HOW TO RIDE IN A GROUP

[KewlKitty]

Hey there,

I am some what of a new rider and am quite fearfull of group riding. I have yet to attempt it and am greatful for the helpful pointers.
Thanks

Nothing to fear whatsoever. Find a group of 4-6 riders that you can go out wth....or PM me and I will arrange it.

You gotta jump in with both feet and embrace it. Otherwise you won't ever get it...the feeling of the freedom of the ride!

[Bullet007]

As a motorcycle is a vehicle and by law all vehicles must come to a full and complete stop at a stop sign, each person must stop, wait for thier turn, then proceed. Also, since it is technically illegal to have two vehicles sharing the same lane (regardless of size, with the exception of bicycles) each of the motorcycles must stop as an individual. Yes, you may "break up the group", however, if you have a chance to pass the vehicle in front of you safely and legally you can get the group back together again. Either that or pull over into a mall/hotel/parking lot and line up and just wait for a large enough gap that everyone can leave in.

I can see that you do know how to ride in a group! We do not own the road ..........we share the road.... as to splitting the group because of stopping due to a stop sign, red light, etc... the fall back rider takes place!

[Brian P]

Most newer bikes have ABS now or as an option.

Ummm ... Nope. Only if you live exclusively in a BMW world.

[frekeyguy]

Ummm ... Nope. Only if you live exclusively in a BMW world.

The new CBR's have them.

[squid pro quo]

Ummm ... Nope. Only if you live exclusively in a BMW world.

suzuki sv650's have'em.

[Brian P]

You're missing the point.

GSXR anything No
ZX anything No
R1/R6 No
CBR anything prior to 2009 models that aren't on the road yet No
Ducati anything that isn't a touring bike No
Aprilia anything that isn't a touring bike No
KTM anything No
Majority of cruisers No
Any scooter that isn't a "maxi scooter" No

The majority of motorcycle models sold to date, don't have ABS. It's not correct to say "most newer bikes have ABS now or as an option".

That will probably change over the next couple of years, I expect it to become much more widespread, but as of RIGHT NOW, with the 2009 Honda models only just showing up now, it isn't.

[Jayv]

Listen Brian P, I THINK YOU missed the point.

No he didn't...

But you are right saying he is a smart guy.

[Pearlzzzzz!]

Address filling gaps (someone leaves the group during the ride)
Q: pull up from behind (some consider this lane splitting) or cross over?

[Brian P]

You mean when riding in staggered formation, and one rider turns off (e.g. takes an off-ramp)?

Starting with the rider who was behind the rider who left, motion with your leg that you are going to change sides in the lane, and then do it, which will lead to everyone behind swapping sides.

"Pulling up from behind" implies "passing another bike in the same lane" and that is a "never never never NEVER under ANY circumstances"!

[Pearlzzzzz!]

Thnx BrianP
I quoted your response to back up a point.

[Green919]

Just a few things I've learned from CGP'ers in Calgary...
1. Always ride at your own pace. If you don't like how fast the person in front of you is riding you can always safely pass them.
2. Ride in staggered formation. If the order changes due to a pass or whatever use your foot to point to the side of the lane you're going to move into (also good for pointing out upcoming hazards on the road)
3. When you're coming into turns spread out into a single line formation to give riders space to take the turn.
4. Never drink and ride. Period.
5. Stunting and group rides don't mix.

That's all from me for now...looking forward to riding in the GTA!

[toybm]

Some more interesting info to hopefully add to this thread.
http://www3.sympatico.ca/al.vilcius/bikes/formation.htm

[Kokla]

awesome advice, thanks for posting this.

[IVO]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erpkyD7SMfw

a good little vid

[dckim]

The new C-ABS on the CBR600RR recently developed by Honda really works beyond belief actually reducing stopping distances. I did some research before buying it and it really works as reviewed. I never thought I would have to test it for real but there I was changing lanes checking over my shoulder when the traffic in front of me in the lane I was changing into came to a dead stop. When i turned my head back to look ahead I had less then a second to react as I was at full hwy speeds. Needless to say I thought my life was over as my hands reacted automatically as one would stick out their hands if they were falling. I even heard the tires chirp a couple of times as they started to lock up. The bike did however come to a complete stop with meters to spare. My only concern after the relief I felt was what was coming up behind me. Every expert racer that tested this bike says it really works and in direct comparisons between CBR's with and without the C-ABS has been able to reduce their stopping distance with this new system from Honda. The reason is that you can crunch down on the brakes as hard as you can without even thinking in a panic which in turn allows the computer to stop you in as short a distance as possible. You can Google it if you wish to read about it or take me word for it as i am still here to write this.

[Razorsythe]

i saw the reviews for the system, if i could afford it id swap the abs in my sv for one of the honda abs units.. mine work great, but could be better.

The new C-ABS on the CBR600RR recently developed by Honda really works beyond belief actually reducing stopping distances.... .

[tylerdurden119]

I sent this link to a guy i know the other night and read the first page briefly.

Boy was teh svan guy right on the money!

On a group ride today i got hit from behind by a less experienced rider who wasn't paying attention.

I'll never ride in a group with people i don't know ever again unless im sweeper.

[FZ1Oakville]

very good -- nicely described - this helps everyone - and was worth the read

[Andreas]

One thing which is not addressed in these videos: less experienced riders and people without ABS should be towards the front, and most experienced riders should be towards the back of the pack.

The main reason is that the less experienced riders and people without ABS need more distance to stop. If your group has to do a panic stop, and you've got an inexperienced person behind you, they're going to end up in your tailpipe. In addition, should anyone go down, the more experienced riders behind them will be better able to get out of their way.

More distance? They don't wanna stop period..because they have no skills in doing so since the bike course. (The same biker from Tyler Durden's post often tags along and was behind me as a light turned yellow well ahead of me..I check my mirrrors for distance to bike behind me and then stopped moderately (by no means panic brake) .. I do this because if I'm leading a group i'd rather not split it up and have to wait pulled over at the next entrance.. So low and behold, this bike AND the bike behind him blow past me in my lane through the red... LOL. I'm glad they didn't rear end me as i'm sure the 2nd rider was staggered.

In view of certain recent situations, maybe it's time to refresh memories and update this.


Other stuff not really addressed by the other posts.

When there is heavy traffic, go with the flow of the traffic. DON'T treat the heavy traffic as a slalom course. If you do ... there will be phone calls from cagers, and you might find the po-lice out looking for you. Not good. The entire group should follow the flow of traffic. That includes both the leader and all of the followers.

Never, ever, EVER, pass another bike in the same lane, except if the first rider motions the following rider to pass (which means the lead rider is aware of the following rider's actions).

Don't ride side-by-side with another bike. If either one of you spots a rock or pothole or oil slick or whatever, then you are probably both going down, instead of both having an escape path.
.

^^ this one is my favorite/#1 reason for replacing fork seals as I never do wheelies.. it's also a common reason people who never do wheelies have dents in their rims

I sent this link to a guy i know the other night and read the first page briefly.

Boy was teh svan guy right on the money!

On a group ride today i got hit from behind by a less experienced rider who wasn't paying attention.

I'll never ride in a group with people i don't know ever again unless im sweeper.

haha man, i'll pull a "I'll be 15 mins behind you guys, i gotta make a phone call first" next time i see dude around...

[FZ1Oakville]

Ride on....