Riding in groups – safety tips

Group riding is an exciting and exhilarating experience, which allows you and your riding buddies to take to the tarmac on two wheels together.

Before flurrying off in your motorcycle troop, one thing to take into account is the riding standard of each rider in your group; some may be more experienced than others, while some may be more timid or hesitant on the roads. The worst thing that could happen is that a rider is left behind because they are afraid of picking up the speed in order to try and catch up with the more experienced riders in the group. It’s best to choose your group very carefully, ensuring that everyone is near enough at the same standard of motorcycle riding.

The group should be a manageable size, comprising seven riders at the most. If the group is too large then the group should be split into smaller sub-groups. All groups should have a leader, followed by slower and inexperienced riders at the front and faster, more experienced riders towards the back. This way, no one will get lost!

Make sure you fully trust each rider in the group. If you feel wary of one rider and feel they may want to exercise their more experienced riding skills then consider joining a smaller group of riders. Before the group sets off, make sure you have a full tank of petrol; the last thing you want to happen is to run out half way through your journey and lose the majority of your group. It’s also advised that the group holds a quick meeting beforehand – Do you know the route you’re taking? Have you planned any fuel stops or prepared any hand signals in case of emergency? Once you’re confident these questions have been answered and you’re prepared to delve into a group riding experience, you’re ready to go!

So, how can you stay safe in your group when you’re finally on the roads?

• Ride in a staggered formation, providing you with enough space and time to maneouvre and react to any potential hazards accordingly. If you ride too close together, you’re at risk of going straight into the rider next to you if you need to move quickly away from a hazard. However, single-file formations are better for roads that admit poor visibility such as bendy roads or when the road surface is poor.
• Don’t copy what the rider in front of you is doing; ride for yourself and no one else. They could have misjudged the situation on the road, putting you in danger straight away. You must always ride as if you were riding on your own.
• Don’t panic if you fall behind or you feel you’re separating from the group. Stick to a speed where you feel most comfortable and don’t try to speed up and exceed your level of skill.
• Glance into your rear view mirror every so often to look for any riders in your group that may have fallen behind. If you feel they may be struggling, drop back a bit and give them enough time to catch up with you.
• Have fun! Group riding is all about enjoying yourself and making the most out of life on two wheels.

Tags: advanced motorcycle training, group motorcycle riding, group riding, motorcycle training, motorcycle training in london, riding in groups

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 16th, 2012 at 5:00 pm and is filed under Articles, Commuter Guides. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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