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Lone Rider / Group Rider: Who Are You?

tourunigo

New member
:type I've been thinking lately, while writing some modest materials on long distance touring (two up in particular), that while I and we prefer solo adventures many folks prefer to seek companion riders or groups for their preferred travel configuration. Even as a new rider I wanted to venture alone and now Mary and I are firm believers in solo travel (2 up in our case). I am interested in knowing your preference and why. Additionally, does riding two up change your group vs solo preference? -Bob
 
I like to travel both ways and I am not sure I can pick which one I like better. Traveling solo lets me go at my pace and seems to make more people open to speaking with you. Of course the other side is that it can be lonely sometimes and just having someone to converse with is pretty nice, especially out in the middle of no where. Either way I am pretty content as long as I get to my destination safely.

After all :bikes
 
I prefer solo riding. I can be on my own schedule. When riding with others, I find two scenarios:

- Someone is holding me up by riding slower, stopping more, sleeping in, etc

- I'm holding someone up

Either way, I get stressed out. I don't want to be "that guy" who is lagging, and I don't really want to be moody because my riding companion is stopping too much and screwing with my military-like mental schedule. Keep in mind my vacation are generally of very limited duration, so I try to keep a good track of where I'm going and how long it will take so I get the most riding out of it. If I had a month or two for riding, I wouldn't care so much about schedules.

That isn't to say I don't enjoy riding with other people from time to time, but I've found a VERY, VERY small group of people I enjoy riding with for more than shorter trips.
 
Both, but for longer rides prefer a very small group, (2-4 bikes total), as I see life as something to be shared. I enjoy my 2-3 hour solo rides as a way to decompress, ride at my own pace, etc., but when expolring new roads or going a longer distance, I like to share the experiance with a fellow rider or two.
 
Solo, because it's just how I do most stuff. No one has ever accused me of being a social butterfly:bolt
 
I like riding solo. I like riding with 1 other just as much. beyond that, peripheral issues can come to fore. Example: Randy Boris (ManicMechanic) and I rode to the MOA Open House last fall. We picked up Bill Eppley (BE in IN) and Gale Smith (Lorazopam) in Ballwin, and rode back to my place to eat, drink, and be merry. The group decided I should lead the ride back. ( Arguably, a mistake) Even though I was on the oldest and slowest bike, Gale saw fit to ride up next to me and give me the finger and indicate that I should SLOW THE %&$# DOWN. Well taken. Yeah, I was flogging it. Still, this kind of thing points up the limits involved in riding with more than 1 other.

By comparison, I rode back from the second Solstice with Garth (YB in IN) and a host of others, and the group was limited by my old bike's limited top end (90MPH) I'd have run faster with them if I were able. It was most kind that they chose not to run away from me.

Bottom line, the larger the party, the greater the limits.
 
Solo

Rode to Wyoming last July with a friend, rode home alone as he was off to see Yellowstone. LIke both, prefer solo as the pace is mine to decide. Can get lonely at times, but can make it up by striking conversation with people you meet on the road.
I find when alone, people more likely to start a conversation than when with a friend...
 
Key to rdinng with more than one

I ride alone some also but have two friends I have ridden a lot with. Here are the keys. First set up the ground rules for riding and them follow them. Here are ours, no more than 7 or 8 over the speed limit, anyone can call a picture stop, this is easier because we all use cb's. On a multi day trip we go out to dinner well before and plan the general plan. Then we divide the days up and each guy plans his day. We alternate leaders at every gas stop. We go leader, second and drag rider and then keep rotating. If we know for sure where we are going we will give each other the lodging waypoints if we have planned hotels before. We agree when to be on the bikes and rolling and we always fill up the night before. The cb's are really nice top point out stuff that one may have missed on their own, and deer, railroad tracks etc.
For some of you that may seem way too organized. I can appreciate that, but we have always been friends when we get home. If someone doesn't like to ride the way we do, we don't ask them.
Why creat hard feelings?
 
Solo mostly.This past year I rode with 3 to Gillette,but rode away on my own.Sometimes the group dynamic just works better that way.After 15 years of riding to and from distant MOA rallies,alone to and from,together THERE!WHAT FUN! seems to be my style.

I have been to 8(?) Rallies.
 
I ride alone or with my spouse

Usually, when on BMW, I didn't care whether alone of with other bikes. When ride my Harley, I prefer to ride alone or with spouse, as some of the getups they wear on the weekends are, well, different. Suits by day, and leather dress up on the weekends, when going to hang out for ice cream, etc. I guess I am not part of the leather crowd. I just like to ride. I have ridden with groups, but there are to many "rules", and of course certain riders seem to want to be in charge of something, I just like to enjoy the outdoors!:gerg
 
For long trips, I mostly ride solo, or with with one other bike. For a day ride, I'm a little more flexible, but still like to keep the numbers down to 6 or less.
I'm interested in working out an "Alone Together" tour, everybody works out their own route and schedule to common stopping points, might be the best of both worlds. I haven't tried one yet.
 
For long trips, I mostly ride solo, or with with one other bike. For a day ride, I'm a little more flexible, but still like to keep the numbers down to 6 or less.
I'm interested in working out an "Alone Together" tour, everybody works out their own route and schedule to common stopping points, might be the best of both worlds. I haven't tried one yet.

The minuteman 1k (mm1k) is sort of an "alone together" tour, or two up at the most. I enjoy both solo and small group, like when I'm heading to a rally.
 
For long trips, I mostly ride solo, or with with one other bike. For a day ride, I'm a little more flexible, but still like to keep the numbers down to 6 or less.
I'm interested in working out an "Alone Together" tour, everybody works out their own route and schedule to common stopping points, might be the best of both worlds. I haven't tried one yet.

I've thought about this as well - sounds like an interesting idea. Or maybe mix it up... ride together for a bit then split off at a fuel stop. Either way, nobody has to worry about being too fast/slow or stopping too much/not enough, and you still have people to hang out with at the destination. Seems like a win-win.
 
For long trips, I mostly ride solo, or with with one other bike. For a day ride, I'm a little more flexible, but still like to keep the numbers down to 6 or less.
I'm interested in working out an "Alone Together" tour, everybody works out their own route and schedule to common stopping points, might be the best of both worlds. I haven't tried one yet.

This is somewhat like our pending design for the mobile part of the Salty Fog (rolling) Rally in late August up here in N.S.

And also, as you add Josh. Good point to consider for our little event. - Bob
 
Solo, 100% of the time. It has many advantages.

I get to head out once a year for a 5 week tour and I want it to be my tour. I also wouldn't want to force my tour and schedule onto someone else.
 
Most of the time it's two bikes...me & Helen. On weekends we meet up for breakfast and BS with an average of 8 riders. All have similar styles and play together nice. We ride with Helen's Bro-in-Law...soon to be mine also, who is one of our clubs Ambassadors & Ridemeister a lot,especially last year when he was doing a lot of miles. He knows all the picture opportunities and out of the way places in a lot of states...so that's a plus and always a treat.
On some LD rally rides, usually three to five "regulars"...we may have a planned stop on night one, and at final destination but wing it the rest of times. On occasion we may pick up riders along the route and lose them also as everyone does their own thing. All are ready to roll out at sime time and fueled up when doing the pack thing.

I do ride solo a lot,more that my schedule is open daily,I run all my errands on bike if possible.Always looking for that dual sport riding area I haven't been on before. I split Gillette to soar with the eagles solo, but ended up with a breakdown in the middle of nowhere...missed the company a bit when that happened:whistle When cell phones do not work and you see no people,kind of limits your options.
 
Riding solo allows me many more options than with a partner. My stops for breaks, photo ops, gas, pit stops, for putting in the earplugs I forgot to insert and wrong turns are never an inconvenience for anyone else. It gives me a greater options for where to eat and sleep. Solo also allows me to leave really early or have a late start, without worrying about someone else. It also allows me to go for my morning or evening walks and reading in the evening. I have never been lonely on any of my trips.

The above may sound selfish, but the truth is I have only ever travelled with two riders. One was an excellent riding buddy who seemed to think the same as me when it came to stops. The other is my daughter's father-in-law who has invited himself along a few times. We really have different riding agendas and different outlooks on life. In order to keep peace in my son-in-laws' family, I simply always go along with his wants/needs, although I do keep the trips with him to a just a few days and only once a year.

One of my sons asked my wife once if the old man gets lonely on the road. She explained that I meet a number of people at my stops who approach me and start conversations and during the evenings, I enjoy the solitude of reading.

I think that it would be rather neat if one were to be able to hook with a riding partner that shares much of your riding/life philosophy. But for now, I will continue to enjoy my solo trips.
 
I think that it would be rather neat if one were to be able to hook with a riding partner that shares much of your riding/life philosophy. .

I have done so.......it is my wife, and she rides on the back of our RT with me. We, then, ride solo almost all the time, for all the reasons mentioned above.
 
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