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Message started by sunny on 08/03/04 at 12:44:12

Title: riding with others
Post by sunny on 08/03/04 at 12:44:12

i rode to work again today. my friend/boss escorted me on his vtx. this time, however, he decided i should lead. i feel like i did much better leading than following behind him because i pay possibly too much attention to his riding.
do others have this experience while riding with others?

he is a member of the local southern cruisers chapter and while i have really looked forward to participating in group rides, i am not sure i can due to this focus on the rider in front of me causing me problems.

Title: Re: riding with others
Post by Greg_650 on 08/03/04 at 12:55:09

I assume that you are riding in a staggered formation with the other bike (when possible)....and riding about 4 seconds behind too.

Title: Re: riding with others
Post by sunny on 08/03/04 at 13:42:55

state patrol formation (which is what we do)is one second behind the person diagonally in front and two seconds behind the person straight ahead. but i am trying to do 2 seconds behind the diagonal forward person, since it's just us two usually, due to my novice status.

on the highway we get cars trying to separate us if i am any further behind.

he said i did better on speed too. i even got up to 80 mph in some areas. i was too busy watching traffic to watch the speedometer...

Title: Re: riding with others
Post by Greg_650 on 08/03/04 at 14:12:17

sunny wrote:

You are right about cars getting into your formation, and with traffic, I always "tighten it up". I understand that. In traffic I always rely more on defensive driving more than speed too. But read below....

I was referring to the normal following distance recommended by the MSF....Why? Because, what if your diagonal friend, who has a clear view with his own safety cushion, has to swerve to avoid something that you can't see? You have half the distance to correct. Caution is always the safest habit and I'm beginning to see why you are busy concentrating on him. Back off when possible, is my advice.

Okay, but might I also add that if you are too busy watching for traffic to watch the speedo, that you should ask your friend to slow down. If you can't concentrate on your own bike you are going too fast. At least the speed limit. 80 is way too fast until you have lots of experience. In my 4 years with this bike, I've hit 85 twice just to test my mods and maybe 80 4 more times. Don't do it just because others do.

I just don't want to see any new listings in the "Mishaps" topic.... 8)

Title: Re: riding with others
Post by Susan on 08/03/04 at 15:05:59

Sunny, I know what you mean. I have been riding for a little over a month (just about every day unless it is pouring rain). I ride mostly with my husband (he is on his own bike) and sometimes by myself. When I ride with him I do better when I am in front.

For me it is because he is an added distraction when he is in front. When I lead I am free to concentrate on the road ahead, potential obstacles, stop signs/lights, shifting etc... When he leads I am also worrying about where he is, where he is going, and staying at the right distance. It adds pressure.

I will say, however, that as I am becoming more comfortable and everything is feeling more natural, it is becoming easier to follow. We went out riding with a neighbor two nights ago and sometimes I was in front and sometimes in the middle and it was fine. The thing I remind myself of is "if I'm not comfortable doing what they're doing, then I shouldn't do it". No one knows your capabilities and comfort level the way you do.

Have fun, be happy and be safe!
Susan

Title: Re: riding with others
Post by Greg_650 on 08/04/04 at 02:57:34

Correct. As the MSF course teaches, always ride within your abilities.

Title: Re: riding with others
Post by klx650sm2002 on 08/04/04 at 07:43:09

I've gone over 90mph twice, normally don't go over 75mph when I'm on My own :D
Leave a big gap when I'm following which I prefer to leading :D

Clive W

Title: Re: riding with others
Post by Pat B on 08/04/04 at 08:19:10

I've never ridden in an organized group, but several times I have fallen in with other riders going the same direction.
Leading or following makes no difference to me, I just like having other bikes around me.
8) 8) 8)

Title: Re: riding with others
Post by Greg_650 on 08/04/04 at 08:50:04

My spouse and I trade the "duty" of leading when we ride. It is also an easy way to evaluate the other's riding technique. Also, I sometimes get tired of making all the decisions on which way to go (we do have Chatter Boxes)

I also know that if I'm leading and I suddenly notice that she is way behind, that she is telling me that I'm speeding...

"Oops, did I forget to look at the speedo again." ::)

Title: Re: riding with others
Post by Bert on 08/04/04 at 09:09:32

Never been too fond of the daisy-chain parades myself. You don't get much good riding done looking at the rear of another motorcycle. If you're the lead float then you spend your time watching the flock in your mirrors. Whatever trips your trigger, I guess, but I'd rather be free in the wind and moving down the road.

Title: Re: riding with others
Post by sunny on 08/04/04 at 11:18:30

i came up to work by myself today. not a terribly difficult ride.
and as far as i know i didn't get up to 80(i suspect that was when i was passing someone, anyways).

the only trouble i had was getting lost downtown, again. and there were a few very considerate cage drivers downtown which made my ride easier.

who needs caffiene? i'm on adrenaline, now...

and about statistics, this morning my boss joined the subset of riders who have laid it down. he is fine, just nasty roadrash. he was a mile from his home. the vtx suffered quite a bit of damage, however.

Title: Re: riding with others
Post by Susan on 08/05/04 at 07:56:28

sunny wrote:

and about statistics, this morning my boss joined the subset of riders who have laid it down. he is fine, just nasty roadrash. he was a mile from his home. the vtx suffered quite a bit of damage, however.

Sorry to hear about your boss. Do you know what happened? It could be instructive for the rest of us to understand why he went down. I am always hoping to learn from others' experiences.

As I mentioned in another post (One Month In), I almost went down recently when I was distracted for just a few seconds and ended up awfully close to a guard rail. I recovered but it was a strong reminder of the need to pay attention at all times!

Title: Re: riding with others
Post by sunny on 08/05/04 at 09:29:58

he was on a highway, doing the speed limit. a driver in a pickup truck made eye contact with him, then proceeded to pull out directly in front of him to cross traffic and go the other way. my boss locked up the brakes and avoided hitting the truck which would have killed him considering the rate of speed. locking up the brakes and swerving took him down.

Title: Re: riding with others
Post by Pat B on 08/05/04 at 09:34:12

sunny wrote:

a driver in a pickup truck made eye contact with him, then proceeded to pull out directly in front of him to cross traffic and go the other way.

Yea, it's fun being invisable.....NOT.

Close to that happens to me on a regular basis, I just hope that I never have to "lay it down".

Title: Re: riding with others
Post by Greg_650 on 08/05/04 at 13:36:11

Funny (not) how we all try to determine what another driver is going to do...based on what we expect or what we might do. I'm the same way in that I often note whether a driver is looking at me and making "eye contact", but on the other hand we have no idea what they are really looking at....after all we are hard to see, or most states wouldn't have the "headlight burning" laws in effect.

I remember this point being clearly discussed during our MSF course. Do not rely on "eye contact"

Title: Re: riding with others
Post by Susan on 08/06/04 at 06:08:46

Sunny, Thanks for sharing. It is a sober reminder that when you are a motorcycle the only one looking out for you is YOU.

Title: Re: riding with others
Post by maria on 08/07/04 at 14:40:28

i personally like to ride last cos i don't like anyone at my back and most of the people i ride with are male and i like to watch their bums in their leathers!! 8)

Title: Re: riding with others
Post by gitarzan on 08/07/04 at 21:12:53

I hate having a rider. Most people want to straighten up on curves, then when you straighten up, they're almost falling off the side, etc. ::)

In college I used to give girls rides on my bike, for the same reason I had a convertible, but we won't go there now. ;)

AND anyone who rides on the back of a Savage gets what they deserve. :'(

Title: Re: riding with others
Post by Greg_650 on 08/08/04 at 03:35:00

Yesterday, we went out....my spouse had her daughter (20 yrs old) as a passenger. I don't ride passengers...no foot pegs ::)

Anyway, we rode a good bit of mountains (stopped at a bike shop) and had a good ride. Amazingly, her daughter, with very limited experience, seems to do very well as a passenger. I led part of the time, and then my spouse wanted to lead (I think she got tired of hearing my pipe ::), but I noticed that her daughter did "follow" the rider pretty well from my view from behind. Her daughter did have a sore butt when we got back though...

Here is a picture that I took the last time the 3 of us went riding. I hope that it isn't too big.
http://216.77.188.54/coDataImages/p/Groups/215/215131/folders/156030/112505104JMDMindy01web1.jpg

Title: Re: riding with others
Post by Susan on 08/10/04 at 05:19:01

Hey Sunny, I've been wondering how you are doing in traffic downtown. Is it getting easier?

I've also been thinking about your boss and wondering if he's ok and whether his bike is going to make it.

Title: Re: riding with others
Post by sunny on 08/10/04 at 07:27:44

the boss was sore for a few days. the bike (a vtx) has to have a new gas tank now.
he is currently on vacation going to a honda magna owners meet somewhere in tennessee... and he rode his magna.

as for me, i am riding to work almost daily. and it's going well. today was the first day i didn't get lost downtown on the way in.