Group Riding, MSTA Sport-Touring Style

Part Three: Norm Goes on a Social Group Ride

Sport Touring Corner

By Norm Kern

This article is mostly for entertainment, but every bit of it is true. Names of people, motorcycle clubs, etc., have been omitted for obvious reasons. Prologue In 2007, a friend invited some friends and me to attend a flat track race at a fairgrounds about seventy miles away. We would pay him to buy a block of reserved grandstand tickets so we could enjoy the races together in a group. The plan was for us to meet and ride to the race, with a leisurely dinner stop at a nice restaurant about 20 miles from the track. A fun evening with friends! I’m in. The races were on a Saturday in late June. It was over 90 degrees ,sunny and humid. We were to meet at 3PM in a Wal-Mart parking lot just off an I70 exit northwest of Dayton, Ohio. The Social Group Ride I arrived about 2:45 and saw some of the other riders in the parking lot out near the road. There was no shade, no place to sit or get any refreshment. They were standing around in their jeans and T shirts-I was the only person wearing gear.3 PM came and went-we were waiting for someone who was running late. I had taken my helmet and jacket off right away but was broiling in the sun. The straggler arrived at about 3:30 but he needed gas, so it was another ten minutes before we rolled out. Our route went north on OH 48 through several suburbs, filled with traffic, never more than40 mph between long stops at many traffic lights. About ten miles into the ride, while waiting at a light, one of the riders was on reserve and needed to stop for gas. Fortunately there was a station just across the street so we all pulled in.

Four riders had their wives on back. While the rider filled his tank, the women got off and headed to the bathroom. It was small and only held one person at a time, so they took turns. They all lit cigarettes and enjoyed a leisurely smoke. About 25 baking minutes later, everyone was ready to go again. We finally got moving at a pace of about 45 MPH as we got onto less traveled roads. About 50 miles into the ride, the leader pulled over and stopped in a little crossroads town. After a couple minutes I walked over to him to see what the problem was. Turns out that he thought he knew where he was going but was lost. He didn’t have a map or GPS. I asked what town we were going to for dinner, and offered to lead the group there. I was able to pick up the pace and get us to the restaurant where we had a nice dinner and still got to the fairgrounds in time to enjoy the races. Afterward, we all and headed our separate ways home.

Take aways What did I learn from my social riding experience? First, half of the problems in this particular case could have been avoided. Here’show:

1. Meet and start from a nice gas station with a canopy over the pumps and a convenience store with some seating inside.
2. Riders can easily get drinks and snacks and be comfortable while waiting for others to show up.
3. Riders can take a bathroom break there if needed.
4. Remind each rider to top off their tank before departing.
5. The leader always has a map or GPS and knows the route.
6. Make the meeting point on the edge of an urban area to getaway from traffic quickly

Limitations

Social group riding has limitations, mostly due to the “everyonewelcome-the more the merrier,” philosophy:

1.One of the attractions of social group riding is informality. No rules. No riders meeting, etc, because those kinds of things are “not welcoming.” Therefore,

2.No one looks too carefully at their fellow riders who show up.(You may be riding with others who lack basic skills, have poorly maintained bikes, are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, etc.)

3.With no riders meeting or rules, riders don’t get reminded not tofollowtoo close, ride side by side, etc.

4.A large group may make it difficult or impossible to keep the group together.

5.The “slowest common denominator-” the slowest rider always determines the pace of any group. The larger the group, the more likely there will be someone who is much, much slower than everyone else. That insures either a very low pace or lots of stops to allow time to collect.

Different perspectives Social group riders have different personal preferences than sport touring riders:

1.Social group riders usually want to stop more often. Their bikes are not set up for long distance riding and may be lesscomfortable.

2.Social group riders are less likely to have Bluetooth communicators, so their conversation and social time is limited to stops that often include adult beverages.

3.Loud exhausts are common in this group.

4.Social group riders are rarely ATGATT. If you wear gear and they don’t, you probably won’t have as good a time riding with them on a hot humid day, as they have less incentive to keepmoving.

5.Social group riders are more likely to be smokers. I always wind up spending time waiting on them during a ride. Not a big deal, but it’s something I don’t have to do with non-smokers .I’m not here to judge the preferences of others, just to contrast their differences. To each his own, but here’s a simple truth: The more similar your preferences are to those you are riding with, the more you’re going to enjoy it.

Connect with local Ohio Motorcycle Sport Touring Association riders at these monthly breakfasts:

Southwest Ohio Breakfast, 9AM, November September 16

Village Family Restaurant

144 S. Main St.

Waynesville, OH 45068

Central Ohio Breakfast, 8AM, July7, December 1

Portside Cafe

6515 S High StLockbourne, OH 43137