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The speed of the ride leader, or other riders in NO WAY should affect your speed. Your speed should be based on your skill, confidence, and how you prefer to be riding that day. End of story. If I'm content following the rider in front of me, I'll stay there. If not, I may pass in a straight, or the next time we change roads. If I want to chill, I'll either drop way back, or let someone know that I'm going to split off and do my own thing. In any case...I am riding MY ride.

I blame theroamr for posting a ride without describing it correctly. I bet the rest of the guys riding with him were acting like jerks too. It's a requirement if your are going to ride with that group. Something, something fight club something.

I feel if you pay any attention at all here you know which of us ride at what pace. That said you're never ever obligated to keep up. I'll always wait at intersections for others to catch up and be accounted for but I shouldn't have to slow my pace because someone that showed up isn't happy with it. Ride your ride, I wait at the next turn. Don't want to continue, just let me know at next turn you're pulling off. Mach Retard and Fast are rides, the other paces are poker runs ?

Here's my .02. I love riding with the smooth guys... I won't say fast, because they don't look fast, they just look incredibly smooth. The bike is on rails. Then they just fade off into the distance ahead of you. I enjoy the tow from the fast guys because I like to watch how effortless they make it look, but I only like following predictable guys. Even if you aren't fast, if I know your tendencies, I enjoy following. If you are sporadic and unpredictable, it really can hurt others' focus and generally means you are riding over your head. A rule of thumb is a lot of the times if a group really wants to ride hard, they likely won't let guys that can't be vouched for into the group. I know in past Epic Ride years guys have tried to jump into the fast group only to be told no because of the pace they were going to be running. In the past, the group didn't do this, and newer guys paid the price. If you join any of these rides that people put up for everyone, they will wait for everyone at route changes. No-one will mind waiting 5 minutes for people to ride their own rides, rather than waiting hours for ambulances and tow trucks cause you crashed riding over your head. Edit for typos.

Many of the rides I have been on, the group will wait at each stop, or turn, to wait for everyone to catch up. If the ride doesn't have this courtesy, and you're not 100% sure you can keep the pace, don't go!

I think generally speaking, people tend to post what's expected on group rides from what I've seen. Pace-wise, I haven't ever been on a group ride organized on this forum that didn't stop and wait at intersections for slower riders, and I was one of those slower riders so I took advantage of this perk, quite often after my lowside 2 years ago. As for getting more comfortable with cornering - track day. You don't have to be a junkie with a track bike, full leather power ranger suit and thousands of dollars to burn in order to run a track day or two. The way track days are organized, they are a school in the less experienced groups. An "instructor" or control rider will be paired with you and will give you feedback on what you should/can be working on to improve. They will show you the lines of the course and are a tremendous wealth of knowledge. I encourage everyone I talk to that hasn't done a track day and expresses an interest in becoming a better rider to go to the track at least once. It's set up in such a way that, like a ski/snowboard lesson, there's the bunny hill where you can start out (novice group) and it scales all the way up to double black diamond back-country deep powder runs (advanced/open race practice).

If you put offroad tires and ride straight through the turn it is the fastest way from point a -b

That right there is 2 things. A sure sign you're out of your skill set and an accident looking for a place to happen. Usually on the brakes into a corner

In my mind, she hasn't slept since she saw the result sheet. I probably can't ride on Thursday (although I'm trying to find a sitter, now) and I will manage to say something along the lines of "just think how much i could have beaten you by if i had a 'real' bike!"

Because Polaris had it classified as a motorcycle to avoid crash laws and so on.

What motor oil should I use when I ride with Jschaf & theroamr?

To be clear, I said 'see' not focus. But very good to clarify that point.

Of course it makes sense. You see the lines, you see what they do and it adds confidence because they are doing it. It's the cornerstone of the 'tow'. We all do it to get better. You just have to be careful not to get sucked in too far because the crash is going to happen not because you or your bike can't handle it. It is going to happen because you THINK one of you is in over your head and you panic and do something retarded. I know you know that, just pointing it out.

Full review... Positives: Fun (but, could die) Negatives: Could die (but, fun) Rating: B+ Though if I'm being honest and having realistic expectations of the Slingshot, the only complaints I had were the price, and the brakes. The brakes seem very underpowered for something that size. You can argue about the storage space, daily practicality, "value", but it's a toy and that should be your expectation going into it. You should be demo-ing used minivans if you're looking for something practical.

just a FYI, Revzilla has some tires for under $100 total for your bike.

Just came upon this site while surfing the web. I live between Dayton and Cincinnati, but I'm from the Greenfield, OH (Highland Co.). I ride as much as I can and just returned from a trip to Virginia and The Great Smoky Mountain National Park areas. Great twisty and curvy roads down that way. Me and a friend did around 2100 miles in seven days or so.

The fine details... Should I shoot for shifting simultaneously with the throttle release/clutch disengagement or slightly after? I'm not trying to clutchless shift. Just make the shifts quicker and smoother. I've been pre-loading my shifter more recently while also using the clutch. I've noticed a tendency for the shift to complete about the same time the clutch lever approaches my other two fingers, not after. Is that OK as far as wear, or should I tweak the timing or shifter pressure a little? Also, the shifter will move a tiny bit then stop if I apply a little more pressure than usual. Is that something that I should do or avoid?

I know what bike @Uncle Punk is about to buy.

I was mainly talking about upshifting. Blipping for downshifts is a whole different thing for me. When I get it right, I feel awesome! If I get a buck or double rev, I feel embarrassed and disappointed. heh

Yes, I have seen the cheat sheet you speak of. How about when your taking a break during a ride and he starts talking about the Coriolis Effect on our motorcycles moving due north or due south and the reciprocating mass of a inline four engine effect on what fuel pump location you should pick at the speedway gas station in Marietta. I miss you Jim. B.

Great point. I'd wager that 95% of the group ride accidents I've seen were when someone was riding above their skill level, comfort level, or trying to keep up with someone when they should be riding their own ride. IF you want to test your limits, a track is a much better place to do it. You can pay for limit testing with runoff, leathers, and a safe environment with an ambulance nearby. On the street, you can pay for it with life-altering injury or death. Only place I'll ride above my pay grade is in the dirt.

ps. I need someone to buy my scooter and motorcycle first. Only ridden on weekends by older gentlemanly gray bearded fellow amongst his closest friends in a brisk pointless circle. Never raced or wheelied on purpose.

If I wasnt married I'd follow her everywhere like a puppy dog. Or a dirty old man, take your pick.

This all day long

I give up - I don't think I was getting my point across correctly... I'll explain it all on the next group ride...

I learned a lot from group rides. Watching how others tacked a corner helped me to hone my skills. I also felt more comfortable pushing my limits a bit during group rides because I felt confident that if I were to mess it up, there would at least be someone else present to call for help and keep me from laying in traffic. I never felt pressured to go faster than I was comfortable, though. Most anyone I rode with was cool with waiting for anyone to catch up.

Not to beat a dead horse, and this is mainly aimed at new riders here.....but anyone looking to extend their skillset SAFELY......seriously, take in a couple trackdays. Sure, it can be expensive, but the lessons learned on a prepped race surface with medical staff on site....priceless. And those techniques can translate to street riding WITHIN REASON. Speeds on the street should never compare to the lap times you managed to turn at MidO or the like.....but some of the TECHNIQUES can be used to keep you at a safer level than just trying to keep up with a much faster group.

I've ridden in all types of groups speeds. There have been a few times with a pace above my comfort level, and I know when to slow down.

some shinko in the sizes closest to what you posted

I agree completely. I never try to keep up to the point that I'm in over my head. But having someone slightly faster helps me go a little faster if that makes any sense. If I can't keep up at all, I just fall back and ride alone.

We need pics of said sister.

"Pace won't be mach retard but will be brisk. Wear gear, and ride your own ride, we wait when route changes." ^^^^^this last sentence is what I like most about the O.R. Rides I've been on. When the last rider makes it to the intersection there are smiling faces waiting. "Ride your own ride" seems to hold true. Some of these guys are damn fast and when they need to scratch that itch I'll see them at the next stop sign. Hell I hope someday I can handle a bike that well. I think the way @theroamr posted this up is a good thing. Tells me that if you drop off it's no big deal they'll happily hold up at the next stop. That's a pretty welcoming attitude. I think the only way we figure out who we're comfortable riding with on here are open invitations like that one.

I understand the concentration and stress -- this is the main reason why I never join the rides posted.

I did, told @theroamrpretty much as soon as I got the news. And I chose to leave after a bit. My suggestion wasn't for 1000+ posters. It was to help people new to the board. Also, just FYI I was off the board from 2010 until recently. Relearning the people now.

Seeing that you've joined in 2008, I would have thought you knew the normal characters around the forum. Myself and most of the board members know when certain people post a ride, what the expectations are for that ride. That's just how it is. I'm sorry that you got some bad news during the ride. If it effected you that much one of two things should have happened, you should tell the ride leader what was going on and see if they could work with you. Or, you drop off and head for home. Any ride at any pace is dangerous when your head isn't in the right place. I was up sunday morning, geared up, ready to ride down and meet up with you guys, but I had tweaked some suspension the day before and didnt get a test ride on it after. That was enough to make me bail last minute. (Also only saw this ride at 1230 the night before so I would've been NinjaDoc'n it.) I know those guys that signed up for the ride, I knew that my head wasnt in the right place in the morning. So I gave up a beautiful day to play it safe and play with myself..... I mean play by myself on my bike. Next time, just let everyone know whats going on! No one here is going to give you shit about mentioning something because you are concerned with safety or the pace.

I love the stuff. Bought it in bulk too, can be mixed at 4:1 or 2:1. I use it at 4:1 and it works great

Meguairs Hot Rims is the cats ass.

Just got back to the lodge after eating at a little hipster diner down the road. Nice view from my room.

Hey guys! My girlfriend and myself are having a barbecue at our place. The get together has a vague start time of 2PM on the 1st of July. Thats the Saturday before 4th of July. Happy to have anyone local stop by for a drink and a burger. I have no real end time, if its cool enough I will start a fire and probably be smoking cigars all day. We will be buying beer, soda and water. I believe I will be making sangria as well. I plan on grilling hotdogs, burgers and brauts. My girlfriend will be making vegetarian friendly things since shes a picky eater. So probably kebabs, mac and cheese and some other stuff! A handful of my local riding friends will be attending, so most likely we will be doing a bit of riding around town and some back roads before drinking. Im happy to have anyone over who would like to pop in for a bite to eat, a cold drink or smoke a cigar! PM me for the address and my number if interested!