Vehicle City Chapter
Flint Michigan
H.O.G. ® Chapter 2242
Group Riding Guide
GROUP RIDING GUIDE
Group Riding
A group ride is defined as any group of two or more motorcycles riding together. This
information booklet is concerned with the conduct of group or chapter riding for the
Vehicle City HOG and although many of the topics discussed are the same or similar with
other groups or organizations, there are many items that are specific to Vehicle City HOG.
There are many specifics concerning group riding, including, instructions before the ride so
everyone understands the hand signals, the route, how long between rest stops and a
myriad of other necessary instructions. These instructions are normally given by the Head
Road Captain(s) or a designated Road Captain who is always considered to be in charge of
the ride.
Few activities build camaraderie and memories faster than Chapter rides. They are one of
the core H.O.G. ® Chapter activities. That’s why it’s so important that they’re conducted
safely. This section contains tips on planning group rides, standard hand signals and a
discussion of formation riding techniques. Directions on obtaining additional safe riding
information from such organizations as the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and the
American Motorcycling Association are also contained in this section.
All Vehicle City H.O.G. ® rides are led by a Road Captain (RC) and are modeled after the
guidelines outlined in the Harley-Davidson HOG® Handbook and the Riders Edge - MSF
video.
Group Riding Tips
There are a number of factors that come into play when planning or participating in a
group ride. Here are some suggestions and definitions for making your rides safe and
successful.

Guest Riders: Insurance is provided to participants of Chapter rides; therefore,
Chapter Members are responsible for ensuring that their guest sign a
registration/release form.

Minors: Need a separate release signed by a parent or legal guardian. It is important
to note that grandparents are typically not the child's legal guardian and cannot sign
for their grandchildren.

New Riders or Riders New to Group Riding: We encourage new group riders to ride
next to a RC in either the front or the rear of the ride. Our focus is for each rider to
have fun and learn to enjoy riding with a group.

Vehicle City H.O.G. ® Chapter has a No Alcohol policy. We do not allow bikers to ride
in a group if they have been drinking alcohol either before or during a ride. Our RCs
have the responsibility to ask you not to ride in the group if you have been drinking
alcoholic beverages. Road Captains have the option to stop a ride if the rider does
not leave the group.
Again, the focus is to ride and have fun… safely.
GROUP RIDING GUIDE
PLANNING THE RIDE
It’s always a good idea to prepare a map of the route with all the stops indicated. If some
bikes become separated from the group, they can “catch up” at the next stop.
If you’re not out for a scenic ride, plan the most direct route to an event or activity.
Interstate highways offer the following advantages:

All traffic is moving in one direction.

No cross-traffic or traffic lights to split up your group, if possible.

When there are three lanes, it is wise to travel in the middle lane. This allows faster
traffic to pass and will also allow vehicles to enter/exit the highway more easily.
If you’re out for a scenic ride, be sure traffic conditions will allow it. For example, is there a
county fair or car show in the area that day to complicate the ride?

Plan stops to avoid gravel lots and left-hand turns. No one likes gravel, and in a
group, it’s even less fun. Right-hand turns in and out of stops will help the group
stay together.

Plan gas stops at least every 90 miles, so folks with smaller tanks can fill up and stay
with the group.

If you have a large group stopping at a restaurant, call the restaurant far enough in
advance to allow them to prepare for a large group.

If you expect a particularly large group and it’s possible to get a police escort or
traffic control at the start/end of a ride or along the route, great! Otherwise, it is a
good idea to at least inform the police department of your plans and perhaps drop
off a map. Never block traffic yourself; it may be against the law!
LEADING THE RIDE
Choose and maintain a comfortable pace within the speed limit.
Keep in mind that people at the end of the group may have to drive a little faster to keep up
if there are gaps in the group.
It may also cause a problem to drive too slowly. Drivers in vehicles behind the group may
become impatient and try to get around the group.
Know the route well enough so that you can give the group plenty of notice that you are
approaching a turn.
Always signal your intention to turn or change lanes. If you find yourself at an intersection
too quickly for the entire group to make the turn safely, continue until you locate a place
where the entire group can execute the turn safely.
GROUP RIDING GUIDE
PARTICIPATING IN A RIDE
Drinking and driving never mix. This is especially true when participating in a group ride.
Here are a few important procedures that you should follow in order to make the ride safe
and fun for all riders:

Show up for rides 30 minutes before departure. Prior to departure, there will be a
pre-ride briefing. Please give the briefing your full attention. Feel free to ask
questions! Also:

Have a full gas tank and an empty bladder.

T-CLOCK: Check your bike before each ride: Tires, Controls, Lights, Oil, Chassis, and
Kickstand.

Have what you will need for the ride with you: rain gear, water, snacks, proper
clothing, medications, etc. Come prepared!

Stay Alert and Ride Safe. Use Common Sense. Be Courteous. Have Fun!

Inform a RC if you are diabetic, hypersensitive to insects, asthmatic, etc. RC training
includes proper response, but we need to know your situation and location of your
medical supplies.

Always ride in staggered formation; it gives you an extra margin for safety.

Being too hot or too cold can also affect how alert you are as a driver. Be sure to
pack appropriate protective clothing, such as a long-sleeve cotton shirt (for
protection from the sun), helmet, eye protection, leather jacket, gloves, etc.

A group of motorcycles is not considered a single vehicle. Be courteous and allow
cars to enter and exit the highway and change lanes. Generally speaking, a car will
not want to ride in the middle of a group of motorcycles and will get out of the group
as quickly as possible.

Familiarize yourself with the route and scheduled stops.
When the RCs are ready, the Leader will mount up, pull forward from the parking spot, and
wait for the group to get ready. You need to mount up, line up, and get ready to leave.
Usually the Lead Bike will not exit a parking lot unless there is room for all or most of the
group to follow immediately.
If the group is split, the Lead Bike will take the slow lane until the group can form up in the
positions that the riders will keep for the duration of the ride. This may mean traveling
slower than surrounding traffic or encouraging cars to pass, allowing the group to reform.
Sometimes this cannot be accomplished until the group has made a lane change or has
entered a freeway. If the group is too stretched out, the Lead Bike may slow down or pull
over in a large parking lot for the group to get back in formation.
Regardless of the Lead Bike's signals, each rider is responsible for his/her own safety at all
times and a group of bikes riding together does not exempt you from the laws of the road.
GROUP RIDING GUIDE
RIDING FORMATION
A Group Ride is normally composed of a three major segments:
1. The front segment consists of the Lead Road Captain in the front/left slot and can be
accompanied in the front/right slot by another Road Captain. This front segment
consists of Vehicle City HOG members who are considered experienced riders.
2. The second segment consists of non-member guests of the group ride who are also
considered experienced riders.
3. The last segment consists of newer, inexperienced riders. Two Road Captains will
position themselves in the Sweep or Drag Rider slots (bringing up the rear). Should
the group become separated, one of the Road Captain’s will assume the front/right
lead position until the group rejoins the main group. The Sweep Rider shall be the
only one in the group with their auxiliary lights turned on. This is so that the
Head/Road Captain can easily identify the last one in the group.
Staggered Formation
The group will ride in a staggered formation starting with the Lead bike in the left side of
the lane. While in staggered group riding, the normal stagger distance is approximately 2
seconds to the front and rear of each rider, with the stagger distance approximately 1
second from the riders to the side front and rear. This formation will provide good order to
maintain a tight formation and not allow traffic to interrupt and break up the formation
(see Figure 1). When coming to a stop, the group generally forms up two abreast / side by
side. When the group starts off, the rider on the left starts first. Keep a 2 - 3 second distance
behind the bike directly in front of you. Staggered formation will continue unless the Lead
Bike signals for single file.
GROUP RIDING GUIDE
When the staggered formation is no longer warranted, a single file type formation will be
called for. Reasons for single file formation could be: passing situation, poor road
conditions, and obstacles in the road, approaching a bicyclist or pedestrian, coming to an
exit / entrance ramp or tight curves.
Single File Formation
Changes in riding formation will be dictated by the lead Rider. Holding two fingers straight
up in the air (either the index and little fingers, or the first two fingers) indicates a
staggered formation, while holding only the index finger pointing straight up in the air is a
direction for single file riding.
Single file riding allows the riders more freedom to negotiate the curves and to dodge
obstacles while having the freedom to use the whole lane. In single formation the normal
distance between riders is increased to 3 to 5 seconds. For safety, the single file formation
should not be elongated to such a distance that the rider in front cannot be seen. There are
two reasons for this:
1. It is much easier to negotiate around corners by using the next rider's position to
"see" further around blind curves
2. The rider can see and pass back hand signals indicating obstacles or other
information ahead.
Regardless staggered or single file, each rider commands the entire width of their lane and
has the right to move left or right as preferred.
RIDERS COMFORT
If any rider feels that the group pace is too fast for comfort, then he/she should motion the
following bikes to pass until the only one left following is the Sweep/Drag Rider. Then ride
at your own pace until the next stop; when you should inform the Lead Road Captain that
you are uncomfortable with the pace. It will then be up to the Lead Road Captain to either
separate the ride into two groups, or go at a slower pace so that all members of the group
feel secure. Group riding should not be, and is never, a race!
If a rider in the formation needs to pull out for any reason, the group will close up the gap
and reorganize the stagger. Please do not pull off, also, unless you need to do so. The Rear
Road Captain(s) of the group will aid the rider who has pulled over. He will also
communicate via horn/hand signals passed to the Lead Road Captain so as to apprise him
of the situation. The remaining Road Captain then continues the Sweep/Drag rider position
as before.
RIDING SAFETY TIPS
When turning onto another road, if the next rider back cannot be seen, either due to having
traffic in-between, or a large enough gap in the group for any reason; the last rider in the
line must wait at the turn for the next rider to show up before leaving the turn so as to
signal that the route has taken a turn. This will keep the group together on the same route
even though there may be unforeseen gaps in the formation.
GROUP RIDING GUIDE
Following too closely to the vehicle in front of you is arguably one of the greatest sins
committed by most riders on a regular basis. I find myself inching up on the bumper of the
vehicle in front of me all the time. Usually it’s only because I want to drive faster than the
car in front of me allows, but I have paid the price both in money and nervous close calls
because I gave myself little to no reaction space and time by following too closely.
When traveling on a highway, the minimum distance to keep between you and the vehicle
in front of you is 2 seconds, but that is the bare minimum. A 2- second following distance is
like buying the cheapest bullet -proof vest you can find. Keep in mind two seconds is the
distance needed on clear sunny days. At night or during inclement weather you need to
increase your safety margin to four to eight seconds. You should maintain these cushions as
best as possible including the time you find yourself riding in traffic or with a group of
motorcycles.
To figure your distance correctly pick a point on the road, like a sign or a seam in the
pavement, watch the vehicle ahead of you pass it and count the seconds it takes you to
reach that point. The number of seconds you count is your following distance.
If you have trouble with this and just want to estimate the distance in feet, use this formula:
at 70mph you travel approximately 105 feet a second, so 2 seconds times 105 feet would be
210 feet. But remember, that is the bare minimum. More is always better.
Trikes, Sidecars, or Bikes with a Trailer
Ride in the center track. Due to additional weight, allow a longer gap behind these bikes (as
if they were a car). The first bike behind a trike/sidecar/trailer returns to staggered
formation in the left side of the lane.
Filling the Gap - Cross Over
If a rider drops out of a staggered formation, it is desirable to preserve the integrity of the
formation. The bikes that are behind the gap fill it in by crossing right or left into the other
column. Do not fill the gap by passing the bike ahead of you.
Stop Signs
Riders are expected to come to a stop side-by-side (two abreast). The riders should
proceed through the intersection in pairs when safe to do so. This is the only situation
where riders are side-by-side in a traffic lane. Once through the intersection, riders resume
their left or right side of the lane. If cars get in-between riders, let them in.
Traffic Lights
Obey traffic laws. Do not 'run' red lights to remain with the group. When safely possible,
the Lead RC may pull on the shoulder or a parking lot to allow others to re-join.
LANE CHANGES
The Lead Bike communicates the lane change with blinker and hand signals. When safe, the
Sweep RC will move over early to ‘secure’ the lane, other bikes hold until Lead Bike moves
over. When changing lanes, the group, maintaining a staggered formation, should follow the
Lead Bike helping to keep the formation solid and tight. Each rider must make certain the
GROUP RIDING GUIDE
lane is clear by turning his/her head to ensure that there is no other vehicle approaching
the group in the new lane.
Two Lane Passing
If the Lead Bike decides to pass a slow moving vehicle, each individual rider must decide if
it is safe to follow.
Only pass when you have ample room and visibility to safely complete the pass. Pass one at
a time acting as an individual. Never blindly follow another bike in a passing situation. After
passing, move far enough forward to allow room for the riders that will come behind you.
Passing on a Freeway into a Faster Lane
As a group, it can be difficult to pass a slow moving car on any road with two or more lanes
of same-direction traffic. This is especially true with moderate to heavy traffic. Often there
is not enough room for the entire group to get between cars in the faster lane. The way to
accomplish this is for the last bike to pull over one lane to the left and hold his position.
Each rider should move to the left lane as the cars in front of the rear biker pass them. You
can then pass the slow car as a group after the lead rider moves to the left lane.
The lead rider should move back to the right lane after passing the slow car by a safe
distance. It is very important that the lead rider maintain speed to make room for all the
GROUP RIDING GUIDE
other riders. Each rider should move back to the right lane one at a time once safely cleared
the slow car (see Figure 3). This can be a real slick choreographed move for other motorists
to observe!
Group Parking
Parking in an orderly method substantially reduces the time for all to get off the road and
out of traffic. There is risk of injury for the last bikes that may be blocking the road in an
attempt to stay with the group.
A good way to park, if there is room, is for each bike to pull ahead of the intended parking
place and then back up into your spot. You can see how this is done on the image in Figure
4. This can be done very fast because you don't have to wait for the bike ahead of you to
finish the job.
If you find yourself at the end of the group and can't get off the road while waiting for
others to park, go around. Come back a minute or two later when things have settled down
and take your time.
Don't forget your pipes. Everything is cool when you back up to the curb until you lean your
bike over on the kick stand and you bend and scratch your left pipe on the curb.
PASSAGE OF INFORMATION THROUGH SIGNALS
During the ride, the Head Road Captain will make various blinker light, hand, and leg
signals (some are contained at the end). These signals indicate lane changes or turns,
obstacles, increasing/decreasing speed, or whether to form a stagger formation or a single
line. These hand signals need to be passed back through the group from the front rider to
the next rider in line. That way each rider only needs to be cognizant of signals from the
rider directly in front of him/her rather than everyone trying to keep an eye on the Ride
Leader. Blinker lights should always be used to not only allow everyone to see the
upcoming change, but to feedback acknowledgment. In a group ride, whether it be the Ride
GROUP RIDING GUIDE
Leader or in the middle of the pack, the bike in front needs to see the blinker light of the
following rider before turning in front of the following rider/bike (such as a right hand turn
when the bike in the left stagger crosses over in the right stagger lane). This prevents the
bike in front from crashing into the (surprised/unprepared) following bike/rider when
making the turn, assuming that the following bike sees your blinker light. Sometimes riders
don't notice blinker lights right away, so they should be turned on well before the turn.
That way everybody in the group becomes aware that a turn is coming up.
Sometimes a signal needs to be passed forward to the Head/Road Captain. This usually
occurs when the group has been separated for any reason. This usually happens when not
everyone has made it through a traffic signal. If you notice that the bike behind you has not
made it through the intersection or is missing, honk your horn three times. If you hear the
bike behind you honk three times, pass the signal forward by also honking three times.
Once the signal reaches the road Captain, they will make the decision to either slow down
or find a safe place to stop and wait for the rest of the group.
If an obstacle is spotted in the road, it should immediately be signaled to the riders in back
for safety. Sometimes, when the obstacle is spotted in a blind curve, and one doesn't want
to take one's hand off the handlebars, the signal is often done with an outstretched leg
(indicating which side of the lane the obstacle is located). This can be very useful when you
don't want to take your hand off the throttle and the obstacle is on the right side of a blind
curve.
Some typical obstacles which should be signaled as to where they may lie in the lane are:
sand/dirt/gravel/rocks, pot holes, dead animals, road dragons, (pieces of truck tire treads),
vehicular debris, range cattle, tar snakes (road tar repairs), furniture, etc. These obstacle
signals should always be passed to the rear as soon as possible so as to give those riders
the best opportunity to dodge them. Don't forget that the riders towards the rear in a group
ride will not be able to see as much of the whole road surface as those in front due to the
visual blockage of the front riders. Other hand signals include speed changes, directions for
coming alongside or passing, need for food or rest stop, and other miscellaneous things like
telling another rider that his blinker light is on unnecessarily.
RIDING STRATEGIES
There are certain tips which, when incorporated into one's riding, will make the ride safer
as well as enjoyable. The following are some generalities of how to ride in rural areas.
Range cattle have the right of way. Riders should slow way down for cattle found alongside,
or in, the roadway. Some of these, especially the calves, become skittish and very often bolt
directly in front of the bike, so have your brake covered in case you need to come to a
complete immediate stop.
Wild Life
Even though no one wants to hit one of these cute little critters; do not attempt to dodge or
break for them as this will actually increase the odds that you will hit them. They will dodge
or stop at just the last moment, and if you attempt to swerve or brake for them; you will be
more likely to lose control if you do hit one. On those occasions where you are worried
GROUP RIDING GUIDE
about hitting one of them; just get a good grip on the handlebars and ride your line. At
worst, even when leaned over in a curve, you will only feel a slight bump if you happen run
over one.
LEAVING THE GROUP, UNANTICIPATED STOPS OR BREAKDOWNS
If you plan to leave the group early, notify the RCs. This way they will know that you do not
have a problem or need assistance. If you suddenly need to stop or experience a
breakdown, signal your intention to pullover and do so safely. At least one of the RCs will
stop to assist you. The rest of the group should continue. It is not safe to have dozens of
bikes pulled over on the side of the road.
EXCEPTIONS TO NORMAL GUIDELINES
Ride your own ride! Remember that riding in a group does not mean you surrender any
decision making when it comes to your safety. This means that any guideline for group
riding can and should be ignored when it does not feel right. Determining when this is the
case and acting prudently is each rider's individual responsibility at all times.
EMERGENCY STOPPING
Ride with a partner. In the event someone needs to pull over for an unscheduled stop, the
partner should also stop in case assistance is needed.
It’s unsafe for a large group to stop on the side of the road. If someone needs to pull over,
the remainder of the group should continue to the next stop. At that time, the group can
decide to wait for the missing members or to send two riders back to assist.
If the group has a standing policy to wait for a specified period of time, say half an hour, the
members left behind will be aware that they can catch up.
All riders should have a map of the route so they can reach their destination on their own if
need be.
Hand Signals
Hand signals should be simple, easy to learn and be kept to a bare minimum.
Either the rider or passenger can relay the signal. As soon as you see a signal, you should
give the same signal so the rider behind you can see it.
When the phrase “1/3 of the lane” is used, it is referring to riding in the right or left track of
the lane.
These hand signals will not always be used by every group you ride with. The signals
assembled here are offered as suggestions only.
GROUP RIDING GUIDE
Start Your Engines
To indicate that you’re ready to go, place your hand (right or left) on top of the windshield.
If you don’t have a windshield, raise your hand. This tells the leader that your engine is
running and you’re ready to ride.
Ready to Go
Staggered
Single File
Slow Down
Use either arm, straight down or palm toward the back. Move your arm back and forth at
the elbow.
GROUP RIDING GUIDE
Hazard on the Road
Point with left hand at the object. Sometimes in group riding, the road captain may wave
his left arm back and forth above his head to alert the rest of the group. The road captain is
the only person who should perform this maneuver.
Turn Signals
Most bikes have turn signals – use them. Hand signals used in conjunction with turn signals
give everyone in the group and other traffic a clear idea of your intentions.