Riding solo?

[Kemet]

[cowboyz]

We know you just wanna watch!

nah.. we already saw the video.........


I like riding in groups but it is better if you have 3 or 4 riders who can pace each other. I dont mind waiting for noobs. I hate picking bikes out of drains. I like the social riding.

In saying that, if I really want to get somewhere in a hurry I will go alone. Group riding and the stops can get excessive.

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

I don't mind either way, either in a group or riding solo. (But if in a group I prefer riding with people I know and have riden with before...) I don't mind riding with newbies and or others as like as if they don't act like twats on the road and around me and or my friends...

Have riden with harleys, cruisers jappas, sports, tourers, and don't give a rats what you ride.

I do tend to keep an eye on the rider behind me, and if I loose sight for a period of time I will pull up and wait to see whats up and if still no sign and get that gut feeling turn around. Even more so since Phadrus had his misshap on our way to the Kiwibiker Rally at the Staging Post last year, and BotB early last year... in both cases they were behind me (and with Botb she was 2 or 3 bikes behind me and noticed she was MIA...)

So I would hope that the rider in front of me is keeping an eye on whats happen behind as well, just in case I have a off... (most of the time now I usually ride as TEC)

[ital916]

Good points. I second the "it sucks when there is a tosser in the group" point, group riding is fun unitl then. Riding beyond ability sucks harder that a pornstar, like a mate said once, lock your ego in a box. Getting some solo miles under my belt though would be sweet.

[Swoop]

There is a category missing between the first two choices.

[hXc]

Solo is good, but it can get lonely. I prefer small groups of 2-6 or so.
There are two or three riders in the Hawkes Bay that I 'click' with. You know, ride the same lines and same speeds, stop at the same places etc. It's great when you have this 'chemistry' together which just happens.

[banditrider]

Just like riding the bike fullstop. After years of riding solo or with just 1 or 2 mates (yep, that's all of 'em) it's been nice to go for quite a few rides with decent sized groups. Like others have said, you just have to have the right attitude - everyone's got a different pace so the group must make everyone's ride enjoyable. Also, everyone has to get home in one piece (bikes included).

[Hitcher]

A large percentage of the "offs" and worse reported on this site relate to group outings. While it is customary to slag off cagers, bikers are not averse to mercilessly taking out themselves and others, as the occasion demands. Be careful out there.

[McJim]

I don't mind if it's just a few people but big groups are a pain in the arse.

Meeting lots of other folk on bikes is great but it's better when you're all stationary rather than one big group on the tarmac at 100kph.

[PrincessBandit]

Most of my riding has been done on my own, and only recently have i had the opportunity to ride with a small group (no more than 4). As a relative noob myself I have been very appreciative of these more experienced riders who have encouraged me, not made me feel like i have to outride my ability, and who have made me feel part of the group not just a "hanger-on". I think i'd avoid large group rides for a while yet.

[DingoZ]

I ride to work and back by myself. And I find this is a good thing, as I can practice things on the way to work and if needed repeat them on the way home.

I like riding with a group however, on the weekend rides, and the Wednesday Night rides.. Purely to garner as much info, advice as possible. As the social side of grp riding is phenomenal...

Everyone of the rides I have been on so far, no KNOBS, and everyone has been looking out for everyone else..

So I guess attitude is important if you are a riding with a grp, as it is more responsibility, cause youre actions don't just impact on yourself. I think attitude is a skill, and it should be encouraged as much as possible...

I was offered the advice of "Ride your own Ride" on the very first TCWNR I went on, and it is something that I stick with all the time. I don't try to keep up with the guy in front, I go to my own pace, and that keeps me safe, as well as keeping the person behind me safe, cause I am not in front of them riding outside my capabilities, putting them in jeopordy if I have an off..

Just another point of view I guess....

Ride Safe - Keep Safe

[Hitcher]

And in the 150,000+ km I've motorcycled over the past five years, only a very few thousand have not been completed in the company of the Most Excellent and Splendidly Spiffing Mrs H. Her Bandit, by the way, has completed 24,000km since April...

[skelstar]

I like to ride with people who think they are gods of motorcycling... well a wee way back from them. Good to ride with blardy good mates too.

Enjoy riding with my g/f too.

[LoC]

Well
Methinks the law is a little more forgiving when we ride in groups not too big not too little!

[sunhuntin]

i prefer to ride solo for the most part. it does get lonely, talking only to shop keepers and accomodation owners. however, i do find it good to regroup, and let my brain unwind somewhat. plus i do like to stop for photos, and sometimes ill stop every k or so for an entire day. at times, i will pull over at all the rest stops for pics.

group rides of a large number i reserve for charity and protest rides. pairs and such are whenever they pop up. two weeks back i went out as half a pair, and on the return trip we picked up a 3rd and rode with him for a few k. for large groups, i hang towards the back, usually a bike or two ahead of TEC. i dont mind riding with noobs... i think the taupo and wellington CC rides, i "babysat" one each time. good fun.