Two motorcycles riding together

[Skinner]

When my wife and I ride she usually leads and rides in the left side of the lane. I ride behind and in the right side of the lane, your normal staggered setup. When she took the MSF course her instructor said that when riding in a pair it's better to ride one behind the other in order to block the lane. I've always felt that staggered is better but can see the merits of lane blocking as well. So, what's the generally accepted way?

[trevor]

When my wife and I ride she usually leads and rides in the left side of the lane. I ride behind and in the right side of the lane, your normal staggered setup. When she took the MSF course her instructor said that when riding in a pair it's better to ride one behind the other in order to block the lane. I've always felt that staggered is better but can see the merits of lane blocking as well. So, what's the generally accepted way?

Blocking the lane from whom? Which side? Are you talking about a four lane rd?

[GSXR7ED]

That doesn't make sense. One behind on the other to block lane? How can you block lane unless they mean to ride close enough that no one can come between the two riders...as to split the riders away from each other? That still doesn't make sense. Staggered and off-set is the way to go!

Ed

[cowboyup3371]

Charmayne and I ride staggered so we both can see the road in front of us without obstruction, react to obstacles as needed separately and without surprising the person behind, and keep a better eye on each other. Now, once we get into the twisties we will ride more in line with each of us riding our own ride.

I've also ridden this way with others too over the last few years

[gsrick]

I think that guy must be new. Why would anyone want their view obstructed? Even if I come up on another rider I don't know, I stagger to whatever side they aren't and do the same if someone comes up behind me. The last thing I want is the rider behind me slamming into me if I need to hit the brakes hard.

[Steve]

One bike behind the other can actually block the lead bike from the view of a motorist approaching from the rear. Riding in staggered formation will present TWO bikes into the view of said motorist.

Likewise, to someone approaching from the front, having TWO headlights in view from staggered bikes will make you more visible.

And, ... I have never seen anything that expressed a preference to which track the lead bike should be in. I have always preferred to have the lead bike in the LEFT track. My reasoning (however flawed it might be) is that, to someone that might be passing your little group, the lead bike is VERY visible. If the lead bike is in the right track, it might be hidden by the second bike (in the left track) and the passing car might pull over too soon.

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[Deuce]

I haven't ridden with anyone lately, but back in the day, we rode staggered. Seemed to make more sense, visibility-wise. In addition, if the rider in the other part of the lane has to stop suddenly, you won't rear-end him.

[850 Combat]

I'm with you,Skinner.

[Brendan W]

You would wonder what he meant by behind, was it just not abreast, he didn't mean line astern.
Staggered is a no-brainer on straights as long as you remember that the lead bike has right of way.
I get cut up from behind by fast stranger bikes in traffic and it scares the hell out of me.

[Skinner]

Thanks for the replies. Staggered is how I learned many years ago, and how I’ll continue to ride. I thought perhaps the MSF instructor had updated information that I wasn’t aware of, but I can see that’s not the case.

[Steve]

Although they <are> "MSF trained", there is a certain amount of individuality that comes through from time to time.

A bunch from our Goldwing chapter signed up for an Experienced Rider Course. We had 12 sign up, so we had the entire class. Our two instructors both happened to ride Harleys. We don't know if their instructions as we approached the riding range were from personal experience or a delightfully-warped sense of humor, but they INSISTED that everybody check their oil level before getting out on the range. Despite our collective insistance that they were Goldwings and did not leak or use oil, they insisted. They then had the pleasure of watching 12 guys get their Wings up on the centerstand and remove two pieces of plastic, just to access the dipstick. As I said, I don't know if they were simply used to checking the oil on their Harleys or if they actually knew what it takes to check the oil on a Wing.

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[GSXR7ED]

Funny story, Steve. They seemed biased of their bikes but then again, so was the entire class of Wing riders.

I'm wondering if they instructed bad habits in the class too. That would be interesting because of the level of experience in the room.


Ed

[bwringer]

The correct answer is, of course, that each rider independently positions themselves where they have the best total odds of survival, factoring in seeing, being seen, threats from the left, right, ahead, behind, etc.

You can't make a hard-and-fast rule about this.

Yes, you sometimes end up staggered, especially in traffic, so you can see and be seen. Sometimes not.

The point is, each rider ALWAYS does what's best for them individually. And that requires leaving plenty of room to maneuver independently at all times. The only time you should ever be side-by-side is perhaps when you're stopped at a light, where bunching up can help make sure you all get through the light.

For example, if you're out riding in the countryside, the safest place for everyone to be is often on the left, so you have a few additional microseconds to deal with threats from your right (like critters in the road, gravel, etc.). So you spread out, at least a school bus of space between each rider, and position yourselves where you can see the best.

In traffic, the considerations above become a little less important - you can usually see to your right better, and other traffic is now your worst danger. So you often position yourselves in a stagger to look a little "bigger" to other traffic. And sometimes it's a little safer to behave as a unit, sometimes not. So you might have to tighten up and ride a little closer so cars perceive you.

It's a bit of an art, and you have to make decisions independently instead of blindly following rules. We've found very consistently in various rallies that people are a lot safer when they can spend all their processing power on riding their own ride and as little as possible on group dynamics. Smaller groups are always better.

[gdayjr]

That all depends on which side of the road you drive on of course !

[Steve]

I'm wondering if they instructed bad habits in the class too. That would be interesting because of the level of experience in the room.

No, the information presented was good, and it was presented well. The instructors use their bikes to demonstrate the skills that will be worked on next, and those were also presented well. One instructor was on a full-dresser, the other was on someting smaller, not sure if it was a bagger or not, but even a full-dressed Harley can navigate the course quite well in the hands of a capable rider.

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