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The Ten Commandments of Group Riding

Arrive at a group ride ready to ride. This means with a full tank of gas, appropriate clothing for the weather, well-rested and fed, and a bike in safe operating condition. Riding is no fun if you are too hot or too cold, and your friends would rather ride than wrench on your bike or get gas for you. The ride is self-paced, ride at a speed you feel comfortable with. No one should feel pressure to keep up with anyone else. In particular, no one will object to you riding as slowly as you wish. It is natural for people to feel they need to keep up with the rider ahead, however, riding outside their limits is the main reason riders get hurt! It is not the point of this ride to have someone get hurt. Ride in a staggered formation, with a minimum of two seconds between you and the rider directly in front of you. This allows you to use the entire lane to ride in and gives you an extra margin of safety. Ride your ride, not the rider's in front of you. Make sure you keep looking down the road and through the corners, not at the bike ahead of you. Set your own pace and choose your own lines through the corners. A group of motorcycles is not considered a "single vehicle!". Be courteous and allow cars to enter/exit a highway or change lanes. Make sure you let the riders behind you know what is going on (this also applies to other hazards, as well). At least one of the riders ahead of you (if any) will wait at every point where you might make a wrong turn. Similarly, you are expected to wait at intersections and other decision points until the person behind you (if any) shows up. Plan brief stops throughout the ride to let everyone regroup, make sure everyone is present, check gas supplies, and to allow for rests. If you decide to split off from the ride, make a reasonable attempt to alert the entire group to your departure; if regrouping does not happen soon enough for you, you must let at least one other person know you are leaving. Always remember to enjoy the ride......ride with each other not against them.

“Ride your own Ride”

1. The most important is to “Ride your own Ride”. Don’t let others push you into going too fast or doing something you are not comfortable with.
2. Ride respectfully and wisely in urban areas. Noise pollution related to loud motorcycle pipes is a hot topic in the motorcycle arena. By riding wisely and going slower and using the clutch, we can bring less attention to the topic and hope it slowly fades away.
3. If another rider comes up behind you and wants to pass, as soon as it is safe, make room and let them pass. It is not worth the effort it takes to get worked up about it and besides, let them get the speeding ticket.
4. Doing wheelies down a major highway with other vehicles sharing the road is not very smart nor does it set a good example for other riders.
5. Swerving in and out quickly through slow traffic with or without turn signals is another sign you are not following the rules of motorcycle etiquette or the rules of the road. Unfortunately, the sins of one motorcycle rider are the sins of all motorcycle riders to the public.
6. A hand wave or nod is perfectly acceptable and respectable, (providing you wave with all fingers and not just one - hee hee) if you wish to acknowledge a fellow rider.
7. If riding two up, back up your bike and get it into position first, then have your passenger get on. Don’t back up with your passenger on your motorcycle because of limited visibility and stability issues.
8. Never, never, never touch or get on someone’s motorcycle that hasn’t given you permission.
9. If you smoke cigars or cigarettes tes while riding, be sure when you flick them that you aren’t flicking them at the rider behind you.
10. Don’t tailgate other riders or other vehicles. Leave yourself plenty of braking distance for unforeseen emergencies.
11. Stay out of a rider’s or vehicle’s blind spot. Make sure that they can always see you and your motorcycle.
12. Help a fellow rider in need. If you see a rider on the side of the road broke down or fallen, either call for help or if it is safe to stop, lend them a hand.
13. Mount your motorcycle on the side that is most comfortable for you. Common sense dictates that because the kickstand is on the left of the motorcycle, mounting from the that side while squeezing the front brake would be the wisest in case your leg catches, you or the motorcycle won’t be pushed over.

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