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Remember:
These notes do not override the law or any provision of the Highway
Code.
You are at all times in control of your bike. You should ride safely
and sensibly, irrespective of anything in these notes or any
instructions and advice from road crew and others. You are
ultimately responsible for your own safety.
Always keep a safe distance from others and ride within your
abilities. Never ride faster than a speed you are
comfortable with just to keep up.
If you find you have a problem, stop safely. |
Group riding
Group riding is a social activity. It is
not difficult but it is a bit different from riding on your own. We want all
our members to enjoy riding with us and to be safe doing so. Remember that all
Chapters do some things differently so if you are new to Lindum Colonia, please
take a few minutes to read this through.
These notes deal with:
Meeting up
Road crew
Pre-ride
briefing
Staggered
formation
The two
second rule
Second man
drop-off
Buddy system
The no
overtaking rule - the snake
Overtaking on dual
carriageways
Signals
Horses
Other pointers
And finally ...
The departure point will have been
advertised on the Chapter website and forum for some time before the rideout.
Check it out and print it and bring it with you if you want to.
Meeting is up to half an hour before the
advertised departure time. Please try and avoid turning up with only a minute
to spare, missing the briefing and possibly delaying the departure.
Always arrive with a full tank and ready to
roll.
Each ride-out will have a Lead Road Captain
(orange vest, yellow sleeves), a Tail End Charlie (orange vest, yellow sleeves)
and a Sweeper (sleeved yellow jacket). The Lead Road Captain always rides at
the front. The Sweeper always rides last and Tail End Charlie rides in front of
the Sweeper.
As the last rider it is the Sweeper’s job
to stop and assist anyone who has to drop out of the ride for whatever reason.
No one should ever be left stranded! If you do have to stop, do so in a safe
place and then you must remember to flag down the Sweeper – otherwise he may not
know you are part of the ride and you could well get left behind!
The Lead Road Captain has overall
responsibility for the ride and will give a short briefing before the start.
There will have been detailed information
about the ride on the Chapter website and in the forum for some time before the
ride. You should have read this. You might also have printed it out – your
choice. The Lead Road Captain will introduce himself, Tail End Charlie and the
Sweeper, provide you a reminder of what has been advertised plus any other
relevant information and give a short safety briefing
If you are new to the Chapter we suggest
that you get to the departure point well before the ride is due to leave. Make
yourself known to the Lead Road Captain and get to know some of the members. In
particular if you are at all concerned about the second man drop off procedure
(see below) please say so.
On straight open sections of road, riders
should aim to ride in a staggered formation (see picture).
The first rider in the group is the Lead
Road Captain. He will ride in whatever position in his lane he thinks is best.
The second rider in the group, the second
man, should ride on the left side of the lane. This is so that, when he is
dropped off (see second man drop off below) he does not have to cross the path
of the third rider in the group.
The third rider then takes up a position on
the right side of the lane and so on. This allows the Lead Road Captain to have
a good view to the rear.
Tail End Charlie should ride in a central
position, so that he and the Lead Road Captain can see each other along the
central gully between the other riders in the column.
It is not always possible or safe to travel
in a staggered formation, e.g. on narrow roads, when adopting the correct line
for a bend, or when part of the lane surfacing is in poor condition. In these
cases riders should move into single file and increase the distance from the
rider immediately in front to two seconds (more in adverse conditions).
Sometimes the Lead Road Captain will signal for single file. Often, however, the
group will know instinctively that single file riding is required and adopt it
accordingly.
When the group stops at traffic lights,
junctions etc., riders should close up side by side (unless this is not possible
or safe) so that the group occupies the minimum length of road. This is
especially beneficial in built-up areas in getting as many Harleys through a
junction or traffic light sequence in as short an interval of time as possible.
When the group moves off, the bikes start moving in the order they were in
before the group stopped. Never ride two abreast.
Group riding is not a reason to abandon
your usual observation techniques. Always be alert for hazards. In particular,
when in staggered formation:-
-
If in the left hand column, do not
forget to watch out for things like drivers pulling out without looking,
doors on parked cars opening, children (and people generally)
-
If in the right hand column, do not
ride so far to the right that your bike goes over the white line (remember
your highway pegs) and consider every oncoming vehicle as a hazard.
Never forget the old saying that the only
reason the man in the tin can is out on the road today is to kill YOU.
This is absolutely fundamental to the
safety of the rideout.
In staggered riding, as a guide you should
be:
-
At least two seconds behind the rider
directly in front of you (i.e. on your side of the lane); and
-
At least one second behind the rider
diagonally in front of you (i.e. on the other side of the lane).
When the group is riding in single file,
you should be at least two seconds behind the rider in front of you.
It takes about two seconds to say:
Only a fool breaks the
two second rule
so it is easy to work out if you are too
close to the bike in front.
These suggestions are the minimum. If you
are a new rider, allow a bit more space. Also, you should allow extra space
when conditions require, for example on wet roads or poor road surfaces. In wet
weather it is sensible to allow double the space (i.e. at least four seconds
instead of two). Your judgment is paramount on this and you should never ride
too close to the bikes in front of you.
You will not always be able to see the Lead
Road Captain and we use the second man drop off procedure at turn-offs or in
other places where it is necessary to indicate the correct route to following
riders. The procedure involves one rider stopping in a safe position and
pointing out the route to the rest of the group.
As a general rule when you get to a
junction or a roundabout, you should assume that if there is no drop off the
route is straight on.
At a drop off point, the Lead Road Captain
will raise his arm upwards and then point to the area for the second man to
stop. This area is a guide, and it is up to the person being dropped off to
ensure they stop in a safe and legal place.
Be aware that the edges of the carriageway
can be quite slippery - even on the tarmac surface. A residue of sticky muck
often builds up and can form a lethal cocktail. This seems a particular hazard
on trunk roads, including dual carriageways, which are not regularly cleaned. On
minor roads, the edge of the road can call away steeply to your left, so check
before you put your foot down.
Having stopped safely, the second man will
then indicate the direction to go for the rest of the group, remaining in
position until Tail End Charlie and the Sweeper appear.
If it is safe to do so, Tail End Charlie
and the Sweeper will normally slow and allow the second man to re-join the group
in front of them. However, this is not always safe. In this situation, the
second man should follow the normal rule that moving traffic (i.e. Tail End
Charlie and the Sweeper) has the right of way over a stationary vehicle.
THE SECOND MAN MUST NOT PULL OUT IN FRONT OF TAIL END
CHARLIE AND THE SWEEPER UNLESS THEY ARE CLEARLY GIVING WAY TO ENABLE HIM TO DO
SO. He should only move off when it is safe and then catch up when
conditions permit. Tail End Charlie and the Sweeper will normally slow down to
make overtaking easier.
When you are dropped off:
-
NEVER leave before you
see Tail End Charlie
-
Keep your engine
running so that you are ready to move off
-
Remember that that
there may be new riders between Tail End Charlie and the Sweeper.
Back at the front of the group the original
third rider has now become second man and moves to the left of the carriageway.
Everyone else will then readjust their road position, working backwards from the
front. Remember the two-second rule and maintain a safe distance.
New riders who wish to avoid doing second
man drop off should tell the Lead Road Captain who will arrange for them to ride
between Tail End Charlie and the Sweeper. Some people feel anxious about second
man drop off but there really is not much to it.
The buddy system is the way we keep the
rideout together. No-one likes it if the rideout gets split up and if everyone
follows the buddy system it should not happen.
You should treat the rider closest behind
you as your buddy. Try to keep him/her in sight at all times. If you lose your
buddy or he is a long way back, slow down to let him catch you. By doing this,
you start to fall behind the rider in front of you, who should then also start
to slow down as you are his buddy. This will then progress up to the Lead Road
Captain who will slow or even stop to allow the whole group to catch up.
Once you see your buddy closing up to you,
you can speed up again, with the process continuing, once more, to the Lead Road
Captain.
Group riding is a social activity.
There is no overtaking of other members within the group.
However, if the group gets split then overtaking of other vehicles is perfectly
acceptable when it is safe and legal to do so.
This section applies when the group where
there are two or more lanes in the direction of travel. Normally the group
would then be in staggered formation.
If the Lead Road Captain decides to pass a
slower vehicle he will move into the lane to his right, pass the slower vehicle
and normally pull back into the left hand lane. He should then maintain
overtaking speed until all riders have overtaken. The riders behind will see
this. The correct procedure is that as each rider approaches the slower
vehicle, he will move out to the right to pass and then pull back in if the Lead
Road Captain has pulled in. Overtaking speed should be maintained until all
riders have completed the overtaking manoeuvre.
What should not happen is for the whole
group to pull out to the right as soon as they see the Lead Road Captain pull
out. All this does is Irritate other drivers and encourage them to overtake us
on the left hand side and then cut in to the right.
To put it another way, we pass the slower
vehicle a bit like a snake slithering round an obstacle. It is quite elegant
when done well.
There are various special signals which are
occasionally used in group riding, in addition to the normal use of indicators,
brake lights etc. These are optional but you should be aware of them. You can
see animated examples of these at the
Hand
signals page on the Chapter website. As this is in the Members Area you
will need your username and password.
We mainly ride in rural areas and horses
can be easily frightened by motorcycles. Good practice when horses are on the
road is to roll off the throttle, reduce speed and coast past. However do not
stop your engine because re-starting it while moving can be dangerous.
-
On a rideout all traffic laws apply,
and that includes speed limits.
-
Although you are riding in a group, you
must maintain your concentration as if you were riding alone, following your
normal techniques to ensure you and your colleagues arrive safely.
-
Please ride with just a single
headlight on. This helps the Lead Road Captain see back down the ride.
-
Make sure your bike is roadworthy,
taxed and insured. Wear the right gear for the conditions.
-
Alcohol is actively discouraged on
Lindum Colonia rideouts and if you are under the influence you will be asked
to leave the ride for the safety of other members.
-
A rideout is not the time to bring an
inexperienced passenger or carry a pillion yourself for the first time.
-
If you are planning to leave the return
ride before the official finishing point, please let the Lead Road Captain
or Tail End Charlie know before departure.
If you are new to H.O.G. or riding in a
large group all of this might seem a bit daunting. However, read it through a
couple of times and see it operating on a ride-out or two. You will soon get
the hang of it so that it becomes second nature.
We hope you will find these guidelines
helpful, but if you do have a difficulty, please remember that the answer to any
problem is only a question away – “What is ...?” / “How do I ...?” If you need
to ask something, please do.
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