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Man down, what a mess

Same with me and Debbie. We've had plenty of times when someone askes to ride with us and most of the time I tell them we prefer to ride alone. Sometimes people are put off by this and I feel bad, but that's the way it is.
I know how Debbie rides and I feel safer just riding with her, plus we find it's more fun to ride with just two bikes.

Aw Lee, you and Debbie can come down here and ride the River Road with us any time, as long as Debbie lets us keep up. :)
 
Same here, new riders on our club rides get a sharp decerning eye from me before we start out on a club ride I lead. If I don't know the rider I will talk to him/her first to greet them to the ride but mostly to get an idea of ability and experience. Then I'd invite that person to ride at leas tthe first section right behind me as the leader.

As a MSF instructor and many year demo ride leader for the local BMW shop I can tell a lot by watching a following rider in my mirrors.

But for the most part I always prefer less than five bikes, two is better, one (me) is best. Oh, this discussion also brings up the point that VERY few people ever get to ride my bikes. I'm not snooty, and my bikes are not collector bikes by any measure (actually though, my 76 R100RS is), I have simply seen too many riders screw up. I won't have that happen with my bikes, and certainly NEVER with anyone I barely know. I am even leery to ride other people's bikes even if they offer it to me.
 
I too am in the "late 60's" bunch of riders that have been on bikes for almost 50 years and now thinking that it is time to give them up. A friend that is also my age just sold his last bike. He rode it only 400 miles the past year.

A good alternative is the maxi-scooter such as the Suzuki Burgmans, Honda Silverwing and the BMW scooters (but they are very tall). They handle well because their weight is low, they are automatic and getting on and off of them is easy. My older friend has a Burgman 650 and is very happy with it. I rode it and i was shocked at how easy it was to ride and how well it handled on crooked roads. It will also run well over 100 and cruise above the speed limit all day long.
 
A sad story but a real eye opener.
Decades ago I dropped my CB350 riding in the mountains in Japan. I had no experience on gravel and did everything wrong. Hurt feelings, paint and turn signals. I was lucky.. I am now much older and wiser.
As a returning rider, I found somewhere on this forum a reference to "Proficient Motorcycling" by David Hough. I downloaded it to my Kindle and am so glad I did. It was an eye opener on how much I had forgotten and did not know.
I have ordered a hard copy for my brother-in-law and nephew who just purchased HD's and they have no experience at all. My wife is worried to death about them but they are adults.
I hope the book helps them. They are good people.

The books are fine and everyone should read them, but take the MSF courses. They're a great way to spend a weekend and will teach you far more about what you don't know.
 
The books are fine and everyone should read them, but take the MSF courses. They're a great way to spend a weekend and will teach you far more about what you don't know.

+1

As a re-entry rider in 2007, I felt I could dust-off the cobwebs and go for a ride. Well, it had been 30+ years since I rode regularly so I decided to take the MSF course. Very glad I did that and followed it up with an ARC and a Lee Parks course. Now, I know better than to think I know it all; I realize I will continue to learn (and practice) every time I ride...for the rest of my life!

I hope your friend mends quickly.
 
Well, it had been 30+ years since I rode regularly so I decided to take the MSF course.

I got back a few years earlier, but it was also 30+years for me and back then there was NO rider training -- so hey, even if you've been riding that whole time, take a course. I've never heard anyone say it was a waste. You're more likely to hear things like "I've been doing it wrong for 25 years", or similar laments.

I've done well over 100k miles since 2003 and taken two courses, I'm ready for another, planning the MSF dirt bike course.
 
I've ridden that road... it is not bad at all, so don't feel like you were at fault for not choosing a better route.

We have a house in Tucson - near Tucson Mtn Park - and have ridden that stretch a lot. As AZgman notes, that's not even remotely a challenge to ride.

Your post is a perfect example of why I don't ride with others - with VERY rare exceptions.

Imagine for a second trying to ride with this guy over Gates Pass. Going off that road to the west has been fatal for a number of people - in both cars and on bikes.

Bottom line with this is - inexperienced riders need to take it slow enough that they are confident they can negotiate the road in front of them. Speculation that he may have touched down in the curve and lost control because of it is very likely even considering his speed as stated.

I hope he recovers soon.
 
Your post is a perfect example of why I don't ride with others - with VERY rare exceptions.

With the Vintage Group here in Southern Alberta, I used to ride with the group. The more I rode with them, the more I became very uncomfortable. Sadly, I started riding alone. Not that I want to be anti social, just safe, as I know my limitations!
 
Since this thread really never had any hexhead specific info in it (except the OP was riding one when his HD friend went down..) I'm moving it over to Campfire since it's the sort of thing that belongs there.

Please hang on while I drag it over.. :bolt
 
I too am in the "late 60's" bunch of riders that have been on bikes for almost 50 years and now thinking that it is time to give them up. A friend that is also my age just sold his last bike. He rode it only 400 miles the past year.

Wayne
I'm 66. I think I am getting too old to horse around larger bikes like the GS or RT. Right now I'm having much more fun on my "little" Triumph Bonneville . . . especially for afternoon rides in the country.
 
I totally agree about group riding. If I know the other riders, I'm more likely to do it. However, in a group of folks I don't know, Im more likely to pass on it.

I just took a free class offered in NC called BikeSafe NC. If you live here, it's worth the time. Think of it as a preview to a more intensive course like the ones offered by MotoMark1 and the Performance Center Motorcycle Rider Training. Rider training is something that everyone should do on a regular basis. It helps me stay on my toes.
 
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My main goal when riding has always been to be able to ride tomorrow. So, I've always been very cautious when riding, and I slowly gained experience and confidence. Part of my early riding was the monthly ride unofficially sponsored by a local dealer. I was the last in line for a year so. I learned a lot from these rides and were overall a positive experience.

This is my take from an inexperienced rider in a pack. First of all, I rode to my abilities. That meant the people at the front of the pack ended up waiting for me. People were OK that. I found that when more experienced riders were right behind me, I ended up going faster than I probably should have. I had a guilty feeling of holding the up, and I did not like that. I felt more relaxed and did better when no one was right behind me; as such, I usually waved riders past me. The biggest fault in riding in groups (at least the ones I've been on) is not giving people maps/directions on where to meet they separated. Not knowing where I was and how to get where we were going was another reason I ended up pushing my limits at times.

It's a real bummer about the rider in the OP. It was not my intention to make any correlation to my story above and the OP. I just wanted to give my input on riding in groups with varying degrees of experience.
 
The insidious part of rides when riders have mismatched skill levels is that it is much easier to say "ride your own ride" than it is to do it. Whether it is pride, a fear of embarrassment, a little macho or testosterone, or a dose of I-think-I-can, often riders do try to keep up. Sometimes they get just a little over their heads. And a little over our heads can at times toss us on the ground.

I don't have a good universal prescription to avoid this. If leading, a less experienced, slower rider faces "they will think I'm too slow". In the middle they might try to keep up with those ahead, or outrun those behind. At the tail end they might try too hard not to delay the group.

I suspect the best way to do it is to have an experienced and sensitive mentor right ahead of the less experienced rider. When I say sensitive I mean one who can see in the mirror how the rider is doing, can pick good spots to run faster on a straight for example, but who can spot the next curve or whoop well in advance and slow down to a pace that does what is needed to keep the follower as safe as possible. Being the mentor is not the most fun way to enjoy a ride, but I think it is worthwhile nonetheless.
 
It certainly is tough when you get an unfamiliar person kind of forced on you. You are certainly not to blame, nor should you have acted differently. You went thru that spot and you waited for your riding buddy and the new guy. Maybe he tried too hard to keep up, or maybe he just had a brain fart or got caught daydreaming and wrecked. Whatever it was, HE'S responsible for his own life and machine.

At different times I've been a leader, a middle, and a tail end. Some days I feel I can, and do, ride any twistie. Some days I feel a bit off and adjust my riding to a slower pace. We have a destination or a waypoint decided ahead of time and we ride our own abilities, the plan is to generally try to keep within sight of the guy ahead and behind. But if someone lags, the guys ahead will generally notice and slow down, but even if they don't we all still ride our ability and don't force things. We'll meet up at the end. And we won't rag on someone who was slower.
 
But if someone lags, the guys ahead will generally notice and slow down, but even if they don't we all still ride our ability and don't force things. We'll meet up at the end. And we won't rag on someone who was slower.

Very true, I can not think of one time this has happened in my ariding circle. Well maybe just a little kidding with people I ride with often. Never someone new.
 
I was leading a group of older guys like myself, except they were riding that famous American brand. The road was curvy and I took it extra easy, keeping the speed way down. When we stopped for a break at a DQ for some ice cream some of the guys said "Hey, slow down, you are taking those curves way too fast!" I was thankful I did take it really slow for them. Could have ended badly but we had a nice ride and I never went with them again.



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Thanks to all for your comments. I did visit again today at the ICU at the hospital. His leg has been pinned and set, the shoulder realigned and there is a small bleeder in the brain. Thankfully, he was wearing a skull cap helmet. His face would be a lot prettier if he had a full face helmet on, but he will make it. He still has very littlle knowledge of what happened. Besides being more aware of who I am riding with, I am humbled at how much damage can occur in a relatively mild accident. Be careful out there.
 
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