Single or Staggared

[2WheelerFred]

We may or may not have had the opportunity to ride in a group, but here area few basic guidelines everyone should learn about group riding, but like all things two wheels none of these are hard and fast so ride your own ride.


Group Riding: Lane Positions

Single-File or Stagger?

When riding in a group, the group's formation should be dynamic, but should follow a few basic guidelines. If the road is straight and there are no unusual traffic or surface conditions, the staggered riding formation allows a proper space cushion between motorcycles so that each rider has enough time and space to maneuver and to react to hazards, while keeping the group compact. The leader should ride in the left third of the lane, while the next rider stays at least one second behind in the right third of the lane; the rest of the group follows the same pattern. (See diagram.) If the group is using this pattern, the leader should remain in the left position, even after the group changes lanes, so the other riders aren't continually changing their positions in response.

However, if the leader feels that the center third or right third of the lane is the best position for the conditions, then the leader can signal the group to adjust to a single-file formation, with a 2-second following distance throughout. MSF recommends that a single-file formation be used on a curvy road, under conditions of poor visibility or poor road surfaces, entering/leaving highways, or other situations where an increased space cushion or maneuvering room is needed.

[kriscook]

Great post!   

Do Harley groups ride two-abreast most of the time?  Why do they do that?

[Schleprock]

Great post!  

Do Harley groups ride two-abreast most of the time?  Why do they do that?

Are you referring to HOG, or Motorcycle Clubs?

I can only speak from the perspective of a patch holder. We ride shoulder to shoulder, tire to tire everywhere we go. We do this for several reasons. First, we are a brotherhood. We trust and love each other, and ride with each other enough that we know what our brother is about to do before he does it. We are guaranteed to be seen by reckless cagers, and it prevents them from endangering us by swerving into our formation. We ride two abreast for our own protection, however, I would not personally recommend that kind of riding for most people, as it requires an extreme level of trust and skill.

That being said, there are very few, outside of my club, that I ride like that with.

[2WheelerFred]

Schlep makes a great point riding abreast requires confidence not only in your skills but knowledge in your buddies skills. It is the reason why there are very few folks I will ride abreast of, because I don't know their skill level, also as people get older their reaction time slows and makes riding abreast even harder still. So unless you just need to have to ride abreast then ride staggared that way you have the safety cushion of space to manuver in. Additionally you have to remember if you are in a group with a trike they should be positioned toward the rear of the group due to the more effective braking that come with having car tires on the rear. The added surface of those tires gives improved traction and braking ability to trike riders. It's not a helmet that saves you it is your skill and knowledge and applying those to the conditions.