Motorcycle groups/clubs

[subxero]

Anyone here members of any groups or clubs?

I got invited to join a few on FB and I did for the fun of talking bikes more than anything. The odds of me riding with any of these people are slim to non just because time restraints and locations ect... but even if i had time and was close i am not sure i would ride with them.

Just reading some of these members posts I'm like

one guy talking about crashing his bike 4 or 5 times but shows no signs of maturing or getting better at riding along with a ton of other squid activities that they all seem to partake in. As people they all seem decent enough but as motorcyclists i am not so sure.

Thinkin ill steer clear of these club rides

[MR2Aaron]

Maturity is not a virtue I generally associate with the typical Facebook user.

I expect there are probably clubs or groups of non-squid riders near you, but I couldn't tell you where to look. All the people I'd actually consider riding with, I met at work.

[csmith12]

I am a member of a "group", but we totally and 100% will deny that we are a club or group. Unless.... there is a track day that needs to be filled up. When 25+ riders from the same "group" show up to rep at a track day, people take notice. If for nothing more than $$$ talks, cause 25 * $165 = attention. There are no patches, no vests or whatever, just an honest handshake between riders. There is a sticker involved (optional), but that is about as far as it goes.

If your gunna group or club ride, then you gotta do your homework and a bit of reconnaissance ahead of time. Some groups/clubs are great to ride with, others.... not so much. Also, the mix of riders changes on any given weekend. Fact is, the bonds between riders in a group are STRONG, what was once a good group, can turn bad in an instant and vice versa.

I am with you, some riders seem to be "off limits" when reading their posts but I have found when on the pavement.... let's just say, it was 99% hot gas but my view is somewhat skewed.

The key is knowing when and how to excuse yourself gracefully before bad things happen.

[NevadaWolf]

I was going to join one local group since i was riding with them fairly often and i wanted to be all official rather than just a party crasher.

Then I actually read the terms of the agreement. I didn't agree with a few of the statements I was signing off on so I dropped the idea. Now if i join them it is at their invitation and i just pluck along on my own ride that happens to be in the same direction at the same time as their ride.

Now i know i am too much of a lone wolf to join a club just for a group to go riding with. I'll gladly go riding with folks, or not, or they can come with me, or not. Too many people get to be all squiddy when in groups and that's not my style. Rather ride with one person safely than be in a risky group.

[LittleRedNinjette]

I like going with a group once in a blue but i like it best when its just little old me and maybe my man tagging along behind.

Normally we just stick to us 2 and 1 of 2 other buddies on the weekend. Once or twice it was all 4 of us.

[DEFY]

Small groups sound good to me

[komohana]

I belonged to a local m/c organization some years back which is no longer together. At the time I had some friends that I consistently rode with. (fellow sport bikers) Here, like elsewhere, cruisers and sport bike riders were each to their own. The main reason I joined the Manaloa (Spiritual Strength) Club was because it didn't matter what anyone rode...EVERYONE was welcome. I was one of perhaps 5 sport bike riders out of a club 50+ members strong at it's finest. (which at the time was a good sized group for an island community) I loved the statement this made. Leadership was good in that we spent time doing community service events, motorcycle maintenance meetings, and other group activities with family participation encouraged. Group rides were casual, but orderly with ride briefings before each run.
I left the club because personal matters curtailed the time I previously devoted to being a member.
I haven't involved myself with another m/c club since. Times have changed, and there are clubs here locally that are strictly cruiser oriented. I've seen a large group of sport riders now and then, but you can see the tentacles a mile away...I don't do squid..been there, done that. And although I think stunting is neat and requires specific skills, there IS a time and place for that...a group ride is NOWHERE for that to be happening. Some may disagree, and all I can say is that it's all cool and fun till someone gets hurt by these actions other than the rider performing them.
The last group ride I went on was with members local members of Ninjette.org here on Kauai (there's a ride report on that somewhere in the basement here) Other than that, there's a handful of guys I work with that sport ride, although we haven't rode together yet.

sorry, i'll end by saying take the time to know who you share the road with in a group setting. If you're on an organized event run, be aware, respectful of others, and stay within your skill parameters.
...and by all means...HAVE FUN

[LittleRedNinjette]

My little group is a bit of a hodgepodge of bikes, me on my 300, my boyfriend one his Buell Lightning, one buddie on a Buell Firebolt and the other on a Victory Hammer.

I love the looks we get from time to time!

[Alex]

Groups span the gamut, just as individual riders do. Some might make sense for you, others might not. Have gotten quite a bit of benefit (motorcycling-wise, personally, professionally, etc.) from my association with the MSMC (link in my sig).

[tfkrocks]

I regularly ride with the same group, but it's not a club. Just a bunch of people who like to ride together, eat good food, and have a safe, fun time

[misfitsailor]

Originally Posted by NevadaWolf

Too many people get to be all squiddy when in groups

This has been my experience as well. Sometimes just adding 1 new rider to a group can change the dynamic, suddenly normally rational guys start riding like jerks.

The problem with riding with even one other rider is that everyone has different ideas about; what day to go, how early to leave, how far to go, how fast to go, how often to stop, how long to stop. The more riders, the harder to please everyone.

For some a meet-up works better than a "cluster" ride, for example, you just pick a time and place for lunch somewhere and let everyone pick their own route and get there at their own pace.

But I still like to ride with others from time to time. There truly is something cool about sharing the miles with like-minded people.