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1. ARRIVAL
Riders should arrive at the meeting place 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time. Bikes must
have full gas tanks and be mechanically sound. Riders must be wearing proper riding gear (including biker
logo shirts, pants or shorts, shoes or boots).
2. FORMATION
All riders will be organized in a staggered formation, with the ride captain up front in the left tire track.
Riders with less experience will be placed up front, and more experienced riders will be in the back. The
staggered formation will be maintained, keeping a two-second interval between your bike and the bike in
front of you in the same lane (tire track). A one-second interval is maintained between your bike and the
bike diagonally in front of you in the other lane (tire track). It is critical to maintain the staggered formation
with two-second interval between bikes that are in the same lane. One additional second following time
may be added, depending on speed and road conditions; however, too much space between bikes causes
the group become too spread out, thereby becoming a hazard to passing cars.
Please maintain your position in your lane; do not switch between right and left tire tracks, as you will be
cutting off the bike behind you!
3. RIDING POSITIONS
RIDE CAPTAIN: The rider at the head of the group, in the left side of the lane (left tire track). The Ride
Captain has the ultimate responsibility for the safety of the group. He or she must set a reasonable speed
for the ride, taking into consideration the road conditions and the various riding skills of the group. He or
she will warn of obstacles in the road by pointing with hands or feet, as he or she is the only one in the
group that has a full, unobstructed view of the road. If a hazard is pointed out to you, please pass the
warning on to those in back of you. Only point, however, if you are comfortable in doing so. Never let go of
the throttle to point, as the sudden deceleration will create a risk of being hit from behind. If evasive action
is necessary to avoid an object, make it obvious to those behind you.
The Ride Captain should have the route mapped out ahead of time, and know exactly where he or she is
going. Pre-riding the route before taking the group is essential to a successful group ride. A tank bag or
other means of securing maps and directions to the gas tank is important as double-checking your location
is essential, but maps should be consulted only after coming to a stop! Do not attempt to read maps "in
flight". The Ride Captain should have several copies of the route to pass out to other ride captains of
sub-groups, if there is a need to split a large group. The maximum size of a group should be six.
The Ride Captain should "follow the Tailgunner", meaning that the last person in the group is setting the
pace. Use your mirrors to keep an eye on the person behind you. If they fall behind, slow up. If everyone
does this, the group will stay with the Tailgunner. Under most conditions, the Ride Captain is the one
everyone else follows, and the one who gets the blame if the group gets "off route". Remember, no one
"gets lost" on a motorcycle; just think of it as an opportunity to explore and practice your U-turns! We
should all take a turn at playing Ride Captain, as it will improve our self-assurance and increase our
understanding of the Ride Captain's job. When you're Ride Captain, try not to take criticism personally; if
you're doing everything right, you've got a bunch of people behind you with little else to do but watch
everything you do. They're bound to see something that they'll rub in the next time you stop. It's all part of
the "fun". Remember to lighten up!
NUMBER TWO: The second in formation; in a staggered formation this is the rider behind and to the right
of the Ride Captain. Number Two shares the responsibility with the Ride Captain of alerting the group of
any obstacles in the road, by pointing and deliberate avoidance.
If Number Two starts leaving a wider gap, or goes into single file behind the Ride Captain, there is
probably a good reason and the rest of the group should follow suit.
Number Two's primary responsibility comes into play when the group executes a right hand lane change
on a multi-lane road. The Ride Captain will signal the intent to move into the right lane, the Tailgunner will
move over first to hold the lane, thus signaling the beginning of the lane change. The Ride Captain at this
point does not have a clear, unobstructed view of the right lane, but Number Two does and can make sure
that it is safe to move over. Now a safe, orderly right hand lane change can be made. The riders in the
right position move to the right lane, followed by the left position riders. The same conditions apply during
a left hand lane change, but the left riders move over first, followed by the right side riders. This looks like
"Highway Ballet" when done smoothly and correctly.
TAILGUNNER: The Tailgunnner is the rider bringing up the rear of an organized group, and rides in the
same lane (tire track) as the Ride Captain (usually the left) for easier visibility. The Tailgunner is
responsible for making sure that the adjoining lane is clear for lane changes on multi-lane highways. When
the Ride Captain signals for a lane change on a multi-lane highway, the Tailgunner waits until all
overtaking cars have passed and then moves into the lane to hold the lane before everyone else moves
over.
Riders should arrive at the meeting place 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time. Bikes must
have full gas tanks and be mechanically sound. Riders must be wearing proper riding gear (including biker
logo shirts, pants or shorts, shoes or boots).
2. FORMATION
All riders will be organized in a staggered formation, with the ride captain up front in the left tire track.
Riders with less experience will be placed up front, and more experienced riders will be in the back. The
staggered formation will be maintained, keeping a two-second interval between your bike and the bike in
front of you in the same lane (tire track). A one-second interval is maintained between your bike and the
bike diagonally in front of you in the other lane (tire track). It is critical to maintain the staggered formation
with two-second interval between bikes that are in the same lane. One additional second following time
may be added, depending on speed and road conditions; however, too much space between bikes causes
the group become too spread out, thereby becoming a hazard to passing cars.
Please maintain your position in your lane; do not switch between right and left tire tracks, as you will be
cutting off the bike behind you!
3. RIDING POSITIONS
RIDE CAPTAIN: The rider at the head of the group, in the left side of the lane (left tire track). The Ride
Captain has the ultimate responsibility for the safety of the group. He or she must set a reasonable speed
for the ride, taking into consideration the road conditions and the various riding skills of the group. He or
she will warn of obstacles in the road by pointing with hands or feet, as he or she is the only one in the
group that has a full, unobstructed view of the road. If a hazard is pointed out to you, please pass the
warning on to those in back of you. Only point, however, if you are comfortable in doing so. Never let go of
the throttle to point, as the sudden deceleration will create a risk of being hit from behind. If evasive action
is necessary to avoid an object, make it obvious to those behind you.
The Ride Captain should have the route mapped out ahead of time, and know exactly where he or she is
going. Pre-riding the route before taking the group is essential to a successful group ride. A tank bag or
other means of securing maps and directions to the gas tank is important as double-checking your location
is essential, but maps should be consulted only after coming to a stop! Do not attempt to read maps "in
flight". The Ride Captain should have several copies of the route to pass out to other ride captains of
sub-groups, if there is a need to split a large group. The maximum size of a group should be six.
The Ride Captain should "follow the Tailgunner", meaning that the last person in the group is setting the
pace. Use your mirrors to keep an eye on the person behind you. If they fall behind, slow up. If everyone
does this, the group will stay with the Tailgunner. Under most conditions, the Ride Captain is the one
everyone else follows, and the one who gets the blame if the group gets "off route". Remember, no one
"gets lost" on a motorcycle; just think of it as an opportunity to explore and practice your U-turns! We
should all take a turn at playing Ride Captain, as it will improve our self-assurance and increase our
understanding of the Ride Captain's job. When you're Ride Captain, try not to take criticism personally; if
you're doing everything right, you've got a bunch of people behind you with little else to do but watch
everything you do. They're bound to see something that they'll rub in the next time you stop. It's all part of
the "fun". Remember to lighten up!
NUMBER TWO: The second in formation; in a staggered formation this is the rider behind and to the right
of the Ride Captain. Number Two shares the responsibility with the Ride Captain of alerting the group of
any obstacles in the road, by pointing and deliberate avoidance.
If Number Two starts leaving a wider gap, or goes into single file behind the Ride Captain, there is
probably a good reason and the rest of the group should follow suit.
Number Two's primary responsibility comes into play when the group executes a right hand lane change
on a multi-lane road. The Ride Captain will signal the intent to move into the right lane, the Tailgunner will
move over first to hold the lane, thus signaling the beginning of the lane change. The Ride Captain at this
point does not have a clear, unobstructed view of the right lane, but Number Two does and can make sure
that it is safe to move over. Now a safe, orderly right hand lane change can be made. The riders in the
right position move to the right lane, followed by the left position riders. The same conditions apply during
a left hand lane change, but the left riders move over first, followed by the right side riders. This looks like
"Highway Ballet" when done smoothly and correctly.
TAILGUNNER: The Tailgunnner is the rider bringing up the rear of an organized group, and rides in the
same lane (tire track) as the Ride Captain (usually the left) for easier visibility. The Tailgunner is
responsible for making sure that the adjoining lane is clear for lane changes on multi-lane highways. When
the Ride Captain signals for a lane change on a multi-lane highway, the Tailgunner waits until all
overtaking cars have passed and then moves into the lane to hold the lane before everyone else moves
over.
