AN INFORMAL SURVEY...

[joeszup]

100% ride solo. I love to hear the sound of my bike and like to keep my own pace, stop when I want and where I want.

[blindjoebeck]

I usually ride solo because, first, I’m retired and can more or less go wherever and whenever I want and, second, it’s a whole lot easier to pick a place to eat, get gas, or pick a campground if I don’t have to discuss it with other folks. (Also why I hike by myself.)
 
On the other hand, I sometimes ride with small groups (<6) of folks I’ve known for 20 years. We go at our own, varied, paces, meet up at lunch or at the end of the day, pass each other on the road, eat good food, drink suitable beverages, tell lots of lies, discuss world situations, and generally have a high old time.
 
Joe

[jo1000]

INFORMAL SURVEY: what influence does riding in a group of two or more bikes have on your own riding actions?  
 
 
Would you consider yourself more or less likely to ride somewhat faster than your normal pace when in a group?
 
 
 
Have you had any experiences where you’ve felt obliged to keep pace with faster riders, maybe to the point where you’ve stretched your own abilities and skills level?
 
 
 
Are you more comfortable riding ‘solo’ than as part of a group?
 
 
All good questions. Riding in a group is fun for me. I don't ride any faster with a "faster" group I ride my own pace, since I'm a pretty good rider I can keep up with most folks. I do ride with the same guys but I do tend to rotate between A few groups. The faster guys I ride my GSXS1000F we ride a spirited ride but nothing crazy ...It's fun. Then I ride with guys more my age (62) and they can ride spirited to but in a more relaxed manor , these guys all have several bikes and they like to travel. We have one guy (Donnie) who is always up front , he has a bunch of BMW bikes and he is very good with road planning and he is FAST .I have to admit he is a very good rider. We just let him go and we ride our own pace, we kinda get into a solo kinda mindset where we have alot of distance between us with Donnie up front a half a mile ahead. I have followed Donnie thru WV VA NC SC GA, with no problems and he is always way ahead. I think it all comes down to knowing your abilities and have a mind set of not going over them. Me personally if I was riding with a group of people that were faster than me and for some reason I couldn't control my right hand I wouldn't ride with that group. 

 

[bttrthnwrk]

Not counting a couple of rides with my 2 sons (when they both had bikes), I've only been on 1 group ride - a Yamaha demo ride in Chandler, AZ last year, when I was checking out a Super Tenere. The time on the S10 was well spent, but I'm afraid it'll be a long time before I try another group ride. It seems I either want to go too fast, or too slow compared to the folks around me. Oops.

[olddawg]

Net went down on my first reply. I never group ride, it's just not my thing. I want to be able to ride my own ride.

[chitown]

INFORMAL SURVEY: what influence does riding in a group of two or more bikes have on your own riding actions?
 
Situational. Things that are safer for me solo -- constantly varying lane position to see, be seen, escape routes... are modified if trying to keep a group together at low speed in high traffic using staggered formation.
 
Would you consider yourself more or less likely to ride somewhat faster than your normal pace when in a group?
 
No. And if there are riders whose abilities I am not familiar with will usually start out riding slower. Usually will just go straight to the back and ride sweep.
 
Have you had any experiences where you’ve felt obliged to keep pace with faster riders, maybe to the point where you’ve stretched your own abilities and skills level?
 
When I was younger and dumber yes. These days no. While I am certainly not the fastest there are folks that ride faster than me on the street only because of differences in judgment as opposed to ability.
 
Are you more comfortable riding ‘solo’ than as part of a group?
 
Generally, yes. But if the other rider(s) are like-minded it can increase my comfort level to know there's a resource close by in the event something goes sideways.
 
General observations:
 
Ride your own ride. "Ride alone together". Don't run bike centipedes on public roads. During group rides if you hear someone that says "I've never gone that fast before" it's usually not a Good Thing.

[LaFartessa]

I primarily ride solo, although occasionally over the past 45 years I've found a good bunch to share the road with.
 
15 years ago I joined a group of riders who shared similar styles and looked out for each other, so I was involved in a lot of 'ride a couple hundred miles for coffee' meets on Sundays. I used to say of my riding 'faster than some, slower than many', and could comfortably ride 2nd or 3rd position behind the fast guys.
 
But as I aged, and as newer, younger riders joined the group, I found myself becoming less comfortable with the pace by virtue of my weakened eyesight and slower synapses. So I ride back further in the group, probably 5th or 7th.
 
When I lead rides with my sons and their friends, I sometimes feel I'm not giving them the pace they could ride, and although they do always reassure me, I'm getting near the point of telling them it's their time to lead. ;-)
 
I've been stretched, in a good way, by riding with better riders. Hopefully I've done the same for some others.
 
These days, I think my credo would be 'slower than most, faster than a few.'
 
 
 
 

[rambuck]

I used to belong to a couple different MC forums and have been on "rallies" for both.  I have been in a group who I felt rode excessively fast and I did try to keep up.  I'm not talking dragging knees on twisties.  Talking well above the century mark on highways and even some 2 lane country roads with lots of driveways, etc.  Needless to say my friend and I found a different group to ride with in short order.
A suzuki forum I belonged to, we held several rallies yearly.  I got to become great friends with several members and we formed certain groups, Spirited, medium and double up sight see'ers.  Worked great.  I ended up in the same group of 5 of us for years and we had a blast.  We kept the same order, spirited riders up front and the slower riders in the rear, although I'm not talking much slower.   Had a lot of fun with those guys/gal.  
Haven't been to a rally though, in 4 to 5 yrs due to family/work.  So, pretty much ride solo now.  Which I'm totally fine with.  I crack up at some people though:  "You went on a week long trip around the Great Lakes, into Canada, by yourself?!!!!!!!"  
Yup.   8-)
 
 

[tktplz]

I do a lot of both solo and group rides. I ride a pretty spirited pace especially on the FJ haha! In group rides, I'm either leading or bringing up the rear 90% of the time, as I'm usually the one planning the routes. And as Brick stated, we always stress to ride at your own pace, if someone wants to go faster wave them around and we'll wait at the turn for any stragglers. Group riding can be fun IF you're familiar with everyone you're riding with and know their abilities as well as your own and in smaller groups like 8-10.

Couldn't have said it better myself. I help plan routes, ride in the top 5 or 6 riders and ride with friends that have ridden together for years. Groups of 20 to 25. And yes indeed, ride your own ride!

[cbxdave]

I enjoy both solo riding and group riding. I usually lead our group rides because I layout the route. Our group of guys (5 to 6) are all pretty close in skill and speed. We stress not riding over your ability and we always gather up anyone that dropped back at turns. I don't mind leading, but find I'm always watching to see if we have everyone and have had some close calls from not being 100% focused. I will probably have someone else lead this year because since I crashed my ST1100 I am finding I tend to target fixate in corners and I want to break that bad habit before I lead a group again. I really don't care for large groups, dice and poker runs. Especially when there are a lot of crusier types that seem to want to ride side by side. I do enjoy solo runs. I can pick the road, the pace, when I stop or don't and what kind of restaurant suits me. Its how I find all the great roads that make the group want me to lead those rides.
Dave

[wrench]

I prefer group rides, though I do enjoy going solo as well. In a group, I find that I pay more attention to pointing out road hazards to others and am more aware of the group as a whole. And yes, I do feel some pressure to ride faster than I normally would, but not above my ability. I've found that group riding teaches me better lines and techniques, especially if I'm following a better rider than I am, but I don't push the envelope beyond what is comfortable. Ride your own ride! I often allow faster guys to pass by moving over.
 
That said, when riding in a group, I usually pay more attention to the road and less to the scenery because I'm riding at a faster pace than I would were I alone. On two lanes and twisties, the opposite is true. If I'm on the slab alone, I'll ride faster than when in a group om the same road.

[nicksta43]

I ride solo. Don't know anyone else that rides and I'm not really a people person.
 
We have a group that will meet at a certain place at a certain time for lunch but everyone comes in from different places along different routes. I've been to one but didn't really find much in common with the other people. Probably won't go to another one.