Stagered riding while with other bikes

[Sparky Bills]

So how many people do or even know what it is??

Ive been behind a few bikes lately, and they have been all over the show.
Not keeping one line, changing mid corner, not even looking forward!
Please people..
Pay more attention to riding and less on the sheep in paddocks etc!!
Its as if your all ozzies or somthing

[bungbung]

Is that the same as lagered riding?

[Sparky Bills]

Is that the same as lagered riding?

aye??
Learn me on that mate

[placidfemme]

I try to keep the same line when I know a biker is behind me, usually to the left. Trying to get my partner into the habit... but whenever I ride behind her she is dead bang in the centre of the lane...

[White trash]

Is that the same as lagered riding?

Similar, just not quite as wobbly.

[Blackbird]

Couldn't agree more with you. Mangell6, Jantar and I did it on the Southern Cross throughout the ride but it was interesting that it wasn't a common practice.

[Drunken Monkey]

So how many people do or even know what it is??

Ive been behind a few bikes lately, and they have been all over the show.
Not keeping one line, changing mid corner, not even looking forward!
Please people..
Pay more attention to riding and less on the sheep in paddocks etc!!
Its as if your all ozzies or somthing

It seems to be the norm on KB rides recently. I think some people forget everything they learned from the rode code as soon as they passed the test. There are plenty on here who insist motorcyclists are more careful and roadsafe than cage drivers, Sparky and I would like to see you prove it.

Learn from Gixxer 4 Ever's experience: http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ad.php?t=13146

For those of who who are slow on the uptake, this means the ride leader rides on the right hand half of his lane, the next person on his/her left, the following person on right, then left again, then right again, ad infinitum. Spacing is the 2-second rule between people on your side, effectively putting the person on the opposite half only 1 second out, but if you stick to your half of the lane this shouldn't effect you.
If there is a requirement to ride single file, bunch up or spread out, there are hand signals for this (although the thread keeps dying, is no-one interested in consistent communication?) here:
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...t=hand+signals

[White trash]

Not keeping one line, changing mid corner, not even looking forward!
Please people..
Pay more attention to riding and less on the sheep in paddocks etc!!

Proper staggered formation riding only applys on the straight bits.

Turns and twistys dictate that you fall into single file to negotiate the turn, then form up again as you exit the turn.

[Drunken Monkey]

Proper staggered formation riding only applys on the straight bits.

Turns and twistys dictate that you fall into single file to negotiate the turn, then form up again as you exit the turn.

This is true, however if people are struggling to negotiate safe straight line behaviour, can you trust them in a mid-corner emergency?

[Biff]

I always ride in a staggered formation, but it's a pain in the arse when the person in front doesn't know or fails to abide by this rule. However I always choose the safest line through a corner (especially blind ones), and if this means breaking the formation then so be it. I'm a member of the self preservation society, as should we all be.

[Devil]

Proper staggered formation riding only applys on the straight bits.

Turns and twistys dictate that you fall into single file to negotiate the turn, then form up again as you exit the turn.

This is my belief also. It works.

[TonyB]

I prefer to just maintain a 2 second + gap. I find that some people just get too damn close with the staggered formation, so the guy behind you ends too close to the guy infront of you, which makes you piggy in the middle and likely to get wiped out in an emergency braking situation. I've heard of some pretty bad multiple falls happening when a group with a staggered formation has had to do a full on emergency braking manouvre.

My main gripe with it is that it will only work if no one has to swerve to avoid whatever they are braking heavily for- how often does THAT happen? So you end up with the bike that was say to your left and maybe a second ahead suddenly right infront of you, braking heavily and you've got very little time to react.

Having said that, if I'm on a ride and they ride in a staggered formation, I'll do it happily enough, but if it starts to bunch up I'll work my way to the back.

[MSTRS:Me]

I try to keep the same line when I know a biker is behind me, usually to the left. Trying to get my partner into the habit... but whenever I ride behind her she is dead bang in the centre of the lane...

Best tell her that this is the slippery bit - esp. after a shower of rain. Stay in the wheel track. The right if on your own. One each (staggered) if 2 of you.

[vifferman]

Now someone remind me - is it safer to follow in the wheeltracks of the vehicle ahead, or not? I remember reading about this with respect to junk on the road, and avoiding said junk. I know that if potentially tyre-puncturing objects are flicked up they're more likely to puncture your tyres, but the discussion I read was about larger things on the road. In the wheeltracks, the road's drier in the rain, but objects flicked up by the rear tyres are more likely to hit you. On the other hand, if the vehicle ahead swerves to avoid summat on the road (which you probably won't be able to see), you can swerve too and miss it. Whereas if you're following say the centre of a car in front, and there's an object it passes over that's between its tyre tracks, you won't see it till it appears after its passed it.

Another thing - riding to 'protect' your space on the road. If you ride to the left, the psychology of driving is that this encourages people to pass you, whereas on the right of the lane, this discourages passing and also tends to make people in front of you let you past. Yes, I know the Road COde says to keep left, but (unless it's changed) the wording is "keep as close to the left as practicable", and this means keeping your safety paramount.

[Virago]

.........if I'm on a ride and they ride in a staggered formation, I'll do it happily enough, but if it starts to bunch up I'll work my way to the back.

I reckon the back can often be the worst place to be, due to what I call "the whiplash effect".

In any procession of vehicles, minor changes in speed at the front become major changes down the line. This is due to the compounding effect of everyone's reaction time.

Commonly observed in nose-to-tail heavy traffic, where those further down the line are frustrated by the "surging" speeds, with speeding up and slowing down happening without apparent reason.

Let's say everyone's travelling in convoy at 100kmh. The lead rider spots a potential hazard and throttles off, dropping to 90kmh. Rider Two throttles off, but due to his 1 second reaction time, he has lost his 2 second buffer, and has to reduce speed to 85 kmh to correct his following distance. The same happens to Rider Three, who has to slow to 80kmh, and so on down the line.

In a sudden stop situation, it is usually the guys at the back that get into trouble. If the sudden stop for the guy out front coincides with a catch-up spurt for the guys at the back, you've got a disaster on your hands.

It's the guys on the end of the whip who feel the crack.