How to Join

GROUP RIDING HAND SIGNALS

Motorcycle hand signals are important for all riders to know and understand but especially when riding in a group so that everyone knows what is going on. (When riding in a group the signals should be relayed back through the group.) By the way, point to the gas tank if you need gas or your stomach if you are hungry.
Keep the shiny side up and the rubber side down!
Ride safe and have fun.... Cheers Peter (HOGSTer)

START ENGINES
With your right or left arm extended, move your index finger in a circular motion.

HAZARD LEFT
Extend your left arm at a 45 degree angle and point towards the hazard.

HAZARD RIGHT
Extend your right arm at a 45 degree angle and point towards the hazard. Alternatively point to the hazard by using your foot as illustrated.

SPEED UP
The lead Road Captain will signal to speed up with his left arm extended above his head and move his index finger in a circular motion. This is the same signal as "start your engines"

SLOW DOWN
Extend your left arm at a 45 degree angle and move your hand up and down.

STOP
Extend your left arm at a 45 degree angle with the palm of your hand facing rearward.

SINGLE FILE
Position your left hand over your helmet with your fingers extended upward. This indicates the leader wants the group in a single file formation. Usually this is done for safety reasons.

STAGGERED or SIDE-BY-SIDE FORMATION
Extend your left arm upward at a 45 degree angle with your index and pinkie finger extended. This indicate that it is safe to return to staggered formation.

TIGHTEN UP
Raise your left arm and repeatedly move up and down in a pulling motion. This indicates the leader wants the group to close ranks.

TICKED OFF
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.

STAGGERED FORMATION

I have noticed on some of our rides a few guys don’t seem to know about the correct spacing for staggered formation riding.

When riding in a group in a lane that’s wide enough a staggered formation is the safest. When the road and traffic conditions permit this pattern has the lead bike in the right third of the lane, while the next rider stays at least one second behind in the left third of the lane; the rest of the group follows the same pattern. The Road Captain riding in the lead position determines if staggered formation or single file is best and signals this as appropriate. Single file is indicated by the left arm and index finger extended straight up and staggered formation (double file) by the left arm with index finger and middle finger extended straight up. For Staggered Formation see the diagram:

On the road, motorcyclists should have at least a 2-second cushion in front and behind them, this leaves enough room so each rider can manoeuvre side-to-side if needed. Avoid side-by-side formations as they shrink your safety cushion. A single-file formation is preferred on a curvy road, under conditions of poor visibility or poor road surfaces, or other situations where an increased space cushion or maneuvering room is needed.

At intersections where you've come to a stop, tighten the formation to side-by-side to take up less space. As the lights turn green the bike on the right (ie.. the Road Captain leading the ride) proceeds through first with each subsequent rider keeping in their original position reforming into the staggered formation.

Remember that riding in a group does not mean you surrender any decision making when it comes to your safety. Ride your own ride, and don't go any faster than you feel comfortable going.

Also note that when cornering the corner is yours and to take it safely is more important than trying to stay in staggered formation. You can reform the pattern after exiting the corner safely.

If the group is riding faster than you are comfortable with, let the sweep rider know you're dropping out and ride at your own pace. So what if you reach your destination a few seconds behind the others as long as you get there safely and in one piece, that's what's important. Keep in mind, it's all about enjoying your ride and having fun.

Road conditions can also dictate if you stay in the pattern. If it's shiny or black, ride a different track. Just because you are in staggered formation does NOT mean that you have to stay in your track. There is a whole lane at your disposal without encroaching on the traffic rights of other riders. You ride staggered to give you maneuvering room in case you need it. Rather than ride over a patch of shiny or unusually black surface use your safety cushion and avoid these sometimes slippery surfaces.

Ride safe and have fun.... Peter

Riding in the Rain

(Modified extract from Motorcops.com Training Article)

“Even rode my motorcycle in the rain,
And you told me not to drive,
But, I made it home alive
So you said that only proves that I’m insane”
Excerpt from “You May be Right” by Billy Joel

Insane may be the way most motorcycle riders would describe motorcyclists who ride in the rain on purpose. Unfortunately, whether we like it or not it is inevitable that we will find ourselves riding in the rain.

Rain and bad weather produce low light conditions and other vehicles produce road spray all combining to limit your visibility to other road users. Waterproof boots and gloves are also a must. Throttle, clutch and brake controls on a motorcycle all require feeling and dexterity of your hands and feet. Once your hands and feet get wet, it will only be a short time before they get cold and you reduce or lose your ability to manipulate your motorcycle controls.

Also, being wet and cold will distract you from your attention to riding, something you don’t want to happen while you are riding in the rain. You want to maintain your mental edge. You should have clear lenses for your glasses or a clear face shield to permit clear vision. Be aware of fogging of your glasses or visor in rain conditions. Opening your visor open a bit or moving your glasses further away from your eyes will permit air to flow on the inner side of the lenses and keep them clear.

The first 10 to 15 minutes of rain is the most dangerous with the rain water mixing with the oil, dirt and road debris that has been sitting on the surface to create a greasy, slippery coating on the road. This usually washes away within this time so if you can, pull off under a bridge or other dry spot and use this initial raining time to put on your rain gear and adjust your riding attitude and style to suit these new conditions, by the time your ready to go again the road will be less slippery.

Note that your bike set up is more critical in these conditions and you should always be checking your lights and tires prior to riding so you are prepared. The condition and traction ability of your tire’s contact area can make the difference between the weather being a minor inconvenience to taking a ride in the back of an ambulance. Check your tire pressure and your tread depth prior to all rides. Your tire pressure should be at the manufacturer’s recommended rating and your tires should have enough tread to channel away water from under your bike’s tires.

Research tells us that a motorcycle will have 75 to 80% of maximum traction in wet weather. If you have been applying good riding techniques in our motorcycle riding style in the dry, apart from the reduced traction, nothing else should change when it rains. What wet riding does require is good smooth application of your clutch, throttle and brakes. Wet riding is to be a lot less forgiving than dry weather riding when it comes to errors of under or over application of the bikes controls. Do your accelerating and braking in a straight line, set your corner speed in advance, smooth application of your clutch, throttle and brakes will keep the wheels of your motor from breaking free from the traction of your tire’s contact area. Keep your eyes up and identify hazards well ahead of time so you can make smooth adjustments. Remember to look where you want to go.

Hydroplaning occurs when a tire cannot channel all the water out from under the tire and the tire rides up on top of a thin layer of water and removes all of your traction. You might get away with this on a four wheel vehicle but a crash is almost inevitable on a motorcycle. Many factors affect when a motorcycle will hydroplane; water depth, speed, weight, width of tire, tire tread depth and tread pattern. All tires will hydroplane when presented with the right combination of these factors. The experts say keeping your speed below 90km/h will reduce most of this risk, but there are no guarantees. If you do hydroplane, do not steer, lean or apply any braking but maintain your direction, look ahead where you want to go and PRAY. Scan the road surface for hazards such as puddles and smooth black tarseal can help avoid potential hydroplaning situations. Riding in the track of the vehicles ahead may also help avoid these situations as the tires of that vehicle will disperse the water on the road so your tire won’t have to work as hard. Also, when the vehicle ahead hits a puddle the spray from the puddle will indicate a hazardous situation for you to avoid.
Along with the risk of hydroplaning in pooling or ponding water, you must also be aware of varying road surfaces reacting differently to rain. Steel plates, earth, painted road markings, and railway tracks all change their coefficient of friction (grip) to differing degrees when wet.

Rain + Night (a double whammy). Every drop of rain lying on the road, in puddles, on your windshield, on your glasses or visor, refracts light given off by headlights, tail lights and street lights into your straining eyes. Add flashing emergency lights to this equation and you may overload your optical inputs. Remember to focus on the the outside white line on the left your lane of the roadway to avoid being dazzled by oncoming lights.

Good luck, you know you are going to ride in the rain in Auckland sometime!!

Ride safe and have fun
Peter