BTW you have a misconception that a bit of booze actually warms you...
what it does is it thins your blood (which gives you a feel of warmth) but then this thinner blood is more susceptible to freezing!!!

Edit: Shiv... you are bang on... Dry Fruits.. best approach!

that may be the case...... I dnt have that idea...... but if your body can take it, then 1-2 pecks of RUM really warms the body...... I dnt try anything else while riding in mountains....... so dnt have any idea...... but rum really helps......

thanx Satye, as it is though i booze occaqsionally but I would never suggest nor prefer nor ride with people who drink before riding, may be hill or plains or whatever.......

I dont support drink and riding at all.....

and please I would also request to friends that dont post these type of suggestions. personally you may have 4 pegs and still eb able to ride but then why to encourage anyone to even try this......

so GROUP RIDING OR SOLO RIDING NO HARD DRINKS AT ALL.

Wearing appropriate clothing. A thermal layer inside, wind proof jacket outside.
Neck Gasket/Scarf. It is very important to keep your neck and head cool.
Dry Fruits.
Appropriate amount of hot liquids.


And as SatyenPoojary correctly said, alcohol gives you a misconception of warmth. A person with alcohol inside his body is more susceptible to hypothermia and more likely to freeze to death. What you say is a commonly believed myth that often leads to disaster.

Tahoe Snowmobiling - Snowmobile Safety

EDIT: Drinking and driving is illegal, even in Antarctica. It is one thing not to follow traffic rules and regulations. But it is totally reckless to be handing out suggestions like this.

That Satyen, is a usual misconception amongst people...that alcohol 'provides' warmth. While in fact, alcohol is a vasco-dilator i.e. it dilates blood vessels allowing a larger volume of blood to flow through them (remember the 'flushed' look of someone with drinks in him). This larger volume of blood, with its larger amount of heat contained, produces the impression that you've warmed up. Whereas it is exactly the opposite of that..you are loosing heat at a faster rate.

So @Pads, alcohol would not only adversely affect your reflexes, it will also hasten freezing.

Dry fruits, choclates, high sugar content food stuffs etc are the best option.

One of the most neglected but important activity in group rides is head count and personal information. It helps a lot if each rider carries with him, a list of all other riders, their contact numbers, BLOOD GROUP INFORMATION, contact numbers in case of emergency and some friend and family reference numbers.

This information is best not needed but is helpful in certain situations. Adding to shadez's post, the tail end rider (usually called sweeper in airforce terminology) has to be one of the most experienced riders in the group with a fast and powerful machine. The same goes for the leader too.

^ oh... so thats what they call it.
good points there mate.

@satyenpoojary
@Shivanshu
@pranay
Thanx man clearing the doubts n the articles...... will remember the point......

You are always welcome brother......

Lovely thread and some real good information (for a change)!

@OF: Thanks a ton for that huge check-list and the wonderful pointers. Really appreciated.

Pardon the ignorance, but i have never been exposed to group riding. Or should I put it this way that I tend to avoid riding in groups. Preferably solo most of the time, or with 2-3 people max, and that too serious riders.

So some questions:

1) Can you explain formations/ riding in formations?

2) You talk about a group leader being ahead all the time. Does that give you the freedom to ride according to your style/techniques that you are accoustomed to. Like it mentioned somewhere that the leader should never be overtaken. As everyone has got his/her own fluent method of riding, so what if riding your normal speed, you catch up with the leader. Then what? Dont you think it would be a tad irritating/flustering to tone down your own fluent manner, even though the concern of the whole group is in your sub-concoious mind.

3) Move at constant speed of 55 km/hr on this stretch, 70 km/hr on that stretch. Stop after every 1 hour for a breather, dont fall behind the group trailer. Dont you folks think that these are a notch too many restrictions?

Riding to me is a sense of being free. This is the way i tend to express my freedom, gratify myself. Expressing emotions. Getting on my steed and just riding away, for no reason, for no cause ... Many a mile, just like that. To me its individuality, a reflection on who i am.

I believe that many of us folks would also have the same opinion. So dont you think that riding in a group of say 15-20 people, that freedom is curbed, energy lost?

Just curious, kind of perplexed. So i thought i might get my doubts clarified. I might be harbouring a wrong opinion, but then, thats the way i see it. I want to know how you guys see it. No offence

My opinions above , I wouldnt say you have wrong opinions , but just a different point of view.Sometimes when you ride in groups then following these are good.When you are just 2-3 ppl (and they wil be the ones who match up to you) then you don't need to follow things so strictly.

Kurt -->> what you saying is for riding solo or 2 or 3 riders. Its good that you said that as you know that this is why this thread came up.....

Group riding needs lot of patience and discipline and thats why all your points out their are irrelevant..... but yeah I would try to answer your queries:

1) Can you explain formations/ riding in formations?
Formations are basically the way in which the bikes are placed while riding in big groups. Like single formation, double formation, diagnol formation, etc.....

2) You talk about a group leader being ahead all the time. Does that give you the freedom to ride according to your style/techniques that you are accoustomed to. Like it mentioned somewhere that the leader should never be overtaken. As everyone has got his/her own fluent method of riding, so what if riding your normal speed, you catch up with the leader. Then what? Dont you think it would be a tad irritating/flustering to tone down your own fluent manner, even though the concern of the whole group is in your sub-concoious mind.
Thats why it is said that group riding is not easy bro... if you riding solo you can fly or ride like a crawling bug, but in group you have to ride as per the group thats why it requires lot of skill and experience to ride in a group.

3) Move at constant speed of 55 km/hr on this stretch, 70 km/hr on that stretch. Stop after every 1 hour for a breather, dont fall behind the group trailer. Dont you folks think that these are a notch too many restrictions?
Well I would rather say these are rules, and these are for the safety of the riders, as group riding is a group respensibility as well.... thats why I have put the word 'patience'



Though their is no doubt in what you said bro "Riding is a sense of freedom"

@kurtrules: yes, very true. you would feel kinda restricted thinking about it.
the best option to play it is 'scenario based'.
1. on ghats and city, it is good to ride in single formation. yes, you would break it now and then. leader can use the re-group and tighten signal after x time interval. ever noticed, even if formation ride is not mentioned to anyone, group always tend to stick around (mostly form a line) while riding in city?
2. on open/straigh less dangerous highways, keep pitstops. breakfree after a small formation ride and when signalled by leader. once you reach the assigned pitstop @x kms, stop and re-group.

there are a lot of ways to make the ride interesting...

While we are on the subject of drinking to keep warm:Since I dont drink,for long rides in the winter I carry two thermos filled to brim with tea.(Yup,I cant go for a day without a glass full of tea ). I had made a air tight temporary mesh on both sides of the seats of my Discover to hold the thermos securely. Most of my friends maintain that they ride better with a peg of booze. Dont know how far from the truth it is. But tea helps.I can vouch for that.
And when that finishes,I usually raid a tea stall on the way and make my own tea to refill them.