TOPIC:

In my never ending quest to find a perfect riding group I decided to try and join the Gator Motorcycle Riders group out of Gainsville, Fl via www.meetup.com. The site required that I attend a introductory ride event or a first of the month hangout meet up at the local Cody's Steakhouse in Gainsville. So, Wednesday evening I make the long track to Cody's (154 round trip). Made it there whilst dodging scattered thunder storms as best as I can. Once there, strangely enough, the rain was bordering the restaurant. Was able to sneak in without really getting wet. However, very disappointing night. Group was not what I perceived from the website. I figured it would be a mix more favoring sport touring. But it was 98% cruisers. Nothing against cruisers, just not my preference. I am now officially in the group so I will go a few rides if the look interesting. Should never be closed minded. Here is a picture which they had happened to take as I was standing behind the my KZ: .

Thanfully, there is another ride scheduled with my Cafe-Moto group out of Orlando. The planned ride is towards my area so I will be hooking up with them in route. This group is more to my liking but their home turf is still pretty far from my home. So I try to hook up when they come west towards my area.

Never thought it would be so hard to find riding buddies. Albeit, I do live away from big cities. Lots of bikers in my area, it is known for it, but it's all Harleysville.

Just wondering what other's experience has been with regards to riding groups. Or do you prefer being the lone wolf? Post your musings or suggestions on the topic if you have any.

I personally prefer riding in very small groups, 3-4 to a group being the best. I like to ride in the twisties, with each small group knowing each others style; do not ride too close to each other, watch out for your buddies and observe how they are performing.
When I attend a large rally like you show, we always break up into small groups of riders with similar tastes as far as speed and skill levels.
When I see a rider in my group riding dangerously, I avoid them like the plague, except for the moments when I have to pull their bike off them.
I NEVER ride with large cruiser groups, parades are just not my style. They also have a tendency to ride side-by-side and very close to each other, which is a recipe for disaster.

If you want to ride with skilled riders who understand and follow the principles for safe, fun and spirited riding, I suggest you go to www.thegsresources.com/ and introduce yourself. We have lots of riders in Florida whom I have ridden with personally and I respect their skills. Over there, we really don't care what brand you ride, as long as you ride safely and well.

I ride alone with the rare exception of riding with one other bike if I know the rider and his riding style/experience. I have ridden with a group three times – long ago. Never again.

The first ride was to bike races with a friend and about 10 other bikes. Other than my friend, these guys wanted to stop at every bar between Baltimore and Harrington, DE. Also, one nitwit had a tiny peanut tank that held about a quart of gas so he had to stop about every 5 miles to fill up. Needless to say, my friend and I rode away on our bikes when the group stopped at the first bar. We watch some really good flat track racing that day; the other guys never even made it to the track.

The second time was with the same friend and some guy from his workplace. I had my wife with me on the bike and we were all riding to the Poconos Raceway in PA. That third guy didn’t have a clue about riding. He had bungeed a little pack containing a jacket to the back of his bike. About 75 miles outside Baltimore the pack slipped around and went through his rear wheel. This shredded everything in the pack into confetti. We made it to the races, but the next day when we started home it rained like mad. The third guy suffered hypothermia and very nearly crashed on an exit ramp as we were pulling off the highway to get him some coffee. We ended up stopping at every McDonalds, Burger King, and anyplace else that served something warm between PA and home – what a SLOW trip!

The third time was with three other bikes into Skyline Drive. One of the other bikes (a nice KZ1000) ran off the road up through the woods when he was going too fast for a turn. He didn’t crash, but his wife who was on the back was REALLY pissed and no fun to be with. And one of the other bikes (a nice KZ650) fell over when the rider stopped to relieve himself and forgot to put the kickstand down. He had ridden very fast and way ahead of the rest of us to do this, and when we saw the bike lying on the side of the road near an intersection we thought he has crashed.
Ed

That sucks ed. Which is why I only ride with skilled riders. Too important to interrupt my fun with their mistakes.

Wow Ed! I guess I wouldn't be to keen on group riding myself with those kind of experiences. I have had some good experiences with groups. I must agree with Koolaid_kid, that 2 to 4 riders is ideal. If you should be so lucky to ride with the same people a lot, you find it becomes a sort of dance where you jockey positions and leads from time to time. All done safely if the others are good riders and you have trust in each other. That was the norm for me in college. Since two of my roommates and other friends had bikes as well. These days, I join internet based riding groups. Each ride tends to be between 6 and 12 riders. The people at the head of the pack are the speedsters. The ones at the back just want to cruise and enjoy the scenery. The middle is not a good place to be if the guy behind you wants to go faster than you and wont get in front even though you wave him by. Not into the bar hopping. I usually order iced tea at any stops. And the groups I'm with are more into eating lunch at a destination, and maybe a beer with lunch. But I stick with the iced tea anyway. Thanks for the link Koolaid, I will look into it. Ironically, a guy on beautiful 86 Suzuki passed me on my right as I was going to Gainsville. He was at my 2:00 when he turned to back towards me and pointed his finger at my bike. His bike veered to the right shoulder before he turned his attention back to the road, LOL. That would could have been a very bad thing. Caught up to him at a gas station, very nice guy and very nice bike.

+1 KZJOE900
When I first started riding the twisties, I rode with 3-4 other riders that I trusted. We knew and understood each other's styles, techniques and thinking patterns. We moved on and now I ride with 2 other riders. We also do the dance, as you say, and we all follow the rules for group rides and riding The Pace. We have a great time.

Went for a ride with my Cafe-moto/Vintage group today. I met them in route and was able to clock 50 spirited miles with them. Lots of very fast fun. The KZ performed respectable but its days of domination are long gone. The two Ducs 848's, ZRX1100 and I would also include the XS1100 ruled the day. They Duc's alone come with 130 bhp stock. But still a lot of fun and at least the Bonnies and Truxtons were no problem. Pushed the KZ with plenty of 7500 rpm+ time. The most I have pushed this bike since getting it back on the road.

Well this is the style of group riding I enjoy. The group is a good fit. After all, why else would we ride Z1's / KZ's, right?

Joe.. You riding with my Cafe-Moto group now man, thats awesome! I saw a pic of your bike posted on the site today, and I was like wait a minute, I know that bike!

I too have searched for an ideal group. It is not easy to obtain. I like riding solo but groups between 3-5 have proven quite stimulating and fun. I think this article that many of you should be familiar with provides a great amount of insight. It was appropriate when written several years ago and still is today. "The Pace" by Nick Ienatsch >>> www.motorcyclistonline.com/flashback/122..._pace_nick_ienatsch/

Nick has followed up on this with an article in the August 2013 issue of Cycle World, "The Pace 2.0"

Ed, Do not give up riding in a group. We have all had similar experiences. Please consider coming out to The KZ Rider Rally next August. I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised to the pleasures of group riding.

ride alone

Boostable wrote: Joe.. You riding with my Cafe-Moto group now man, thats awesome! I saw a pic of your bike posted on the site today, and I was like wait a minute, I know that bike!

Glad to hear from you Jack! Yes, I joined a while back and have been to three or four rides / meetups. Even made the Milk District Thursday night meetup once, LOL. One beer and one hundred and fifty mile round trip. It was fun though. I'm usually limited to rides that come west. I've asked Roy about you a couple of times. Look forward to seeing you at one of the rides.