STAGING

RIDING

HAND SIGNALS

PASSING
ON A 2 LANE ROAD

PASSING
- ON THE FREEWAY

STOPPING

PARKING

 

·         Have a full tank before arriving at the departure point.

·         Tell the Road Captain if you have any special concerns, i.e. speed, sharp corners, etc.

·         Tell the Road Captain if you plan to leave the group before the destination.  Also tell the persons riding in front and behind you so they don't think you are having a problem.

·         When a rider leaves the group while in staggered formation,  compensate for the hole by  moving up not sideways.

·         Tell the Road Captain if your bike has an unusually short fuel range or if your bladder has a short range.

·         It is not unusual to start out on a ride when it is fairly warm and have the temp cool down a lot before getting home.  Riders often wear a light jacket because it felt fine at the time of departure and really be freezing after it got dark.  This frequently happens on dinner rides.

·         Remember to take some clear eye protection if the ride will extend into the evening.

·         When exiting a expressway, keep up the pace so the riders behind you aren't forced to slow down while still on the expressway and become a traffic hazard.

 

 

 

 

STAGING PRACTICES
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Be prepared to ride at the specified departure time with a full tank of gas and an empty bladder.

The leaders or Road captains will discuss the route and destination of your ride.  In the unlikely event that you get separated from the group, all will not be lost and you can catch up or meet the group at the destination.

San Diego SCRC generally  limits the size of a group to 10 bikes for safety reasons.  Often there are many more than 10 bikes.   In this case we may line up in two or more columns as indicated in columns A, B, & C in the picture to the right.  Column A will depart first.  A few minutes later column B will leave and then column C. Each Group will have a Road Captain and a Tail Gunner.

If you want to ride with friends, you must all be in the same column.  If you are in different columns, you will not ride in the same group.

IMPORTANT:  If you have special needs or concerns be sure to tell the leader of your group.  Lesser experienced riders should be at the BACK of the group in front of  the Tail Rider, NOT in the FRONT.  The back of the group is generally slower and the Tail Gunner's job is to make sure that no one is left behind.

IMPORTANT:  If you plan on dropping out during the ride, PLEASE tell the Road Captain.  They tend to get pissed off if they have to look for you only to find out that you went home.

 

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RIDING PRACTICES
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San Diego SCRC  generally rides in a stagger formation for safety reasons.  The minimum recommended spacing to the bike directly in front of you should not be less than two seconds (the two second rule).  The bike in the lane to your left or right should not be less than one second ahead of you.  You will find that two seconds is a long distance when riding at highway speeds.  That is,  it's a long distance when everything is going well.  When things go wrong, however, two seconds distance is gone in the time it takes to figure out you are in trouble.

The two second rule is a rule of thumb should try to adhere to this rule when possible, especially at highway speeds.  There are times, however when it is best to squeeze together while in city streets & while slowing for a stop.  This will help prevent cars from entering the group.

The last bike should ride in the middle of the two bike lanes with all head lights and running lights on.  This will help the lead bike see the last bike.  Refer to the image to the right.

 

 

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Hand Signals
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Start Engines

Left Turn

Right Turn

Start.gif (7853 bytes)With your right or left arm
extended, move your index
finger in a circular motion.

Left.gif (5363 bytes)Raise your left arm horizontal with your
elbow fully extended.

Right.gif (5445 bytes)Raise your left arm horizontal with your elbow bent 90 degrees vertically.

Hazard Left

Hazard Right

Speed Up

Hazard Left.gif (5478 bytes)Extend your left arm or foot at
a 45 degree angle and
point towards the hazard.

Extend your right arm or foot at a 45 degree angle and point towards the hazard.

speed.gif (17197 bytes)Raise your left arm up and down with your index finger extended upward. This indicates the
leader wants to speed up.

Slow Down

Stop

Single File

Slow.gif (5474 bytes)Extend your left arm at a 45 degree angle and move
your hand up and down.

Stop.gif (5502 bytes)Extend your left arm at a 45 degree angle with the palm of your hand facing rearward.

 

Single.gif (5508 bytes)Position your left hand over
your helmet with your fingers
extended upward. This indicates the leader wants the group in a single file formation.

Extend your index and pinkie finger to indicate that it is safe to return to staggered formation.

 

Tighten Up

Pissed Off

 

Tight.gif (5525 bytes)Raise your left arm and
repeatedly move up and down in a pulling motion.  This indicates the leader wants the group to close ranks.

Pissed.gif (7800 bytes)Extend your left arm straight out
with your elbow bent 90 degrees Carefully extend your middle finger to clearly demonstrate your dissatisfaction with the other guy.
NOTE:  It is not recommended  you do this when you are alone.

 

 

 

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PASSING ON A TWO LANE ROAD
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It is usually very difficult for a group to pass a slow moving car on a two lane road.  Generally SD SCRC  will not pass a car on a two lane road, particularly on local rides, unless it is going very slow.  If the lead biker decides to pass the car, each biker must decide on his own if it is safe for him or her.  DO NOT follow the bike in front of you unless you are certain that it is safe for you too.

IMPORTANT: After passing the car, keep going.  Also if you pass and there is no on coming cars, please use your left hand with a "Thumbs Up" to signal riders behind that it is safe to pass.

You must also make room for all the bikes behind you. 

 

 

 

 

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PASSING ON A FREEWAY
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Option 1

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.

One  way to accomplish this is for the Road Captain to signal the lane change, and the Tail gunner's will attempt to pull over one lane to the left and hold his position.   Each rider then follow the Road Captain's lead of  moving to the left lane when it is safe to do so.  You can then pass the slow car as a group.

The Road Captain will signal to move back to the right lane after passing the slow car by a safe distance.  It is very important that the Road Captain maintain speed to make room for all the other riders.  Each rider should move back to the right lane one at a time once safely cleared the slow car.  This can be a real slick choreographed move for other motorists to observe.

Option 2

During a lane change, the FRONT bike moves over first.  Now, what do the rest of the bikes do? Legally, if the whole group moves like a "brick" (everyone changing lane together in one movement), that is considered to be parading and can cause problems if any emergency arises. Also, if you remember from your MSF classes, you learned that you and you alone are responsible for your own safety. So, if each bike individually changes lanes in order following the first bike to change lanes (whether from the front or the back), you can reduce your risk factor, change lanes legally, and still look REAL GOOD while doing the maneuver!

It is important that the Road Captain and Tail Gunner talk to each other before the ride and come to an agreement on how they intend to pass cars.

 

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STOPPING AS A GROUP
AT AN INTERSECTION
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When stopping as a group at an intersection, break stagger formation and pull up beside the bike in the adjacent lane.  This will reduce the length of the group by half.  Stay in this formation until you are through the intersection.  Because the group is half as long it will take half the time to clear the intersection and increase the odds of  keeping the group intact.

If you don't make it through the intersection with the group, don't worry.  Don't take a chance and run a red light.  The Road Captain will know that you are not with the group and will slow down, or wait for you down the road.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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GROUP PARKING
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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 to the right.  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.

For you bagger drivers, 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.

 

 

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