[Pale Roadster]

I was thinking about the guys I know that love group rides. The ones that give me a hard time for not going on them. They all ride harleys, and outside of a handful of group rides each summer they mostly spend more time explaining why they don't ride than actually riding. In fact many of them go to Laconia bike week, about an hour and a half away, with bikes in trailers or on their truck. So inspite of many of them having 30, 40 or more years of "experience" riding I don't feel like I have a lot to learn from them. One of them, in his sixties now, has a maybe 15yo harley with maybe 30K ish miles, and factory original front brakes. If they don't mold I suspect they will be a lifetime service item.

I would definitely take a chance to learn from Jerry Palladino, but, buying the same bike he rides doesn't make these guys ride like him.

 

[Mercurysilver]

What an anti-social crowd! I fit right in

Finally , a place I can call "home" !

 

[Breacher]

No group rides for me either. One or two friends on occasion. I like riding at my pace, going where I want to go. Dont see the appeal. You never see superman traveling in a pack do ya! 😶

 

[RC65]

Of the half-dozen or so group rides I've gone on, all but one have had some sort of incident that interrupted the ride.

On one ride, one rider had a GoPro (or similar) fall off his helmet and another had his license plate fall off, causing the ride to halt while they went back to look for their lost item. On another, a rider ran off the edge of the pavement to join the rest of us on break in a gravel area, and hit dumped his bike. On another, the leader let the group break up at stoplights into too many segments and several riders were left behind...no idea where the sweep was. On another, the leader got a bit lost, and the entire dozen-plus rider ride had to turn around on a one-lane road, and one guy dumped his bike. The last one was the final straw for me.

I was hoping they'd be more like the annual model-centric (Triumph Thunderbird 1600/1700) rides I led in my NW region for four years -- that is, planned, structured and safe, and without incident...save for one of the four, where a rider took a turn too hot and he and his wife rode off in the ditch, breaking his clutch...even as careful as one can be in planning, there's no predicting rider inattention and fault.

Long and short: I'm done with group rides, and have been for years...I'm not even sure why I stuck with them for as long as I did, since for the most part I found the pace too conservative (wisely so, though, given the skill level I saw on some), and the constant worry about the other riders around me -- keeping a safe and consistent interval between bikes, stacking up at lights and/or worrying about a signal change amid the riders, watching the guy in back of me in corners to make sure he wasn't creeping in to close, etc. -- was exhausting and diminished the whole point of riding, the joy and relaxation.

 

[Panzermann]

Further to my earlier response, I forgot about a very infrequent ride with the Ducati Owners Club of SA, when I happen to be over there on a weekend that coincides. I’ve had a long association with the club and they seem to be pretty good riders and have a good corner market/Tail End Charlie model - you just have to expect Diavel Daz to blast past at any time as he makes his way from the back of the field after being corner marker. Nice to be amongst a rumbling group of desmos on some great roads in the Adelaide Hills.

 

[Long Ranger]

The biggest risk I've seen is where the leader is intent on violating speed limits. He’ll overtake traffic and those behind him will blindly follow, assuming it’s safe to pass too. You can imagine the consequences — the group fragments, or worse.

 

[doc dogg]

I've been on some great smaller group rides (5-10 riders) that were well organised and allowed the slower riders (i.e., me) to catch up at pre-designated spots. There was never any pressure to ride faster than you should, every one kept a safe distance between the front and rear riders and the focus was on enjoying the ride as a group. We all had a good meal and a chat at the end and then made our way back to the starting point before going our separate ways once everyone returned. I'd happily ride with any of those people.

Unfortunately, I've also experienced the same sort of shenanigans that everyone before me has mentioned. It wasn't uncommon to turn up to a ride and lose the group in the first 10 minutes and then have to make your way by yourself to the destination (or in a group of 2-3 new/slower riders). Someone always come off on those rides and by the time I made it to the destination for a feed, most of the group had eaten and were looking to leave. The only positive was that I found some common souls suitable for the aforementioned smaller group rides

I've been on a few charity rides as well, but the pace was slow and they were very well organised. They weren't about the ride though.

The only larger group ride I enjoyed was put on by a bunch of older riders. The pace was faster than I normally enjoyed, but somehow the group moved fluidly and kept together the whole way. I was passed by an old lady on a Honda Silverwing scooter doing well past the speed limit which was a bit novel.

 

[Jack the Lad]

No group rides for me either, at least not more than 2 or at most 3 friends, but ideally me and one other rider.

Just call us the Buffett Racers Association of Southern Louisiana...

JtL

 

[r0ckrat]

6 max in a group here, and only if I know/trust more than half the group. There are a couple of friends I go with if I want to go fast, and another couple of friends if I want to cruise...

 

[enp]

Just curious, am I the only one with zero interest in group rides? I might go out with one or two friends, but you won't see me on poker runs, charity rides or any kind of organized trips.

I've considered one of those euro tours where you fly in, ride their bike in a group for a week and fly home only because having a local familiar guide, that probably speaks the language seems like a good idea having never been to Europe at all.

So am I the only anti social one with no interest in strangers of unknown capabilities following close behind me when a car turns in front of me and the other delights of group riding?

Not the only one by a long ways. I've watched way too many get hurt, I've almost been hurt myself, and I've been completely bored traveling with an HD group at 55mph, side by side. I'll ride with one or two people or alone, thank you.

 

[kgdavo]

Pale Roadster, If you go to Europe, generally speaking, you can find people who speak English. Some places it is easier to find someone than others, but everybody understands the Euro. My wife and I spent three months there and always found someone in tourist information centres could speak English. I say go for the ride, you should have the time of your life. (For some reason, everyone loves an Aussie.)
I too, don't like riding in groups. I am happy by myself or with one other like minded person, for the same reasons others mentioned.
In saying that, my brother and I are planning to go on a trip through the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales in March, of course, this depends on Covid, as he lives in Queensland.

 

[ralphmccomb]

Just curious, am I the only one with zero interest in group rides? I might go out with one or two friends, but you won't see me on poker runs, charity rides or any kind of organized trips.

I've considered one of those euro tours where you fly in, ride their bike in a group for a week and fly home only because having a local familiar guide, that probably speaks the language seems like a good idea having never been to Europe at all.

So am I the only anti social one with no interest in strangers of unknown capabilities following close behind me when a car turns in front of me and the other delights of group riding?

I'm of the same mind when it comes to group rides. One other friend with similar capability is my max.

 

[cheekybeamer1250]

Strange to come across this, its a bit reassuring for me to find out I'm not on my own on this subject.
In all of my 45 years of riding I have never enjoyed group riding, I'm quite happy to just ride on my own, or with up to 2 or 3 riders I've known for years.
On the ones I have attended, just like mentioned before, nearly every one of them as ended with an incidents of some sort, breakdown through lack of basic maintenance, something falling off, waiting, or looking round for lost people, and in some cases crashes.
Not for me.
On the odd occasion I do attend a weekend meeting, and to be honest there are some good ones, I don't ride with them, I just have the crac with them at night at the camp site, guest house, or whatever we stay in, that way I get to meet the lads, have a laugh, put faces to names, but don't have to ride with them.

 

[Alfa13]

I'm of the same mind when it comes to group rides. One other friend with similar capability is my max.

No group rides for me either. Too many egos with group rides.
Give me solo or with a max of one or two mates.
I love solo long distance riding (Iron Butt) and the satisfaction of completing the ride by yourself.

 

[scjcn]

Finally , a place I can call "home" !

Yep, same here, happiest by myself. I’ve done a couple of large charity rides (Pink Ribbon notably for those in Sydney) which are very well organised and while it’s a novel experience to ride with hundreds of others, I don’t stick around for the lunch and festivities afterwards. Best days are on my own, at my own place, and wherever and whichever way I feel I like going at the time. 😊

 

[FidalgoRob]

It seems that the key takeaway from this thread is that R12R riders were well-positioned for the COVID era.

 

[dbyker]

One group ride I did participate in twice and found supremely cool was "Rolling Thunder" in Washington DC. This annual ride recognized military and veterans and remembered prisoners of war and those missing in action. It ran from 1988 to 2019, and attracted as many as half a million riders. It started in the Pentagon parking lot and wound its way slowly through downtown DC to arrive at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial. Riders typically rode four abreast and took several hours to clear any given point along the route. Thousands of supporters and spectators lined the route cheering, waving flags and holding their hands out for a slap from the riders. Riders parked where they wanted at the end and chatted, explored the monuments, listened to speeches, got a bite and picked up some badges, patches & t-shirts. It was a very unique and moving "group ride", almost a sensory overload of motorcycles, riders, spectators, sights and sounds.

Cheers, Dave

 

[jusbill]

I've considered one of those euro tours where you fly in, ride their bike in a group for a week and fly home only because having a local familiar guide, that probably speaks the language seems like a good idea having never been to Europe at all.

If one is serious about touring Europe and not riding in a group, Beach Tours is certainly an answer. I've toured all over Eastern and Western Europe, the Alps, Carpathians, Pyrenees and always by myself with Rob and Gretchen Beach. With Beach Tours, you're free to ride alone, with a partner(s) or in a group. I've always chosen to ride alone. The only time I see my fellow tour members is at dinner and breakfast at the assigned hotel.

Beach provides you with a programmed GPS with several routes from the original hotel to each consecutive hotel for the entire, generally 7-14 or the occasional 21 day trip. There is usually a long route, an intermediate one, and a short one for those who want to loll around. You're also free to create and ride your own route. Their only request, if you're riding alone, is to call them if you're going to be late to dinner that night.

I have never found language to be a barrier - many, many locals, especially the young, speak English or can point you to someone who can if a problem arises. If you encounter a situation where English is not spoken, a smile and hand signals generally works wonders.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

I don't much like group rides, much prefer to ride alone. I can ride at my own pace, go where I want and don't have to keep an eye out for somebody else. In a group there is always, always an arse who thinks he can ride harder and faster than anyone else and want to show off, fine but do it without me.

My experience is there is always an arse who rides slower than everyone else, with no maps or GPS ("I'll just follow you") and if you are stuck watching at every turn for the arse's headlight, ascertaining that they see you turning, while the rest of the group rides on...well it is NO FUN AT ALL. Screw that.

 

[mjgt]

I have done a few group rides with the IAM (when I was an instructor/observer) and the group leader leaves the second rider at any junctions or turn offs to signal to everyone else where the group has gone, they just follow behind the last rider. There is also usually a tail end Charlie as well who knows the route to make sure no one is lost and at each junction the road marker just slots in front of him/her. On a long run everyone gets a go at stopping so the group all arrive at the destination.