When done right, group riding offers a safer method of riding while offering more fun and enjoyment.

When I say group riding, some people may think of the movies of the bike gangs that get out on the highway and just ride all over not giving any care as to where they are on the road or where other bike are in the group. This is far from the reality of group riding.

Actually, when done right is one of the safest ways to ride. Riding as a group offers a much larger "object" in the road for motorists to see. You are less likely to have a car run up on your back, oncoming traffic turn left in front of you, or even try to lane change into you. All this because as a group, you are much larger. But there is a way to do this right.

Riding in a group is not only about being visible, but it's also about working together as a group. Weather you're a group of two or twenty, you need to communicate. So the best way to do this would be to have CB's or chatter boxes etc so that you can have bike to bike communication. Another way is to understand hand signals. Either way is fine but direct voice communication is the best.

No matter how many are in the group there should be two riders that coordinate the ride. One up front (lead) and one in back (tail). They coordinate the movements of the group and are responsible for it's overall safety. I say overall because it is the responsibility of the individuals of the group to pay attention and move as required.

The basic formation in a group ride is a staggered formation meaning that the bikes would alternate the sides of the lane that they are on. Each bike would ride 2 seconds behind the bike "directly" in front of them. This allows for proper braking distance. The bike staggered to the right or left would be one second in front.

This picture isn't in scale but I think you get the idea. You can fill in bikes between the front and rear and just continue to stagger. The bike in the rear will be on the right or the left depending on how many bikes are in the group, but the bike up front should always be in left hand portion of the lane.

It's important to talk about group size at this point. I've been in "organized" groups up to sixty bikes but this was a special case and we used eight Goldwings all on CB to control the group and traffic etc. When out on a tour and traveling in this manner I would limit the group size to no more than ten. The smaller the group, the easier to control and the farther you can travel in a day. If you have a dozen bikes all traveling to a destination I would suggest that you leave in two groups of six and that you leave fifteen to twenty minutes apart. It will be much easier to manage and more enjoyable for everyone.

As far as moving a group through traffic, it's all about communication and patience. The lead bike would let the rear bike know when a maneuver needs to be made (ie a lane change is the most common), when clear the rear bike will make the move (change lanes in this case) and will hold position in the lane. He will let the lead bike know that he has control of the lane and if the lane is clear for the rest of the group. Once the lane is clear for all motorcycles, the lead bike will communicate to the rest of the group to make the lane change and all bike will move at once. If done correctly the entire maneuver looks sweet!

That's the basics of group riding and you'll find that with practice, group riding can be second nature and a great way to enjoy your trip. Practice on short trips and when riding with friends. You'll get comfortable with it and find that moving through traffic in this manner is much safer due to the fact that you can be seen by others and you move as one just like the other vehicles.

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