Thank you Voni.

[Omega Man]

An interesting idea that actually appears to work - never let the headlight behind you out of sight.

If this is followed right through the ride by ALL members, the string that stretches out will tend to compress, and the last rider won't be getting the snap-the-whip sort of problem they usually do.

And as Voni said - ride your own ride.

That said - I find more than 3 in a group to be a PITA and difficult.. so usually when we have club rides we will split up into groups of 3, and just become destination driven. We all - eventually - want to end up at the destination. However one group decides to do it doesn't matter to the other groups. People then tend to group according to their riding desires and abilities (ie - fast groups and sane groups..)

When I'm ride leader I try to make the following clear:

• I stress (and this is made MUCH easier with small groups) - that IF I go through the tail end of a green light, riders following me should NOT run the yellow (or red) to keep up. I *will* wait on the other side of the light as soon as I find a safe spot to pull off the road. And I do it. People learn to depend on it and ride safer.
• I stress that I use ALL of my lane. I stress never assume I'm going to stay in the left or right of the lane, since I like to "split hazards" (equal distances from potential hazard locations) I tend to move around in the lane.
• Equally - there is no "formation".. this goes along with ride your own ride.
• Don't tailgate. 3 second rule is vital for safety, I actually prefer 4-5 seconds between riders, but in some cases that does open you up for cars trying to break in between bikes..
• And - I do try to remember to use my brake even when I would normally just use engine braking riding solo. The brake light gives people behind me some clue that I'm slowing down. A few people following me suggested this

Real nice, I like to hand out photocopy's of the travel area with the intended route highlited-old still on maps

[pmdave]

See "Sharing the Ride"; Batches of Bikers, Proficient Motorcycling book, page 241-252. Complete with pictures, diagrams. Maybe more than you are looking for, but you can pick and choose.

pmdave

[R100R Rider]

http://www.bmwmoal.org/group_ride.php

[bunkyone]

Rod; you are probably correct, I don't believe that a group of BMW riders would pose much of a threat to autos unless it's to run the cars over. In our CMA chapter, we have an unusual number of BMW's, but also many different brands of cruisers. Not only are we a very diverse bunch, but some of our members are... how do I say this polity?... not the most experienced riders around. As ride captain, you are tied to the pace of the slowest rider, who may be 70+ or just returning to bikes. However, if we do split the group up, I will assign an assistant road captain to take the "B" group, while I will make the "sacrifice" to lead the faster riders. Lots of great ideas in this tread!! Vaya con Dios, Dutch