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Team/Group Riding Revisited
By Dori Dirig

Greetings, all. I hope everyone enjoyed the summer as much as we did. David and I didn’t get to go to the WingDing this year but we managed to take three weeks off from work to go to the Region Rally in Pocatello, ID and the District Rally in Bakersfield, as well as all other rides across California. Incidentally, we had several chances to ride with different chapters as well as with people from CA1F that haven’t ridden with us before on long distance rides. I ride the Back Door often when David is the Front Door, and I would like to bring up some things that I noticed this summer that I feel are important.

1. Group Size. Each group should have no more than five (5) bikes. If there are more bikes in a group, it is harder to maneuver in and out of traffic, not to mention more dangerous trying to remain a group. The cars often drive through the group if it is too large while they go around it if it is a small group. When in doubt form your groups 4 bikes at a time, allowing for last minute arrivals as you’re pulling out of the parking lot.

2. Pre-ride meeting. The pre-ride meeting is very important so that everyone in the group, not only the Front Door (FD) and Back Door (BD), knows what to expect while riding in the group. Discuss the general rules of group riding such as the roles of FD & BD, hand signals for those new and without the CB radio, and directions. This is the good time for anyone to ask questions about terms and other rules unclear to them. Identify the FD and BD of each group, and where to form up each group within the parking lot, then direct the new/no CB rider(s) to #2 position of the groups before mounting the bikes.

3. Communication. As a rule, the only people talking on the CB radio should be the FD and BD. They are constantly warning others about direction, debris, road conditions, traffic and so on. It becomes critical for them to communicate when a hazard is present, and CB chatter among the group can prevent communication just when you need it most.

4. Leading from the front. The route should be discussed in the pre ride meeting, but I noticed that it makes it safer for the group when the FD indicates that the next turn or exit from the freeway is coming up. Especially during poker runs, those who are in the middle of the groups usually do not even look at the directions. If they are not paying attention to the brake lights or turning signals in front of them, they have to brake hard to make the turns. I understand that each rider should be paying enough attention, but unfortunately that’s not the reality. The FD’s can protect everyone by announcing turns ahead of time.

5. Formation. As a general rule, we normally ride in staggered formation with approximately 2 seconds between you and the bike directly ahead of you in the same track. When the road becomes two lane, your FD or BD may direct you to ride single file. Single file does not mean that everyone has to ride in the middle of the lane. Rather, you gain the use of the full width of the lane as compared to only a single track when in staggered formation. Many people will use the entire lane without recognizing that you go to single file due to more dangerous conditions (curves, no shoulder, etc.). Most importantly, single file also means to double your following distance. Remember, the rider in front of you can cut into your track according to his/her needs.

6. Passing traffic. When the group is trying to pass the slow traffic in front of it on two-lane roads, the FD informs the group of his/her intention before executing it, so, the group members can prepare to accelerate and/or down shift if necessary. The bikes should cross into the opposing lane ONE AT A TIME. Never, ever more than one at a time regardless what other bikes in the group say. Remember, the on- coming traffic is moving toward you at about the same speed as you and the distance between you and the traffic will shorten quicker than you expect. No bike needs to stay in the opposite direction lane “to keep the lane open,” for other bikes, so to speak, because it not only puts the him /herself in danger, it also limits the vision of the rider behind you and it certainly will not prevent cars from coming at the bikes. The cars will run you over or off the road in a heart beat.

7. Emergency Situations. If/when a bike goes down, it is very important for everyone to know what to do and what NOT to do in order to avoid more accidents. The FD of the downed bike’s group should find a safe spot for the rest of the group to pull over while other groups (either ahead or behind) should keep going to find a parking lot or next exit if on a freeway to wait out of traffic within radio range in case help is needed. The BD should be the ONLY one to stay with the downed bike to make the initial assessment of the accident. Under NO circumstance, should any group members make U-turns in the middle of the traffic to ride back to the accident site. The BD takes charge at this point. The BD will assess the situation, and let the FD know if additional help is needed. Depending on the severity of the accident, medically trained group members may be needed at the accident scene. By coordinating with the FD/BD, this can be done safely and efficiently. Only then, the FD should lead the rest of the group members some place out of the traffic where they can reassemble with the other groups waiting ahead. In case of an emergency, it is critical that everyone else but the FD & BD stay off the air, but stay tuned in case of need for additional assistance. Obviously, the above suggests that your BD be at least Level 3 with first aid training. It is also extremely convenient in such a situation to have several (or at least one) cell phone in each group. Each Wing should carry an emergency medical information card (both for rider and co-rider) in the left fairing pocket. In my case (as with others), carry it in an obvious and unlocked storage compartment (no fairing pockets on my Valkyrie :-)

As you can see from the points above, we have learned some of them the hard way. My home chapter (CA1F) has at least one or two group riding seminars every year just to inform/remind the members about the concepts in group riding. Anyone from other chapters and non-GWRRA members are welcome to any of the seminars we put together for CA1F or contact us if you would like to have one of your own and not quite sure how. David carries the GWRRA group riding manual and blank medical information sheets on his bike at all times to give away whenever new people show up at our rides. All this is in the interest of getting the message of safe riding out to everyone.

There are people out there who do not want to be bothered with rider’s meetings and policies; they just want to take off and ride. That’s not necessarily wrong. However, it is our responsibility as officers to make sure those who are riding with us understand the purpose behind these safety principles and ride accordingly. Otherwise, it will endanger everyone in the group. Remember, “Friends for Fun, Safety, & Knowledge” all go in hand in hand to protect us all.

Ride Safe and COAST!
Dori Dirig