Group motorcycle riding can be a lot of fun. As organizer for The Seminole County Cruiser Group, a motorcycle enthisiast group of over 185 riders, motorcycle accident attorney Doug Bills knows that group riding in Central Florida is not only very fun, it can also be safer than riding alone. All bike types are welcome. There are more and more people getting together as groups not only for impromptu short excursions but also for longer organized rides. Face it, we hear of way too many motorcycle accidents due to the operator of a car not noticing a motorcycle. With a group of, say six or 15 bikes, automobile drivers see that many more headlights approaching and hear the rumble of the group as it approaches. Orlando accident attorney Doug Bills organizes the Seminole County Cruiser Group Meetup. It is a group of 150 plus motorcycle riders who regularly ride together through Central Florida in the safety of numbers. On a given ride we typically number 6-15 riders. A group ride could be defined as any group of two or more motorcycles riding together. On occassion, Doug and his law firm organize charity rides through the Bills-Redon, P.A. charity RideForJustice.net. These charity rides offer a great opportunity to help our local community together and reach out to those in serious need. If you ever find yourself needing to meet with a motorcycle accident attorney, please know that accident attorney Doug Bills considers anyone with a passion for motorcycles as a friend.
If you have never ridden in a group of motorcycle riders, you should consider it. Group riding is a great way to make friends and see beautiful sights in the safety of numbers. There are some some details concerning group riding. Usually, on a given ride instructions are given before the ride so everyone understands the basics, the general route etc. However, for the most part, a group ride is meant to be fun and safe. So, safe distances and courteous riding are the general guidelines. Group riding is a good way to avoid a motorcycle accident because of the high level of visibility and even sound of a group of V-twin-powered motorcycles.
To join our riding friends, go to our motorcycle charity ride page or click here and visit the link to the Seminole County Cruiser Group. There are no dues. Simply sign up and check out the calendar for our next ride.
Some Motorcycle Group Riding Tips-
Motorcycle Riding Formation
A Motorcycle Group Ride is normally composed of a Ride Leader and a Sweep or Drag Rider (bringing up the rear). Normal riding as a group is done in a staggered formation. This is, basically, dividing a lane in half with each rider occupying his/her own half of the lane. It is each rider's responsibility to ride in the half of the lane as dictated to by the next rider in front. If the rider in front needs to change lane halves to maintain the stagger, then it is the following rider's responsibility to change lane position on down the line to accommodate this change. The Lead motorcycle Rider usually starts the stagger in the left half of the lane position. While in staggered group riding, the normal stagger distance is 1 -> 2 seconds, and no more than a 3 second gap, in order to maintain a tight formation and not allow traffic to interrupt and break up the formation. This means that each rider will be 2 -> 3 seconds behind the rider directly in front and using the same half of the lane. 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. The solid-line appearance of a motorcycle group ride is an excellent way to avoid a motorcycle accident and focuss on the joy of the ride. As a motorcycle rider who has led over 50 group motorcycle rides in the past two years alone, motorcycle accident attorney Doug Bills thoroughly understands the joy of riding and recommends motorcycle group riding to anyone looking to "get away" from the everyday.
There are a good number of Orlando motorcycle groups with riders of all backgrounds who ride anything from cruisers to sport bikes to custom choppers. No matter what motorcycle you ride however, according to motorcycle accident attorney Doug Bills, the joy of the ride and safety should go hand in hand.
When riding in curves, the stagger is no longer warranted and a single file type of formation is normal. These changes in lane position should 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 the index finger pointing straight up in the air is a direction for single file riding.
Single file motorcycle 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 -> 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 corner on a motorcycle 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.
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 Rider that you are uncomfortable with the pace. It will then be up to the Lead Rider 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 of motorcycles will close up the gap and reorganize the stagger. Please do not pull off, also, unless you need to do so. The Sweep/Drag Rider of the group will aid the rider who has pulled over. He will also communicate (via radio) with the Ride Leader so as to apprise him of the situation. The next (last) rider then becomes the Sweep/Drag rider until the Sweep/Drag rider returns to the group.
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. This will avoid any temptation to speed up to the group and again, avoid the possibility of a motorcycle accident.
Passage of Information through Signals
During the ride, the Ride Leader will make various blinker light, hand, and leg signals. 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 all the group's motorcycle riders to see the upcoming change, but to feed back acknowledgment. In a group motorcycle ride, whether it be the Ride 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 the motorcycle group 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.
If an obstacle is spotted in the road, it should immediately be signaled to the motorcycle 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 to a motorcycle 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 motorcycle 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 ridin a motorcycle 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.
Sand/gravel is sometimes found in curves from cars and trailers running a wheel off the roadway and "splashing" up some of the sand/gravel from the side of the road. Sometimes in the springtime there are also some "dirty" sections of the roads in the higher elevations due to snow melt runoff. When encountering a dirty roadway, the inside tire track of the lane (closest to the centerline) is almost always the cleanest part of the road and should be taken in a single file formation.
Cattle Guards while in curves are sometimes also encountered. These can be slippery, especially to motorcycle tires with their small contact patches. When wet, either with water or oil, they are extremely hazardous and should always be taken in a straight line while straight up on the motorcycle (no lean angle). This can be accomplished by doing the curve in two stages. The beginning of the turn before the cattle guard, then straight up over the guard, and finish the turn after going over it. This is known as a "double apex" for those who may not already know the technical terminology.
Group Motorcycle Riding can be a lot of fun if all the members are comfortable within the group. If one or more members of the group are not comfortable; then this should be discussed at the next stop so as to accommodate or correct the cause of the problem. It's very easy to take each problem and, with a little tact, teach whomever might not have a sufficient understanding of these simple rules. We all can then enjoy the fine sport of motorcycle riding and avoid an unnecessary motorcycle accident. To learn more about available motorcycle groups or to join motorcycle attorney Doug Bills and his motorcycle group of riders and friends, the Seminole Cruiser Group, visit us on the Web.
If you or a loved one has been been injured in a motorcycle accident or any type of accident due to the negligence of another, call the attorneys of Bills-Redon.com for a free consultation with an Orlando motorcycle accident attorney who rides today.
Motorcycle Accident Attorney consult 407-679-2525 or to discuss a motorcycle accident, attorney Doug Bills is available 24 hours for emergency consults by calling toll free 888-420-HURT (4878)
For a no chrage consultation with a motorcycle accident attorney who rides call 407-679-2525 If calling about a motorcycle accident in Daytona, attorney Doug Bills is available 24 hrs at 888-420-HURT (4878)
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Motorcycle Accident Attorney
Attorney Doug Bills represents car accident , motorcycle accident and injury victims for all types of negligent acts. including automobile accident victims Abogado Douglas Bills-Redon Representa Victimas de Accidentes de motora / motocicleta en Daytona y todo Central Florida Abogado Douglas Bills-Redon Representa Victimas de Accidentes de auto en Orlando y todo Central Florida Abogado Douglas Bills-Redon Representa Victimas de Accidentes de motora / motocicleta en Orlando y todo Central Florida Abogado Douglas Bills-Redon Representa Victimas de Accidentes de auto en Deltona y toda Central Florida Abogado Douglas Bills-Redon Representa Victimas de Accidentes de auto en Kissimmee y toda Central Florida Abogado Douglas Bills-Redon Representa Victimas de Accident auto en Daytona accidents y todo Central Florida Abogado Douglas Bills-Redon represents accident victims of negligence Representa Victimas de Accidentes de motora / motocicleta en Sanford y toda Central Florida Abogado Douglas Bills-Redon Representa Victimas de Accidentes de motocicleta / motora en Kissimmee y toda Central Florida Abogado Douglas Bills-Redon Representa Victimas de Accidentes de auto en Sanford y toda Central Florida Abogado Douglas Bills-Redon Representa Victimas de Accidentes de motora / motocicleta en Deltona y toda Central Florida auto accidents attorneys personal injury attorney in Miami Florida auto or motorcycle accident property damage in Orlando or Sanford Florida Auto accidents personal injury in Tallahasse Florida Motorcycle Auto Accident Attorneys Georgia Attorney Doug Bills handles auto accident and injury claims in Orlando and throughout Florida including in Daytona in Deland in Deltona in Kissimmee in Sanford in Debary in Longwood in Winter Springs in Oviedo in Apopka in Orange County in Seminole County in Volusia County in Lake County in Osceola County in Ocala in Sumter County his practice includes auto accidents car accidents motorcycle accidents accidental death wrongful death fatality fatilities injury personal injury Lesiones personales
Motorcycle Accident Attorney Doug Bills is an avid motorcycle rider and reminds you to ride safely, but, do enjoy the ride. Consult today with Orlando accident attorney and accident attorney Doug Bills. Do not speak to an adjsuter before speaking with an Orlando motorcycle accident attorney
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