Do you ride with a group?

For years and years I rode on my own. I like to just wander and turn when a road looks interesting.
About three years ago I looked into a few groups. I found this one in Richmond, IN called SOS~ Seniors On Scooters. We meet every Thursday morning at Carver's restaurant near the intersection of Rt 27 and Interstate 70. If the weather is nice then some of us take off for a ride. We have about 25 who come to breakfast and 8-12 take off for the ride.
I've learned a lot from the guys about safety, maintenance and just riding in a group. They have become great friends and I enjoy their company so much.
Do most of you ride on your own or with a group?

Coralee,

I ride a lot by myself but we have group rides every month that are about 300-400 miles and takes most of the day. Sometimes I just like to ride by myself so I can take any road I want and also just to mellow out from work and things. A few of us in our group plan to do the Saddle Sore ride this summer. That is the 1,000 mile ride that you must document. Sounds like you are having fun too.

I think with groups it really depends on the make up of the group. My group is older so I find myself really watching them and being careful who I ride next to. I think our group really rides safely.

Here in the Atlanta area there seem to be dozens of riding groups from 50cc scooters to 1500cc motorcycles, from 17 to 85yrs old (that I have met). One group I joined last year have safety meetings and practice manouvers in an empty parking lot once a month. I prefer slower speeds on back roads versus the 85mph highway But mixing it up is fun also; meaning, rolling with a Vespa club one day and a motorcycle club the next...talk about a variety of personalities/experiences ...just got a TomTom and look forward to exploring on the Mountain roads this spring.

Ride Safe
Mel

We do ride with groups, just not as a regular kind of thing. Unless of course you count 2 as a group, we generally ride together if going for a ride that is not a commute to work.

We take an annual ride with a couple of SilverWing riders from Atlanta.

We ride with the Patriot Guard Riders.

We ride with the North Alabama Scooter Riders.

We ride with groups whenever we attend a rally or organized ride.

Riding with groups is not always easy and if you're not the lead it really requires a mind set that is focused on safety. We've ridden in a group that was more than 400 bikes long and travelled more than 150 miles as a group. I guess I prefer to ride with a group that is less than 10 bikes as it is not as stressful. My real preference is 5 bikes max. I led a flight (section of bikes) that was part of a large group ride and it was really sort of nerve racking - keeping the flight together and safe.

I agree big groups are just hard to handle. When I started leading last year I rode the ride I had planned first just to check for any dangerous areas. I find myself checking all the time where everyone is and making sure we are staying together and safety is number one.

I ride with the American Legion Riders. Also, ride with our church group.

I ride with the local chapter of "The Salvation Army Brass Band Ensemble" and "The Morris Men Giggerty Ankle Bell Troupe" , they mainly ride Brough Superiors , Greysons , Griffters and a coulple of Penny Farthings.

I used to ride with a group called "Dry Riders". And as the name implies there's no alcohol drinking while on a ride. They don't care if you drink at home or wherever else just not with the group.

It was a fun group until the president of our chapter turned into a sort of dictator. He tried to boss everybody around and just turned into a little Hitler. So, we all got together one night and left the chapter and club and went our separate ways. Some of us still stay in touch but most have moved to other states so we don't see each other anymore. But it was fun while it lasted.

I see y'all jawing on a purdy 'ole bone from 2009 here.

As someone has dug up this 13 year old topic and I'm having a coffee before I go check some tyre pressures, I'll play along.

I've gone on group rides in the past on both motorcycles and maxi scooters when they were a normal part of rallies, camping weekends, and group tours. I have to say however efficiently they're organised, riding in a procession has never really appealed to me.

I’ve ridden in groups over the years, in twos and threes. And more but find that when on these group rides as good as they often are,I get that feeling wow that left turn looks interesting/or not and if I am on my own off I go.I was a member of a forum with my Goldwing Trike and we often met up for rideouts etc.Sadly after quite a few years it gradually broke up and the inevitable end.Saying that, you always meet and make friends on group rides.I agree with Meldew. Riding in procession isn’t for me unless it’s a rally or such/protest lol. Riding a bike or scoot is fun whether in groups or solo

I ride with the American Legion Riders (small group) and with some friends from church usually 3-4. My son and his friend sometimes get to ride together with me. The larger the group, the less I enjoy it. Too much stress for me, rode with a huge Legion Rider group in Phoenix a few years ago (over 250 bikes IN TOWN. It was for a "toy drive for kids" a noteworthy endeavor but the ride was NOT fun. Interestingly enough my longest trips and most enjoyable are ones I have taken SOLO!

I enjoyed riding in groups up to 26 with the X9OC and with the bigger Easter-Egg- and RTTW - type runs but those days are gone.
My outings with Steve (leading) and Chris from another maxi-forum have been highlights of my time up in the North-East. They are both far more experienced riders; I tag along at the back.
On these occasions, three's company.

GHM-PM wrote:

Interestingly enough my longest trips and most enjoyable are ones I have taken SOLO!

Me too, I get to go where I want in my own time and pace. Stop at anywhere that interests me, and eat at places that serve food l like. In fact I've been working my way through a list of a specific type of eatery in my region for the last few months and I'm enjoying riding there as much as eating.

Then there's the advantages of booking ferries, cabins, and hotel accommodation that isn't based on budget alone and doesn't involve sharing with another snorer and farter, or someone I barely know.

Apart from the few years when Mrs M joined me, I like riding alone and if that gives the impression of being Billy no mates, that's fine with me.

I used to ride on occasion with a group in Oregon called the 'Vesparados' (mainly because the local Vespa shop owner organized it - and most of the scoots were Vespas - except for mine [Honda Helix back then]). I used to always take up the rear of the group. I guess I'm more of a cowboy than a shepherd. Drive the herd, not lead the flock... Now I mostly like to ride by myself. The problem is that I live in the plains of Colorado now where all the roads are long and straight and boring. I make it up to the mountains once in a while. Great riding weather in Colorado compared to Oregon, but the roads in Oregon were so much more fun (funner?).

I enjoy rides with small groups of 2 or 3 people (Hi Mike) best, with plenty of cafe stops - it's a social obligation to maintain the economy.
I've been on plenty of bigger group rides of 10 to 20 people. If I'm leading it I find have to plan the route carefully to avoid too many junctions and traffic or I get stressed out about keeping everyone together.
I've been on long distance rides where the tour guide has used the drop-off system which works very well provided everyone is mature enough to do their bit. It's a good way of getting a lot of people A to B but it is a bit restricting.
I enjoy riding on my own to meet up with a folks somewhere distant. I like isolation of the ride because I'm an introvert, and like to have a bunch to socialise with when I get there because I'm gregarious.
About the only thing I won't do any more is the cruiser ride thing of many bikes - the world isn't meant to go that slow - although it did give me a record 74mpg on my Yamaha XT1200Z over a 20 mile distance. That was a boring ride

steve_h80 wrote:

I enjoy riding on my own to meet up with a folks somewhere distant. I like isolation of the ride because I'm an introvert, and like to have a bunch to socialise with when I get there because I'm gregarious.

Yes: when I first joined the X9OC, which was centred in London, a group of us met almost every Saturday at the Ace Cafe for breakfast. For me it was just a 20 minute solo ride enjoyable nevertheless.
Then later, when I'd moved to Salisbury, a group of us, friends made through the afor-mentioned club, met mid-week at the station cafe in Alton, for GOGs Breakfast (Grumpy Old Gits) from time to time; it was more Brunch/Lunch. My solo ride there was an hour or so.
Riding to the rendezvous is as much part of the whole as arriving and meeting.
I miss these occasions as much as the other kinds of rides themselves.

We enjoy all kinds of riding ... from solo ... to just the two of us ... to small groups (up to say a dozen riders). Huge procession riding, like you might have during a charity run like "Ride for Dad" (prostate cancer fundraiser) is about as interesting and fun as grid lock. But they are relatively safe.

We've been members of the Southern Cruisers Riding Club (SCRC) since 2009.  Chapters are located worldwide and are primarily geared towards cruiser style motorcycles but welcome all bikes as long as they are capable of highway speeds (say 110kph/70mph). That usually eliminates the majority of slower urban and serious dirt trail machines. Having said that, most rides never go near the super slabs and are traversed on secondary, country side, 2 lane roads.  

To ride with a SCRC pack, you need to accept and demonstrate their non-negotiable group riding rules such as using hand signals, staggered pack formation and spacing, absolutely no alcohol or drugs before or during a ride, respect for self and others and their machines etc. A love of ice cream is not mandatory but seems to be a shared passion ... hence our regular Friday night ice cream rides.

Each ride, long or short, is planned, organized and led by a seasoned and approved Road Captain and accompanied by a Winger (2nd in formation) and Tail Gunner/Sweep (last in the pack). They all have their responsibilities to perform.  The club is all about safety, riding, family and fun.  Note it is a "riding club" .... not a "motorcycle club" which is entirely different. If you don't know the difference ... you should.  

Although supporting charities is not a requirement, we just held our annual Christmas dinner and ended up donating many dozens of toys to the Salvation Army to distribute to needy families.  We also support our regional Ride For Dad run and hold our own ride to raise money to support the cost  of raising and preparing service dogs for active duty once they're ready.

To be candid, it took a few outings to be completely embraced by the Club but once they observed our maxi-scoots were quite capable machines and our riding know-how was at least equal to the most seasoned riders, assimilation came easy.

Been on two Rolling Thunder rides to Wash., DC, about 100 miles from my home in PA. Great event and experience. But on one of the RT rides approaching DC, I had to maintain 80 mph just to stay with the group. Not for me. Group rides are interesting and fun, but when the last rider peels away from the group or when I peel away from the group, I get a feeling of freedom that is restorative only to the solo rider. It's apples and oranges. If you are the leader in a group, you suffer the anxiety of mirror-checking half the time. If you are not the leader, you stress with throttle anxiety and more up-and-down shifting, braking, etc.--that's where the auto transmission has an advantage in a group ride; however, it's still anxiety-ridden either way. Solo riding loses the human contact, but alleviates stress on mind and machine.