| The
following article was originally published in the American Thunder
Riders' Journal in
June 1994 and again in 1998. It contains the rules we should
all abide by when riding in an American Thunder group.
1. Always accept responsibility for your own safety,
and for the safety of the group.
2. Do not break laws (i.e., speeding) or do things
you would not ordinarily do (i.e. abrupt lane changes) for the sake
of staying with the group.
3. Ride in staggered formation at 3-4 second intervals. No
side-by-side riding. Always make sure the rider in front of
you can see you in his or her rear-view mirror.
4. If the staggered formation changes, due
to bikes moving in or out of the group, re-form the staggered formation
by "sliding forward" to fill the gap. Do not "cross"
the stagger to fill the opening.
5. Know your own limitations, (reaction times,
stopping distances, attention span and awareness), and do not ride
"over your head" simply to stay with the pack.
6. Be aware of the capabilities and limitations
of other riders in the group, and be prepared to compensate for
them in your own riding.
7. Always use hand or turn signals to let others
know what you are doing, especially if you're going to do something
out of the ordinary. Also, signal others if the road conditions
change. Do not assume that riders behind you see what you see.
8. Remember that group riding means following a
leader. Keeping in mind laws, safety and personal limitations,
try to stay in the same lane as the leader. Riding in another
lane when you don't have to irritates other drivers and compromises
the safety of the group.
9. Ride defensively at all times. Assume that
other vehicles are heat-seeking missiles aimed at you.
|
Leaving
the Group
If you plan to leave the group, make sure you let one of the Road
Captains know ahead of time. The best way to leave is to pull
out from the group, drop back to one of the trailing Road Captains,
and give him or her the "thumbs up" sign before departing.
Emergency Stops
Signal your intention and pull as far off the road as possible. Try
not to slow down too quickly as this could endanger riders behind
you. If you see someone else pull off, do not stop unless you
are the next rider, or you have special knowledge, skill or equipment
that can help the situation. A bunch of bikes at the side of
the road creates a dangerous hazard and distraction for traffic. The
last Road Captain will bring news of the ailing bike to the rest of the
group at the next scheduled stop.
New Riders
The best place to learn about riding in groups is at the rear of
the group. If you have a problem at the front of the group,
you might take out some other bikes, and this is not a good way
to introduce yourself to the group. Also, the trailing Road
Captain is in a better position than the group leader to look out
for you and deal with your special needs.
Showing Off
A group ride is not the place to impress the rest of us with high
speed passes, riding with no hands, standing on your seat, or doing
wheelies. These things are best left for when you're the only
one on the road. That way, when you go down, you won't take
a friend with you. |
