I stole these from another forum I am on that has them posted. I thought it was a good idea to have the same general guidelines over here. Feel free to PM me to add things!
1. PASSING
Don't pass within the pack unless waved past by the rider in front of you.
Exceptions to this: If there's a ridiculous gap between the guy in front of you and the pack and he/she's holding you up. Be mindful if another rider waves you past, as it's still up to YOU to make the pass safely. Also, slower riders should yield when approached by a faster rider or riders. Personally I won't pass unless the rider in front waves me by or pulls to the far right. Even if I were leading a faster group, I wouldn't pass a slower rider or slower group. It puts too many people in danger.
2. FORMATION
While riding at an easy pace. staggered formation fits the most bikes in the smallest area without increasing the risk factor too much. Once the pack rips into some twisties, the pack should spread out into single-file, giving the entire lane to each rider, allowing them to take whatever damn line they want. Never cross wheels with the rider in front of you, even in staggered formation. You don't want to have to worry about someone being NEXT to you in a turn if you decide to change lines. People take some pretty crazy lines, mainly due to road conditions, but that's the nature of street riding.
3. COPS
If one person in the gets pulled over, REGARDLESS of the circumstances...DO NOT RAT OUT THE OTHER RIDERS! You were just cruising down the road and he/she/they blew right by you...you don't know them. Period. Don't make up some lame **** like you met them at a gas station then rode out together, because then you'll be expected to know what they were on, what they were wearing, what they looked like...etc.and you don't want to have to argue with a cop. Nor should you, always remember your right to remain silent.
RUNNING FROM COPS
this one's open for debate, but if someone deliberately runs from the cops on a group ride, I probably won't be riding with them again. I wouldn't run from the cops even if I was alone...but in a group I think it's especially bad. One form of running is when the people up front see what's going on and hammer it to get out of there. Deliberate evasion isn't acceptable on a group ride. Sure, if you're up front and the back guy gets pulled over...you keep going. I've seen cops pull over 6 cars on the highway at once. One cruiser, 6 cars. They get the first guy to pull over then have them follow up until the cruiser pulls over after doing the same with the other vehicles he's pulling over.
5. WAITING FOR SLOWER RIDERS
if you're leading, or in the 'fast' group of the group, wait up for the slower riders. Hammer it through the corners all you want, but then take it easy on the straights until everyone catches up. Pay most attention to the rider BEHIND you. If you loose that person, STOP AND WAIT FOR THEM AT THE NEXT INTERSECTION. If everyone does this the group will stay together (over time) and it dosn't require everyone to stop and wait for slower riders. Use hand signal in addition to blinker when coming up to radical direction change. Nothing sucks like getting ditched on a group ride...and it's unnecessary.
6. HAND SIGNALS
- If someone is looking at you and closes/opens their fist, your directional is on.
- Point debris on the road with your foot, BUT ONLY DO SO IF YOU CAN. If taking a foot of the peg would cause you to blow the corner, don't do it.
- There is debate about standard hand signals for things like "cops ahead", "I need to take a piss", etc. These are open for further discussion.
7. STUNTS
There is a time and a place for them.
NOT the time or the place:
On any FZ6-Forum ride.
8. BRINGING FRIENDS
Bring friends on a ride if you want, but it is YOUR responsibility to make sure they are aware of these rules.
9. WHAT TO BRING
When meeting to go on a ride, show up with a full tank of gas and an empty bladder. It's not nice to hold other people up for **** you can, and should have, taken care of beforehand.
10. LEMON-AID STANDS
This one is *very* important. Little kids often sell lemon-aid from their front lawn during the summer. They rarely get any business, and are often quite happy when they do. If you get a chance to stop and make a kid smile, there really is no reason not to do so. This often scares the hell out of the parents (esp. when Will comes with us), but they usually figure out quite fast that bikers aren’t as badass as they are made out to be.
11. CONTACT INFORMATION
Bring some emergency contact info with you on rides, or better yet...compile a list of everyone's info if you can. If someone gets hurt, it will leave you with one less thing to think about during the aftermath of an accident.
1. PASSING
Don't pass within the pack unless waved past by the rider in front of you.
Exceptions to this: If there's a ridiculous gap between the guy in front of you and the pack and he/she's holding you up. Be mindful if another rider waves you past, as it's still up to YOU to make the pass safely. Also, slower riders should yield when approached by a faster rider or riders. Personally I won't pass unless the rider in front waves me by or pulls to the far right. Even if I were leading a faster group, I wouldn't pass a slower rider or slower group. It puts too many people in danger.
2. FORMATION
While riding at an easy pace. staggered formation fits the most bikes in the smallest area without increasing the risk factor too much. Once the pack rips into some twisties, the pack should spread out into single-file, giving the entire lane to each rider, allowing them to take whatever damn line they want. Never cross wheels with the rider in front of you, even in staggered formation. You don't want to have to worry about someone being NEXT to you in a turn if you decide to change lines. People take some pretty crazy lines, mainly due to road conditions, but that's the nature of street riding.
3. COPS
If one person in the gets pulled over, REGARDLESS of the circumstances...DO NOT RAT OUT THE OTHER RIDERS! You were just cruising down the road and he/she/they blew right by you...you don't know them. Period. Don't make up some lame **** like you met them at a gas station then rode out together, because then you'll be expected to know what they were on, what they were wearing, what they looked like...etc.and you don't want to have to argue with a cop. Nor should you, always remember your right to remain silent.
RUNNING FROM COPS
this one's open for debate, but if someone deliberately runs from the cops on a group ride, I probably won't be riding with them again. I wouldn't run from the cops even if I was alone...but in a group I think it's especially bad. One form of running is when the people up front see what's going on and hammer it to get out of there. Deliberate evasion isn't acceptable on a group ride. Sure, if you're up front and the back guy gets pulled over...you keep going. I've seen cops pull over 6 cars on the highway at once. One cruiser, 6 cars. They get the first guy to pull over then have them follow up until the cruiser pulls over after doing the same with the other vehicles he's pulling over.
5. WAITING FOR SLOWER RIDERS
if you're leading, or in the 'fast' group of the group, wait up for the slower riders. Hammer it through the corners all you want, but then take it easy on the straights until everyone catches up. Pay most attention to the rider BEHIND you. If you loose that person, STOP AND WAIT FOR THEM AT THE NEXT INTERSECTION. If everyone does this the group will stay together (over time) and it dosn't require everyone to stop and wait for slower riders. Use hand signal in addition to blinker when coming up to radical direction change. Nothing sucks like getting ditched on a group ride...and it's unnecessary.
6. HAND SIGNALS
- If someone is looking at you and closes/opens their fist, your directional is on.
- Point debris on the road with your foot, BUT ONLY DO SO IF YOU CAN. If taking a foot of the peg would cause you to blow the corner, don't do it.
- There is debate about standard hand signals for things like "cops ahead", "I need to take a piss", etc. These are open for further discussion.
7. STUNTS
There is a time and a place for them.
NOT the time or the place:
On any FZ6-Forum ride.
8. BRINGING FRIENDS
Bring friends on a ride if you want, but it is YOUR responsibility to make sure they are aware of these rules.
9. WHAT TO BRING
When meeting to go on a ride, show up with a full tank of gas and an empty bladder. It's not nice to hold other people up for **** you can, and should have, taken care of beforehand.
10. LEMON-AID STANDS
This one is *very* important. Little kids often sell lemon-aid from their front lawn during the summer. They rarely get any business, and are often quite happy when they do. If you get a chance to stop and make a kid smile, there really is no reason not to do so. This often scares the hell out of the parents (esp. when Will comes with us), but they usually figure out quite fast that bikers aren’t as badass as they are made out to be.
11. CONTACT INFORMATION
Bring some emergency contact info with you on rides, or better yet...compile a list of everyone's info if you can. If someone gets hurt, it will leave you with one less thing to think about during the aftermath of an accident.
