Solo Ride = More Fun

[deadline]

At least it was for me... I usually go with a group and eight times out of ten most people are faster then me(I am still a newb!!) and I always have to go faster then my comfort level to keep up and as a result of that I pay less attention to the road and more to the rider ahead of me. Not to mention that there is always a case of someone in a group getting stuck behind 20 cars or being pulled over by Melvin...

so I did my first solo ride today and it was awesome! I didn't scrape the pegs, but I got lower then ever. So I recommend that to new riders....

[Jmetz]

I always have to go faster then my comfort level to keep up

You should not do this nor should you feel the need to. I ride with people that are faster all the time and I have never felt compelled to ride faster then I'm comfortable with nor have they ever pressured me to ride faster... They'll wait up, and if they don't, they're not people you should ride with anyway.

[RajunCajun]

You should not do this nor should you feel the need to. I ride with people that are faster all the time and I have never felt compelled to ride faster then I'm comfortable with nor have they ever pressured me to ride faster... They'll wait up, and if they don't, they're not people you should ride with anyway.

What he said!!

[zPurpleRoom]

What he said!!

WORD!

[deadline]

lol... what you say is true, but I always feel crappy when people have to wait on me. that's just not good manners. in any case, i really liked riding on my own. really felt the road like never before!

and what I mean by manners, is I want people around me to have fun too.

[RajunCajun]

When I got started, my buddies would never drop me. If they wanted to rip it up the mountain, I wouldn't go on that ride. They would all agree that they were going to go my pace if I rode with them. Also, I would usually be the second rider behind the leader (most experienced of us all) because if there were a bunch of guys in front of me and one goes down, I might not know how to handle going around that person. The leader picked the pace acording to how I was riding. That worked really well for me and I gained a lot of great experience learning corner entry/exit speed, pody position and obstacle aviodance techniques. Talk to your group and ride with one that you trust. My 2 cents....

[Bueller]

lol... what you say is true, but I always feel crappy when people have to wait on me. that's just not good manners. in any case, i really liked riding on my own. really felt the road like never before!

I ride solo or with others I know and trust for a reason. I am a quick rider when I want to be but I get sick of people falling down from riding over their heads trying to keep up. That is bad manners. I would much rather wait on people than have to deal with them crashing.
It has been said on here a thousand times, ride your own ride, but apparently it still goes unheeded.

[Cornfed]

so I did my first solo ride today and it was awesome! I didn't scrape the pegs, but I got lower then ever. So I recommend that to new riders....

Definitely worth posting. I ride solo all the time and it is great way to improve your skills. Good for you!

[fasterlaster]

That is bad manners.

Fantastic! Don't crash, it's bad manners and your mother would be ashamed.

[OUTLAWD]

I too like riding alone...even when riding with trusted friends, people have different riding styles.

Instead of riding at an elevated pace for the entire ride, I'd rather pick and choose my battles...going faster in the tight stuff and slowing down for the wide open stuff will hopefully minimize my run-in's with Melvin, plus doing 120 down an open road doesn't do as much for me as doing 70-90 in "30 mph" corners...this isnt the track we are talking about...I want to relax every now and again

group rides are more for socializing than riding...for me anyway

[deadline]

When I ride in groups I find myself speeding and braking a lot... but when I was on my own I mostly accelerated in corners and maintained the same speed on the straights. I used brakes only a few times that entire day.

And I passed three other riding groups too.. On 119 caught up with a guy on black BMW 1000 and a girl on Suzuki 600 I think.. He was a pro, but she was still learning. Saw them again that same day going opposite direction on 7 with a bigger group

[Jmetz]

And I passed three other riding groups too.. On 119 caught up with a guy on black BMW 1000 and a girl on Suzuki 600 I think.. He was a pro, but she was still learning. Saw them again that same day going opposite direction on 7 with a bigger group

You stopped and checked his AMA card?

[MystikalAznEpic]

I like to ride alone sometimes too. Riding with people you know and trust is always good.

I had to stop riding with a friend of mine because he just became to dangerous to ride with. Was showing off too much when other bikers were around and would leave the group behind just to catch up to the other bikes. He also like riding in our blind spots so when we approach a turn he would have a chance to pass us up to get ahead. These are the riders you need to avoid riding with, those that neglect their safety as well as others.

[BlueRanger]

But one thing we less experienced riders riding solo need to keep in mind is if you do go down, no one will be there to help you. With that in mind, it's always better to ride with people you trust and know (your own little group).

[Drano]

I haven't been riding very long, and most of the rides I have done have been solo. I don't particularly care for solo rides for several reasons. Since I am trying to develop my skill, the only way, at least in my opinion, to measure how much I have improved is by riding in a group. Riding with an experienced rider also means that you are riding with somebody that knows the road and can signal you about trouble spots. Riding solo, I go down there might not be anybody around to see it. As such, I don't try to push myself as much as I would in a group. Lastly, I don't have the advantage of feedback from other riders about what I may have done right or wrong on the trip. For me, their advice is invaluable.

I don't begrudge any rider that wants to ride at their skill level. Whether they are fast or slow. If a rider I'm trailing is faster than I'm comfortable, I slow down, but at least I have a reference of what is possible as my skills develop and that is worth more to me than any solo ride has ever provided.

[TheWay]

Im a new rider and like alot of you said if you go down theres a chance nobody will know and i dont like the thought of that. The few rides ive been on i just get in the back and let all the faster guys do there thing.I figure i will get caught back up when we regroup.Plus im on ninja 250 so im not as fast anyway i just do my thing and nobody has givin me shit about it yet.

[deadline]

these roads we go on, always got traffic(car passes every 5-8 minutes) ... so unless you fly into the canyon, there will be someone who will see you and help you if you go down while riding alone. I am sure of it.

[Ninja2]

I wouldn't count on it all the time, esp if it is dark, a mountain pass, etc. There are routes where you can go off the side and fellow riders or cars might not see you; or at least not right away. And when you're injured every second can count.

Here some advice that I received when you ride by yourself:
1. Get a dog tag or a Road ID with some personal info.
2. Let someone know when you're leaving, your approx route and length of ride.
3. Be prepared not to have cell phone reception, esp on the Deckers route. I am told unless you have a satellite phone, you do not have reception in Deckers.

[TheWay]

Atleast you had fun thats what matters!

[madvlad]

Ride your own ride, thats key. Peer pressure is not a good thing and if the people that you ride with do so they need their asses kicked and you need to find a new group. Come on one of my rides and you'll see group rides are good.

[kawasakirob]

I do not like riding in larger groups either. Theres to many elements waiting to screw things up with larger groups, although I've crashed riding solo a few times too... Nice work hanging back and riding your own pace. It sounds like your wanting to improve your skill and up the pace, regardless of being in a group or riding solo. I'll just mention this, I learned the hard way, and it sucked. Crashing a number of times on the street at all speeds and all scenarios before I actually got my skill levels up to where I feel comfortable and can ride aggresively in different street situations. I lived. Most don't. If you cant afford riding the track, good luck! Riding on the street and pushing it on the street is fun, but the margin of safety if you go down is whats going to get you. Good luck man! Rock n Roll. What about enrolling in an MSF advanced riding course?

[grim]

I dont mind riding in groups or solo. My wife isnt a huge fan of me riding solo in the event something were to happen, but its fun to go solo and be able to change my pace whenever i want without pissing anybody off.

There are a few people on here that i have ridden with a lot this season that are used to my riding style like Madvlad, JKOL, and ImortalUK.

I rode with Cornfed on Sunday for the second time which was fun i like his style i was able to sniff his exhuast the whole way through Devils gulch which i will be posting the video tonight.

I think it all just depends on who is in the group that makes it fun or turns it into a "look at this asshat" ride