Not my cup of tea. Recipe for disaster when you get people of different skill levels.

 

I've found the secret to riding in groups is organization, good leadership, a program to assure that those who ride are up to the challenge, and some common sense.

Full Disclosure: I'm in a HOG group. We routinely run rides of 10-20 bikes thru the N Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina twisties, and rarely have a problem. We insure rides are "classified" by difficulty level, and we make sure those in attendance for any particular ride are "vetted" to that level. We maintain a staggered formation, keep a reasonable gap between bikes consistent with the traffic and situations, and never push anyone beyond their limits. In the real twisties, we single file and/or let the faster bikes go first, so that those who are a bit more wary can bring up the rear. We keep Road Captains front, scattered thruout the formation, and have First Responder level first aid and communications with the Road Captains in the sweep. Well practiced hand signals are passed from front to rear, so there is rarely a surprise. We train the newbies, and the intentional peg draggers are held in check. We move with the speed limit or the flow of traffic.

Not unknown for us to have 8-10 fully qualified Road Captains in any group of 15 or more bikes. Overkill? Maybe, but we take safe riding seriously.

Once you learn the secrets, it's a riot. We've had a few dropped bikes, but it's the stops on off camber roads at stopsigns, or the sloping parking lots that get us, not maneuvers in traffic.

For those of you who prefer to ride alone, or with good friends; cool, more power to you. But don't bad mouth the groups because there are good ones out there, and you might just not have found one yet. (As for the charity/dealership / "some one else organized it" rides where any idiot with a bike joins in for kicks - I avoid them - as that's where the non-riders ride.

 

For those of you who prefer to ride alone, or with good friends; cool, more power to you. But don't bad mouth the groups because there are good ones out there, and you might just not have found one yet. (As for the charity/dealership / "some one else organized it" rides where any idiot with a bike joins in for kicks - I avoid them - as that's where the non-riders ride.



I don't recall any bad mouthing just people that prefer to not ride in groups.

 

My immediate family is a group of 9 bikes, so that's about it a couple times a year.

Rode in larger groups a few times, never really had any issues. Quite enjoyable actually.

 

I firmly believe in only riding with people I know. I don't trust most people a motorcycle is the equivalent to a loaded gun in the wrong hands.

Too many drink and ride.

Most of them try to show off too much around other "hard core" bikers.


Avoid these situations if you can I have heard too many horror stories.

Be safe and come home to your family.

 

I truly enjoy just riding by myself, but I also find enjoyment with riding with close friends who I know and trust. Group riding would only work for me if I can bring up the rear. I've seen too many guys do too many stupid things, especially poker runs where everyone finds it appealing to drink and ride. I don't mind a beer with lunch, but I've seen guys that are tanked get on their bike and head out. It usually turns into a race. No thanks.

 

I like to keep a very good distance in the stagger when we ride but some riders like to ride almost side by side...I like 3 or 4 in ride...About 3 or 4 times a year we do a toy ride or a poker run and the mix of people is adequate at best... you have the wannabe "bikers" and the newbies that want to ride side by side because they just finished watching all the seasons of SOA and think it's cool...they worry the **** out of me...

 

This is not really my thing, but I have been at lots of big events where I have sat in traffic surrounded by hundreds of other riders and never really felt that worried about it.

 

This is why I ride solo.

 

When i ride alone i never feel lonely as there is another heart beating in my Beast...I had to dig real , real deep to find that **** within me to write...LOL...