Texting while riding - rant!

[SLICE]

i held off on posting this but it's been eating at me since sunday.

sunday i went out on a new years day run with a new group that i was going to join, well the meet and greet was fine everybody was very pleasant and glad i showed up. ok here's where it starts to get ''funny'' road captains wearing flip flops and crocs ( whatever floats your boat).:banghead:
so we head out and and i'm thinking i should start the camera but it's to busy pulling into traffic and watching what other ''riders'' are doing keeping tight to the rider on my right and i notice he's flipping texting are you serious texting in a group ride and it wasn't just once it several times and all the while he's slowing down speeding up ( so much for keeping the group tight). well i decided to bail at the first opportunity once i figured out where i was. so i bailed about 25 minutes into the ride and ended up just cruising around on my own.:thumbup:


now i remember why i stopped doing group rides years ago, because of knuckleheads like this guy.

i'm still a little PO'ED

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

i held off on posting this but it's been eating at me since sunday.

sunday i went out on a new years day run with a new group that i was going to join, well the meet and greet was fine everybody was very pleasant and glad i showed up. ok here's where it starts to get ''funny'' road captains wearing flip flops and crocs ( whatever floats your boat).:banghead:
so we head out and and i'm thinking i should start the camera but it's to busy pulling into traffic and watching what other ''riders'' are doing keeping tight to the rider on my right and i notice he's flipping texting are you serious texting in a group ride and it wasn't just once it several times and all the while he's slowing down speeding up ( so much for keeping the group tight). well i decided to bail at the first opportunity once i figured out where i was. so i bailed about 25 minutes into the ride and ended up just cruising around on my own.:thumbup:


now i remember why i stopped doing group rides years ago, because of knuckleheads like this guy.

i'm still a little PO'ED

:agree::clap: ..... Mike :thumbup:

 

[Bangorbob]

I understand your rant completely. As my wife and I travel we see knuckleheads constantly on their phones, whether it be on M/Cs, in cars or whatever. As a side note, I have tried my hardest to get involved in group rides but just can't because I don't drive my rides at 130 mph, pass semi trucks on a 2 lane highway on curves, or some of the other stupid sh1t people do.
Now I have joined your rant. I feel better now. Thanks.

 

[Lew L]

I've done a similar thing in the past, but not angry about it. It's their problem---- not mine.

Lew L

 

[JohnRuckus]

Oh Wow. That was me. Sorry SLICE. I was trying to order a slice of pizza :doorag::trike:

 

[RangerRick]

Always been a solo rider over the last 50 years, except in 2012 when I attended a Yamaha Raider Rally in Carson City Nevada, (rode a Raider back then) It was fun, but do my own thing.

 

[K80Shooter]

I tried my one and only group ride In January of 2021.... "Never Again" for all the reasons listed in the above posts.

Now it's just my buddy and myself.

 

[cruisinTX]

totally agree; those kinds of people are prime candidates for a Darwin Award.

Lew L. As for it not being anyone's problem but theirs, if they cause an accident in front of you, it could become your problem very quickly at 110ft/sec (75mph).

 

[2dogs]

Stopped riding with groups in,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,well it was so long ago I can't remember when it was. For me, it is very distracting watching out for everyone else when I need to be watching out for myself.

 

[ARtraveler]

i held off on posting this but it's been eating at me since sunday.

sunday i went out on a new years day run with a new group that i was going to join, well the meet and greet was fine everybody was very pleasant and glad i showed up. ok here's where it starts to get ''funny'' road captains wearing flip flops and crocs ( whatever floats your boat).:banghead:
so we head out and and i'm thinking i should start the camera but it's to busy pulling into traffic and watching what other ''riders'' are doing keeping tight to the rider on my right and i notice he's flipping texting are you serious texting in a group ride and it wasn't just once it several times and all the while he's slowing down speeding up ( so much for keeping the group tight). well i decided to bail at the first opportunity once i figured out where i was. so i bailed about 25 minutes into the ride and ended up just cruising around on my own.:thumbup:


now i remember why i stopped doing group rides years ago, because of knuckleheads like this guy.

i'm still a little PO'ED

You are right on about texting and ATGATT. As a former group captain...we always wore full ATGATT to set an example for the rest of the group. To text, and ride in a formation...IMO, that is about as bad as it gets. When leadership changed in the group we were riding with, (in Alaska), safety issues began to grow lax. We spent our last three years in Alaska, NOT belonging to any organized group. :bowdown:

I was in charge of the "newbie" group. They rode with us until I turned them loose. Many stayed on, even though they could have changed group leaders.

 

[JohnRuckus]

I've never taken a group ride. I've only rode by myself or a passenger and with 1 other person I know who has a '21 RT.
It seems like it could be fun, but it also seems like it could be potentially troublesome. I was taught to ride my on ride. It becomes harder to do so if with a group.
I did do a group snowmobile tour. That was great until I got beside myself(literally).
I'm a scenic rider and do it for relaxation and enjoying my surroundings. So, I may not be cut out for group rides

 

[FrogmanDave]

Oh Wow. That was me. Sorry SLICE. I was trying to order a slice of pizza :doorag::trike:

I don't care who you are, that's some funny s**t there!

Group rides are fine as long as you know who you are riding with. It's all about trust. If you can't trust those in the group, don't ride with them. Just as you did Slice.

 

[Bfromla]

Definitely sorry to hear, don’t take but 1 to mess things up:sour: glad you separated before any unfortunate incident. Good luck finding another group & more responsible riders. & maybe a introductory chat with captains if & whenever attempt again.

 

[Peteoz]

I have 3 mates who I ride with (all 2 wheelers), all of who ride with common sense. I did a group ride of about 15 bikes when I was still on 2 wheels and swore “never again”. So many of them seem to think “I’m an outlaw…..I’m riding in a group….I can do whatever I want” :yikes:. I’m perfectly happy riding as a loner:thumbup:

Pete

 

[slhanks004]

I used to ride with some large groups (typically 50-100 bikes) back when I had my Nomad and my Harley. I've seen too many close calls, too many accidents (none involving me), and too many boneheads doing stupid sh-t that I quit the large group rides. I still ride with others, but much smaller groups and it's usually with friends and we all know and trust each other.

 

[Jesster72]

We have never been comfortable in group rides. One, because we never belonged to a group or club, and so we didn't get the chance to develop with the group.

This is a little different than the OP's situation, but relevant, I think. We occasionally do group charity rides (poker runs, etc), we ride out at the beginning with the group, but at the first stop, we get our card punched and ride on by ourselves or with the one or two other bikes we usually ride with. We keep well ahead of the crowd to avoid any problems. There tends to be some that drink while on those rides, and I like to stay away from that.

 

[BajaRon]

Group rides are another 'Weakest Link' proposition. It only takes one Yahoo to ruin it for everyone. And typically, they have no idea they are doing anything amiss. And if you attempt to educate them... LOOK OUT Brother!

But group rides can also be a lot of fun. It just depends. The best group ride I ever did was on our first trip to Valcourt, CA., for the original Spyder homecoming event. We met up with BRP riders maybe 30 miles south of the Canadian border. There were probably 70 of us. I really can't recall. They asked us to self split up into 3 groups. Fast, average, and slow. Of course Lamont was in the 1st group and I was with him. We dropped in behind our BRP guide (who was going to get us all through customs at the border). It was I-91, I believe. Speed limit was 70 or 75, I think. But whatever it was, that's how we started out. It was a light drizzle that had been on an off for sometime.

I didn't think Lamont was going to last very long and I was not wrong. We were on a long sweeping curve in light traffic and he jumped out around the BRP leader at 85 or 90 mph. Like I said. I was with Lamont. Next thing we knew, most everyone was following Lamont and the leader was at the back of the pack!

Now, you have to understand that most, if not all, BRP test riders are X-Racers of one sort or another. Soon, our leader was back in front (and you can imagine how fast he had to go to get ahead of us).

When we got to the border and pulled over to group up for the customs process. I expected the BRP rider to come over and give Lamont a piece of his mind. Which is exactly what he did. But it didn't go as expected. The BRP leader said 'That was the best group ride I've ever been on!" And shook Lamont's hand. Then he asked that no one tell his boss as he had been given strict orders not to exceed the speed limit.

The other 2 BRP riders were quite envious of our group.

 

[Jetfixer]

I hope that wasn't any part of an official US Spyder Ryders club group...

 

[Piratezz]

I drive with a Group, as a Captain, we have rules, drive safe, obey speed limits, and normally we drive with 6 to 8 Spyders. That's a lot to keep track off, but there's only one Captain, and if I take a wrong turn, the Group follows. I have a mesh connection with the Spyder Ryder who drives at the end of the Group, so we easily monitor where everybody is, it's all about common sense.

Have we encountered some hairy moments? YES, whether in a Group or riding solo we have to look out for the cagers. I am sorry for what the Topic starter encountered, this situation, and completely understand his rant.

When driving in a Group, the Captain (read the rider in the front) has a huge responsibility, I firmly believe, in getting everyone home safe and sound...

 

[Jesster72]

When driving in a Group, the Captain (read the rider in the front) has a huge responsibility, I firmly believe, in getting everyone home safe and sound...

I couldn't agree more. When we ride with our friends, we all know that the person in the front is in charge of the ride, but usually only 2-3 other bikes. We trust each other.

I like that signature, it made me chuckle.