A group of wolves by Moe Mirmehdi
The link above on a pack of wolves and their roles & behaviour got me thinking about group riding and roles played by different bikers in a group. Group riding too, when done correctly, has well defined roles, there is a lead who decides the pace of the ride depending on the road & weather conditions, capability of fellow riders etc., and then there is a sweep also called the tail, one who ensures that group rides as a group and that no one gets left behind. These two roles are played by the best and strongest riders in the group. In fact there is a whole science dedicated to this. Internationally, group riding training is one of the last segments of mandatory advanced motorcycle driver education program, saving the toughest training for the last. But, in India, where even basic training is not mandated by law, training sadly is not taken seriously enough. This leads to comical situations, including those of bikes being ridden like mopeds, with both feet down!
This article also brings us to a more basic question – are you a wolf in a pack or a lone wolf? This depends a lot on what biking means to you, and, don’t be surprised, it means a lot of diverse things to different people. There are some meanings that drive (or is it “ride”) one closer to a group riding rather than being a lone wolf. Here are some of them that I could readily think of, and it is not water-tight either-or compartments, it could well be a mish-mash of more than one below. Also welcome your thoughts if different from the ones listed.
- Building familiarity with a new bike: Most people get their new bike through its paces starting with group rides. Apart from the usual bonding and brotherhood reasons, one is curious to know what one can do with his/her bike, general biking knowledge like service centres, accessories, customisation, tips and tricks.
- Extreme riders: These are riders with a penchant of touring unchartered territory, places where they are unlikely to find any help in case of emergency. That’s when having a co-rider is critical. These typically are very small groups and consist of very like-minded people with similar skill-sets.
- Riding for a cause: More frequently than not, various entities organise rides for a cause. It is a great reason for riding together and for expressing your solidarity.
- Once-in-a-lifetime ride in exotic location: There is always a special place in the bucket list of most riders which is either too far/expensive to take their own bike or too extreme or involves too much of paperwork. To tick this place off the list, going with tour operators is an option. While all in the group are likely to be strangers, having a veteran organising things, taking care of logistics (including bikes, hassles of paperwork et al) with a security of back-up vehicles is logical alternative.
- Wanting to socialise: And then there are folks who are inherently gregarious and just love company, meeting people. Riding a bike is their other love and they use it as an opportunity to socialise.
- Building connections: These are guys who love biking so much so that their occupation is directly related to biking as well, say owing an accessories/mods outlet or being tour organisers etc. They ride in groups, whether they like it not, so as to build connections with other bikers, an opportunity to garner new clientele.
- The humble-brags and not-so-humble-brags: These are the typical show-offs in any group. They are out there to advertise their achievements and/or their bike/mods and or their skills/knowledge. There also end up being the leaders in the said groups, deciding where to stop, when to stop, what to eat, bordering upon being a #SmallDecisionMaker.
- Show-piece collectors: These have-money-will-spend guys would have spent a lot more time talking about their bikes than on it. Their social media handles will be a-flush with photos of them with their bikes at various locations, so what if they shipped it there or got someone else to ride it there.
And then there are prime motives that tend to make you choose going solo over a group. Over the years I’ve finally come to understand that, to me, biking is akin to meditation, a tool to attain temporary freedom, a moment of solitude with my gurl. This has inadvertently translated to going solo for most part. It lets me be the boss, deciding when to take a break, when to push on further, where to stop, etc.. It also helps me get a place to stay without much ado.
Contrary to what it sounds like, the objective of solitude can be met even if it is not solo ride, theoretically at least. End of the day, one is alone on one’s steed during the ride. I therefore have been part of a few group rides as well, but they would account for less than 10% of all my rides. My favourite peeves of a group ride are one too many:
- Rides never ever start on time, the punctual ones end up getting penalised, always.
- IMHO, biking in a mismated and contrastive group is a sure-shot invitation to disaster. Diverse riding skills, pressure to keep up, frustration of slowing down/waiting for others seem to play a magical spell on one’s mind, adversely affecting one’s ability to ride. More the number of bikes bikers, greater the probability of a slip-up.
- Group rides of say 5 people over a distance of 100km, as a rule of thumb, will slow down the ride by at least 15% (if not more). This percentage only increases with more members and/or distance. There are gazzilion reasons behind this – random and uncoordinated stops for clicking photos, smoking, fuel, bio-breaks, tail-enders taking a wrong turn etc., leads to a lot of riding time compromised.
- And then there are the clashes of ego, what somebody else is deciding for the group need not necessarily be what works for you.
To some, these peeves are no biggies and that these are small compromises one makes to ride in a group. To me however, it seems to go away from the basic need of solitude. If at all, I would team up with one or utmost two like-minded people. But then again, that’s me. What do you see yourself as, a lone wolf or a pack animal?
To sum up, if you are a pack animal, please remember the nine points below. These are things that help you and the rest in the group:
- Always come prepared – tank up in advance, wear the right gear, remember the acronym ATGATT – All The Gear, All The Time.
- Ride plan/route should be discussed before start. Just in case one gets separated, the modality of regrouping should be known to all to avoid frustrating waits for everyone else.
Never ever ride right behind the rider ahead of you. A 5 second gap (please note the unit is time and not distance, that way you are in the safe zone no matter what speed) should be maintained at all times, and if the road is wide enough a 2×2 staggered formation is preferred.- Look beyond the bike in from of you, ALWAYS. It is very easy to get fixated at the tyre of the bike ahead of you and this target fixation is also the easiest way of stealing valuable seconds of reaction time in case of an emergency.
Make a note of the kind of bikes others are riding in a group. All bikes should have similar capabilities. For instance, taking a modern classic to a group full of super-bikes is like taking a knife to a gun fight.- There are some universal hand signals, or if your wallet permits you could even opt for multiway communication equipment. www.motorcyclelegalfoundation.com
- Usually, mistakes occur when one goes outside the comfort zone under a pressure to keep up. It is not worth it. Push yourself outside the comfort zone in a track or in a private cordoned off area. public roads are not for pushing it. Here’s where knowing the ride plan comes in handy. You can regroup at the next break location.
- Your ride is as safe as the weakest in your group. Always look out for them, give them their space and if you think you are the weakest link, there’s no pressure to keep up.
- Finally, remember, it is a ride for pleasure, and not a race. It is all too easy to confuse one for the other. Save races for a track day.
About the author:
Muralidhar (www.musingsinlife.com):
A biker | A blogger | An adventure junky | Animal lover
Tries to fit all of the above whilst working as a brand marketing professional. His blog is a product of contemplations, reflections and an unquenchable thirst for self-deprecating humour. It is the world as seen through the eyeballs of a salt-and-pepper *sixteen year-old* fighting off #MidLifeCrisis. No doubt perspectives will be different when seen by others and those are equally welcome in the comments section.
Disclaimer:
- This is written with a sole intention of laughing at and with the author, no offence meant to anyone else.
- No bikes or animals or bystanders were harmed while writing this.
perfomance, am sold into their mother brand – Triumph, but a few niggles – slightly top heavy; the electronic nanny’s a tad bit rigid, cuts in more abruptly than what I’d like. Most importantly, she’s got a 3 pot, don’t get me wrong love the engine, she’s an absolute gem, only not in this bike. To me an adventure tourer has to have two pots, twins of any kind – parallel, V, L, or the mother of them all – a boxer. The whine of a 3 pot v/s thump of a 2 pot was THE deciding factor. (Photo credit – 
and most cruisers. They have the old-world charm about them and the smell of leather just adds to the whole experience. Usually, they do not offer too much of storage capacity. But they are not what one might call cheap and are not waterproof either. The contents are not usually safe enough to leave unsupervised. They are available as permeant fixture or as detachable ones, depending on the model. Finally they do not add too much to the bulk or width of the bike. Overall more for cosmetic purposes, not for hardcore, all weather and all terrain cruising. These usually are not universal, more so for the modern classics and cruisers.
panniers from the very small to very large, not so expensive to the very expensive, direct mount on any bike to requirement of frames to mount, standard to modular flexibility. These are amongst also the most versatile of the lot, giving you modularity and flexibility (or not depending on the ones you choose) to carry stuff the way you want it wherever you may choose to. They tend to have a pretty long life and best part, no matter how old, you will never get creaks or rattle out of these panniers. The only thing that you need to look out for is the clearance from your mufflers. This would determine how big a pannier you can use and if there needs to be a frame to keep the panniers from fouling with the exhaust or wheel.
adventure tourers. It is aesthetically pleasing, can be moulded into any shape and colour, not many size options for a given bike, good all-round dust and water protection, lockable hence can be left unsupervised. There can be a bit of vibration noise over time. The side panniers do not alter the centre of gravity of the bike, but the rear top case is a cause of concern, it does raise the centre of gravity much higher. Aesthetically too the rear top-case is bit of a question-mark, it looks like the top-box of the fast-food delivery bikes, so you can start a side-business of pizza delivery. :). In case of the bike gets tipped over, these panniers prevent the bike from going all the way to 0°, a lot easier to pick the bike up from 20°. But plastic it is, so the parts that lock it on to the bike are also plastic. In case of big spills therefore, these plastic locking mechanisms break, you have to replace the whole pannier (and in some cases the lock on the bike as well) then. So not only is it costly to buy, but even costlier to repair. The mounts for these too are customised for each bike, hence more expensive. Finally, the good looks are all gone even with minor scratches, these do not like battle-scars as much.
while being weatherproof and durable. Some of the top end panniers intentionally allow for a small amount of play between the bike and panniers. It has been sort of a gold standard for adventure tourers, thanks to the GS. It looks awesome with or without battle-scars, with or without stickers. It incorporates the positive aspects of all of the options above, but has a couple of limitations as well. It is a bit bulky, so can impede hard core technical narrow trails or in a city ride. In case you are carrying delicate stuff inside, you need to pack them so that they do not get bounced around inside. Also, while the most rugged of the lot, they also are the heaviest, upwards of 15kgs, yes, when empty, also over time they also tend to pick up vibration noise. Finally, the mounts for these too are usually custom made for each bike so you can’t go on a pannier swapping spree.
Enroute, we witnessed crazy sandstorms and rains, visibility was down to few meters, forcing us (and other vehicles on the road) to a grinding halt, putting us way behind schedule.
Kid 2 (the Bhaiyya): 
Continue from there we did, had to reach Leh. Stops enroute got us to meet some more local kids. DSLRs were out and flashing, kids posed, posed rather well, I dare add. But by the end of it all demands for 
And immediately after this photo, I tried to take a U-turn, most simple and basic of manoeuvres, but didn’t realize I was in 3rd gear. Bonnie couldn’t take this abuse, definitely not at this altitude. She stalled. And I dropped her, at 5 kmph! Doesn’t get more embarrassing than this huh? Broke my foot peg in the process. Quickly changed the one from behind to front and I was ready to hit the road again…
Continue we did, sometimes thumping, sometimes racing, sometimes waiting. But always ready to go…
So continuing to thump, race, n wait; being eveready to go…
At the Khardung-La & Chang-La, Bonnie sure did grab quite a few eyeballs.
And thence began the loooooooooooong return journey…
faster (read much faster) pick-up. There’s just no denying that. And the ear to ear grin when you kick the butt of just about everyone else on the road is quite an adrenaline rush. But that doesn’t necessarily mean better adventure. On long drives, consistent average speed matters much more than top speed. In fact, higher speeds on long drives can slow you down – for one thing, the breaks become more frequent, and the chances of avoiding unforeseen problems become higher. Finally remember, it is a road-trip, not a race – don’t speed if you want to see the world.
able to change directions literally in a dime on the ruts and gravel. You need to be able to get yourself unstuck from muck. You need to be able to single-handedly push the bike in case there is a flat tyre. And you need to be able to single-handedly get the bike up on centre-stand. Finally, in these terrains, it is not a question if, but instead when the bike falls. And when it does, you need to be able to pick it up by yourself, you may not be lucky to find helping hand readily available. Those of you who have seen me can vouch for the fact that I, well how do I put it, am not best built for hard labour. 😀
Musings in life 