Two kinds of riders....

Message

JustJames · Mon May 02, 2005 5:12 am

sorry to hear about what happened to you but glad it wasn't any major damage.

Riding your own is hard enough and riding in a group even harder. I have made a mistake once or twice in catching up the faster bikes and will never ever done that again.

#12 Unread post by **cb360** » Mon May 02, 2005 7:13 am

Ouch! Glad to hear you are okay. I've never done a group ride - I hope to sometime soon. Thanks for relating your experience.

#13 Unread post by **zarakand** » Mon May 02, 2005 8:44 am

Sorry to hear about your crash, but at least you're okay. Hearing your story makes me rethink one of the people I ride with, he's always in my space. From now I'll either be the last one in the group or no where near him.

oldnslo · #14 Unread post by **oldnslo** » Mon May 02, 2005 8:46 am

Or find a new group. Just one of those jerks can take all the fun out of a good time. He has personality issues, I bet.

Mon May 02, 2005 10:04 am

the only time for a group ride is when you are feeling suicidal.
solo riding is where it is at.you must keep your ride in top shape because there will be nobody there if it quits. and the most miserable riding that can be experienced is spending a day watching your mirrors for the one in back wondering when he will run into you or the one in front going down so you will get to run over him.

Scott58 · #16 Unread post by **Scott58** » Mon May 02, 2005 11:10 am

My father and grand father belong to a third group. They never crashed. I hope to be counted among them.

CentralOzzy · Mon May 02, 2005 1:10 pm

Well Toyuzu, your a survivor & your timing considering the road shoulder is impeccable, to 'go off' in the right spot means someone is watching over you, so to speak.
The guy up your clacker was impinging too far into your zone & should be told to back off next time assuming there is one with him.

Group riding with people you don't know is tricky, but if you suss them out before you go into really fast mode should give you an idea of what to expect. I have ridden in all sorts of groups, small numbers to ridiculous numbers & personally I find 3-5 other riders (who I can trust) are perfect.

Big group rides tend to SUCK.

Solo riding is surprisingly rewarding, but I reckon if I had the choice, I'd ride with at least 1 other, especially since I live in an Outback Desert.

Years ago when I was a 'Boy Racer' on a Katana 1100 & Gpz 900, our riding group never exceeded 4! But was mainly just myself & 1 riding buddy. NOW, he & I often tailgated each other just like on the track, but I just ignored his as I knew he was safe, I also did the same to him as we used to ride pretty hard especially around the Great Ocean Road! in Victoria Aust.

As for the 2 types of riders, I think most will fall off at some point but hopefully it's just a drop that will see them realize that falling off a bike will usually hurt no matter what speed it happens at.

I have been lucky & have had no serious incidences, mainly because of my aggressive riding style in traffic (read survival) which seems to work for me, as a former M/C courier it had to be done to continue in that vocation! Ha Ha!

YES, perhaps it's time to do a few little mods to your injured bike, hell it's a great excuse at least!

Glad your OK & I hope your shoulder does not give you too much trouble in the future!

High_Side · Mon May 02, 2005 1:25 pm

CentralOzHOG wrote:Big group rides tend to SUCK.

Absolutely. I was a confirmed solo rider until I happened to be with a couple of buddies when I crashed big time. You never know when it could happen, and having someone there to call the ambulance and skid your a$$ off of the road is extremely valuble. Not to mention when you are k.o.'d and someone needs to phone your family.......
So then I try to make sure to go on long trips with at least one other person, most of the time. I am even looking forward to a TMW ride where there will be a bunch of us with different skill levels, but clearly defined riding rules before we start. These are a great bunch of people and the extra organiztion and structure of the ride will be out-weighed by the social aspect of it all. Maybe I'm not such a loner afterall

Toyuzu · #19 Unread post by **Toyuzu** » Mon May 02, 2005 2:02 pm

9000white wrote:the only time for a group ride is when you are feeling suicidal.
solo riding is where it is at.you must keep your ride in top shape because there will be nobody there if it quits. and the most miserable riding that can be experienced is spending a day watching your mirrors for the one in back wondering when he will run into you or the one in front going down so you will get to run over him.

I have to disagree with you there. There are some people, in fact most of the people I've ridden with so far, who are excellent riding partners. They are safe, courteous, and won't push me to ride beyond my ability. There's just a few "bad apples" out there. Also, when riding if you're with a good group, statistics prove you are safer than when you ride alone. Obviously a group of bikes is far more visible than a solo rider.

I have enjoyed riding with friends, and will continue to do so. I'll just make sure one particular rider never rides on my "back door" again.

Toyuzu · #20 Unread post by **Toyuzu** » Mon May 02, 2005 2:13 pm

Thanks to everyone for the support. I'm not at all shook up over it, partly because it was such a mild accident, and partly because I knew it was bound to happen eventually. It is a calcualted risk, this recreation we all enjoy so much. The trick is learning how to minimize that risk as much as possible.

I'm grateful if my crash experience can help someone else avoid a similar situation. I think one thing I'll do differently next time I'm leading a group ride is to have a quick "rules" discussion before taking off. I'll remind everyone to follow at a safe distance, and encourage all not to ride at a pace faster than they are comfortable with.

I think these problems will become less of an issue, since I find I'm riding with the same people, for the most part. The more we ride together, the better we flow.