Message From The President

To All Maxi Scooters Riders,
Group Riding
Riding with others presents unique challenges


Group riding is a whole other Endeavour compared to solo riding. Where it is like solo riding, is that some riders may instinctively do a good job of quickly figuring out the way to do it well, enjoying themselves, and have no issues. Others have found out the hard way that there are new rules to be observed when riding collectively.
“Group riding” is actually a catch’all term. More specifically:
· Are you and a few friends planning a day trip on your scooter, cruisers or a mixture of bike types?
· Are you and some friends heading out of the country?
· Are you and 11 other strangers riding a guided tour through new surroundings?
· Are you and some buddies and your hot maxi scooters going out to look for some fun?
In other words, who is in your group? Do you know everyone and their habits well? Is everyone sufficiently experienced? Or are you riding with novices trying to keep with a herd for the first time in traffic?
Are you new to riding? If you are, think twice. Riding with a group presents challenges to an already demanding learning process, and probably should be avoided until you have at least 1,000 miles experience.

But even assuming you are up for it, depending on the dynamics, and number of riders, it will be necessary to pay greater heed to some fundamentals.
A truly organized ride is of necessity. Usually, the most experienced two riders will be leader and sweeper (the sweeper rides in last place to look out for stragglers [riders falling away from the group]). The leader sets the pace, but before even starting out, everyone in the group ought to do a few things to help make sure all stay on the same page.
First, is everyone's bike fueled up? Has each rider done a pre-ride check?
If you break down ten miles into it, you'll put a damper on everyone's day.
The leader's job is to sets the rules. There is a variety of pretty standard hand signals, and it's a good idea to have everyone agree up front on the ones you'll be observing. This will minimize confusion.
Exchanging cell phone numbers with the leader is also advisable in the event someone gets lost or has a problem. If it's possible, utilize an intercom between lead and sweep or others in the group that also can help keep things together. Another good idea is sending out the route in advance to all the riders.
According to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, a standard formation is staggered, giving everyone enough room to negotiate the road. The leader typically rides in the right of the lane, followed by the next rider at least one second behind in the left of the lane, and so on alternating and evenly at about one second intervals. In inclement weather, a larger space cushion is advisable. On narrow or curvy roads, a single-file formation is advisable with more space between bikes.

Groups larger than five to eight riders, while impressive to behold, are not always such a terrific idea. More riders mean more variables for someone to mess up. It also can be intimidating to motorists, and present difficulties in passing situations either for your group to pass a driver, or for motorists to pass you.
Larger groups can create other awkward or hazardous situations. For example, if a column of 20 scooters is dominating the left lane of a highway, a car driver on the same lane wanting to overtake may do something risky in trying to pass the group.
If you have many riders, breaking into more manageable sub-groups may be the way to go. Keep in mind, while there is strength in numbers, large groups do not have right of way or own the road in any sense.
Other standard procedures are, when exiting a highway; it's recommended you go single file. Likewise, when coming to corners, do not ride side-by-side as this could endanger both riders.
When taking off from a traffic light, the group should be fairly close together, but not too close. Each rider should go one after the other. All riders should not leave as a group at the exact same time, but in staggered formation.
Whether at intersections, in the twisters, the highway, or no matter where you are; there is one cardinal (important) rule when riding in a group of any size: always rides your own ride!
In short, exercising restraint, common sense and respecting everyone's space helps create a rhythm, builds trust, and is part of the art of making this all work.



Pros and cons

As mentioned, group riding can elicit a good deal of ambivalence (opposing ideas) with experienced riders. To be blunt, some dislike group rides and recommend against them. Many have stories to tell where someone – even an otherwise highly experienced rider – screwed up and crashed, or took someone out.
No demographic is exempt from these stories either. Riders not minding their blind spots, or blithely (without a care in the world) cornering without leaving enough room for their fellow riders have forced others off the road, or collided.
Packs of sport riders pumped with aggressive behaviour are also known as a recipe for craziness. The temptation to use that rocket between your legs can lead you into doing all sorts of things you'd be less likely to do alone when your wits (common sense) are fully with you.
Regardless what kind of bike you are on, if you find yourself with a sketchy crowd, or are tempted to get in over your head, you ought to just gracefully bow out and save it for another day.
On the positive side, if you can follow the program, and exercise restraint, the camaraderie and fun can add a whole other dimension to your life as a rider.

Another upside to riding with others is, if something goes wrong, you'll have help readily available. Before starting out, each rider could agree to share resources. For example: one person carries a first-aid kit, another a flat repair kit, another could carry a full complement of tools and hopefully have knowledge of what to do with them, etc.
Picking your riding partners should be like picking your friends: Be selective, keep your wits with you at all times, and make sure it is a win-win all the way around.
If you do that, then sharing the road can be safe and rewarding.
While some consider group riding good, and others consider it not so good, like a lot of other things in life, it really is what you make of it.

I hope the above information will help remind us of what to do and not to do. Please share this information with other members so that, they too will learn from it.
Selamat Menyambut Hari Raya Aidilfitri to all and remember “ALWAYS RIDE SAFELY”.
Wassalam,
A Rahman Hj Wahab