Group Riding...Blue/Grey Ride..

[Highbinder]

Group riding can either be a great time or one of the worst times…it all depends on how you approach it….with the up coming Blue/Grey Ride I think we may need to discuss this type of riding….the run to Gettysburg is pretty simple..first off it’s a straight shot from Wytheville, Va. Right up I-81, everyone knows the gas stops so even if you’re 4-5 miles behind the leaders you will still be getting in the gas stop before most have started fueling…so don’t feel like we need a tight formation all the way there, that puts a lot of pressure on folks to get out of the last stop and catch up, not necessary…just get out on the hwy and run your own speed and we’ll see you at the next stop…

One of the most stressful things at a gas stop is when the leader fires up his bike and you’re standing there having coffee with no helmet on etc…then panic sets in and from there on you’re feeling rushed and left behind… we plan on allowing plenty of time for fueling and such…..when you hear 2 long blasts on a set of airhorns, this will signal you that you have 10 minutes to get ready to roll, 1 long blast and we’re rolling…now all I need is someone with loud horns….anyway take your time, don’t try to do 100 mph to catch up, we’ll be at the next stop….I’m thinking we’ll stop at the welcome center in Pa. to regroup for the final leg to the hotel…ride safe with very little stress and we’ll have a great ride….looking forward to seeing you all and excited about going to the battlefield..see ya June 12th.

[Bob E.]

I'm in!!!  I can't wait!!!!!!

[..]

Reaction time for a motorcyclist when confronted with an unexpected threat is, on average, about one second. If the need to react is anticipated (such as when a turn has been announced), then riders can usually react within about half a second after the bike ahead begins to react. When a group of riders change speeds very gradually, however, it usually takes two or three seconds for a rider to recognize this and begin to change his speed to maintain his position in the group.

This doesn’t sound like much time, but experienced group riders manage their risks reasonably well with a minimum one-second interval between each bike and a minimum two-second interval between bikes that are traveling in the same track. When the group has more than six bikes in it, however, gradual changes in speed within the group can become tricky.

When a Lead Bike begins to accelerate, the second bike doesn’t instantly start to travel at the faster rate. Instead, a gap grows between them while the second bike is reacting -- and it continues to grow until the second bike is fully up to the increased, stable speed of the Lead Bike. Clearly, once the speeds are the same, the gap will remain the same size. However, since most groups prefer to keep a one-second minimum interval between bikes (two seconds between bikes in the same track), the new gap caused by the Lead Bike’s acceleration may be larger than is desired. When this occurs, the second bike must go faster than the first one for a brief time in order to “catch up.”

If we assume that the Lead Bike speeds up from 60 to 70 mph over a period of two seconds, the second bike will have to ride at 75 mph for two seconds (after his reaction time passes) in order to close the gap. Then he will take another one second to decelerate back to 70 mph to create a gap of the proper size. If there were only two bikes in the group, this example is easy to follow. But when the group is larger, and the bikes involved are riding further back in the pack, the “rubber band” effect can be especially dangerous to all bikes from the middle of the group to the Drag bike.

For example, the third bike in the group has this problem: About two seconds after the second bike has begun to accelerate, the third bike responds. Now, however, the second bike is moving at 75 mph rather than at 70 mph like the Lead Bike. The third bike must use even more effort to catch up to the second bike than the second bike did to match his speed to the Lead Bike’s new speed, if the gap is to stay relatively constant. He will have to move at 75 mph for four seconds, not two, to catch up. The fourth bike will have to accelerate to 80 mph!

In a group of only six motorcycles, the last one will find the gap between himself and the fifth bike has grown to 143 feet before it begins to close, once he starts to speed up, given these average reaction times. And it will be at least 11 seconds after the Lead Bike first began to accelerate before the sixth bike does so.

Now, imagine what happens in the group if, while this is taking place, the Lead Bike must apply his brakes! This rubber-band effect becomes extremely important if the Lead Bike happens to make an abrupt and major change of speed at certain critical moments, such as when approaching a sharp turn or a tricky curve. Those who ride as Lead Bike, or near the lead bike for their group should be aware of the importance of avoiding sudden changes in speed if at all possible, so as to reduce the risks to those following.

The rubber-band effect can be reduced by following these guidelines:

Lead Bike changes speed more gradually
All riders watch farther ahead than just the bike immediately in front of them in order to notice and to react quicker to changes in speed
All riders restrain the impulse to “crank it up” in order to quickly re-establish normal spacing.
Lead Bike does not increase speed within 15 seconds of entering a curve which may require braking or some slowing down to maneuver it safely.

[Highbinder]

Thanks Paul....did you have all that in your head? or did that come from some acticle?

[R J]

Thanks Paul....did you have all that in your head? or did that come from some acticle?

Don, also establish some hand signals.........  GWRRA site has some but I can't get into it tonight.......

[R J]

Thanks Paul....did you have all that in your head? or did that come from some acticle?

Don, also establish some hand signals.........  GWRRA site has some but I can't get into it tonight.......

GWRRA site has been totally revamped from the last time I was there.

Here are some hand signal links:

http://ridemyown.com/articles/safety/handsignals.shtml

http://www.ama-cycle.org/roadride/groupRideSignals.asp

http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&q=motorcycle+group+riding+hand+signals&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=uPwdSqzSCYjCM_nxnPQF&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title#

http://www.bikercamps.com/group-riding-hand-signals

That ought to keep ya busy for a short period of time.........

Have a safe ride................

[Novavalker]

If the lead bike and tail end charlie both have bikes equipped with CB radios its easier to manage the the group.

[junior]

i have found that this program works well also
http://msf-usa.org/downloads/Group_Ride.pdf

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

With all the folks with cb's we'll be able to spread them out in the group . I've had 57 bikes ride with me on " The Fall Color Ride " in the Carolina / Tennessee mountains and we've only lost ( 2 )    in the 6 years we've been having that ride.We should be fine on the super slab I'm lookin' forward to " The Ride " on June 11.Besides thoses Va troopers get a woody when they catch a speeder so we'll need to watch that ...Bring It...LET'S RIDE 

[G-Man]

 

[Skeeter (Va)]

Group riding can either be a great time or one of the worst times…it all depends on how you approach it….with the up coming Blue/Grey Ride I think we may need to discuss this type of riding….the run to Gettysburg is pretty simple..first off it’s a straight shot from Wytheville, Va. Right up I-81, everyone knows the gas stops so even if you’re 4-5 miles behind the leaders you will still be getting in the gas stop before most have started fueling…so don’t feel like we need a tight formation all the way there, that puts a lot of pressure on folks to get out of the last stop and catch up, not necessary…just get out on the hwy and run your own speed and we’ll see you at the next stop…

One of the most stressful things at a gas stop is when the leader fires up his bike and you’re standing there having coffee with no helmet on etc…then panic sets in and from there on you’re feeling rushed and left behind… we plan on allowing plenty of time for fueling and such…..when you hear 2 long blasts on a set of airhorns, this will signal you that you have 10 minutes to get ready to roll, 1 long blast and we’re rolling…now all I need is someone with loud horns….anyway take your time, don’t try to do 100 mph to catch up, we’ll be at the next stop….I’m thinking we’ll stop at the welcome center in Pa. to regroup for the final leg to the hotel…ride safe with very little stress and we’ll have a great ride….looking forward to seeing you all and excited about going to the battlefield..see ya June 12th.

  Hi Don...I have loud air horns if you need and a Honda Line CB.....Skeeter.......Dave w

[Highbinder]

OK, Dave...your starting with us at Wytheville, that will be perfect..thanks.

[Skeeter (Va)]

Don..Roger on Wythville...the least I can do is press the horn button if needed   !