Group rides

[Cary]

I've only been on 1 KB ride and before we were 2k up the road someone had already fallen off! And this was supposed to be a learners ride :doh: (I was doing it as a get so see what KB rides were like)

I rode with the 'Two Wheels MC & touring club' for around 5 years and in that time we had 1 person fall off. Reading the after ride posts on KB it seems like almost an every ride event.

To all I would say 'RIDE AT YOUR OWN PACE' as trying to keep up with someone above your skill level is a big mistake so don't get pressured into it, if your going to slow for the guy/girl behind you they can always pass.

[Two Smoker]

Yes i agree that you have to ride at your own pace... The bin on the Newbie ride, was most likely due to a newbie mistake... For instance on the ride on sunday, there was a HUGE range of paces, and no one binned it... there was also 40 odd bikes...

[sAsLEX]

ride in the weekend had 50 odd riders only event was a honda electrical fault, rare i know but hondas can break down

[Zed]

I've only been on 1 KB ride and before we were 2k up the road someone had already fallen off! And this was supposed to be a learners ride :doh: (I was doing it as a get so see what KB rides were like)

I rode with the 'Two Wheels MC & touring club' for around 5 years and in that time we had 1 person fall off. Reading the after ride posts on KB it seems like almost an every ride event.For the record, accidents do not happen on almost every KB ride - that is a gross exaggeration Cary!

I'm sorry you had to be riding on that "leaners ride" (the second ever on KB), but if you had been on the first learners ride several months earlier, where no bins occured, you would have received a more positive impression I'm sure!

Kiwibiker is not a motorcycling club or school, and it is not to be unequally compared to one. The rides organised here are usually just the spontaneous idea of one person who starts up a thread in the Meeting and Events section. On the day it is all very informal and pretty much everyone is free to do what they like, some ride fast while others ride slower, some pull stunts while others just watch in awe, some ride only part of the way while others keep on riding until it gets dark. This is why I enjoy the KB rides - it's good to have the freedom to just ride without having to conform to a set of rules like in a club or like association. Another reason why I enjoy the rides so much is because generally everyone rides seriously and is considerate of eachothers safety.:niceone:

Your recommendation to "ride at your own pace" is the best advice that can be given, but just remember that on the KB rides there will always be a mixture of different skill levels, the key is to find the level that best suits you and ride in it! :Punk:

[vifferman]

I rode with the 'Two Wheels MC & touring club' for around 5 years and in that time we had 1 person fall off. Reading the after ride posts on KB it seems like almost an every ride event.
I'm not surprised you think it seems like that. I've been on Kiwi Biker for about 15 months, and it seems to me too from reading the post-ride reviews that that's the case. It's a bit of a worry.
But, like Zed said, they're casual rides (perhaps sometimes with overly casual attitudes?) :spudwhat:
In the final analysis, each rider is responsible for how they ride.

[dveus]

I don't think most KB rides have someone binning, It's just the ones with bins seem to get alot more attention on the forums.

[Cary]

For the record, accidents do not happen on almost every KB ride - that is a gross exaggeration Cary!


Kiwibiker is not a motorcycling club or school, and it is not to be unequally compared to one.

This is why I enjoy the KB rides - it's good to have the freedom to just ride without having to conform to a set of rules like in a club or like association.

Your recommendation to "ride at your own pace" is the best advice that can be given, but just remember that on the KB rides there will always be a mixture of different skill levels, the key is to find the level that best suits you and ride in it! :Punk:

Get what your saying about KB not being a school and am all for learner riders doing a course before they join a group ride as they can be intimdating.

As for the club I was in, there were riders happy to do 100k and those doing 200k+ on the same ride.

I think the riders themselves need to slot into the group according to their pace as a learner should not go near the front while an R1/GSXR(sterotyping :killingme ) in rear etc.

Yes it is an exaggeration but it is what i've heard/read in my limited time with KB, looikin foward to more rides with KB folk in future.

[Two Smoker]

I think the riders themselves need to slot into the group according to their pace as a learner should not go near the front while an R1/GSXR(sterotyping :killingme ) in rear etc.



Yeah!!! Why do you fuckers always slot myself and my RG150 up the front all the time???

[Sensei]

Yeah!!! Why do you fuckers always slot myself and my RG150 up the front all the time???

They may need to have a laugh at how slow you ride :motu: :rofl:

[2_SL0]

Not sure if anyone else finds this. But on group rides I tend to actually ride slower than I do when Im by myself. Not really sure why. I actually like riding the most either by myself or with just a couple of people. I tend to ride right at the back of large groups, the larger the group the further back I am lololol.
I agree with everyone above, you ride at your pace. Thats where the problems begin, people dont and come unstuck.

[Ixion]

I don't think most KB rides have someone binning, It's just the ones with bins seem to get alot more attention on the forums.

I don't think anyone came off on either the Coro loop ride Sunday or the (admittedly short) Wellsford ride Saturday ?

And the weather was dubious for both

Naturally, the ones where people bin get more attention. As they should. Bins can mean dead bikers.

[Motu]

I used to ride on the Triumph Owners Club Poker Runs,someone always seemed to come off,sometimes in a big way,no injuries and something to talk about afterwards.No learners on these rides,just over exuberance fueled by too many handles at the Pub.It's a part of riding in groups - which I seldom do.I only get annoyed when the blame starts getting dished out to everything and sundry....except to the rider,who is nearly always the only one to blame....

[SlashWylde]

The issue here is not that riders (inexperienced or otherwise) are riding at too fast a pace and consequently having crashes, but that they are riding at their own pace but due to lack of skill and experience, or error in judgement, people have had crashes.

At any rate this seems to have been the case on the rides I've been on when others have come off.

Crashes haven't happened because a new rider was trying to keep up with the fast pack, learners infact don't try and go near the front as they would quickly be left behind anyway. These learners (thankfully) know they can't ride fast and wisely stick to 70 or 80km/hr, but what they desperately need is good basic skills training, mentorship from more experienced riders and lots of careful practice.

It still amazes me that with all the endless discussion in a variety of threads over the last few months, both from those that have been on controversial group rides and those that haven't, that people are still convinced it's all about "Ride at your own pace".

:weird:

[2_SL0]

The issue here is not that riders (inexperienced or otherwise) are riding at too fast a pace and consequently having crashes, but that they are riding at their own pace but due to lack of skill and experience, or error in judgement, people have had crashes.

At any rate this seems to have been the case on the rides I've been on when others have come off.

Crashes haven't happened because a new rider was trying to keep up with the fast pack, learners infact don't try and go near the front as they would quickly be left behind anyway. These learners (thankfully) know they can't ride fast and wisely stick to 70 or 80km/hr, but what they desperately need is good basic skills training, mentorship from more experienced riders and lots of careful practice.

It still amazes me that with all the endless discussion in a variety of threads over the last few months, both from those that have been on controversial group rides and those that haven't, that people are still convinced it's all about "Ride at your own pace".

:weird:


Sorry but doesnt your statement contradict itself, if people were riding at there own pace I would think that would mean they would be riding at a level that is exceptable for them, ie cornering, cruising speed. When I say pace I dont mean just there speed it covers everything. If you ride at your own pace you are riding within your own skill range. Soryy but all the offs I have seen have been from pushing that level further than the skill level of the rider. :yes:

[Motu]

Sorry but doesnt your statement contradict itself, if people were riding at there own pace I would think that would mean they would be riding at a level that is exceptable for them, ie cornering, cruising speed. When I say pace I dont mean just there speed it covers everything. If you ride at your own pace you are riding within your own skill range. Soryy but all the offs I have seen have been from pushing that level further than the skill level of the rider. :yes:

Well,that's what ALL crashes are - exceding your ability to cope with whatever situation just happened to come along....the more experiance you have the less chance you have to be caught out unawares....

[Motoracer]

Sure we can do more to reduce the number of bins but to expect 0% bins on the rides seem a bit unrealistic.

The statement "ride at your own pace" is valid but quite a few times, people still crash while riding at their own pace. n00bs are more likely to crash as they lack experience and skill but experts sometimes can crash for a number of reasons as well.

So you should go out on as many rides as possible to gain as much skill and experience as possible to get out of the vunerable position of a n00b and become a safer rider. Ride at your own pace or beyond that if you choose to improve your riding but take a step at a time. If you never push your self and ride within the bubble of your comfort zone, you'll never really improve (if that is your goal in the first place). The key here is taking your time with it and if you want to, push your self little by little to gain more skill. If you take big jumps and bite more than what you can chew, then you run the risk of crashing even more, so pace your learning curve if you can't afford the hospital bills and repair bills.

With experiance greater safety will come as you will know how to control a bike better out of hairy situations or you will know better by not getting into that hairy situation in the first place. Even after all this, crashes can still happen, to anyone! It's a fact of life. All we can do is prevent crashes to the best of our abilities.

Oh yea, after crashes don't forget to anaylise it and learn from it the best you can so that you can try not to repeat the same mistake next time.

Ride safe, take care out there.

[vifferman]

It's all very well to talk about "riding at your own pace", but it's a phenomenon of group rides that people tend to sometimes ride faster due to the whole 'racer mentality' thing happening. It takes an awful lot of maturity and self-control to not get sucked in by that, once a bit of adrenaline starts flowing.

And you can't say it doesn't happen, because the comments written after these rides show that (for some people at least) that's part of what the ride's about.

If you're a slower rider and the bulk of the group are travelling faster than you, it's difficult not to feel that either you're holding everyone up, or that you're being left behind, or both. Given that one of the main reasons for going on a group ride is the commaraderie of being part of the group, lagging behind sort of defeats the point of being on the ride at all.

[eliot-ness]

I think we're missing an important point here. Newbe riders don't jut lack riding skills. For many it will be their first long ride. They have other worries, Breakdowns, punctures, taking a wrong turn, embarrassment at keeping others waiting. A of which are enough to make them want to keep in touch. Good organising can allay most of their fears. Issue detailed instructions for route and planned stops. Use cell phones if possible to get in touch with missing riders. All riders have at least two numbers they can call in an emergency. Have a minimum 15 minutes at each planned stop. At start of ride let slower guys set off 10 inutes before the rest.
Don't have a fast guy bringing up the rear. Inexperienced newbe's may think they have to impress. Most important of all. Don't treat it as a group ride. Motor cyclists are by nature individuals. Leave the herd instinct to car drivers and H. D. clubs

----------------------
The early bird gets the worm. The second mouse gets the cheese

[justsomeguy]

:wait: What a load of balooney.........

As a newbie to riding (only been riding the odd weekend day since Dec)

I can say that in every THAT'S EVERY ride I've been on I've had people wait for me - sometimes long enough for them to take off their helmets and group for a chat seated at the side of the road.

If I've taken a wrong turn which I did on two rides I've had riders come looking for me and lead me back to a waiting group. At every ride people have been supportive and understand that I'm learning and always offer me their advice and support.

This ridiculous issue: If you ride faster than you can handle you'll crash :doh: isn't it obvious:weird:

................has been argued so much I hope this thread gets shifted to the pointless drivel section.

Yes I too have crashed as have a lot of people here. So if the newbies still can't figure out that they are not immortal riding Gods then too bad.........:wait:

I mean come on!!! How many of you went to the gym and in the first week tried to lift heavier weights than those 200kg 7 ft Islanders, or joined a martial arts class and challenged the toughest most experienced guy in the class to a fight?? Or started a new job and expected to break performance records in the first day??Or planned to loose all the weight you expected to loose in the first week???

Huh??? If the comments above seem kinda obvious then how do you seem to suddenly develop this "racer mentality"??????

[Motoracer]

As just some guy said. Peer pressure has never been an issue on one of the KB rides. Sure the n00bs may naturally feel like they should try harder to impress or simply keep up with the faster guys but during the ride they will be told time and time again that there is no need to do this and the group is more than happy to wait until everyone arrives safely.

Honestly, what do you think people want more? Wait for say a max of 5-15mins for someone really slow to arrive safely or to have to go back and sacrifice the whole ride by spending the next hour or so sorting out a trailer for the sorry looking bike and an ambo or a pillion ride for the unlucky person. No one wants that, so when slower riders are welcomed to come in the first place, everyone attending the ride accepts the responcibility of waiting for them to catch up. Anyone who REALLY doesn't want to wait around can go for a ride on their own, which has happened in the past.

[Two Smoker]

. Anyone who REALLY doesn't want to wait around can go for a ride on their own, which has happened in the past.

Motoracer: "Hey alex, im bored can i ride your bike?"
sAsLEX: "Yep sure thing, you crash it you fix it."
Two Smoker: "Alex, you are an idiot... you do realise this is Sudeep we are talking about..."

*Following 5 minutes listen to a VFR400 hitting the rev limiter in most gears*

Motoracer then comes arond corner cranked right over with knee on ground...

Two Smoker: "Well there go your chicken strips.."

Hehehe...

[chickenfunkstar]

Certainly was impressive to watch / hear :yes:

[Motoracer]

Honestly, what do you think people want more? Wait for say a max of 5-15mins for someone really slow to arrive safely or to have to go back and sacrifice the whole ride by spending the next hour or so sorting out a trailer for the sorry looking bike and an ambo or a pillion ride for the unlucky person. No one wants that, so when slower riders are welcomed to come in the first place, everyone attending the ride accepts the responcibility of waiting for them to catch up. Anyone who REALLY doesn't want to wait around can go for a ride on their own, which has happened in the past.

BTW, I am not implying that you should feel bad once you HAVE crashed. Once it has happened, everyone in the group will genuinly do their best to get you sorted with out any other questions asked. It's what the brotherhood of KB is all about. So we shouldn't feel bad about the times we have crashed, we just have to try our best not to do it in the future. If it happens, then everything will be taken care of by your riding mates, you can count on that while on a KB ride.

P.S. Ummmm yea.... guilty as charged for having a bit of a hoon on the ol viffer 400 :o

[vifferman]

:wait: What a load of balooney.........

As a newbie to riding (only been riding the odd weekend day since Dec)

I can say that in every THAT'S EVERY ride I've been on I've had people wait for me - sometimes long enough for them to take off their helmets and group for a chat seated at the side of the road.

If I've taken a wrong turn which I did on two rides I've had riders come looking for me and lead me back to a waiting group. At every ride people have been supportive and understand that I'm learning and always offer me their advice and support.
I didn't say that people didn't wait at turnoffs, etc. (Although I have been on rides where the group took off 'like a bat out of hell' and keeping up was hard.)

I said: "If you're a slower rider and the bulk of the group are travelling faster than you, it's difficult not to feel that either you're holding everyone up, or that you're being left behind, or both."
If you're travelling slower than everyone else, you come to a turnoff and everyone's waiting, and you've no idea how long they've been there, unless you're a selfish git, it's difficult to not feel like you're holding everyone up.

Peer pressure has never been an issue on one of the KB rides.
Peer pressure needn't come from others; some people feel they need to keep up, despite being told they don't need to. The fact that you explain to noobs that they don't need to feel this is a good thing, and should help alleviate the tendency to push themselves for whatever reason.

However, no-one can deny excitement that there is on group rides, which can stimulate the competitive nature of males, the willingness to show off to obtain approval, or to (metaphorically) flex muscles when with a group.
What gets talked about at rest stops? The weather? Politics? :spudwhat:
:no:
The favourite topics are how fast corners were taken, overtaking manoeuvres, speeds attained, stunts, etc.

Other stuff happens too. I've been on a (non KB) ride where the group was lead by a cruiser, travelling at a nice - well, - cruisy pace. Unfortunately, the roads were fabulously winding, the traffic was light, and there were a large number of sportsbikes in the group, so it was too much for some of us, and we passed the leader and made our own pace for a while. And quite right too, unless it's one of those regimented rides where it's strictly verboten to pass the leader.

Look - don't get me wrong. I don't ride a bike because it's cheap transport (it's not) - it's all about the sensations, the feeling of speed, getting in 'the zone' when taking a series of corners just so, the whole experience, and that includes sharing that experience with others. Yes, motorcycling's basically a solitary endeavour, but like any pleasurable activity, it's more fun when it's shared with other like-minded individuals. Why else are group rides so popular? And when humans are in groups, they tend to behave somewhat differently on occasion than they do when on their own. Vehemently denying that this happens doesn't make it go away.

My point is that if this 'phenomenon' is taken into account, and people are aware of it, then the possibility exists for eliminating some potentially tragic and completely avoidable incidents. I'm not pointing the finger or blaming anyone, just stating an opinion.

[Ixion]

I didn't say that people didn't wait at turnoffs, etc.

I said: "If you're a slower rider and the bulk of the group are travelling faster than you, it's difficult not to feel that either you're holding everyone up, or that you're being left behind, or both."
If you're travelling slower than everyone else, you come to a turnoff and everyone's waiting, and you've no idea how long they've been there, unless you're a selfish git, it's difficult to not feel like you're holding everyone up.
..

Pretty much. My own experience on group rides (not, I will say, KB ones) is that yes, the fast riders wait for slower ones to catch up.

Being an official nana, I'm usually a slow one.

So what that means is that I come tootling up, and there's abunch of riders waiting at an intersection etc.

As soon as they see me heave into sight, I see the fingers go down on starter buttons and puffs of smoke from exhausts. And I can almost hear the muttered "At last, Where they hell has he been"

Then there is this mass exodus, of sports bikes heading down the road , scrabbling past each other, gear change lights flashing as they power up toward the 200+ kph mark. Like as not on one wheel

Followed by the crescendo whine of the 250 wannabe multis , heading after them redlining everything at 20000 rpm , scratching frantically through the first corner. As like as not on the wrong side of the road.

Which leaves me, tootling past the intersection, maybe stopping for a moment to confirm that everythings OK with the designated marshall. Who then also disappears into the distance ,desperate to catch up.

So I continue on at my steady hundred and sumpfink.

For all practcial purposes I'm riding alone anyway. The only time I see the others is as they disappear. It's not really a group ride as far as I'm concerned.

So I might as well elect to ride alone, where at least I'm not holding others up, and I can explore side roads if I want to.

And in the end I often get there quicker than the sports bikes. The secret of progress on the road is a good steady speed. Maintained up hill and down dale, as unvaryingly as possible.

[Motoracer]

My point is that if this 'phenomenon' is taken into account, and people are aware of it, then the possibility exists for eliminating some potentially tragic and completely avoidable incidents. I'm not pointing the finger or blaming anyone, just stating an opinion.

Yes, you are correct and like you said, it takes a lot of maturity to make the right judgement. Some people already have high maturity levels from the begining and they crash a lot less or never crash with a bit of luck, while some others with low levels of maturity crash a hell of a lot more.

What can you do? It's really up to the rider and what goes through his/her head while riding a bike.

Even after spending millions of $$ on racing a MotoGP bike, it all comes down to what goes on inside the head of a racer. It'll mean the difference between crashing out and winning the world championship. No one can force them to make the right or wrong decision once they are on the bike and racing them. Like wise, what can you really do once all the advice has been given? It is really up to the rider at the end of the day.

[vifferman]

Good stuff, Motoracer.


Pretty much. My own experience on group rides (not, I will say, KB ones) is that yes, the fast riders wait for slower ones to catch up....etc etc...
So I might as well elect to ride alone, where at least I'm not holding others up, and I can explore side roads if I want to.
Nah! I can't believe that! Sounds like a fairy story to me. :Pokey:
:whistle:

[Motoracer]

Pretty much. My own experience on group rides (not, I will say, KB ones) is that yes, the fast riders wait for slower ones to catch up.

Being an official nana, I'm usually a slow one.

So what that means is that I come tootling up, and there's abunch of riders waiting at an intersection etc.

As soon as they see me heave into sight, I see the fingers go down on starter buttons and puffs of smoke from exhausts. And I can almost hear the muttered "At last, Where they hell has he been"

Then there is this mass exodus, of sports bikes heading down the road , scrabbling past each other, gear change lights flashing as they power up toward the 200+ kph mark. Like as not on one wheel

Followed by the crescendo whine of the 250 wannabe multis , heading after them redlining everything at 20000 rpm , scratching frantically through the first corner. As like as not on the wrong side of the road.

Which leaves me, tootling past the intersection, maybe stopping for a moment to confirm that everythings OK with the designated marshall. Who then also disappears into the distance ,desperate to catch up.

So I continue on at my steady hundred and sumpfink.

For all practcial purposes I'm riding alone anyway. The only time I see the others is as they disappear. It's not really a group ride as far as I'm concerned.

So I might as well elect to ride alone, where at least I'm not holding others up, and I can explore side roads if I want to.

And in the end I often get there quicker than the sports bikes. The secret of progress on the road is a good steady speed. Maintained up hill and down dale, as unvaryingly as possible.

This is where the clash of paces and riding styles happen. A very valid point there Ixion and I don't know how you could make this situation better... The only point or reason for a slower "nana" type of rider to tag along with a faster group would be to socialise at longer stops like a lunch break really, which to me personally is the whole idea about group rides, which is to meet people.

[Mr Skid]

What gets talked about at rest stops? The weather? Politics? :spudwhat::no: I recall a rather engaging conversation about Xerox's efforts to develop computational recognition of natural language over lunch..

[vifferman]

I recall a rather engaging conversation about Xerox's efforts to develop computational recognition of natural language over lunch..
Now that's what I'm talking about.

When's the next lecture series?

[Ixion]

Now that's what I'm talking about.

When's the next lecture series?

Is there one about the Flemish influence on mediaeval English ecclesiasticl stained glass ?

[Mr Skid]

Now that's what I'm talking about.

When's the next lecture series?
Um.. pass.

That was on a ride up SH16 then out to the Leigh Sawmill Cafe, with MikeL, Yokai, and other intermilectauls.

I think rides are a bit like finding a party on Saturday night. You find out who is going where, and whether it'll be a pissup, barbeque or a seated dinner. You choose which party to attend based on your preferences.

[Zed]

Given that one of the main reasons for going on a group ride is the commaraderie of being part of the group, lagging behind sort of defeats the point of being on the ride at all.Ah ha, so that's why you were so teed off on that KB ride I met you on! Not enuf commaraderieieree ship? :gob:

[Waylander]

Given that one of the main reasons for going on a group ride is the commaraderie of being part of the group, lagging behind sort of defeats the point of being on the ride at all.

Should come down here sometime and join Hondacmx450, LiasTZ, Wolf (when he get's his bike fixed, and me. Last one I was on with cmx and Lias was just the sort of thing you're talking about. It was certainly fun riding down Victoria street and having all the club crawlers looking at us in shock and such.:niceone: :ride:

Need to go on another one soon so that I can actually show off a bit since my bike is running much better now.

[Zed]

...For all practcial purposes I'm riding alone anyway. The only time I see the others is as they disappear. It's not really a group ride as far as I'm concerned.Come on, you know you love being the Nana at the rear! :scooter:


And in the end I often get there quicker than the sports bikes.Um I don't like to disappoint you there wise Ixion but I think you'll find that rather than arriving *before* the sportsbikes, they have actually been home and back by the time you turn up, in effect lapping you! :rofl:

[Zed]

:wait: What a load of balooney.........What's a load of balooney? The previous 18 posts to yours?? :nono:


...has been argued so much I hope this thread gets shifted to the pointless drivel section.That's quite amusing coming from one of the *princes* of 'pointless drivel' on KB. Besides, there have been so many good points raised so far on this thread it would be a travesty to label it as PD! So there.


I mean come on!!! How many of you went to the gym and in the first week tried to lift heavier weights than those 200kg 7 ft Islanders, or joined a martial arts class and challenged the toughest most experienced guy in the class to a fight?? Or started a new job and expected to break performance records in the first day??Or planned to loose all the weight you expected to loose in the first week???
Huh??? If the comments above seem kinda obvious then how do you seem to suddenly develop this "racer mentality"??????Whoa boy! I feel a whole lot of emotion coming thru from you Guy...you lost me in there somewhere? :wacko:

So are you for or against "Group rides" JSG?

[NhuanH]

What a load of balooney.....
I do believe a "balooney" is either:
*one of them plasticky/rubbery things bad mime type performers make into animals, filled with hot air or surplus gasses OR:
*A complete nutter, into sheep
:killingme


What's a load of balooney? The previous 18 posts to yours?? :nono:

That's quite amusing coming from one of the *princes* of 'pointless drivel' on KB. Besides, there have been so many good points raised so far on this thread it would be a travesty to label it as PD! So there.

Whoa boy! I feel a whole lot of emotion coming thru from you Guy...you lost me in there somewhere? :wacko:

So are you for or against "Group rides" JSG?
What did a wise man once say to me about rabbit hole depths and Wonderland there Chief? :bleh:

[justsomeguy]

Oh No - Laurel and little Hardy are after me again................:no:

By the way since I'm obvouisly not obsurvent or very intilligent like you great people I have must been not abel to pick out points their in this thread that were not expolred in earlyer threads.

So I gues I should asking for forgivnes from you great people. So that I safe stay from yor rabit hole, yes.

Though I canna remember ever giving a damn for you dumbducks.......:motu:

[Zed]

The issue here is not that riders (inexperienced or otherwise) are riding at too fast a pace and consequently having crashes, but that they are riding at their own pace but due to lack of skill and experience, or error in judgement, people have had crashes.

At any rate this seems to have been the case on the rides I've been on when others have come off.I'm glad you qualified your first paragraph by stating in your second one that "it seems to have been the case on the rides you've been on", which is true! Bins don't always occur because someone is riding outside of their skill level - good point! :niceone:


It still amazes me that with all the endless discussion in a variety of threads over the last few months, both from those that have been on controversial group rides and those that haven't, that people are still convinced it's all about "Ride at your own pace".:weird:Motorcyclists bin when riding at their own pace and when riding outside of their own pace. There are many different variables involved in each and every accident. :confused:

The general consensus concerning group rides though is that people tend to ride 'faster than they normally do when riding alone' or 'not at their own pace'. That's why I think the best advice to give riders before departing off on a group ride is to "ride at your own pace". What would you tell them if you were given the opportunity SW?

[2_SL0]

Ride your own Ride. :Punk:

[Zed]

Ride your own Ride. :Punk:So would that then mean switching bikes is outlawed? :msn-wink:

Quite often on KB rides I've been on guys will ride eachothers bikes for a bit of a change and new experience.

[mstriumph]

.. The only point or reason for a slower "nana" type of rider to tag along with a faster group would be to socialise at longer stops like a lunch break really, which to me personally is the whole idea about group rides, which is to meet people.

No. Not only.

Also to learn from the guys/gals who can do it better than you can .....
I've been riding a longish while but only about 4 times tops in a group - every time i've actually managed to ride with a group though, i have learnt something from good riders and my own riding has improved.

For the first time, in the last month, i have been consistently riding something relatively quick; the riding style is different and i'm [nearly] as much of a novice again as i was when i got on my very first bike. So improving my riding is as crucial to me as it is to n00bies - and following better riders, seeing how they address corners, etc. is a great way to do it IMHO.

BUT to do that you have to try and keep up.

So, you good, quick, experienced riders --- if you see someone hammering along, out of their comfort zone, trying desperately to stay in touch with the bunch........ please don't write it off just to peer-pressure or them trying to prove something .....

......mebbe once in a while slow down a few minutes, lead them thru a bend or two, let them learn from you before you zoom off into the distance and have to wait for them to catch you up down the road?

Inexperienced riders who want to learn will appreciate your help & guidance ....and even those who don't will appreciate your momentary companionship ------ you'll be teaching them SOMETHING either way. It's what it's about, innit? :drinkup:

[SlowHand]

well that sums it up Ms.triumph, is that IS your real name.
i learned stacks from the last/first ride, I was out of my comfort zone, but no more than when driving a car fast. Yeah I had my moments, but most were pretty helpful, and I'd definately do one again when I get my stamina up.