Something to think about

    • 2 posts
    May 9, 2012 11:41 AM PDT
    Personally I really don’t like riding in groups, would rather watch the scenery than other riders but sometimes do it anyway,

     

    On a ride last weekend something I long worried about happened. – An ambulance came up behind us – What followed was not the smooth precision I hoped for nor the cluster ‘ I feared. - Eventually everybody got out of its way & nobody had an accident or dumped, but it seems unlikely that the ambulance driver remains kindly disposed to group rides.

     

    When riding in groups most all of one’s concentration is devoted to the rides in front of them, doubt anyone is paying much attention to their rear view mirror. – Bunches of the riders subscribe to the “Loud Pipes Save Lives” theory & when there are lots of lives being saved it is improbable one will hear a siren until the emergency vehicle is kissing their tail light.

     

    Suggest some protocols & instructions to be given before launching a group ride. –

     

    • 5420 posts
    May 9, 2012 12:57 PM PDT
    Well first of all any rider or driver should periodically check their rear view mirrors. You need to know what is going on around you... ALL around you. Besides the occurrence of an emergency vehicle coming up, don't think just because something is behind you that it can't be a danger to you. You need to know if there is an idiot back there trying to make an unsafe pass, someone coming up too fast hat maybe don't see you, etc, etc.

    Now for the group ride that's a whole other story. I don't know about the rest of you, but if I am riding with a group and not the sweep I tend to check my rear-view more often than normal to make sure that nothing went wrong with the riders behind me or that we didn't loose any one. So I would think someone in the group would have seen the emergency vehicle approaching and signaled the riders behind them.

    So my suggestion would be that the sweep shoud be instructed to make sure there is no danger or anything else behind the group that the rest of the group needs to know about. And also that everyone in the group should occasionally check the riders behind them.
    • 3006 posts
    May 9, 2012 1:20 PM PDT
    Just did a search of the database here n found a post regarding the appropriate handsignals to be used in a group setting,yet I infer that the majority of these signals are given by the leader or road captain?

    It is a typical habit of mine to always check my 6 then 9 12 & 3 oclock in a round robin constantly even when I ride by myself,I probably look silly at times to folks spinnin my head this way n that yet, I always find its the threat you cant see/anticipate that are the worse on the road.

    In this situation when it has arisen in the past everyone pulled over safely,mainly because we were riding slow & close staggered already in the rite hand lane.And only one time comes to mind.Largest group I ever rode w/was abt 65 plus riders..
    • Moderator
    • 19067 posts
    May 10, 2012 1:16 AM PDT
    Yeah Savage, that is one of the reasons I rarely ride in large groups anymore. I just don't feel comfortable with so many riders I do not know. And I like to enjoy the scenery, hell that is half the reason I ride.
    • 1 posts
    May 10, 2012 3:38 AM PDT
    Always keep track of what's going on all around you....it's easier to defend yourself from things coming at you than things approaching you from behind.
    • 0 posts
    May 10, 2012 5:51 AM PDT
    This is why the sweep should ALWAYS be in contact with the group leader. There should be a radio communication setup so the leader knows what is going on and can go to single file and then pull the whole group over smoothly.
    • 80 posts
    May 10, 2012 6:29 AM PDT
    Large group rides always carry the chance of problems.  Usually they are poker runs and road rallys that have lots of unknown riders with varying riding skills.  M/C units are made up of known members and lots of time previously riding together.  Not to say that they don't have their own internal set of variables, but  more stable than an unorganized group.  If a group ride doesn't have a road captain that sets up the ride protocol prior to starting it is an invitation to trouble.  I personally stay away from riding with more than 6 and those are people that I know and have previously been on the road with.  Riders who are immortal, macho and loud, find the road a racetrack, newbies and dare devils are not on my list of group riders.  When I am with a chosen group, I notice little of the scenery because my entire attention is on the road and the group.  My age shows in this reply but,  I still have all my appendages and I am still riding.  I have my share of road rash and that is another couple of stories.
  • May 10, 2012 7:40 AM PDT

    TAIL END CHARLIE (or whatever you want to call the back marker, we call it a back marker) is responsible for anything coming up behind the group, only a very experienced rider does this duty.....If a set of lights come up fast then he accelerates and passes the whole mob...in doing so they all look in the rear view mirror, NO HAND SIGNALS GIVEN OR NECCESARY, YOU KEEP BOTH HANDS ON THE BARS!!!  As soon as hand signals are given and copied is when you start seeing bikes colliding and a mass drop happens and someone always gets injured...BOTH HANDS ALWAYS ON THE BARS!!!!!

    As he passes you ..... If you are on the left column of riders you close in behind the next guy in front and to the right making a much tighter line...ALL BACK OFF THE THROTTLE until the lights and sirens have passed and the road is again clear to ride, staggered line astern.....

    Who is TAIL END CHARLIE you may ask?

    Its WHOEVER is the designated last rider...Once he has allerted the whole mob he joins in behind the club officers...After the road clear is given by a front end hand signal he then pulls wide of the lines and resumes TAIL END CHARLIE position again.....Or at least, THATS how it works in ALL the clubs I have been in, even prospects know this long before they get to put on a prospect patch...If a hangaround cant keep it right in the mob he aint ever going to be putting a patch on.....

    And As Usual.....I Have Said Way Too Much Yet Again...But Yes, I Do Have A Lot To Say.....

  • May 10, 2012 7:42 AM PDT
    During charity rides, poker runs, group rides with strangers, I feel just fine in the back of the pack, I don't want to be sliding on the hard stuff due to some daydreaming rider (notice I didn't say biker)...
    • 1 posts
    May 10, 2012 7:46 AM PDT
    Jetman wrote...

    TAIL END CHARLIE (or whatever you want to call the back marker, we call it a back marker) is responsible for anything coming up behind the group, only a very experienced rider does this duty.....If a set of lights come up fast then he accelerates and passes the whole mob...in doing so they all look in the rear view mirror, NO HAND SIGNALS GIVEN OR NECCESARY, YOU KEEP BOTH HANDS ON THE BARS!!!  As soon as hand signals are given and copied is when you start seeing bikes colliding and a mass drop happens and someone always gets injured...BOTH HANDS ALWAYS ON THE BARS!!!!!

    As he passes you ..... If you are on the left column of riders you close in behind the next guy in front and to the right making a much tighter line...ALL BACK OFF THE THROTTLE until the lights and sirens have passed and the road is again clear to ride, staggered line astern.....

    Who is TAIL END CHARLIE you may ask?

    Its WHOEVER is the designated last rider...Once he has allerted the whole mob he joins in behind the club officers...After the road clear is given by a front end hand signal he then pulls wide of the lines and resumes TAIL END CHARLIE position again.....Or at least, THATS how it works in ALL the clubs I have been in, even prospects know this long before they get to put on a prospect patch...If a hangaround cant keep it right in the mob he aint ever going to be putting a patch on.....

    And As Usual.....I Have Said Way Too Much Yet Again...But Yes, I Do Have A Lot To Say.....


  • May 10, 2012 1:48 PM PDT
    Well from what I know of group riding is your always responsible to the wo/man in the mirror. Large packs are broken up in to groups of 6 or 8 making it easier on those we share the roads with, The idea really is we all arrive at the same location maybe a few minutes behind leader but we arrive. Well that's how I know its to be done with groups of unknowns. However club member stick together and won't break up into smaller groups. Informals though are responisble to the person in the mirror. If ya are then you notice going to fast for rest of the pack, lost a person during traffic signals, or turns........................I'm not a big fan of group riding any more sometimes ya gotta do it and I will, I hate being mid pack, give front or rear but no mid pack, but mid pack that's where every one tends to bunch up, It's just I've seen too many riders that do don't have control or cofidence in their machines love to ride in groups, I've seen what one mistake can do. If I do group rides now I like to see how folks ride in the group before I will go. I like to ride, fought long and hard to do so and I have plans do so for as long as I can.........so riding solo works for me.
  • May 10, 2012 3:41 PM PDT
    In groups we try to ride in stagger formation. I know I tend to check the rear views more often when I know someone is behind me. This is something to discuss with our group the next time we ride in a pack. We do need to get out of the way of an ambulance, etc., safely as possible without slowing them up.
  • May 11, 2012 3:03 AM PDT
    I'm the President of our Combat Vets chapter and I grow tired of riding in packs more and more every time I we do it! Even here in Central Coast California the cagers just do NOT care about motorcyclists, between texting and driving just fast enough to run the outside lane and not passes to just being plain rude by cutting into the formation I envision the worst of scenarios!
    Recently one of our officers stepped down because he just couldn't do the whole group ride thing unless every stop was planned precisely and every stop he plotted out was done on his time schedule (I always say you can plan a route but you can't predict the traffic). He stepped down because I decided it was time to stop boring everyone with a rigid schedule and came up with Spin-The-Bottle rides. You get your direction and then the lead doesn't have to worry about a certain route and if they're going the right way and getting there in a timely manner!

    All that being said, I find that if you're going to pick a destination make it the halfway point, like have someone who knows the route real well lead it for a couple of hours, have lunch/dinner or whatever and then come back. Discovery is what it's all about, go somewhere you've never been but be safe and considerate to the rest of the riders in the process. *shrugs*
    • 658 posts
    May 11, 2012 3:36 AM PDT
    Jetman wrote...

    TAIL END CHARLIE (or whatever you want to call the back marker, we call it a back marker) is responsible for anything coming up behind the group, only a very experienced rider does this duty.....If a set of lights come up fast then he accelerates and passes the whole mob...in doing so they all look in the rear view mirror, NO HAND SIGNALS GIVEN OR NECCESARY, YOU KEEP BOTH HANDS ON THE BARS!!!  As soon as hand signals are given and copied is when you start seeing bikes colliding and a mass drop happens and someone always gets injured...BOTH HANDS ALWAYS ON THE BARS!!!!!

    As he passes you ..... If you are on the left column of riders you close in behind the next guy in front and to the right making a much tighter line...ALL BACK OFF THE THROTTLE until the lights and sirens have passed and the road is again clear to ride, staggered line astern.....

    Who is TAIL END CHARLIE you may ask?

    Its WHOEVER is the designated last rider...Once he has allerted the whole mob he joins in behind the club officers...After the road clear is given by a front end hand signal he then pulls wide of the lines and resumes TAIL END CHARLIE position again.....Or at least, THATS how it works in ALL the clubs I have been in, even prospects know this long before they get to put on a prospect patch...If a hangaround cant keep it right in the mob he aint ever going to be putting a patch on.....

    And As Usual.....I Have Said Way Too Much Yet Again...But Yes, I Do Have A Lot To Say.....


      As one of those "Amublance drivers".  I like the back of the pack even if I do know everyone in the group. After all someone has got to call my para peeps when the fit hits the shan!!!.

    Medic
  • May 11, 2012 3:39 AM PDT
    When it comes to pack riding I have learned there is no such thing as common sense.
    • 658 posts
    May 11, 2012 3:44 AM PDT
    Amen Brother, in my business, I don't see it in much of anything any more. It has become known as Ucommon Sense.
  • May 11, 2012 4:16 AM PDT
    there are a lot of bikes on the road but I wonder how many of these bikes have squids sitting atop them?
    • 1855 posts
    May 11, 2012 4:34 AM PDT
    One thing I've noticed on things like poker runs is that there's always that guy in front of you who's so intent on what the dude is doing behind him that he's not paying enough attention to where he is going.    Now, I realize the benefits of rear checking but come on now.   At one such run the guy in front of was a wreck.  At the first stop I told him, "You're going to hit the guy in front of you if you don't stop looking at me in your rear view.  Hold your line and watch what's going on up ahead of you.  The only I'm gonna hit you is someone like you is behind me and slams the hell into me".

    • 658 posts
    May 11, 2012 4:43 AM PDT
    Did a poker run a couple of weeks ago and at the first stop three others and myself decided to stick together and stay to ourselves. We noticed that the "Kool Kids" were throwing back 2 or 4 at every stop. I'm all for having a cold one but not like that and ride. At the last stop I couldn't believe they could get their stands down. Several were loud, nasty and obnoxious and this was a fund raiser for a sick little girl who was there with her family. WTF!      

     I just shook my head and reminded myself, people with actions like that, keep me in a job.

    Medic


      Sorry Savage, Didn't mean to hijack your post, Sometimes I can't keep my soap box in my pocket.
    • 1 posts
    May 13, 2012 7:28 PM PDT
    go faster than the traffic around is the safe way to travel...ride like the cops do...works for them...works for me too.
  • May 13, 2012 8:18 PM PDT
    I really must pop a "Us Riding Over Here" video up...lol...