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Group rides

Group rides are a hoot...on my dirt bike in the woods. Lots of horse play and smack talk and good times.

On the road, I prefer no more than one other bike. If more than that, I like the 'we're riding from point A to point C, and stopping to eat at point B, so I'll see you there and we'll talk about what we saw' approach to group rides.
 
Considering we're all BMWMOA, dare we say... . .
c61e82169007ca31316ceb9830308b7d


:scratch
 
Of course you can go on the Love Ride with Jay Leno and a few thousand of his friends who have no clue how to ride in a group. Ouch!

(No TV hosts were harmed in this video, a few others were not so lucky)

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/65wO01j6Q4M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Scott
 
I'll go on group rides but I always position myself in the rear of the group. They don't call me "Tail Gunner" for nothing.....
 
Thanks for all the insights re. groups! As an old re-entry rider, I've never done any group riding so was curious about the experiences of others. My gut says, "don't do it." I guess I don't feel confident enough in my bike handling, etc. to be immersed in a pack of riders. I tend to use the entire lane for myself and leave lots of space ahead of me. I've ridden with one other rider and that was fine. A friend rides occasionally with a group of 5-6 bikes and has invited me to ride but I've been reluctant as the relative newbie rider. Think I'll keep it that way, at least for now. Thanks again for sharing your experience and views!
 
Thanks for all the insights re. groups! As an old re-entry rider, I've never done any group riding so was curious about the experiences of others. My gut says, "don't do it." I guess I don't feel confident enough in my bike handling, etc. to be immersed in a pack of riders. I tend to use the entire lane for myself and leave lots of space ahead of me. I've ridden with one other rider and that was fine. A friend rides occasionally with a group of 5-6 bikes and has invited me to ride but I've been reluctant as the relative newbie rider. Think I'll keep it that way, at least for now. Thanks again for sharing your experience and views!

I would strongly suggest you take a MSF course. You'll be amazed at what you've forgotten.
 
I agree. I took the BRC in July and it was definitely worthwhile. I hadn't ridden for probably 30 years and found it to be a big help getting back into the saddle. I'm eying the Confident Rider Course next month. Still not ready for any group rides yet...not sure I like the idea but I guess it would depend a lot on the people.
 
CarlNH: You might look around for and MSF Group Riding course offering. It has a good video about 15 minutes, and well worth your time.

One quote from the video is this: "A group ride is not the place to learn to ride your motorcycle". I would paraphrase it a bit and say that a group ride is not the place for a re-entry rider until you are back up to speed and comfortable with operation of your bike. When you get to that point, the group should place you in the middle of the formation to buffer you a bit from the surrounding traffic, and keep an eye on your riding. The biggest suggestion I can make is "Ride your own ride". If you are in any way uncomfortable with the situation, say so and do not be afraid to bail out of the group if necessary.

Stay safe out there !
 
I think group riding generally increases the chances of a collision so I don't do 'em. I've been riding for 50 years and the older I get the more cautious I become. Skill level doesn't trump the laws of physics. JMHO
 
Toy's-For-Tots Runs season is fast approaching. There were almost two hundred bikes at last year's run ... in the rain.

As usual, I'll be dropping off a toy at my local independent H-D mechanic's shop - he'll make sure it gets a ride. I'll show up at the staging point that morning and wish them bon voyage.
 
The most dangerous riding you'll ever do is riding with a group. I have two plates in my left tibia to back-up my opinion. When I do rarely ride with a group I'm either the lead bike or the last bike (positions I have somewhat control over).
 
I think group riding generally increases the chances of a collision so I don't do 'em. I've been riding for 50 years and the older I get the more cautious I become. Skill level doesn't trump the laws of physics. JMHO

Most logical statement I've seen here. The more "stuff" there is around you, the more likely some of it will hit you or you'll hit some of it.
 
I have been a member of the Badger Motorcyclists of Wisconsin for 23 years and have gone on many group rides. Usually, our monthly club ride consists of 10 to maybe 20 bikes at most. In those 23 years I have only seen two issues, one member ran off the road on a curve of his own doing, one member struck the saddlebag of another bike at a stop. In our club we have four MSF instructors, myself included.

That said, we have a pretty consistent group, experience wise, and we tend to do our rides on fairly remote back roads of east central Wisconsin. I just led our club November ride last Saturday. 13 bikes, of which two were Bombardier Spyders. We had a good time, covered about 135 miles with no incidents. But riding in a group is a lot different than solo riding (which I prefer, or maybe three bikes at most). Before the ride I scope out the participants, review some points about the ride, talk about some of the route. As the ride leader I try to keep track of everyone on the ride, to some degree. I have also preridden or studied the route to know where potential issues exist. Even to the point of traffic issues at specific intersections. I treat leading a group of bikes like driving something as big as a semi tractor-trailer rig.

Some group rides, like ours, are good ways to watch other riders and learn lines, see techniques in curves, etc. But that is only possible when riders spread out and give each other ample room. A ride like shown above on the video is just crap, riders packed together WAY too tight. Its just asking for the type of crash shown in the video.

But I will not ride one of the common big rides in our area (charity rides, cruiser rides) as they are simply WAY too big of groups, with a LOT of VERY marginal riders of limited experience. Plus, those big rides just plod along with very little actual "riding" taking place. Also, many of these big rides attract the new or returning riders on bikes whay to big for them, or they are riders who have never taken any form of advanced training. I'll support/participate in the charitable event, but I won't go on the rides.
 
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I would strongly suggest you take a MSF course. You'll be amazed at what you've forgotten.

Thanks for that and I totally agree! I took the MSF Basic Course before even thinking about buying a motorcycle. As you said, re-learned a lot and even learned stuff I had not even known previously. Then, this year, I took the MSF Experienced Rider Course which was also excellent. Largely review of the basic riding exercises but on my own bike and a bit more challenging. I will take that one again next season! Those courses along with around 7000 miles on the bike the past couple of seasons are making me feel more confident but I know I still have a long way to go before I consider myself proficient. Group rides still sound above my competence level so I'll continue to ride and learn on my own for now.

Thanks again!
 
i will echo Andy's comments above. the only group rdes i am likely to go on are ones with my local MOA club (Twisted Shaft)/ which rarely exceed 10 riders, or some smaller get-togethers thru some locized on-line groups.
i never go on the big charity events- too may incopetent riders for my liking. they scare me.

i have been riding for about 35 years, no interruptions, and am also a MSF RiderCoach.
 
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