How close is too close?
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 6,044
Likes: 336
I prefer to lead the rides I go on - but when I ride in the group it depends who is around me and how much space I leave - I was on a ride the other weekend and I couldn't give the guy in front of me on his Forty-Eight enough space to make me comfortable....
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,446
Likes: 5
From: Mesquite Tx
Lol.... That is so true!!! I think we have all ridden with one or two people that they could be riding in the next state and that would be to close...lol
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,630
Likes: 185
From: Mountain West, Big Sky Country
I have two guys i ride with where we are synced up
We ride 2 seconds apart, staggered.
Its tight but we have ridden over 25 k together this way. We pretty much know what each other will do. Never found another group that ride this close
We ride 2 seconds apart, staggered.
Its tight but we have ridden over 25 k together this way. We pretty much know what each other will do. Never found another group that ride this close
Group ride are always a little "unnerving" as someone said, I avoid it if at all possible the few people I do ride with I will do 70mph side by side in the same lane and I am not worried because what ever happens I know what there reaction will be so I know where they will be but that takes years of riding together before the comfort level is there. You don't want to jeopardize your comfort level. On long trips I have been known to slowly drop back and try to grab the whip (antenna) on the back just to see if they are paying attention!
Road Captain
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 680
Likes: 224
From: Buhl, Idaho
Last year while riding home from work on the freeway, I picked up a tail. He was riding a Dyna, and he sure liked to tailgate. The asshat kept so close, even maneuvering through traffic, that half the time I could not even see him. He stayed directly behind me, whenever he could, like that, for about 20-25 miles. Freeway ended, stoplight red. I got off my bike and walked back to this idiot and shared my thinking with him. He still couldn't understand why I was displeased with him.Go figure.I've been riding for close to fifty years now, and I'm a solo rider almost always, coz so many guys can't figure it out.I've only been comfy in close formation a few times with guys I know well, and have lots of miles with.Like most, I do like my space.
Cruiser
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 158
Likes: 0
From: Georgia
Most organized group riders will tell you to ride 2 seconds behind the guy in front, and one second behind the guy staggered to your side. Good in theory, but usually folks tend to close up a bit.
I ride with some subset of the same 20 guys two or three times a week, usually somewhere between 40 and 300 miles per ride, and we're all pretty comfortable riding a bit closer but we still preach giving yourself some room, and to ride your own ride.
All that said, 4 of us were hotfooting our way down the HOV lanes thru Atlanta a couple weeks ago, and we were so tight in a stagger that we all passed the same point in less than a second. It was safer that way, than to spread out. Unnerving? You bet. Anyone riding in formation thru Atlanta is taking their lives in their own hands.
If you trust those you ride with - good, but if someone up front has a problem, then the rest of you will be there before he has time to react. Plan your exit strategy, and keep your head on a swivel.
Me - I habitually ride sweep. I keep my distance from the pack - (and I've got the med kit and the knowledge of how to use it). Wise old biker once told me that the best sweeps ride far enough behind so that if there is a problem up front, they have time to assess the situation before they become part of the problem. Words to live by.
I ride with some subset of the same 20 guys two or three times a week, usually somewhere between 40 and 300 miles per ride, and we're all pretty comfortable riding a bit closer but we still preach giving yourself some room, and to ride your own ride.
All that said, 4 of us were hotfooting our way down the HOV lanes thru Atlanta a couple weeks ago, and we were so tight in a stagger that we all passed the same point in less than a second. It was safer that way, than to spread out. Unnerving? You bet. Anyone riding in formation thru Atlanta is taking their lives in their own hands.
If you trust those you ride with - good, but if someone up front has a problem, then the rest of you will be there before he has time to react. Plan your exit strategy, and keep your head on a swivel.
Me - I habitually ride sweep. I keep my distance from the pack - (and I've got the med kit and the knowledge of how to use it). Wise old biker once told me that the best sweeps ride far enough behind so that if there is a problem up front, they have time to assess the situation before they become part of the problem. Words to live by.
Road Captain
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 654
Likes: 5
From: oklahoma
our group rides usually end up looking like a motorcycle slinky going down the road. leaders up front, amatuers in the middle, and a couple experienced guys in the back. i like it better when you pair an amateur with an experienced guy together. i like riding tight enough no one has the chance to get in between ya'll. i argued with one in my group in sturgis cause he wouldnt ever keep up and kept letting others cut in. tried explaining to him it was safer for us to ride closer cause no one is playing catch up and we're not having to look over our shoulders to see where he was. so it depends on where your at and the need to be closer or not. im also the type to block traffic to let the group go through a stop sign together. i rode with a few clubs and they make sure the group stays as one. not saying thats right.
MSF says staggered with 2 seconds between rider in front of you and 1 second for rider to your side
MSF says staggered with 2 seconds between rider in front of you and 1 second for rider to your side
I use the 2 second rule as well.
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Tourer
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 473
Likes: 5
From: New Braunfels TX
Groups rides typically are staggered and 2 seconds off the tail of the bike in front. If your stagged and the guy in front has a flat (I have have them on a MC, they don't blow out and you topple, they deflate and you can still control your bike stiff sidewalls at 80 didn't even know I had a flat until we came to a stop) the person pulls out of formation.
Riding more than that gives the cages room to merge over into the bikes and that will cause accidents and death.
In formation riding you don't pass unless you are a blocker or the tail gunner to pull someone out and move them to the back because they are too spaced out.
If the group cares about their bikes, and has ridden in groups it is quite safe, that is why the non club members and newby's and prospects ride in the back.
Riding more than that gives the cages room to merge over into the bikes and that will cause accidents and death.
In formation riding you don't pass unless you are a blocker or the tail gunner to pull someone out and move them to the back because they are too spaced out.
If the group cares about their bikes, and has ridden in groups it is quite safe, that is why the non club members and newby's and prospects ride in the back.
Road Captain
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 654
Likes: 5
From: oklahoma
Groups rides typically are staggered and 2 seconds off the tail of the bike in front. If your stagged and the guy in front has a flat (I have have them on a MC, they don't blow out and you topple, they deflate and you can still control your bike stiff sidewalls at 80 didn't even know I had a flat until we came to a stop) the person pulls out of formation.
Riding more than that gives the cages room to merge over into the bikes and that will cause accidents and death.
In formation riding you don't pass unless you are a blocker or the tail gunner to pull someone out and move them to the back because they are too spaced out.
If the group cares about their bikes, and has ridden in groups it is quite safe, that is why the non club members and newby's and prospects ride in the back.
Riding more than that gives the cages room to merge over into the bikes and that will cause accidents and death.
In formation riding you don't pass unless you are a blocker or the tail gunner to pull someone out and move them to the back because they are too spaced out.
If the group cares about their bikes, and has ridden in groups it is quite safe, that is why the non club members and newby's and prospects ride in the back.
its hard to get that through to some though