Where there is one Harley, there is bound to be another. This is because group riding with these bikes is one of the most fun and social things that you can do. It often feels that it is what these motorcycles are built for. While watching a formation pass you by, you may think that it is an incredibly easy endeavour. Well, the truth is that it often takes a great deal of trust and planning to real get group riding to work. If you are looking to give it a try, here are some things you should keep in mind:

Choose Similar Individuals

As you can imagine, group riding means lots of teamwork. Therefore, it won’t really work if each individual is quite different from one another. It will be that much harder for people to work together. This is why it is a good idea to stick with riders that you know, like, and have comparable riding styles. Of course, it helps if they have similar models of Harley-Davidson motorbikes as well. This way, you will not have to worry about anyone riding too fast or too slow. You will be able to maintain a great cruising speed that everyone will be comfortable with. It is also best if you maintain the number at under ten riders.

Make Plans

Contrary to popular belief, those riding groups aren’t just flawless by themselves. A lot of planning has gone into how everything is going to unfold. You, too, should take the time to plan it out with your group. This means deciding who is going to be “leader”. This is the individual who will be riding ahead of everyone else and making most of the decisions. You will also need to appoint someone who will be riding at the back to keep an eye on everyone. It is also a good idea to have designated spots where you will all gather to meet. You will not always be able to predict what will happen and you may need to split up at one point. Everyone should have the contact details for all of the members of the group. Each individual should be able to communicate with anyone at any given moment. By deciding on these things early on, you will be able to prevent any misunderstandings along the way.

Ride in Staggered Formation

One of the most difficult decisions you will have to make is regarding the riding formation. Now, you may know who is riding way up in the front and right at the back. How about everyone else, though? This is when riding in a staggered formation will come in handy. This means that if the leader is on the right, the rider behind him will be on the left. The third rider will then be on the right side of the lane and so on. Another thing you will have to do is to maintain the right amount of distance between each rider. You don’t want to be too close but you still want to be somewhat of a tight knit group as well.

Focus on these points if you are planning on joining a group ride. This will help to ensure that things go more smoothly.