Safe Speed Forums

I was out the other day on my low performance motorcycle, cruising around at even lower speed than normal due to the roads being very slippy with salt. I met a gang of lads on super motos' (well old enough to be able to afford expensive toys).

Anyway, as I chuffed around at 90 degree left hander at a speed that wouldn't overwelm my rudimentry suspension (nevermind my limited skills) and comedy tyres I was over taken by the first of the hoodlems in full super moto stylee, left foot on floor and back wheel spinning. Cool.

A couple of seconds later the group straggler came past. He was riding like me really, ie not wanting to fall of and to be honest he was struggling to keep up with his cockier mates.

So where do you stand on group riding? As a solitary animal I like to do my own thing and Mr Straggling-Supermoto tells me it's likely to end in tears.

Oh and they were all wearing jeans and paddock jackets. I had a Tshirt, shirt, rugby shirt, work overalls, 2 piece zip together cordura suit thingy and I was still freezing my extremities off.

My opinion is that pricks that ride like they're on the track on the road, and wear inadequate protection to boot, are a highly visible minority of bikers, who manage to give the rest of us a bad rep as they piss off a disproportionately high number of other road users!

They all had noisey pipes too....

I belong to an IAM motorcycle club and we have group rides every weekend and also evenings during the summer.

I feel very uncomfortable about the whole thing.

Being the IAM, naturally the rides are well structured with rules but we still have "incidents". There can be nothing so bad at encouraging the individual to make decisions they wouldn't normally make if they were riding on their own.

Out riding with a mate you trust can be a great joy - but unless every rider is very well disciplined, a group ride can so easily go wrong.

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It's tricky doing nothing - you never know when you're finished

In any group ride there is only one person who is truly enjoying himself, and that is the person at the front, everyone else is riding above or below their ability.

When my bike club has rides we use a system of making junctions, everyone can then ride at their own pace, the really quick guys mark a junction and then can make their way back to the front to mark another.

Its a great system

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Former Military Police Officer and accident investigator

We have junction marking but no overtaking group riders is allowed. Your system sounds interesting, though.

I completely agree with your first comment.

I just feel that group rides are a disaster waiting to happen - and, too frequently, they do.

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It's tricky doing nothing - you never know when you're finished

I ride in groups, and I ride alone. The problem is that when you get more than half a dozen riders the one at the back has to go like the clappers to keep up. In Uk traffic it is too easy to get split up.

Groups only work if you are on multi-lane roads where you can stay together. In which case I prefer to ride in the staggered 2 by 2 formation.

On single lanes roads a group of more than two is a pain.

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Speed camera policy Kills

Always agree on a stopping place- ie petrol station etc.

That way, everyone can ride at their own speed and not feel pressured into "keeping up" - thats how accidents happen!

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"Are you sh**ing me?"
"John Spartan, you are fined one credit for a violation of the verbal morality statute."

We had a ride a couple of years ago through Wales, every junction was marked by one of the same three people, the markers had the rides of their lives and every one from brand new license holders through to some really experienced chaps (and ladies) was able to ride at their own pace.

As regards overtaking we stick to the rule that its the overtakers responsibility to make a safe manouver but its the overtakees responsibility for how they behave subsequently, anyone who crosses the boundaries of responsible rideing is dealt with by the group.

Ordinarily it works really well, there are occasions where someone joins for their first ride and over estimates their ability, they normally deal with attitude by either realising it or binning it, either way they learn

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Former Military Police Officer and accident investigator

I dont group ride myself unless I know them extremely well and then only go with a max of 5 or 6 bikes.

Twice I got smacked by the P*** behind and sent through a stop sign and a set of red lights (just missed bouncing off a double decker bus that was going other way)

Has made me extremely paranoid about having another bike behind me!

I was recently in a meeting at our motorcycle club, and the subject of group riding came up. We had had a spate of non-serious accidents on rides and I found myself pontificating on tightening the rules. Restricting numbers, more instruction, more rules, less of this and more of that was my argument when it suddenly dawned on me – I was becoming just like one of the many millions of bureaucratic, interfering, nannying officials who believe that restriction and rules will solve everything.
What was I thinking! I had momentarily forgotten one of the basic facts of life; SHIT HAPPENS!

We had rules, but we also gave people the freedom to be responsible for themselves and others, and to enjoy doing it. Any more rules and we might as well all pack up and go home.

But how close I came to becoming all that I despise in authority!!!

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It's tricky doing nothing - you never know when you're finished

Personally I've never liked to be at the head - I seemed to spend too much time trying to check if everyone is still together. For longer distance touring it has usually been best to have the slowest at the front and if you get twitchy at the back you can do as Patch says and go for a blast then wait assuming everyone knows where you're all going!

For Sunday runs I've never gone out in a big group and after witnessing the appalling aftermath of a big group pile-up many years ago its going to stay that way.

Barkstar

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The difference between intelligence and stupidity is that intelligence has limits.

I don't get this?

If you use a marker system, mark in sensible places, regroup regularly and have a clear/distinctive back marker - there is no reason for anyone to ride beyond their ability.

I've ridden on long group rides where you are actually mostly riding on your own - that is until you see a marker or catch up with the leader and have to mark.

I have gone out on rides where there are only two of us. One of the reasons that I like motorcycling is because it is me, my bike and the road.

At times where I have arrived in a group at the lights I am always nervous as the other riders are unknown.

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Prepare to be Judged

New to this forum
I live in Brittany, France. Just up the road is a bike club, but before you can ride with them on ballards ( ride - outs) you have to first go on a course. This involves every 2 weeks for 5 months and covers all aspects of biking,
Safety, braking, cornering, observation, bike mechanics, etc, you get the picture ?bit like an advanced rider course, with big credibility, when you finish the course you get a certificate ( cheaper insurance ). The ride outs are well organised into 3 groups, solo quick, bikes with pillions, and slower riders, each group has a " leader" and a rear gunner, regular stops for all to meet up with coffee breaks, and normally it's an all day event.
What is strictly forbidden is being an arse, anyone doing stupid over taking manuvers, bunny hops or wheelies would be asked to leave the club, idiots are not tolerated( so far in the 3 years I've been with them, no one has) All this sounds like a nanny state bike club, but it's far from it, the quick lads are quick, but safe, and as we have some fantastic, relatively free traffic roads, and all been well trained then it's probably a lot safer that the congested UK
So, the point of this is that with a well organized club, a ride out with well trained riders, you can have some fun, in safety, and within the law (ish )

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Prendre garde au temps, entre le chien et le loup

Let's hope the French aren't so well organised with their rugby this weekend

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It's tricky doing nothing - you never know when you're finished

Difficult to know where my loyalties lie now
dare I say , Viva la France

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Prendre garde au temps, entre le chien et le loup

That's fine

One of the beautiful things about rugby is we can all support whoever we like, and there's never any bad feelings....

well, unless you are from Australia that is....

PS We'll thrash you.

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It's tricky doing nothing - you never know when you're finished

Ummmmmm, not a betting man myself, but, if we loose, I'll buy you a pint, in our local !!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Prendre garde au temps, entre le chien et le loup

OK, that sounds great....hang on, do they sell pints in your local?

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It's tricky doing nothing - you never know when you're finished