Welcome to MCHOG's Safety page Safe Rider Skills Program GROUP RIDING Safe Rider Skills Program (reimbursement of $50.00 from MCHOG...) HOG members are eligible for reimbursement in the form of a coupon for up to $50 for the successful completion of an accredited Motorcycle Safety Foundation rider training course. Members who sucessfully complete an accredited course in the current calendar year will also receive a patch and pin featuring the Safe Rider Skills logo. You must be a current HOG member on the date the course began and you must send proper documentation within 3 months of the course completion date. Reimbursement will be paid in the form of a HOG coupon, which may be applied toward HOG membership renewal, annual, regional, or state HOG rally registration, HOG or Genuine Harley-Davidson merchandise, or Fly & Ride motorcycle rental. There will be no change issued on the coupon. Limited to reimbursement for one course annually. Maximum reimbursement is $50. Tuition Reimbursement coupon and/or pin and patch can be obtained by submitting a completed form with the following items: A copy of course receipt... or a copy of your cancelled check, credit card statement, etc., will do. - A copy of your certificate and/or card, indicating successful completion of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course. See a Chapter officer for the proper form to send. GROUP RIDING Adopted by the board of officers on July 25, 2002 Mendocino County HOG Group Riding Techniques The following is the official group riding procedures for the Mendocino HOG Chapter. All official rides will follow these procedures.The Road Captain will be in charge of all official group riding. He or she will make decision concerning direction, route, rest stops, speed and riding positions. If the road captain does not participate in the ride a HOG officer will act as road captain for the ride. The road captain will plan the route of travel and the stops to be made along the way. Everyone should be aware of the route and stops before departure. If the elected safety officer is not present the road captain will appoint a rider to this position. The road captain will lead the group. The safety officer will ride at the rear of the group. HAND SIGNALS: There are two kinds of hand signals. One is to communicate the road captains intentions to the group and the other is to communicate an individuals intentions to other riders and drivers on the road. The use of hand signals are not mandatory; if they are to be used, the road captain will make it known at the pre-ride briefing. If the road captain uses hand signals they should be passed back through the pack so that all riders know the road captains intentions. Hand Signals (this link - compliments of Redwood Empire Chapter Harley Owners Group...) RIDING YOUR OWN SPEED: If you would rather ride with a small, faster group, you and your riding buddies may choose to head out first and meet the group at rest stops or at the destination. The same safety rules should apply regardless of any other factors. STAGGERED FORMATION: The hand signal for staggered riding is holding up two fingers in a "V" pattern. The road captain will ride in the left hand 1/3rd of the lane. The second bike will ride in the right hand 1/3rd of the lane and so on. All bikes should have a minimum of two seconds following distance behind the bike in front of them. Bikes on the right should be a minimum of one second behind the bike on the left and two seconds behind the bike in front of them. It is very important for all riders to maintain this spacing. Changes in the following distance causes the group to stretch and retract like a rubber band. This forces the bikes in the rear of the pack to ride faster, then slower, to stay with the pack. This spacing gives each bike one second in front and one second behind and the space next to him to swerve into if needed to avoid a hazard. SINGLE FILE: The hand signal for single file formation is the index finger in the air. Single file riding is for two lane roads with lost of curves and hills, which we have a lot of. In single file formation you should have a minimum following distance of two seconds. BRAKING: If you must use heavy breaking, remember there is another rider two seconds behind you who may not be able to stop. If you need to dodge an obstacle or brake hard, try to divert your bike out of the line of bikes so you don't get rear-ended by the bike behind you. SPEED: As much as possible the speed of the pack should be maintained plus or minus one mile per hour. Once the disired speed has been achieved it makes it easier for riders to stay properly positioned in the pack. The maximum speed is the posted speed limit. Most cars that travel in the far left lane drive faster than the posted speed limit, therefore, the pack should not ride in the left lane unless it can be done without getting in the way of traffic. FREEWAY PASSING: The hand signal for passing is the same as turning left, which is, the left arm extended out orizontally. When the road captain signals that he is going to pass, the rear bike may pull out to signal all bikes to move to the passing lane. This should only be done if the group will not interfere with other traffic in the passing lane. It is sometimes safer to break the group in half and wait for another passing opportunity. Passing should be done in the staggered formation. Before starting to pass each rider should do a mirror check and then a head check of your blind spot. Never return to the original lane until you can see the car you have just passed in your mirror. TWO LANE PASSING: When the road captain makes the decision to pass, only that number of bikes that can safely make the pass should follow him into the left lane. When those bikes have passed and returned to their original lane, a few more bikes may pass. Don't think that because you are a group that you have some right of way over other traffic, you don't. If part of the group gets separated from the rest of the pack, don't panic. Catch up when you can do so safely. TURN SIGNALS: Turn signals should always be used when turning or changing lanes. If you use your left arm to signal along with your turn signal, you will be much more likely to be seen. HEAD LIGHTS: Head lights should be on high beam until one half hour before sunset, then use hi and low beam as necessary. NEW RIDERS: If you are a new rider or have not ridden with a group, let the road captain know so you can be placed with riders that can help you learn the rules of group riding. BLIND SPOTS: The blind spot is the NO zone. Don't ride in the NO zone. This is where the rider of another bike (or car) cannot see you in his mirror. This NO zone also applies to cars and especially large trucks. The NO zone is any place that you can't see the driver of the other vehicle in his mirror. It is best not to ride along side or directly behind large trucks. LEAVING THE PACK: If a rider drops out, an open space will be left in the group. Each rider should check their mirror, do a quick head check of their blind spot and then cross over to the other side of the lane and fill the opening. If a rider has a mechanical problem, the last two riders should stop with the disabled rider. The rest of the group should keep going until it is safe to pull off the road. No bike should be parked closer than 8 feet to white line. After the problem has been ascertained, one of the riders will ride forward to the group with information on the problem and the road captain will decide what action the group should take. COURTESY: It is our goal to get from here to there and make the other people on the road smile, not shake their fist at us. Give way to automobiles when they need to merge into the group. It's better to be separated and safe then to force the pack to stay together.