The Wild Hog Question: Tight formation riding!

[Bobbydog]

The Wild Hog Question

One of the first things I learned when I joined a riding club was how to ride in formation...and when NOT to ride in formation!!

1) Allow two seconds for the bike directly in front of you
2) Allow one second for the bike that is staggered in front of you.
3) Stay in formation in straights and sweepers
4) Go out of formation and into a single line as you enter the twistie curves

When groups of riders with a "certain brand of motorcycle" get out on the road they have a tendency to stay in tight formations. In some cases they will ride in a box formation and be side by side going into tight turns. This might be just fine when they are riding around town, but at speed? :( This seems to lead to the invariable "rider in the ditch" because the inside bike gets swept to the outside and pushed the outside bike off the road. :eek: I've been on two sactioned club rides where we have had to help a leather clad, cruiser guy lying in a field after being clipped by his buddy on the inside.

Is this riding behavior taught in the owners manual?? "How to get yourself killed while looking cool!"

Just a little musing on a Monday. :)

Bob

[motomac]

Most clubs also say ride your own ride and if you don't feel comfortable slow down or drop back. I agree tight formation should go away when the road gets twisty. I have ridden with quite a few on this board, and none of them stays in formation once the road starts to corkscrew!!! It single file and works very well and I have a lot of fun, can't answer for the rest of them.

[SteveST1300]

Pretty much like you said we have a rule that you are responsible for the rider behind you at turns stops etc keep them in sight. In the twisties maybe stretch the gap to 4 seconds

[sherob]

Staggered inside and outside of the lane for me please... makes for seeing stuff in the road better... no fear of rearending your buddy or running them off the road/into oncoming traffic :eek:

[Bones]

If there's one thing I learned in driver's ed at age 16 it was "leave yourself an out." Riding side by side effectively cuts your lane to 1/3 of what you'd have otherwise. That's just nuts :hyp1:. Ride your own ride.

[Brighteyesue]

I hated that about this movie. They rode close for the camera shot. Enjoyed the rest of the flick though.

[George]

Single file, ride yur own ride in the twisties. Leave enuff space to crash on yur own, DON'T follow yur lead into the dirt!

I like to follow Nick Ienatsch's creed: slow down in town, have fun in the twisties, regroup on the straight and flat.

My opinion,

[Rob Hephner]

BTW, the 2-second and 1-second deal is not enough.

Sorry for the link, but I already did all this work once.

You don't have to join to read either.

Click Here! (http://southwestrides.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=25930#post25930)

[Medicine Bear]

BTW, the 2-second and 1-second deal is not enough.

Sorry for the link, but I already did all this work once.

You don't have to join to read either.

Click Here! (http://southwestrides.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=25930#post25930)

I read the link and have a question. I'm not really trying to disagree with you - just putting my idea out there for comparison.

When you say that almost all your space would be eaten up, isn't that assuming the obstacle in front of you has come to an instant stop? Assuming the rider in front of you has gone down, he/she would decelerate at a fair clip but they wouldn't come to a dead stop (no pun intended) at the point they go down.

I agree with all your ideas in principle, just looking for clarification...

Fred :03biker:

[Rob Hephner]

Yea, almost all of the space will be eaten up.

Humans typically do not react to slowing the same way they react to stopped.

Even when they do react to slowing they do not react by braking at full, so as they are figuring out what is happening they eat up space. Plus in a group unless the person knows they are at the rear with no one behind them the typical concern (thus slowed reaction) is to worry about the person behind.

The extra time (1.5 versus 1) usually stops the most common result which is a low side, not a collision.

Time and Distance are something that are easy to manage and impossible to get back when you need them.

With practice and training you can close things down very tight, such as a performance team does. This however is usually not the case with even daily commuters and if you add just one rider that is new to the group the decreased time allowed for reaction can result in an undesired result.

[Medicine Bear]

Thanks for the explanation.

Fred :03biker:

[Styles]

On a road trip in 2005, merging with the eastbound traffic on I-90 near Rapid City, my wife and I noticed a few Harleys speeding abreast in the left lane. It was Wednesday, middle of bike week. Wouldn't you know: within seconds, two went down.

A bit later when attendants at the next rest stop claimed that nearly 750,000 bikes were then roaring about their hills, I dryly remarked it was more nearly like 749,998. They then added -- begging my explanation -- that my number was "too high."

So goes "rider education" annually in South Dakota.

Styles

[Sink]

Seems like the Harley gangs, m/c's, are the ones that really ride tight. Doesn't make much sense to me. 2 side by side and the third with the front tire in between! STUPID!

I really don't like to ride in groups larger than 4. Like everybody has said, ride your own ride! If you like to go faster, get in front. Every once in a while, wait up for the rest of the group. Comm systems are nice! Larger groups seem to make you concentrate on the group more than the ride and what's around you. STumpy and I ride on a shrine competition drill team and we know how to ride tight formation. It is done on the drill field, not the street! You need an out. I trust STumpy riding right beside him, but I don't trust the rest of the people out on the road! Just be smart about it. It may look cool, but it's really not. Stagger with as much room as makes you comfortable. Extra room makes it safer.

[STill Fiddlin]

The groups I find myself in generally ride staggered. If it's not a bunch of STs, trying to zip through the twisties, I usually just keep the 2 second rule to the rider ahead of me, even though they may be staggered, and that will usually give me 3 sec, at least to the one directly in front.

But you know what I hate, when a group passes, and they all slow down once they get around the passed vehicle! Jeez, keep moving folks. I hate having to tuck into a tight bunch after accelerating 20+ to get around someone.

[Coop]

Formations are for the Blue Angels and Shriners on minibikes.

[Sink]

Minibikes???? You haven't seen shrine competition lately!

[B727AV8R]

Years ago on a group ride, one rider followed the rider in front of him right off the road in a curve......Ride your Ride, not your buddies ride.

[BlaSTr]

For a simple biker flick there seemed to be a lot of technical/safety mistakes.

Did manage to LMFAO though.

Doug