Not a big fan of group riding myself. Last October a friend of mine and I put together a benefit poker run for some friends with medical problems. I only knew about half the people on the run and I only trusted the skill level of about 20 of them. Decided to make my day less streesful. I set itt up so I'd be handing out the cards at the first stop. Me and a buddy (who is a very skilled rider) took off first ahead of the pack so we could set up at the stop. Then we hung out there handing out the cards until everybody had come through. Spent the entire ride about 20 minutes behind the pack. Worked out great.

 

+1 on that. Shame on the organizers for asking people to ride 2x2. I rarely do it and will only do it with a rider I explicitly trust with my life. I would never go 2x2 with someone I haven't even met, that's just asking for trouble.

 

I too steer clear of group rides. I'll ride with my son and a couple of friends but don't care to join in with a bunch of strangers, especially when alcohol is involved.

 

I'm AMAZED..... any charity ride would suggest strangers ride side by side.....I mean, talk about a CLUSTER F@#K
I've quit riding in charity events because 80% of the riders can't grasp "staggered formation"

I wasn't there, and I take your word for what happened.... but, my guess, is the Gold Wing rider thought to himself "side by side my AZZ" and was weaving to keep you and others away

Personally, I'd be too busy watching the riders around me to even THINK about "waving to the crowd"

If I was at a ride, and they announced 2x2 riding.... I'd walk to my bike, and wave EVERYONE around.... either I'd ride BEHIND everyone, or I'd just go home....

 

As another poster said I wasn't there but I did get one thing out of the original post that sounded bad.You said he went left so you tried to squeeze in on the right, then he went right and you went left. I understand formation riding but it wouldn't take much for me to see he didn't and allow him to have the entire lane and pretend there was a ghost bike next to him on whateverside is open. You jumping back and forth couldn't have made things better. Again I wasn't there. Did a ride a while back, was spose to be staggered, Azzhat few bikes to my front couldn't decide left or right of lane. For a bit the two riders in front of me and myself kept switching sides to keep the proper stagger then after the 10 or 11th time changing they and I just stayed and watched him real close. It just wasn't safe to keep changing formation.

 

Love poker runs but most times I end up riding alone. On the last one I started off near the Back as I got up lat. But ended up only a couple of bikes got in at the finish before me.

No way I'm riding 2X2 at anything over say 15 MPH. There are a couple of guys I would do it a freeway speed with but we have a few miles riding together so we know each other.

 

Ridden in many charity group rides, matter of fact was in one that tried to break the record for number of harleys in a group.
Had both good and bad experiances, it's a crapshoot.
My 21 yr old son got his endorsement this summer and I let him ride his mom's Lowrider ...haven't done a group ride since and enjoying the hell out of ridin with him.

 

I wouldn't do that if you paid me. I will lane share with a few people but not many. I am with a lot of these posters that are bitching about people not knowing how to ride staggered let alone side by side.

 

My wife and I attended a ceremony/ run for the fallen soldiers from the Cleve area, we arived at the downtown square to see the memorial service which when ended the group would ride to a nearby Cleve Harley Dealer who was throwing a cookout, bands and all for free. Well I tell my wife that lets leave when the group leaves because it's been awhile since I rode in such a large formation, I love the thuunder. Well we take off within I would say the midpoint of this group and once we were a few streets out of the square and we riding on the Veterans Memorial bridge, something had just turned on "inside" about half the riders, they just took-off like a bat out of hell, I had never seen as much chaios on the street before, I thought I was in the Cannon Ball run movie. We rode at a legal speed ALL the way there and still till the end there were these guys that would run the red lights and 20+ mph over (at least). Still can't believe that nobody caused an accident. My wife will never again attend a group run after that.

 

Big group rides SUCK.

Nuff said.