Oregon Group ride went bad

http://www.kval.com/news/local/59789107.html

http://www.brotherspeedmcoregon.com/

 

damn

 

bummmer

 

Heard about this at breakfast this morning. I'm astounded (and extremely thankful) that there were no deaths!

I can't help but wonder if these guys have a Guinness record on their hands for the most bikes involved in the same accident.

 

That's terrible.

I have found being part of a group ride can sometimes become hypnotic. I have to concentrate harder on being safe in a group, because I find myself focusing on the bikes in front of me too much, rather than all of my surroundings.

 

that is horrible!! hopefully every one recovers well, in my rider course they warned us about riding in to large of groups, but after seeing this I don't think they painted a clear enough picture of how bad it can be and how fast it can get their
Shaun

 

I agree completely. Riding with 1 buddy is always a good thing. Riding with 2 buddies is usually OK but 3 is about the limit I'm comfortable with. Anymore and you have to concentrate too much on what the other riders are up to.

This stretch of I5 always moves 10 to 15 mph over the limit and is crowded. Not California crowded but busy none the less.

Here's to hoping everyone heals up quickly and completely.

 

Truly tragic but there are lessons to be learned:

This points up the danger of riding in "two-up" formation. Two bikes riding side-by-side have nowhere to go (ok, half as much "where to go") if something happens.

Group riding should always be done in "staggered" formation, it can prevent this sort of disaster. They're all very lucky no one was killed.

I've also got $5 that says there would have been fewer/less serious injuries had more of them been wearing proper safety equipment; but armored jackets and full-face helmets don't seem to be part of the "Harley uniform."

Around here the philosophy seems to be that the bigger a bike you ride, the less you need in the way of safety equipment. I can't quite figure that one out.

 

Another great point. I also find that, in a group ride, there can be a difference in experience, and also between those who have taken a safety course, and those who have not - here in BC, the safety course teaches group riding skills.

Regardless, I hope everyone has a speedy recovery.

 

I regularly ride in a group with my club over here in the UK when we go to rallies or ride outs & we also use the staggered riding style.
When new members join our club, we give them a guide to ride outs, etiquette & how we do things when out on the road together as we take the safety side very seriously.
Also our Road Captain is good at his job & doesn't make the back riders have to do stupid riding at junctions etc.
The good thing about riding with your own club is that you get used to the other members riding styles.
We usually have between 7 to 15 bikes on rideouts & touch wood, we're not had a single crash or pile up since we formed 4 years ago because we educate rather than expect people to be mind readers

We also rode at this http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/homepage ... ticle.html which is probably one of the largest ride outs I'll ever do!

 

Man that sure is a bummer. I would hate being told "I told you so" or "this is what happens when you don't pay attention" but we are supposed to be alert when we ride, I magine more so when riding in big groups. Aren't you supposed to break it up in smaller groups if you have over 6 or 8 riders?

When we (NC crew) did the memorial ride to the aviation museum a couple of weeks ago. Roger gave us a quick but well informed lecture on riding safe and to stay alert. We rode in stagered formation, and even then with 14 motorcycles it CAN be hypnotic. We were also riding at good pase and not above the speed limit.

 

I've been on a few rides with my local HOG chapter recently and they always ride staggered with 1 second between the bikes in formation (unless there's a reason to change to single file).

That 1 second between bikes results in 2 seconds between you and the bike in front of you - typically plenty of time to react and stop or maneuver before running into them or anyone/anything else. This also allows each rider full use of the lane for when they need it (hazard avoidance, fighting crosswinds, etc).


I've ridden in some medium (14-15 bikes) and large (30+) groups recently and found that it takes more concentration that riding solo does. You not only need to be as aware of your surroundings like you normally are, but you also need to be constantly aware of what the bikes ahead of you are doing. There's a risk of something called "Target Fixation" when riding in groups - when your attention becomes so locked onto the rider(s) in front of you that you stop being aware of your surroundings. You can get so focused on maintaining that gap that you might miss a traffic signal or hand signal from the lead bikes or miss seeing the SUV that's about to run the stop sign... 8O


As for the "6 or 8 bikes max" group size, I think it comes down safety and manageability. I wouldn't want to be in a small group on the Interstates in heavy traffic with first time road captains, but I'm perfectly comfortable riding with a group of 20-30 on backwoods/rural/scenic routes with road captains that have been leading rides for several years.

 

There is a good link about riding and all the things you need to watch for and they have also good advices. www.msgroup.org

One thing that caught my attention is on one of the comments fom an instructor " it is not enough to pay attention you have to be alert" also when you have been riding on the Highway for a while once you get off the highway we need to chenge our mind set to a "street" riding.


My two cents!

 

I started my trip from Portland to Phoenix south on the same day, on I-5. I missed any ot the back up from South bound "rubber neckers" by only an hour or so. When I got to Eugene to tank up and check my plugs, someone asked me if I was involved in the accident. I knew nothig except what I was told then. Bummer! I made it all the way down to Phoenix with my head on a swivle and the thoughts of that wreck in the back of my mind. Riding trough LA really was no fun at all! I don't reccomend it to anyone, traffic is just way too crowded for my taste. Riding alone allows me to make lane changes at my own leasure without consideration of anyone behind me. I can speed up or slow down to suit my comfort level to the traffic around me.

Stay safe out there, keep your knees in the breeze and the rubber side down

Cheers all!
Ken