Stevenage and District Motorcycle Club
Riding Arrangements for Club Runs
Members have complained over the years about lack of organisation on our regular Sundays and Bank Holiday Club Runs, these procedures will now be adopted by all members joining us for Club Runs. The purpose of these riding arrangements is to:
1. Keep the ride safe and enjoyable. Always ride to your own limits and be watchful of others.
2. Ensure that everyone that started the ride finishes the ride, i.e. the ride starts with a group of riders and ends with the same group of riders.
3. Within the context of a group activity, allow some scope for individual riding preferences. I say some scope because I think that all of us have to accept that when participating in a group activity such as a social ride that we all need to make allowances for each other if we are going to enjoy it as a group.
The Club will adopt the procedure commonly called the Follower System:
4. Every rider in the ride takes responsibility for the rider following him or her not getting lost. What this means is that each rider only needs to make sure that the following rider takes the right turn. If you lose sight of your following rider and the rider in front of you makes a turn then you are obliged to stop and effectively mark the turn until the following rider catches up and is clear about which way you have gone. Some riders prefer to keep their following rider in sight at all times but this is not strictly necessary.
5. Routes will generally stay on the road which is being ridden until a major change of direction or road number, it is at these points that members of the group should ensure that those following have noticed the change of direction and are complying.
6. The positions within the group are not important, except for Leader and Back Marker, members can swap positions at will, however it is always best for the slower and less confident riders to stay at the front of the group whilst the more able take up the rear.
7. As you would expect, the Leader of the ride is responsible for setting the direction of the ride. It's normal for the Leader to stop and allow the riders to regroup if he or she feels the riders are getting too strung out. It's impossible to be prescriptive about where to stop. You will need to use your own common sense and judgement to work out a safe and visible spot to stop, it has to be said that this is not always easy.
8.The Back Marker, they should be familiar with the route and he or she is the last rider at all times.
9. You should make sure that before you start that you know the eventual
destination just in case it all goes wrong!
10.
If you're planning to leave the ride before it gets to its destination let the Leader know where you intend to leave the ride before the ride sets off. If possible, also let those riders around you know that you intend to leave the ride and, in any case, give them a clear leaving the ride indication when the time comes.11.
When motorcyclists are riding in a group, each rider should maintain a proper safety gap between himself/herself and all other riders in the group. This is dependant on road conditions and your reactions as well as braking ability of your machine.12.
When on open roads, Motorways or duel carriageways for example, or within towns where we need to keep closely together stagger your position to that of the rider in front to allow a better view of the road ahead. 
A
Your normal riding position, for safety and forward vision, should of course be adopted whenever the staggered formation is inappropriate.
13. Safety must never be sacrificed for any reason, including progress. When riding in a group, each rider must make an individual decision about overtaking, basing the decision on the safety of all persons involved or likely to become involved in the manoeuvre. Don't overtake rashly or recklessly and always on the outside.
14. It should also be noted that Club riders attending a Group Social Run are ambassadors of the club and their conduct should be fitting and appropriate. So please be courteous to your fellow road users and ride within the law. Please note that it is you, the rider, who is in control of the machine at all times during a Club Run.
15. If a rider gets split up from the group, he/she should proceed to the pre-determined meeting place and be ready with a good excuse. "There was an earthquake! A terrible flood!" and "It wasn’t my fault!" have all been taken.
If members do not agree with these principals, aimed at safe and enjoyable ride outs, they are free to make their own arrangements.
16. If you're the lucky one who's been tasked with running a ride then you'll also be the one getting the blame if it all goes wrong. It’s important to get the planning done in advance, so that when you're on the ride, you can relax in the knowledge that it's all going well. This check list may help:
17. Another common problem with group riding is allowing the faster riders to enjoy their ride, without pushing the slower riders to ride beyond their ability. Most fast bike riders will agree that the real challenge of motorcycling is taking a corner well, anyone can blast down a straight road flat out with little skill. So by asking the faster riders to keep to the speed limits on the straights, but allow corners to be fair game, you'll set a pace that should be within the grasp of most riders. Apart from prolonging the life of everyone's licence you'll also help to improve public perception of motorcyclist, by refraining from the loony ‘head down wheel up’ behaviour that we seem to all get associated with.
18. It may also help to draw a small map, or riding route, with all the essential details and contact numbers.
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