COBRA

Top 10 Group Etiquette / Guidelines

1. Positioning – Normal staggered positioning.
2. New Riders – Newer riders should be towards the FRONT of the group.
3. Spacing #1 – Always leave room for each other to maneuver the entire lane. Each rider commands his entire area within a lane and may move left or right in it as required to safely ride.
4. Spacing #2 – 1 to 1 ½ second rule between each rider (2-3 seconds behind bike in your same line/track), especially important in congested areas. Feel free to spread out a little more in the straights to relax and enjoy the ride/scenery.
5. Curves / Twisties – Spread out a little more in the corners, allowing additional maneuverability and braking if necessary, especially for newer riders – we don’t want any ditch riders!  Aggressive curves also call for single file riding so everyone can maintain good lines throughout.
6. “Buddy” – Keep an eye on the rider behind you, especially at any intersection or turns. If you lose sight for any extended time, slow down to allow the group to come back together.
7. Gas / Bathroom / etc – Need to stop? Point to your “tank” (or in our case, the air intake – LOL). Signal should be passed by everyone through the group. Flash lights and horn if necessary to pass signal up to the leader. Leader will stop at the next most convenient spot.
8. Stopping – If you need to stop immediately, simply pull over and stop in a safe spot. The sweeper will stop to assist. The pull over (point to tank) should be passed by all remaining riders to the leader, who will stop the rest of the group at the next most convenient spot.
9. No Pressure – Don’t feel pressured to ride past your comfort level. We will wait for the group at every turn, so don’t worry about getting left behind. The leader will verify the sweeper is behind the group at each turn, and if not, will stop the group and wait for the sweeper and any riders. The sweeper will not pass anyone in the group.
10. Road Hazards / Obstacles – It’s good etiquette and a safety precaution to point out road hazards to riders behind you. Use the appropriate foot (not hands) to point left or right to gravel, loose dirt, potholes, road kill, etc.

And above all else, Ride Your Own Ride!

The often-heard rule, “Ride Your Own Ride,” means that any guideline for group riding can and should be ignored when it doesn’t make sense. Determining whether this is the case and acting prudently is each rider’s individual responsibility at all times.

Common exceptions to these guidelines occur with a rider who is not yet experienced with group riding. If a maneuver looks too dangerous or awkward for the new rider to complete safely, he or she should do what he needs to do to protect themselves and avoid an accident. This may mean passing up a turn or taking it very slowly, or parking somewhere not with the group, or going more slowly through a curve than the riders ahead of them.

Click here to download this as a single-page PDF file.