Newbie Group Riding

[HIGHLANDER]

Welcome Cisco ...to the mad house!

Book your calender now for the annual Yosemite run. More info in the link.

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=146

 

[madmike2]

Aaaaannnddd, if you're really really really lucky, you might get a chance to actually follow the Highlanders! We're probably embarrassing the man, (When has that ever stopped any of us?)but Dave, personally and publicly it is a tribute to the man and the rider you are. You seem to have applied what the rest of us read and try to learn (and yes, we all have room to and are learning.).

[SIZE=8pt]Anyone who knows Dave is sure he is blushing and telling Dianne, "I wish Mike would shut-the-heck-up"! [/SIZE] :haha:

O'vale and Cisco...ya gotta come to the Yosemite run. A great chance to meet some of the NorCal and SoCal congregation.

 

[HIGHLANDER]

:blush2: :blushing:

MM2 :guns:

 

[CISCO]

:blush2: :blushing:

MM2 :guns:

:agent: I hope to ride with you sometime soon, as well as the rest of you. Are any of you from the Central Valley/Gold Country?

:search:

 

[madmike2]

My sleepy memory (as I just got up)....

Sacramento area:

Rick-in-Sac (and Karen, aka: The Den Mother)

RogDeb (Roger and Deb)

Madmike2

Chris-in-Sac

????

Foothills:

50GTT

SilveradoSlick

Marysvill/Yuba City:

Bluestreek (Steve and Cyndi)

Discovery Bay:

Dive1 (Dave)

I know there at least 5 or 6 are others, but my brain isn't working well.

You have to understand that we try to plan dayrides so many NorCal people can join in, thus the Napa Valley rides, where the Bay area, Santa Rosa area and Sac Valley riders can congregate.

OR, like the annual Yo-Yo-Yosemite ride (over a weekend), where it is planned out 3 months in advance so many people can adjust their calendars, make reservations, budget, etc. There, you'd meet a lot of the great SoCal ownrs, too.

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

Definitely have to do the Yosemite ride...my wife and I are booking right now.

Andrew

 

[Ric in Sac]

Maybe we should have a raffle at the beginning of the rides to see who gets to follow the Highlander pair?

 

[Bluestreek]

How much are the tickets? :cownoy:

 

[madmike2]

No, that'll never work. They just disappear and the first "follower" becomes a roadblock.

The real fun was following Jeff and Highlander on that one stretch during the last "wine country" adventure. Yee-freakin-haw! Of course, 5 of us had to wait 10 minutes for the rest of you to show up. Its a good thing that road wasn't any longer, we could have taken a nap. :haha: Then following Jeff down that last mountain stretch. Hmmmmm, following Toecutter down from the Sequoias ranks pretty high on the scale, too, wouldn't you say, Bluestreek? That was you and Cyndi behind me, wasn't it? Silverado was in front of me (the "old Ticketmeister" himself)

AAAhhhhhh, a nice ride in the country, all safe and sane, then my hooligan evil twin shows up.....tch, tch, tch. I'd forgotten how cool it is to listen to the airbox wail on the FJR. At least I got the last bit out of the Metz edges before replacing with the PR's. :agent:

I'm really gonna miss Rick in Sac (and "The Den Mother") and TWN at WFO-4!

 

[twowheelnut]

Hmmmmm, following Toecutter down from the Sequoias ranks pretty high on the scale, too, wouldn't you say, Bluestreek?

Concur most heartily! Most excellent pace set by the Toe!

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

I have a feeling that on the first group ride I'll learn what the FJR can handle. I know my limits so far are well under the bike's abilities. I am sure that as my limits expand, the FJR has plenty ability to spare so it'll be a long learning process for me. There is about a 1/3 inch of rubber on my BStones that hasn't been used yet. I gotta tell ya, having never ridden a bike of this caliber before that one week sure hasn't been enough to test its limits for me.

 

[Bluestreek]

That was you and Cyndi behind me, wasn't it?

I was riding the bike with the little woman on back beating the top of my helmet. :headbonk:

 

[Toecutter]

I was riding the bike with the little woman on back beating the top of my helmet.

"But Honey, there's two of them up there and they're not falling down. We have to keep up, don't we?" Brenda has developed a 'sensitivity' to speed. "Is it safe to pass cars at 110? Honey, it's what the bike was designed to do." I think it has a lot to do with not being in control. Which one of us would be comfortable as a passenger on the back of a bike we're driving instead of being the pilot? Not me, no way. Any SO that remains a sport about it has to be cherished and pampered. A sincere raise of the glass to all those special companions out there. :clap: Oh, and thanks for the compliments. I was just trying to make the lunch appointment on time.

 

[madmike2]

@ O'vale, for the record, let me insert the "Dreaded Safety Lecture".

1) Ride your own ride! DO NOT let your testosterone overwhelm your common sense. Especially, since you have a passenger, as your responsibility is 10x a solo rider's.

In any group, there will be those with much experience and those with less. The idea is to enjoy the ride (and it IS a ride, not a race), enjoy the rest stops and lunch stops, then ride some more. If you sense that things are a little above your safety or comfort zone, simply ride where you are comfortable....we will wait (see # 2)

2) Ride "The Pace" This can be downloaded from , click on the American/Canadian flags, under the picture of the bike see Touring Tales , then click on "The Pace".


This is covered in th above postings.


The 2 most important issues, for me, are:


:bigeyes: Keep 2 seconds between you and the bike ahead of you. I know that many riders violate this, and it is a shame because when done correctly, it allows so much freedom and safety during a ride. Some just have to play "Ricky Racer" and get right on another rider's tail, but there is no way most riders can maintain their own "line" through a corner while concentrating on the front bike's rear wheel. No way! It can't be done! If followed, this one principle would allow the whole group to ride better.


:agent: Watch for the rider behind you. If you come to a fork or turn, and notice the following bike is not in sight, simply stop and wait. IF every rider would do this, no one would get lost, there would be no anxiety about "keeping up with the group" and we ALL arrive at the next stop. We almost always have a "sweeper" who knows the route and can "shepherd" any who miss a turn.

 


:clap: The NorCal group is pretty good about spacing rest/stretch stops every hour or so (sometimes less, depending on the type of roads). That way the passengers can stretch (and communicate), we can all stay hydrated (especially in the heat) and we do not get "stretched out". Really, there is no need for apprehension.

 


Looking forward to riding with you.

 

[Toecutter]

Watch for the rider behind you

And keep him visible in your mirror. That way, nobody gets accidentally dropped from the group. I experienced this on the Markleeville lunch ride. It was hard to resist the temptation to keep pace with the bike ahead, but I felt I was doing the right thing by keeping in touch with the bike behind me. If they had a problem, I would know it right away, and not have to backtrack from the next stop, 40 miles or so down the road. A group ride is more fun as a group, and all bets are off on my solo rides. It's hard to change styles sometimes, but rewarding in the end. On the Sequoia ride, the bike behind me stayed up so I kept pressing. Somewhere back there somebody got dropped, but the ground rules weren't exactly set ahead of time and this was my first group ride. We should make it a point to have a pre-ride briefing, so everybody is on the same page. I also think the leader and sweeper should be in radio contact, optimally.

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

I also think the leader and sweeper should be in radio contact, optimally.

That makes sense.