Rider down in front of me

[redrider]

I offer the following to every class:
"How far do you travel in one second?" Many guesses then some math. 1 MPH=5280ft/hr. Divide by 60 twice and you get 1.46666, a constant. Round up to 1.5 and multiply whatever speed you are traveling. You now have distance traveled in one second. One second. 60 mph X1.5=90 feet. If it takes 3/4 of a second to see, process and react, you have just used up almost 70 feet with no braking action. Most bikes will stop within 130 feet at 60 mph with ideal conditions and SKILLs. Subtract that 70 feet and your two second following distance becomes the "Oh Sh*t" zone.

Training should be mandatory.

[unclepete]

Unless you are the lead dog , the view never changes .

[sturgeon]

In that group of three riders the most important rider is 2, particularly when you start to get strung out on a long road. If rider 3 is falling behind, 2 slows down which 1 will see.

I've never understood the need to remain in sight of others at all times. Unless of course you're dealing with small children, who, one assumes, would not be riding their own motorcycle in a pack with others. I don't need or want to see my pals while I'm riding; I get enough of their ugly mugs in the pub after the ride is done.

[luthier]

Here in NSW we have a place where there was a tragedy called Lemming Corner. It was named thus after a group of Harley riders going way too fast followed the leader as he missed a corner and they all went over a very long drop, piling on each other with 9 dead and others seriously injured.
The poor bastards in the local Rural Fire Service had the grim task of cleaning up the mess.
We used to drink with some of them who had been permanently scarred by this horror.
The corner was signposted by the Motorcycle association after the event as a warning to other riders.
And yet that road claims many lives on a regular basis because city squids get out there and have no idea of the perils they will encounter and no skills or foresight to deal with it.
So now what was once a nice road for a blast has a permanent 80K speed limit and is well policed, thus ruined for everyone else who knew how to ride it.

[Ion66]

I used to do group rides. There'd be about 25-40 of us. We'd all meet up at this one spot. Sometimes I'd be up at the front, and some times near the back or middle. We'd sit there, 4 wide, in this long line, doing nothing, till some guy would start waving a flag at us.  Everyone seemed to be in a big hurry, and you'd end up brushing elbows with a few guys for the first while. Very impolite, and no lane discipline. Lots of showing off with late braking and sticking knees on the ground. You know the type. Everyone wanted to lead, and it was not what I'd call a relaxing ride. We'd usually go about 2.5 miles, and end up back where we started, and for some reason, do it all over again. It always seemed like we'd ride the same corners, over and over again. Don't know who kept picking the route, but they lacked imagination. Someone would make a mistake, and you'd end up leading, or you'd see that the leader hadn't even bothered to wait for everyone else, and just buggered off. Sometimes you'd meet up with a few of the guys who were taking the more scenic route I guess, as they didn't seem to be in the same hurry as everyone else. Eventually, someone would wave a flag at us, and we'd all take the turn off before the starting place. Not much of a place to hang out really. Sure, there's lots of cool bikes, but the place was the pits. At the end of the day we'd all meet up after the ride, and if you'd been in a really big hurry, someone would hand you a trophy for being really impatient.

[CalVin2007]

I used to do group rides. There'd be about 25-40 of us. We'd all meet up at this one spot. Sometimes I'd be up at the front, and some times near the back or middle. We'd sit there, 4 wide, in this long line, doing nothing, till some guy would start waving a flag at us.  Everyone seemed to be in a big hurry, and you'd end up brushing elbows with a few guys for the first while. Very impolite, and no lane discipline. Lots of showing off with late braking and sticking knees on the ground. You know the type. Everyone wanted to lead, and it was not what I'd call a relaxing ride. We'd usually go about 2.5 miles, and end up back where we started, doing it all over again. It always seemed like we'd ride the same corners, over and over again. Don't know who kept picking the route, but they lacked imagination. Someone would make a mistake, and you'd end up leading, or you'd see that the leader hadn't even bothered to wait for everyone else, and just buggered off. Sometimes you'd meet up with a few of the guys who were taking the more scenic route I guess, as they didn't seem to be in the same hurry as everyone else. Eventually, someone would wave a flag at us, and we'd all take the turn off before the starting place. At the end of the day we'd all meet up after the ride, and if you'd been in a really big hurry, someone would hand you a trophy for being really impatient.

        

   Terry

[oldbike54]

        

   Terry

 Terry , we took part in a group ride numbering 17 at Cedar Vale . Except for the bad directions back to CV it all went smoothly . Well , I did have a Harley right behind me , which was worrisome . LOL

 David , if you read this , I'm only kidding ...

  Dusty