On Saturday April 13th our wonderful members George and Diane who own Big Apple Motorcycle School gave a Group Riding Training class to the club. I am just speechless that they continue to do such wonderful things like this for our club! Thank you very much George and Diane as you truly care for our wonderful band of merry men.
It was a great class and the content was really worthwhile to help make us all better riders. Whether you have been riding for years or only months it is important to continue to educate yourself to be the safest you can and when you are in a group what you do affects everyone else.
What I took away BIG TIME from the class is that when you are in the group it is not about YOU, it is about the group and you need to change your behaviors and actions to be more in line with the group as a whole. There is no “I” or “ME” in a group ride, but “US”. I think that reflects the attitude of our club as a whole; we may have different ways to look at things, different views, cares and thoughts but we get along as a group and know its not about one persons views. This is what makes the Long Island BMW Riders Club so special.
There were 26 people who attended and it was a very interactive session. There were many questions, answers and some respectful disagreements that led to great conversations! I tried to capture as much of the information from the class as possible and encapsulate it below.
Preparing for a group ride
- Please fill your tank up BEFORE you arrive for the ride
- Please check your bike to make sure it is in good condition and ready to go the distance. If we are going to the tail of the dragon please don’t show up with tires that are down to the threads!
- PLEASE know the route! Either it is the actual route in GPS or the rally point in case you get lost you must know the route and how to get to your destination
- Go to the bathroom before we put our leg over the motorcycle to leave!
- Bring water with you to hydrate. Many of us have the hydration packs for hot days which work out well
- Last but NOT LEAST: perform a pre-ride meeting to discuss everything including:
- How many groups there will be and who will be in each group
- How fast we will be riding
- How many breaks and where
- Review the hand signals
- The route and rally points
During the ride
- Ride in a staggered pattern on all straight roads and highways and when the ride leader puts 2 fingers in the air
- Ride in single file on small or curvy roads or when space is tight in the single lane (next to cars potentially opening their doors) and when the rid leader puts 1 finger in the air
- Ride the correct line in the curves
- Never ride side by side to each other
- Leave a 2 second gap between yourself and the motorcycle in front of you. This give you time to react to anything that may happen
- Least experienced and slower riders should be at the front of the group
- Don’t fixate on the bike in front of you. Make sure you’re looking through the curves and stay alert to potential road hazards
- Don’t fight with cars that may want to enter the middle of the group, the motorcyclist will lose this battle 100% of the time. Let them enter and leave on their own
- You are responsible for the rider behind you and you need to make sure they are with the group
- Avoid aggressive riding behaviors, do not trigger road rage (we do ride in NY after all)
The leader of the pack
This is the toughest job as you need to both look ahead as well as make sure the pack is together and you are in charge of the pack as a whole. You are always on guard and always making sure your “pack” is together and safe. Items the leader need to be aware of are:
- Changing lanes is not as easy as you think! Signal first and the sweep (more on him later) will “take the lane” and move first. Once the sweep moves the leader moves and the rest of the pack follows. This is harder than you think because the leader needs to time the move so the sweep is clear of cars. This gets harder in traffic but makes breaking into smaller groups even more important in urban environments
- Ensure that you are not holding traffic up by riding in a single lane and angering other motorists
- Watch for cars coming into the group to exit or to make aggressive moves
- Ensure you take breaks when needed and follow the rules you agreed to in the pre-ride meeting
- If you lose sight of the rider behind you, stop at the next turn and wait until the rider comes into view and sees you. Once you know they’ve seen you, ride on
- Be aware of the flow of traffic and make sure you are not being seen negatively by other motorists
The sweep
- Ensures that he/she knows the route and the rally points in case he needs to help a stranded or lost rider
- Ensures that people who are lost are Abe to rejoin the group
- Continually watches the leader to “take the lane” when the leader signals
- The sweep should turn on their high beams to be seen by the leader
Conclusion
Group riding can be enjoyable, exhilarating and safe if you do it right. By following the outline that George and Diane gave to us we can make sure that all our group rides are both safe and fun and get us to our destination in the most enjoyable way possible.
I am looking forward to putting what I learned to good use the next time I am riding with the club. Thanks again to George and Diane for providing this service to the club!
After party!
Of course there needs to always be an after-party to almost anything we do and it was once again hosted by Eric at his house and he is always a very gracious host! The food was provided by our sponsoring dealership Gold Coast Motorsports and fun was had by all! Thanks to Eric and Gold Coast for making a great day even better!