Riding alone is okay, riding with 1-3 other people is ideal, riding in a huge group... that's okay too. You have to take on a different mentality to ride with a large group. Focus on keeping your distance from others, ride a notch or two slower than you know you can if you were alone, and spend more time enjoying the scenery and the chats and whatever when you get where you're going to go than on the crazies that like to haul butt in the front.

I've ridden at the front of the pack, and the back. I like the back better. I'm pretty competitive when it comes to driving and riding. When I was up front, I pushed myself... not beyond my limits, but I was willing to ride at speeds that were just retarded. The next time I hung in the back... I still had a good time, saw more sites, and you meet everyone at the next stopping point all the same. Much better for street riding.

 

I hate riding in groups!!! Especially side by side, I just won't do it. Two, maybe three experienced riders that I know, maybe, in staggered formation. I'd rather be out there on my own, I don't even take the OL any more. Just my .02.

 

Yep, great lesson there for anybody considering a group ride, be it two or twenty. All to easy for everything to go pear shaped. Riding side by side would have to be so friggin idiotic.......I've seen guys doing that on push bikes & still think their dicks.
Group rides always have the organ donors wanting to be up front, but after a while they feel the pressure to up the pace from those behind, (because those behind feel pressure to keep up with those up front), vicious cycle, at least in this case it didn't cause a lot more of you to come off with em. I always stick to the back, I like my own space.
Riding in a group should be a lot of fun, you can gain (& give) a lot of insight into riding techniques, comradre of the road, so don't let this put you off from other rides.

 

Great story for all to read. I myself, am actually in the process of organizing a local sportbike group to setupbigger rides. I usually only ride with a group of 3 which allknows the roads wellandride within their limits(if someone falls behind, we wait at and intersection/turn/stop sign or pull off. Staggered formation is a MUST with a reasonablefollowing distance.

 

i havent done any group rides yet but i hope to this summer....i will heed these warnings...

 

Gotta love the friday saftey briefings in the air force... "be safe, don't drink and drive, if you do, don't call me." haha!

 

i would start in the back nearly every canyon run i did and by the end of the canyon i found myself in the middle of the pack... now i just start in the middle ( sometimes out of nearly 35 riders ) and that seems to be the best place for me, that way i dont need to pass very many people. i just hate it when a rider in front of me is just fast enough were i have trouble passing but not quick enough for me to be ridin at my set pace.... that really grinds my gears.

 

haha one of my buddies crashed, his impact was soften by a stop sign pole, he bend it pretty god ahah.

 

I'm not a fan of group rides. I prefer riding alone. That includes me running the twisties or super long boring highway trips. I just prefer riding alone. I do have a group I ride with but most are newbies. However the newbies are very responsible and do very well. All pretty much geared out when they bought their bikes. And no one showboats(With me doing it the most but I barely showboat). We have one completely ignorant guy but luckily he's on my old bike (Yamaha SecaII with 60hp) and can basically just hurt himself.