SAFETY FIRST

Group RidingBy Chaplain Skip Straus, NREMT-P, BCCCMinistry Team Leader- Riders On The EDGE (www.werote.org) 

Greetings in Christ Jesus! Our SAFETY BIT for this month is on “group riding skills.”

One of the things that sparked a personal interest in Fellowship Riders was its’ commitment to safety. Read the mission statement:

“Our mission is to share the love of Christian fellowship, motorcycles and the local church through safety, excellence and service. We work with and through the local church to provide opportunities for Christian fellowship through frequent, safe, and well-organized group motorcycle rides.”

Group riding can be one of the best experiences you have ever had. I hope and pray that each of you have linked arms with a Fellowship Rider affiliate that encourages group and practices SAFE group rides.

It doesn’t matter if you have had twenty years of riding experience; you still need to learn how to ride safely within a group.

Getting to the meeting point on time is essential to the start of a great group ride. Plan on arriving at least thirty minutes prior to the scheduled departure time (sometimes known as “kick stands up” time). You should:

-         Be well-rested

-         Have your fuel tank full

-         Have your stomach full

-         Have your bladder empty

When you arrive, get with your group leader for the ride. This might be the ride “host” or a ride “captain” or other leader. The leader might ask you about your group riding experience. If you are new to group riding, tell them! You will more than likely be place in the “number two” riding position, right behind the leader.

Make sure you know where you are going before you leave. The leader will brief the group on the proposed route (and may even have maps or written directions).

            One of the basics of group riding is learning that we ride, typically, in groups of five or six bikes. So, if twenty bikes show up for a particular ride, the main group would be divided up into four groups of five bikes each. Each group should have a designated “Lead Bike” and “Sweeper” (see Leader/Sweeper section below).

 The lead bike of each group should run in the left “track” of the lane, with the second bike riding in the right “track” and so forth. There should be a minimum of a one-second interval between the first and second bike and a minimum of a two-second interval between the bikes in each track (see diagram).

- Image from Motorcycle Safety Foundation

Keep in mind that as your speed increases, your distance should increase accordingly. For instance, the two-second interval at 30 miles per hour is vastly different. In fact, at 60 miles per hour, the two-second interval should be about the length of an 18-wheeler!

The leader of each group is sometimes called the “Road Captain” or simply “Lead Bike.” We have already briefly discussed this person’s role. The leader should be an experienced rider who has, at the minimum, completed a MSF-approved “Experienced Rider’s Course” or the like. Ideally, the person will also have completed a formal Group Riding Skills Course, such as MSF or the one that Harley Owner’s Group offers.

The last biker in the group is called the “Sweeper” or the “Tail gunner.” This person should be just as qualified as the leader. This position has the added responsibility of pulling off to assist any biker in the group who has an accident, a mechanical problem or who turns off from the main group.

In the “ideal” safety situation for group rides, the lead and the sweep bikes would have a CB radio.

            The MSF has come up with a list of “standardized” hand signals for group riding that will help insure everyone’s safety during a ride. Here are a few of the more commonly used ones: