Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Any monkey can ride fast, but it takes real intelligence to stay outta the ditch. Sounds like you made some good decisions Scan, and these guys could learn a thing about riding from you. I try to avoid group rides as I've been on both sides of the too fast / too slow problem. When I do get out for a group ride however, I try to take it down to the level of the slowest rider. Like others have said, goin fast is best reserved for solo rides or selected groups...

i dont think ill be doing any group rides. i really dont like people following close to me. and i dont like following people that know the rode better or are willing to push it harder than me. the preasure to keep up with the group would probally get the better of me. if i ever did a group ride i would be at the back and just take my own pace, even if i let the group get ahead of me then ride at their same pace just not with them id do better i think.

i ride with a buddy of miine sometimes, we just ride on surface roads no thing fancy we take turns leading and both are happy to do the speed limit so that kind of riding is cool sometimes but really i guess im just the loner type ha.

Group rides have both their pluses and minuses. I decent group will have a ride captain and a "tailgunner" who's job is to keep the group safe and watch out for each individual. A good road captain will not push past the limits of what the least experienced rider feels capable of handling, but of course he cannot know that without asking the new (to the group) riders.

When riding in a group, I have set my own rules for myself regarding speed and safety. Anyone that does not like them can pass and ride ahead. I prefer that anyway rather than be made to feel that I am holding people back. I have noticed that there generally are a number of other riders that are not interested it stretching speed limits beyond reason. I had to lead a small group the other day and was actually complimented by one of the riders for setting a nice easy pace which was simply to follow the speed limit more or less and not bother weaving from lane to lane to overtake and pass every vehicle that we saw. It is much more relaxing at times to simply go with the flow and allow those who wish to take excessive risks to go on their own.

I often ride out with our group then when they stop for lunch (usually a 2 hour affair) I simply mount up and make my own way home. I kindda have gotten to like doing that. It gives me a group ride with some good company and also some time to do whatever I wish to do without having to consult anyone else.

I'm glad to hear that all ended up ok and that you had the good sense to back off when you began to feel uncomfortable. Don't allow this experience to affect your group riding experience. Give it some time and a few more group rides (hopefully with a better organized group). I'm sure you'll see that they can be a good experience and if you run into a group that does not ride within your comfort zone, go it alone.

stock28 wrote:The more I hear about group rides, the more I want to avoid them. I'm not into speed either. I ride a cruiser and that's what I like to do. I do want and like to get better, but not at the expense of crashing my ride. I take it slow and easy and learn at my own pace. Glad it wasn't you.

Don't ignore group ride all at once. I've had experiences a group ride with both cruiser and standard/sport bike. If you ride a cruiser and don't wanna go too fast then join a cruiser group (Southern Cruiser Riding Club are everywhere). When you first join them don't forget to inform regarding your experience and your comfortable speed. Believe they will adjust themself to match your and to help you have fun with the ride.

With sport/standard bike, they will of course go faster and lean harder than cruiser. If you are not comfortable then don't ride with those. In my group is different story, thou. We have both Curiser and Sport bike, for those who wanna ride fast will stay up front and for those who don't wanna go too fast will stay behind. The front group will always wait the slower group somewhere on the route. There will always be one who look out as a tailgunner incase something happen.

I like both solitary riding as well as group riding . And I do both . Fortunately the group that I ride with tolerates those days when I am old-n-slo ll ...............
Our group is planning a BBQ picnic at a park that is only a dozen miles or so out of town . However our group has members in 4 counties and we are hoping that most of them will show up .
Kindest regards, Wizzard

I've been on group rides over the years, if you consider 10 or so bikes a group. Usually about 4 or so riders I am familiar with, and a handful of unknown quantities. For some reason, It has never been an optimum experience. The new guys either were racing legends in their own minds, or their view of a "brisk" pace was much slower than the rest of us. I don't enjoy catering to the lowest skills in the group, and really slow rides put me to sleep, even at my advanced age. Riding is supposed to be exciting, and in whatever time I have left to do it, I will look for excitement every time. As for incorporating rookies into rides by slowing down to accommodate their limited skills, I really don't think it's very instructive for them, either. Most of us with lots of miles on bikes started out riding alone, studying braking and cornering dynamics, taking corners a bit faster as confidence and skills grew, until we achieved today's proficiency. At least that's my story. Riding slow is valuable when you are looking for a place to pull off for a pee, though. That happens more as you get older........and sometimes it's nice just to smell the flowers. But at least slowing or stopping is on your own terms.

I'm with ya, oldnslo, but I think you have to accept the fact that group riding serves a different purpose than the out-and-out thrill you and I share a desire for. If I am riding with even one other person I have to adjust my riding style significantly to allow for the more relaxed pace of my companion (nobody I know rides as fast as I do). But I just accept that group rides are more about camaraderie and making a statement, and for someone like me who rarely feels patriotic, roaring down the highway with a hundred other bikes really makes me appreciate the very freedoms we have that allow such an activity.

Well, back to me for a minute -

I will try to ride with these guys again, and I hope no one ever slows down for me, but I will not push my limits beyond what I think is safe. I don't think I will ever be willing to pull some of the stunts these guys pulled. I also think I need to know a road much better before I'm willing to wind out more. I will never scape my knees on the ground. I like carving some corners, but I bet my "chicken strips" will always be fatter than that crowd.

I think group rides are a good supliment to your riding diet, and if you can get track days in, I think that is a good thing too. Neither one is for everyone. I know I learned a lot riding that day.

Thanks for everyone's replies, and I will come back and post more here in future rides.

I think you are right on Scan. It's great to ride with folks who are better riders beacause you can learn from them - it's good to push yourself. I shoot some of my best golf rounds with guys who kill me every time. But I'm not pushing myself on a road I don't know. Not worth it.

Pushing yourself on strange roads isn't riding, it's gambling, and the stakes can get pretty high, too.