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The Rules of Engagement – Group Rides
 By
Dave Preston
“Oh no! Another article on group rides!”
Well…yes and no. This is indeed a take on group rides, but different
enough to pique your curiosity, or perhaps enrage you – and thus
hopefully worth the read. Additionally, methinks:
- Many have never
been on a group ride. Maybe this is the year?
- Charity ride
season is starting. Most of these ideas will apply.
- I will include
some concepts nobody else will –(oooh – radical!)
- We still have
problems occurring on group rides, so clearly we have not
mastered them as a culture.
Be assured there are differences in the definition
of “group” and in the procedures, or lack of them, to be used.
Let’s look at a broad spectrum.
The Harley Owner’s Group (HOG) is justifiably famous for
the organization and safety of their rides. On a HOG ride, there
will be a rider’s meeting beforehand, and there will be a leader in
front and a “sweep” in back, and these people will have received
safety and leadership training. One aspect of HOG rides that I
admire – if any drop of any alcoholic beverage touches one lip – the
ride is over as an official HOG event. Strict? Not to me –
just sensible and adult. HOG rides are certainly not the only
rides that are highly organized, efficient, and safe, and not to
leave out others that are - let’s just use HOG as one example of one
end of a continuum.
At the other end would be a small or large group
of friends who ride together. You all know each other, know where
you want to go, how you like to ride, and where you like to stop.
In between there are LOTS of variants! As
part of my job at our dealership I organize our “All Clubs” rides,
and I probably handle more variety than you can imagine. Think
of it – on HOG rides, everyone is on the same brand and style of
bike. The same is true – mostly – for Gold Wing club rides, etc. In
most group situations, the riders are on the same brand, or the same
style of bike, or they know each other, or they are of a similar
experience level – and usually several of these factors are present.
In my case I will greet from 10 to 40 motorcycles
for
one of our
club rides. Some of them will be customers I know well who
have decades of experience. Some will be people on their first ride,
and some of them on their first bike. Some will be on sport bikes,
some on cruisers, tourers, dual sports, scooters, or… and I
have no way of knowing beforehand who will be there!
For such rides to succeed, and they do, you have
to have a shared understanding of the purpose of the ride, and some
rules. Nobody likes rules, especially free spirits who buy
motorcycles, so we have as few rules as possible and base them on
“common sense.” We’ll come back to those, but first – what shared
understandings?
For group rides that involve many different types
of bikes and riders, it is important that everyone accept that:
-
There is no one way to ride, correct speed,
bike, color…
-
Not everyone needs to ride exactly the same
route.
-
It is OK for people to make decisions and
changes during the day.
-
A flexible mind is a working mind.
-
A group that starts the day together may not
all end the day together, or in the same place, or at the same
time.
If you can handle that much uncertainty, we’ll
move on to the “rules.”
If you’re thinking of starting a group,
these might help develop your own ideas. If you’re planning on
joining almost any group for a ride this year, their rules will be
similar to these. If you’re going on a charity ride (and you
should) many of these will crop up, but altered to suit the needs of
the event and the group.
A Dozen Rules For Our Dealerships Group Rides:
- Arrive ON
TIME or early with a full tank of fuel, a relaxed attitude, and
$ for food, fuel, and possible ferry fares during the day.
Getting a group of motorcycles underway takes time, and people
who are late create a vortex of delay. Needing to stop for
fuel immediately shows a lack of respect for others, and creates
further delay. Be a Boy Scout - be prepared! You
should be at the meeting place at least fifteen minutes before
the time given for departure.
- Sign in and
get the route instructions, if any.
- In the ride,
find a group to ride with of 3 to 5 bikes. DO NOT expect to have
a personal guide ride with you at all times, or for the group to
stay together as one mass of bikes. That is not fun, nor is it
safe. If you get lost - that can be a good thing! Learn to
embrace the adventure of figuring out how you got there and how
to return. It is not like we are in the middle of an unknown
land. We are in the Puget Sound area – the signs are in English
– cell phones work. If for whatever reason you lose
contact with the group and do not understand the directions –
just follow your nose and enjoy!
- Leave LOTS of
space in front of you. Sound Rider publisher Tom Mehren may
well be the actual inventor of the “4 second” rule, and it is a
good one. Leave 4 seconds between you and the next bike. Close quarters riding looks great on TV when done by the pros,
but A.) You are not a pro B.) Neither is the
other person C.) On TV there is no gravel in the corner, or the
neighbor’s dog sitting there, or a deer about to leap out,
etc...
- At major
intersections, do not leave until the bike behind you
has seen you. BUT- you do not need to wait for a group
several minutes behind you. (This one is different from
what many groups practice).
- RIDE AT YOUR OWN
PACE - always. NEVER ride at a pace that is uncomfortable for
you. If people are going faster than you wish to go – let
‘em go. If they persist in riding too slowly for your own
taste – leave ‘em behind!
- Stunting. Like
to do stunts? OK, not my thing, but good for you. BUT – group
rides are not the place. In our sport bike club, we preach that
any stunts are to be performed only for the entertainment of the stunter and others in the club – and never where they can be
witnessed by anyone else, which includes never on group rides. If you are doing stunts around people you do not know, on public
roads – you should not be doing stunts.
- Pass on the
left – ALWAYS. Over the centerline – ALWAYS. Always. Period. NEVER pass on the right - never. Under any
circumstances. Period.
- Use hand or foot
signals for needed fuel, caution, food, debris in the road,
tinkle stop, whatever. We do not have a set of "standard"
signals – it’s so much more fun to interpret what people are
signaling and learn new things! (Many other groups DO have
standardized signals, and if you do not know them, ask for help.
- If you do not
have an endorsement - do not go! If you are stopped for any
reason, the police will impound your bike. This will make
the rest of us feel bad. Actually, we won't feel bad at all, but
anyway... no endorsement – no go. Please take an MSF class
and get the endorsement before you ride with any group -
including ours.
- On the way home,
for the last 50 miles or so, it’s every person for him or
herself. It’s nice to let others know when you will be
dropping off, but not always possible or practical. (Here
we differ with other groups, too).
- If our group (or
groups) should come across another group of motorcycles
traveling at a slower pace – we pass them one at a time and
using rule #8 – we want to not ruffle any feathers. If caught
by another group that wants to pass us, we hope they will do the
same.
Please keep in mind that these rules are for our
dealership's club rides. They work well for us, as enthusiasts,
customers, and employees, but they may not be a perfect fit for your
group.
Spend a little time thinking out what you want as
a group. What is a good length for the ride? How about the
pace? Time of day? Destination?
Here are a couple of “bonus tips” that might help.
-
Average speed: Motorcycles
traveling in groups average about 40mph. This seems to be true
regardless of the style of motorcycle, experience of the rider,
or even the type of road. Experienced sport bike riders use back
roads, travel at relatively high speeds, wlll occasionally miss
turn directions, and will stop often for fuel and discussion. Rookie riders will plonk along at a slower rate, have a
wonderful time, and arrive at the destination at the about same
time. If our destination is about 100 miles away, I know
it will take about 2½ hours to get there. If your route is all
freeways (why?) the average might 50mph or slightly more.
-
If you’re leading a ride and want to keep the
group together and not be obvious about it: At stop signs out in the country, pause for about ten seconds.
Nobody will wonder what you are doing, and the rest of the group
will catch up. On back roads, when
you come up to a slower car, truck, or SUV (there are so
many of them) – let the first chance to pass go. Pausing
to be sure you have plenty of room is safer, and waiting for the
2nd opportunity allows your group to “stack up”
behind you – and then several of you can probably make the pass
safely at almost the same time.
Whether in groups or alone – remember to have fun!
Dave Preston is the author of Motorcycle 101, a sensible book
for the new and returning rider. |
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