A couple weekends ago, my HOG chapter went on a ride (I wasn't with them). There was a bad single-bike crash that put 2 people in the hospital for over a week. Turns out, the guy riding had never had anyone on the back of his bike before, the gal on his pillion had never been on a bike before, this was his first ride with the group, and they went on a full day in the mountains kind of ride.

To make a long story short, they lost it in a curve, blood everywhere, broken bones, etc. But they'll live.

So, this got me to thinking. "Back in the day" I used to go 4-wheelin'. Still have my '68 Bronco. Whenever we went to a group run in the hills somewhere, there was a trail guide that would inspect your vehicle and say, "OK, you can go on the Level 1 trails only", or "You're good for Level 3 and below", or what ever.

I was thinking it might be a good idea to get people thinking about maybe, group motorcycle rides should have something similar. Rating the rides, or setting the expectation that the ride leader can punt riders if he/she doesn't feel comfortable with their match to the ride.

So, just thought I'd throw that out here, see if anyone has such a rating system, ideas, or what to keep n00bie riders from hurting themselves.

 

Ummmmm, yeah, right ............. Let's see, we have some nice twisties through the kettles up here, maybe a two on a nice day early in the year, three in the rain, four when the gravel is still in the turns in the spring and a five at the end of the summer when the tar snakes are biting and all the traffic has the road oiled up. Who rides them everyday to report and update the conditions? Just wonderin' ?

 

Good luck with that.
Do you want to pay their dues too?

 

At the risk of getting flamed here, it's the guy ridin' that is responsible for himself, his passenger and his bike, not the Hog Group. He should know where his limits are and not overstep them rashly. While it's regrettable that he and his Gal were hurt, and i do hope they both make a good recovery, its no real surprise it happened considering the inexperience.

That said, I agree that some kind of experience measurement could probably be a good thing as you don't see it too often. Something like riding the first couple of group rides (1 up!) with a seasoned group rider on runs that will let the senior rider observe the newer guys without excessive risk and offer advice on how to improve skills.

It may seem like a bit of nurse maiding, but honestly I wouldn't be alive today had it not been for the skills I picked up from my "nurse maids" over 20 years ago when i first started riding road bikes. That don't make me any kind of all knowing biker Yoda, but I learnt a lot of good stuff very quickly thanks to 2 Biker mates in particular who made a point of helping me get the right riding experience from their own trial and error rather than making catastrophic mistakes and ruining my riding life as a result.

 

Atlanta HOG rates their rides as follows:

One pig - steady cruising rides of relatively short distance, easy on the throttle, few curves, etc.
Two pigs - a bit longer or have some curves but nothing too challenging.
Three pigs - the ride should be of moderate difficulty.
Four and five pigs - rides with a high number of curves, long distance, saddle time, road conditions, speed, and weather.

It's still up to the individual rider to know his or her own limitations.

 

Belong to a club and I ride sometimes in mixed groups. In the club you know everyones capabilities. In mixed group rides I judge the riders around me before we start and I look at their bikes. Very seldom do I miss pigeon holing riders and their level of experience from their clues. In mixed groups we always tell everyone to ride their own ride. If they aren't comfortable to fall back. Everyone knows where we are going and someone always falls back with them. I have never seen anyone left on their own. I prefer to ride drag anyway. Lets me enjoy the ride more and the bikes in front of me. I like watching the group move and space--always interesting.

 

not a bad idea

 

That's a good one

 

Good level-headed points, all.

 

I have only been riding for a year now and have taken the MSF basic riders course and regularly practice the skills taught in the class. I've gone on a few group rides with all experienced riders and was very surprised at the lack of safety knowledge and the wide range of skill and judgment. I see why many replies to group ride threads are that some people will only ride with riders they know or just ride alone. At this point in my life, safety is very important and I'm not sure I care for group rides. Riding with the right people can be very rewarding but riding with the wrong people is just very dangerous. I would feel most comfortable if a group leader made sure everyone had the right skills to ensure the safety of everyone in the group. I'm glad the no one else in the group was hurt.