Group Riding Etiquette

[kkim]

Found these simple rules on group riding. Funny... I've always subscribed to these even though I had never seen them in print. Makes sense. Anyone have more, please feel free to add them.

While motorcyclists are often unfairly labeled as loners or outcasts, in reality, we're actually a pretty social lot. The adventure and excitement of a day on the trails or a weekend on the road is just so much better when you have friends around to share things with.

But group riding also requires its own set of rules and some general riding etiquette to make sure things stay safe for everyone in the pack. Here are just a few examples:

Ride at your own pace - Just because your riding buddies have race-level speed doesn't mean you need to match their pace on the street or trail. Getting in over your head in terms of speed or ability is a no-win situation for you and your riding group.
If you like to ride at a slightly slower pace when riding solo, that's perfectly okay. No reason to change that when riding with a larger group. As far as we know, there are no trophy girls at the end of your Saturday street ride! (If there are trophy girls at the end of your ride, then by all means, ride really, really fast!!.... Just kidding.)

Stay staggered - Maintaining a safe stopping distance between you and the vehicle in front of you is smart, whether you ride in a group or not. The easiest way to keep the group together while also keeping safe distance between each bike is to ride in a staggered formation. Keep in mind that sometimes switching to a single-file line is obviously necessary to filter through traffic situations or get around obstacles.

Lead and sweep - No matter how well planned a group ride is, sometimes bad stuff happens. Someone doesn't know the way. A tire blows out. Whatever. The point is that things don't always go smoothly. To ensure that everyone has help when needed it's smart to have lead and sweep riders.
An experienced lead rider who knows the ride route should stay in front of the group, stopping at any change of road or trail to allow for the entire group to catch up. Another experienced rider should ride in the back of the group as the sweep guy or gal. This rider can keep an eye out for any problems other riders are having and keep the group in line behind the lead rider.

Like we said, group riding is one of the best parts of motorcycling. But it requires just a little bit of extra patience and planning to ensure that everyone gets to enjoy the fun. Now go get the guys and girls together and get the gang rolling!

[OldGuy]

Good ideas Kelly - only problem is finding a group in good old Nebraska for the OldGuy

[kkim]

That's part of the reason I posted this. With so many ninjette owners getting together for rides, most have never ridden with others. Having at least an awareness of a basic framework to work from will hopefully lead to successful, fun and safe outings.

[tjkamper]

One thing that can go bad on a ride is you can telegraph straight into the bike infront on along side you.

While riding, don't fixate on the motorcycle in front of you. Instead, remember your basic training. Look well through the turn to where you want to go. If you want to see what’s going on, look 3 - 5 bikes ahead of you.

[komohana]

formation riding takes skill and practice...if you can find others to 'fly' with!

[g21-30]

http://www.utahmotorcycleriders.com/...etiquette.html

Also attached is the MSF Group Riding brochure

[backinthesaddleagain]

I have the green bikes in the back so they don't get in my way! Once that is set then whoever can do the best wheelie goes first (so they can use a wheelie as a wave to bikers coming the other way). Once that is set riders who show proper gear (helmet, muscle shirt, shorts and sneakers) go before those with no helmet and sandals).

OK - just kidding - great info to keep in mind, especially about not fixating on the bike in front of you, but rather stagger and watch everything (bikes, cars, road).

[CC Cowboy]

Kelly, you forgot the most important rule, NO CRASHING!

[zartan]

If you are used to riding in formation. Be sure to check and see if the person you are riding with is used to the style. I do not ever ride formation. My buddy came up and we took off and he went right into formation. I was really annoyed because I thought he was just pushing into my space taking my line on the left.
What the heck. First ride together and he's pushing into my space. It took me a few minutes to figure out what he was doing. I flagged him ahead but was annoyed the rest of the ride ( short ride). You just don't jump into someone's space. ask first.

If you like formation and ride with peeps that do Enjoy!! but this is one reason I don't like it. I usually don't share crash stories but this is on topic.http://www.komonews.com/news/local/59860797.html

[tjkamper]

If the first two riders could get away, that means the rest were following way too close. I see this too often. So that is another tip.

Though you are in formation, still adhere to the 2 second rule with respect to the bike dirrectly infront of you. In emergency situations, if you are on the left third of the lane, swirve left; and if on the right, swirve right.

And again,

Don't stair at the bike in front of you. Look several bikes ahead and to clear roads ahead.

[Jerry]

I really don't like being crowded, especially from behind...Last time I rode with another guy, he was up my pipes the whole way, until I waved him around... I felt like he had me pinned against the yellow line, and if I moved into the right side of the lane he would hit me.

He was able to use the whole lane, and he was... I felt really trapped.

I guess from his point of view, he felt he had plenty of leeway...but I was constantly looking in the mirrors....where is he?

I had just met the guy, and talked bikes for a few minutes...thought it would be nice to have a wingman for a change, but..

Not much fun.

[Angel-be-Good]

On staggered formation
Riding staggered doesn't mean you should be overlapping with the rider in front of you--there should be plenty of room for the rider in front of you to quickly shift to the opposite side of the lane to avoid road debris. Also, abandon staggered formation when the road gets twisty. The full width of the road needs to be clear for you and the riders around you.

On riding your own pace
If you're slow, let faster riders pass you--and explicitly let them know you're allowing a pass. I find it difficult to pass a slow rider unless I know he's letting me pass--if I don't know for certain that he's aware I'm passing, I'm always afraid he'll cut in for a turn or otherwise change lane position. A lot of riders are slow through corners and then gun it in straights, but that makes it very hard for a faster rider to pass because the straights are the only safe passing opportunities. Be aware of holding up people in the corners and let 'em pass when it's safe--or you might encourage some risky passes. I slow down, pull to the right side of the lane, and drop my left hand to wave 'em by.

Pass along information
Be aware of body language signals and pass them on to riders behind you. Road debris to the right? Kick your right foot out. Cop chillin' in the lay-by ahead? Be a pal, tap your head. Ride leader's getting ready for a turn? Use your indicators to pass it on.

Space out in the twisties
You can keep a fairly tight formation on the freeway and through the city, but in the twisties where speeds rise and fall quickly, you need to leave more space to account for different riding styles--don't want to go for a late brake and end up rear-ending the guy in front of you who more cautiously braked early. Most of us aren't Nascar drivers, we can't consistently and predictably ride tightly together through turns and other obstacles.

Don't fixate on the guy in front of you
This is especially important in cities, and pulling into other flows of traffic. If a group is leaving a parking lot, the guy in front of you may have a clear shot at the road without there being enough room/time for you to squirt out. I see a lot of times when people are riding/driving together, if one guy goes the other automatically follows--and it's definitely not always safe. Don't let the guy in front think for you.

[beowuff]

Another thing the people I ride regularly with is... When in formation and going into twisties, drop out of formation to single file. That way, everyone can take an optimal line.

Once out of the corners, fall back into formation.

And the 30 bike pile up? Even in formation you can ride too close. Plus, being in formation is no excuse to not pay attention...

[RedCromwell]

I'm resurrecting this thread because I learned a few things from group rides that I'd like to share.

Now, I’m a total noob, so I’m in no way an expert. Feel free to add anything you’ve learned while riding in a group that you found interesting or maybe helpful for others to know.

1) Be sure the person you're following comes to a complete stop with foot/feet down before you pull up next to them at a stop. You wouldn't want to be next to another rider that may be losing their balance at a stop.

2) Continue to obey all traffic laws. You may be tempted to cross the double-yellow to pass cars that are between you and your group, or blow through a stop sign/red light to catch up. Don't do it.

3) Boy scout motto time... be prepared! Have someone in the group with a multi-tool for any minor roadside repairs. Maybe a tire patch kit too.

4) Get a GPS. If you're thinking of booking it on your own or worried you'd get separated from the pack, have a GPS with you that you can use while riding. Having a GPS on your phone is great, but can you use it while in motion?

5) Get an EZPass (or whatever your local automatic toll payment device is called). Just in case your ride takes you on toll roads you can keep on rolling.

6) Keep your wallet on you in a convenient easy to access location. This one I learned even before the group ride. Keep your wallet within reach for re-fuel stops, tolls (if you didn't get an EZPass), and the dreaded PoPo (police) stop.

7) Don't fixate on the bike in front of you. This was mentioned a lot in earlier posts. But, it is oh so true. I'm so used to riding solo that being in a group I found myself watching the riding technique of the person in front of me. Sometimes, it felt like I was mesmerized watching the bike going along. I had to snap out of it to focus on riding my own ride and get back to scanning the road ahead.

8) If you have a mirrored face shield, think about using a clear face shield when going on a group ride (you can still use sunglasses). It kind of creeps out others in the group each time they look over at you and see a faceless helmet looking back at them.

9) The “noise” of riding in a group, can be quite distracting if you’re used to riding solo. There’s the “loud pipes” riders, the “share-my-radio-with-the-group” riders and just the sound of everyone’s engines in close proximity. Stay focused.

10) On long highway rides, tank bags make excellent pillows when in full tuck. (I guess this isn’t necessarily group ride specific, but I just noticed it during one.)

[csmith12]

Adding to your list

Large zip ties
Tire pressure gauge
Tire plugs
Small first aid kit

Read The Pace it's great.

[dmb5450]

What is the rule with stop signs? Do you go one at a time, two at a time, etc?

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by dmb5450

What is the rule with stop signs? Do you go one at a time, two at a time, etc?

Play it by ear and trust of the rider your pulling up beside and when possible, leave enough space between in case they fall your way.

We normally go two at a time but the guy on the outside swings wide or pulls out slower and falls in behind the lead rider/rider on the inside/rider that was in front of them before the stop... then rinse & repeat.

The stop sign is not the time to pass.

[RedCromwell]

Originally Posted by dmb5450

What is the rule with stop signs? Do you go one at a time, two at a time, etc?

I'd say it depends on the stop.

1) If it's a stop on a straight-a-way then you can go two-at-a-time to get through the stop. But, then go back to a staggered formation.

2) If it's a stop going into a turn, then I would say go one-at-a-time. I would handle it the same way the Motorcycle Safety Foundation recommends handling curvy roads on a group ride: single formation. http://msf-usa.org/downloads/Group_Ride.pdf

I can say from personal experience that when I was stopped at a stop sign getting ready to make a right hand turn, it freaked me out when another rider from the group came up on my left and proceeded to make the right-hand turn. For one thing, now he was blocking my view of oncoming traffic and I had no idea what line he was going to hold making his turn.

[RedCromwell]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Large zip ties

I always keep zip ties with me ever since I read here about someone needing to zip tie their kickstand when they lost their spring.

I also usually carry a bandanna (whoa spell check almost changed that to banana!). Good for wiping up sweat, spilled gas, fingerprints, etc..

[Bill N]

My main rule just like driving cars in traffic: DON'T HIT THE GUY IN FRONT OF YOU! In other words you should keep spacing that allows you to react to the unexpected.
Bill

[Baddog]

Some great info. We always have pre-ride meetings to let the new people (and remind the older ones) about the rules.

[ai4px]

I went for a group ride on my wife's cruiser one evening. We'd just bought the bike and I was still learning the clutch and torque. Boy was it nerve wracking trying to pick out the sound of my bike amongst the thundering herd of Harleys.

When wife and I ride, we stagger down the highway, but pair up at stops. The number one rule for staggering is that we don't block the other in. I can know with confidence that if I need to change the part of the lane I'm in, I won't hit her.

The tip in this thread about not fixating on the bike in front of you is darned good advice. The third brake light on cars is a God send. When in traffic look two or three cars / bikes ahead for brakes or sudden movements. Whatever they're doing, you'll be doing in a few seconds.