Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Most of my rides 3 out of 4 have been by myself the 3rd ride was with someone. Iusually do a warm up ride arround neighborhood praticing stuff from msf class then head out to main rd and traffic, today was the best day got relaxed enought to have fun.

flynrider wrote: then they could ride like a dork

Prehaps not the most eloquent ways of putting it, but I know what you mean. thing is they can ride like a dork either infront or behind, its pretty irrelevant. In my opinion, its better to be able to take a defensive position around the "dork" so they can learn properly

Nibblet99 wrote:

flynrider wrote: then they could ride like a dork

Prehaps not the most eloquent ways of putting it, but I know what you mean.

I can't take the credit. I was reply to the OP's comment of :

he hept fixating on his speedo and worrying about how fast he was going, braking all of the time, being paranoid about going too fast, not looking far enough ahead and generally being a total dork.

Im learning to ride. I always ride behind my boyfriend. He has signals to slow down, points out potholes, rocks, etc...it works out great! He can see me in his mirrors, and if I get to far behind he just slows down a bit. I think this is an excellent way to learn! I am just about ready to head out alone .

p.s. He has been riding for 13 or so years..

When I was learning, I liked riding behind people. I would watch how they shifted, how they maneuvered, and learn from there. Plus I hate riding/driving in front of anyone. That's because I like to go fast, but when I'm in front of someone, I don't want to speed out of their comfort zone, and I usually go too slow for them.
Wrider

The wife and I were noobs together, and I hated having her ride behind, as she would drift _way_ back. When I slowed down to let her catch up, she would slow down in kind. Once when we were riding with her brother (he was lead, I was middle) we completely lost her. I had to break away from him, drift back into the traffic and find her. Not fun.

She was a good rider at this point, but new to riding with others, as was I.

Another time, she was riding in front with a real noobie riding behind her, me and another rider in the rear. The noobie past her at stop sign... Weird, but luckily not dangerous.

--Dave

I learned to ride mostly by myself, and I'm still not a big group rider, but my wife just got her license, and when we go out riding I like her to be in front.
She's taken the safety class, and I trust her not to do anything stupid, but this way I can keep a better eye on her and also watch what the other cars are doing and cover the lane behind her, so no one crowds her. Also, she can set the pace, and I can stay close without worrying about running her over, so no cars get between.
Otherwise I'm watching my rear view the whole time, and I'm the one who would likely run into a wall, but that has more to do with my paranoia about her safety.

NightNurse wrote:Im learning to ride. I always ride behind my boyfriend. He has signals to slow down, points out potholes, rocks, etc...it works out great! He can see me in his mirrors, and if I get to far behind he just slows down a bit. I think this is an excellent way to learn! I am just about ready to head out alone .

p.s. He has been riding for 13 or so years..

You guys are doing it EXACTLY how it needs to be done. He is giving you the queues and playing the role of experienced rider perfectly. You are learning what you need to know when you are on your own and also what group riding is all about. He has taken the responsibility of teaching you these points and letting you set the pace - perfect!

I've always had the new guy ride in front and to the right.
This way I block the traffic that's behind and he is away from the oncoming traffic. If there are three of us, the new guy is in the same place with a lead rider on the left.
You put him in a pocket and protect him.

As a newb, I like riding in front for the most part. DH rides staggered behind me. What this does is block all the tailgaters! lol Which I'm glad he does, of course, it makes his ride a bit more blood-pressure elevating. But it allows me to get on the road and deal with the things in front and beside me without the pressure (yet) of the cars behind.

Now, this of course leaves me exposed (for lack of a better word) to obstacles in front, but it is great because it lets me learn and adjust for these things. I can see road conditions and look up to the horizon to stay relaxed and feel my ride and stay at a pace comfortable for me. DH can also watch me and get a view of my reactions and posture, road speed, and if something goes wrong, he can see me and react quickly.


Now, on the other hand, from MSF I'm use to seeing the tail end of motorcycles. We rode our bikes to and from the range so I wound up in the middle or following someone on their bike. I did enjoy someone else in front to 'block'. But it did take more paying attention to speed and following.


I guess there's pros and cons to both positions, both for the newb and exp. rider. But for going out for these rides, I like riding in front (however I hate making the decisions on where we are going!)