Group ride lols

[Fowlersrs]

I don't know about the rest of you but I often go out midweek with the lads to relax midweek for the evening! I've been riding bigger bikes a year now and I've made some serious observations!

Group riding it seems is all about egos, the desire to be at the front acting like a twat, the desire to literally pass every moving object on the road, the desire to top 100 mph on the motorway..

Every week I go out I purposely ride at the back of the group because I know that surely these guys are on borrowed time?

What makes me lol even more is the sudden rush to be the first person home when u get close to home and then what makes it even funnier is when u arrive a few mins behind and they're arguing like big girls about manoeuvres each of them have made!!

Does anyone else experience this? Most of these men have 15-20 years on me!

[Thorn]

There's two sides to every story, I bet they mainly complain that your slow pace is holding the group up, yes?

Grow a pair, if your riding buddies are cunts, why are you riding with them? Why bitch about your friends on a forum rather than bring up your issues with them?
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"Everything you touch turns to disappointment."

[Derivative]

What's wrong with 100mph on the motorway (apart from the lol your license is gone bro aspect)?

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

^^^What Thorn said.
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[scorps]

I tend to ride with people who are in it for the same reason as me.
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Do not presume that I am male.

[Fowlersrs]

[KLR600]

I've been on and organised a few group rides and I think as long as you go into it with clear intentions and knowing what to expect then it's fine. The rides I organised were mixed abilities and it was made clear from the start that we'd be sticking to speed limits and it was a more social thing and we never had any problems. Some faster guys would ride up front, the slower guys would stick to the back and as long as at least two people in each group knew where we were going it was all fine.

If I want to ride fast with other people I know who to call and where to ride. I've built up a bit of trust with some other riders and wouldn't choose a group ride to go nuts and try and get my knee down on every corner.

If you don't trust the people you're riding with not to smash into you or someone else then don't ride with them.
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[Slacker24seve...]

[P.addy]

I like to ride fast and overtake when its clear.

For the days where we are cruising, I'll use the 125.

Ride for yourself though... "if the others do not want to overtake cars at 150 when it is evidently clear to do so.. then that's their issue" is what I think when I go out.

[Lady Phoenix]

[pinkyfloyd]

When I am on or organizing rides I make it clear that I do not ride like a twat and anyone who wants to can piss off and make their own way.

People keep turning up to the bike runs I organize from Portsmouth so I must be doing something right.
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illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[Musketeer]

I don't like to ride in groups because I quickly get frustrated by low pace, slowing down to crawling speeds while approaching bends, which takes away all the joy of cornering on a motorcycle... I cannot stand it for long. So I usually ride alone.

The groups usually go at the highest pace of the slowest rider.
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Current Bike: Yamaha XSR900 Previous bikes: Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja, Aprilia RS125 2-stroke

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[Ghost]

Sounds like you need to admit your riding group is of a faster pace than you're comfortable with and either:

Find a different slower bunch of guys to ride with.

Or, if the problem is you want to be able to keep up but find it way too scary, work on gradually building up your limits and your confidence. Get out riding as much as you can, maybe book a few track days or a bike safe course and try and improve yourself as much as you can.

Whatever you do though make sure you don't get into the position where you're pushing yourself faster than you feel comfortable to keep up with the next guy, because that's where it frequently all goes wrong on group rides and you'll end up in a hedge. I've been on plenty of rides with faster guys than me, (I won't name names in case of getting another Bromance meme ) and it's quite important to realise when you're pushing too hard to keep up, be it because your bike can't cope with the road, you don't know the road as well as the guy in front or you're just plain running out of talent. Better to roll off and stay within your limits than to overcook it, it can all go horribly wrong once you're out of your comfort zone!

[Sako]

You sure these guys are driving like lunatics or is your riding ability just less than theirs, we had a couple lads 'join' us for a ride out, but once we hit the NSL back roads they were left behind and never caught up...we weren't thrashing it, but just riding brisk and confidently.

[Kradmelder]

[Rogerborg]

[Polarbear]

If we have people of differing abilitys we always use the marker system so people don't feel obligated to keep up. Between the lead and the TEC you are free to ride how you like. A better description is below.

The Marker system explained...

The Marker system is way of taking different riders of all riding skills from novice to racers over large distances with one aim to, get everyone to the destination with the minimum amount of fuss and the maximum amount of safety as no one needs push themselves more than they need to get to the destination its a simple way of making sure that every rider enjoys the day and the ride out in question.

The Marker system is about two riders Rider A the "LEAD" rider, and Rider Z "TEC" (tail end charlie) who are made known on the day. Everyone else is a potential marker, once the ride is underway the Rider A will point to a point on the road a roundabout, junction, cross roads anywhere he feels necessary to leave someone to show the way to the following riders. Once Rider A leaves you on that point of the road its your job to stay there to show every other rider behind you the right way to go, its crucial to the ride out that you stay in place until you see Rider Z,

Once you see the TEC (Rider Z) and everyone in front of him has past you then and only then you can leave your spot and head off at your own pace knowing the route is fully marked by markers. At the early stages of the ride markers may only sit at a point for half a minute or so but as the ride progress's you may sit there for fifteen or twenty minutes and not see anyone either way you must stay there because if you don't every rider behind you will just disappear off in the wrong direction and every rider behind them will follow, if you get to a roundabout/ junction and there is no marker then assume to continue sraight ahead. if there are breaks in the groups of riders you can end up with several groups heading off in two or three different directions which in turn ruins the ride and day as it can take hours to find everyone and regroup which means lots of waiting round.

There is no race to be a marker and not everyone will be one, the slower riders will always stay in the middle or at the back
and the Lead rider (Rider A) should always maintain a steady pace to keep a regular supply of markers behind him. All rides are different built up areas can mean riders are stuck at traffic lights or busy junctions or some may just not feel confident to filter, out on open roads or twistys people will ride at different speeds and where they feel confident all this can affect your waiting time as a marker so just be patient.


At this point its also worth saying that if things go wrong behind because someone has left there post the lead man has no way of knowing so its its fair to say that the whole thing is down to trust and that all riders are looking after each other if you don't want to be a marker there is a simple solution, you don't ride behind Rider A, or you stay at home!

And as a foot note, the lead rider usually stops from time to time for the group to bunch up, usually called a fag break....
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[reed]

Ride faster and stop being a pussy.

The day I moan about my mates on a forum, is the day i'll know i am a sad person.
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[Scootaloo]

[Rogerborg]

[P.addy]