Nick Tsagaris

Nothing can be compared to the ecstasy and freedom that come with a solo ride.

You can control your own speed, you can give all your attention to yourself and your ride, draw all your motivation from within, choose your route and ride the way you want.

But everything changes when you share the open road and your journey with a group of riders.

Group motorcycling requires a great deal of planning, organisation, communication and collaboration. There could be risks and challenges down the road that every rider in the group should be prepared for.

That said, given below is a list of rules and guidelines to keep your group motorcycle riding safe and fun.

You may have talked about the whole plan over the phone with the group riders, but it is still important to..

get together to discuss what will be the starting point, where you will stop, how long you will ride for, how many halts will be there, what should be the optimal pace of the ride and other crucial factors like hand signals that can ensure the safety and success of your ride.

The group sure needs a leader who will lead the group towards the destination and will keep his/her eye out for anything ahead that can interrupt the ride. Designate someone as leader who is skilled and aware of hand signals, traffic rules and have the confidence to lead the pack.

There also needs to be a tail rider who will watch out for the entire group and anyone who separates from the group during the ride or does anything that can put the rest of the group at risk.

Besides these two riders, the rest of the pack can be lined up based on their experience and skill.

It is necessary to decide on a formation before you hit the road so that everyone in the group knows how much distance they need to maintain from each other in order to facilitate hassle-free riding.

If you have a large number of riders in your team, it is advisable to form small groups of 5 or 6 with their designated front and trail riders. This way every type of rider including the beginners, slow riders, fast riders, asocial riders, troublemakers and the experienced ones would be able to ride in their own way while being in their comfort zone and without getting in the way of others.

Discuss basic rules of safety and proper riding such as check mirrors from time to time to check if the riders behind you are still there, stop when you miss someone in your own group, ride at your own pace and don’t try to go faster than you are comfortable with.

While a solo motorcycle ride is a preferable choice amongst many riders, the joy of sharing your ride with companions like you is incomparable.

Pay heed to these tips and guidelines while looking for other considerations that are not mentioned here but can contribute to a safe and pleasant group riding experience.

Nick Tsagaris is a motorsports buff with an abundance of knowledge of sports cars, motorbikes, racing and everything motor sports which he shares with people on the web through his informational blogs and articles.