Absolutely....

Lot's of those types out there....They're not motorcycle riders, they're motorcycle "drivers".

 

I have three riding buddies that I have been taking a yearly road trip with for about the last six years. We are all friends and that is probably the only reason we have lasted together as long as we have. One of the riders is what I would describe as a timid rider despite many years of experience. He is afraid to lean over in the curves and if it even starts to sprinkle his speed slows way down. One of the other riders is the impatient type that likes to ride fast and not wait for anything or anybody. The third rider is more like myself and tries to just go with the flow. Usually what happens is we end up getting seperated because the timid rider falls behind. We do not use CB's so what they do is text each other. Last year there was one night our timid rider finally showed up at the KOA campground a couple of hours after we did. I think I may be done taking road trips with these guys. It has just gotten to the point of not being that enjoyable for me. My wife pointed out to me I seemed to get more enjoyment out of planning the trip than actually taking the trip. I think what gives me more enjoyment is riding in the country for a couple of hours and then come home and be with my dog.

 

Don't you mean, coming home and being with your, wife. Lol

 

I am always solo. On most of my trips, I pass several groups of bikes.

I have done some group rides in the past, and they can be fun but there is nothing like doing exactly what you want to do on a ride. Speed you want, stop when you want and go where you want.

 

I have friends (and rides) like that. Needless to say, I don't plan rides with them very often. When I do plan a ride with them, I have to mentally prepare myself for a slow, stupid ride filled with more water bottle in hand than throttle. What ends up happening is my best riding buddy and I break off and go our own way.

 

I'm usually solo. I rarely if ever have a planned time or route. I just pick a direction and go. Getting to the age that I have to stop and mark my territory a lot so I don't want to inconvenience anyone else. I have one buddy that is good with that and we sometimes ride together and never have any issues.

I'll never forget a couple of guys from work bugging me about wanting to join me for a Sunday ride. I told them where and when to meet up. They asked where we were going so I threw out, " Oh probably north and east through the Cascades for a couple hundred miles." They looked at me like I was crazy and informed me that their Dynas' were not designed for long range touring!

I smiled and apologized for thinking crazy thoughts and told them maybe another time.

 

i have a friend that has several bikes as do i. he has an old pan and i have a shovel. we like to ride them about 50 mph and stay on country roads. the rides might be 50 to 100 miles and we never set any kind of schedule. we leave when we leave and get back when we get back. there will be a lunch stop and a fuel stop mixed in there, somewhere. when we're on our baggers it's not much different except the miles might be more. too much planning and schedules, suck. now if it's a longer ride with a real destination and an overnight stay that's different., if you need to put on miles we'll do that too.

 

I think that I would of reacted in the same way to and yes I would of cut those two guys off myself. The fact of the matter is that I have also ran into the same experiences over the years as you and through trial and error, I have come to ride with only a hand full of friends. Come to think about it, on some days it is up to around 12 to 15 guys and gals who get together for those long days you are speaking of. How else would anyone know who you can ride with if you don't set boundaries with friends. It's not always going to be perfect, but when there is someone who doesn't meet the group's goals then that person is quickly cut off too. Of course there are those bad days that one may have and we are there for each other when it happens. And then there are those days that I just want to be by myself too, there is nothing wrong with that.

 

There are those who simply want to enjoy the ride, and then there are those who want to push it to the limit... to each his own. Personally, if I wanted to go fast and carve turns I would be on a sport bike, not a Harley tourer! JMO

 

This is true , thats why I ride solo most of the time if I want to go fast I do , if I want to be a "driver" I do. When I do ride with others it's no plan or iteanrry it's just a ride.