I choose Group as I really enjoy going out and sharing the experiences with other riders. My first year of group riding was "keeping up" to the group (big mistake sometimes) then I've developed the attitude of "ride your own ride" and you'll catch up/they will wait for you. It's better than holding the group up because your in a ditch.
Although, I do enjoy going solo to explore roads, back roads or towns I've never heard of or been to. One of my favorite things is to get a map out and search for a small town name that sounds too interesting not to visit or find a road that looks really fun to ride.
I've participated in quite a few Large Group rides for charity over the years and I DO recommend them with LOTS of bikes. It's just really fun, if a bit slow, boring and uneventful, but there is something to be said about seeing 50 bikes in front of you a 100 behind... wow! ...and it's great for charity.
For me, riding in a group kills the feeling of freedom. I rode with a local group for a while but found neither a sense of camaraderie or a sense of freedom. I seriously wondered why anyone would want to ride in a group.
Granted, a small group of friends who know each other off bike as well as on is OK, a bunch of bikers who have nothing in common other than they all ride is nothing more that a biker congestion on the road.
Ride solo -considering removing pad and replacing with rack.
But must admit nice to chat to other riders at Bridge Toll and have company on occasions for 20 or 30 miles, usually just one other rider/with or without pillion, helps pass the time.
I'll let you know when I ride in one. I've been riding for about 6 months almost everyday and still have not ridden with so much as a second person. Nobody I know is a biker.
Solo is good, but I prefer small groups. Let me qualify this. I ride with friends (often 1 or 2 others), and we always ride in the same order. Each person has his own role, and we are very familiar with each other's riding styles. No surprises. When someone comes with us who is unfamiliar, we speak first about cornering, traffic lights, hand signals, and the like. We ride mostly at night, and there is definitely better visibility in numbers. It is a great social activity.
