TLW Group Ride Risk Mitigation Guidelines

Last Updated : November 8th 2023 (Version History At End Of Document)

For any questions or concerns regarding this document, please reach out to the TLW WhatsApp group

The information provided within this document is to help riders be better prepared and improve their safety profile for future rides. This is applicable not just for group rides but also for solo rides. There are numerous resources available online to help learn and train with regards to being a better and safer motorcyclist. This can be considered as a quick setup guide and designed particularly for sport touring motorcyclists who are out riding and taking trips on motorcycle for leisure and travel. More focus is made towards group riding etiquettes and best practice.

(These apply mainly to riders who are preparing for single day/ multi day group rides with TLW on back roads and tight technical mountain road etc and less for people commuting around town, riding at nights,  participating in parades etc)  

To start with this is not to deter newer riders from joining group riders nor to govern experienced riders. These are just friendly helpful suggestions from experienced riders to help mitigate future adverse outcomes. We are all determined to reduce as many accidents and mishaps as possible. At the end of the day wisdom is realizing that motorcycling is a dangerous sport and some things in life are inevitable but the wise thing to do is  being prepared for the worst.

The following recommendations are divided into two groups. The first set of recommendations are to be considered Level I or mandatory. Second set can be considered level II or optional. Again this is not to encroach on any one's freedom or regulate their lifestyle and life choices. Our sole aim and mission is to reduce the adverse events and reduce the risk to others in the group and to reduce the burden of guilt that will be carried by the rest of family and friends. Hindsight is always 20/20 and there are always a lot of thoughts and prayers. But now is chance to change it and have great foresight, and be strict, vigilant, prepared and safe.  

There are few things before we dig into the minor nuances of the following document. TLW has always been an independent and open community for riders to participate and enjoy motorcycling. Its more akin to family than a riders club. This group, even if not huge in number, has massive collective experience to share with any newer rider. Collectively the miles logged will be in thousands if not millions already by the members spanning multiple states and even countries. This is not a club with ranks, silly rules and hierarchy. There are no presidents, ride captains, prospects here. We are all friends here and all will follow these set rules just to make ourselves and the folks we ride with safe. Whenever we use the term ride leader, this refers to the person who took the effort to plan and post the ride for that day/event. So take these suggestions as advice that comes from the bottom of the heart from a family and not rules set by a random club.

LEVEL I Mandatory

The following set of recommendations will be strictly followed. Most times the person posting the ride will be considered the group leader and be willing to ensure and enforce these. Each and every person participating in the group ride should pay attention and hold others accountable if not meeting the minimum safety margins. Any rider not meeting these guidelines will NOT be allowed to participate in the group ride. Our friend's life and safety takes precedence over niceties and ego.

1. Proper and complete safety apparel: all of these required. Proper sized helmet/ jacket/ pant/ gloves/ motorcycle boots. It has to be motorcycle gear with minimum level 1 armor.
2. Good tires: motorcycles need to have good tires with adequate tread life. Adequacy of the tread life will be determined based on the ride/ distance that will be covered for that particular ride.
3. Mechanical condition of bike: bikes should have proper working headlights, blinkers, brakes, no leaking fluids, no loose appendages. Again if the ride leader or others in group raise concern about a bike this will be evaluated and needs to be determined if safe to carry on.
4. Riding dangerously: If a rider is noticed to be riding in a dangerous manner, some obvious Eg: frequently crossing double yellow lines in corners, delay in braking habits, unnecessary excessive braking and being afraid of corners, unable to control the bike trajectory etc there will be discussion about this at the earliest and based on the extend or severity of incident the ride leader or others in group will make suggestion on if the rider can continue with the group or leave the group and take the safest straight line path home. Again this is not in regards to speed he maintains or higher end skill demonstration. These are just very basic skills a motorcyclist needs to have in the arsenal before venturing for street rides.
5. Zero alcohol consumption: no alcohol consumption during rides and if noticed will not be allowed to ride the rest of the day with the group. At the end of the day once bikes are parked there is no governance over this.
6. Update Rider & Emergency Info: Every rider participating in group rides with TLW needs to ensure that they have updated their emergency contact and basic info with the group.
7. Pre ride meeting: always make sure a pre ride meeting is made a ritual no matter the group size and experience. The ride lead and others will go over each and every bike quickly to make sure they are safe to operate. There will be discussion about the route, the roads and general consensus on what to expect the rest of the day. This time can be used to raise any safety concerns and resolve before the bikes leave the starting point.
8. Cardo communication device: Almost every one on TLW is on cardo communication device and using their mesh/DMC network to be connected during rides. This is not just for socialization but also improving safety by giving faster and defined warnings about road hazards well in advance of traditional hand signaling. Not all Cardo devices support DMC. For Eg Freecom doesnt support DMC and is as good as a Sena or a non Cardo to this group. When purchasing a Cardo communication system, verify that it supports DMC.

Level II optional

The following set of recommendations to be considered as guidelines that will supplement and boost the safety profile of riders. These are not strictly followed but encouraged to be followed if at all possible.

1. Air vest: at an additional cost the safety margin is exponentially increased by adopting the habit of using an airbag vest. Considering the impact on mortality and morbidity the expense of airbag vest is very meager.
2. MSF course: at a very minimum the rider should have cleared the msf course. And especially if hoping to join for group rides with random riders, the arbitrary recommendation is to have at least completed a few thousand miles of road riding either alone or with close friends. This will ensure you are properly trained and have enough experience to be safe during rides, if found unsafe will be sent back as discussed above.
3. Motorcycle with safety net: depending on the budget you set aside it is highly encouraged to opt for a motorcycle with as much safety profile as you can get. These days there are more and more used bikes in the market that are becoming affordable that have not only the old school abs and linked brake system but also the newest IMU based cornering abs and traction control. Again these safety gadgets are not for track day riders or fast street riders alone, these are beneficial for each and every one who rides a motorcycle.
4. Crash protection on bikes: Having proper crash protection on bikes increases the safety margin not only during the ride but also in the event of a crash; these will be the difference maker whether you will be able to ride the bike away or not. These include crash bars, radiator guards, engine sliders, lever protectors , even panniers etc
5. Invite only rides: Not every ride is for everyone. Some rides will be technically very demanding, either the duration or the types of roads involved etc. These technical rides will be personal invite only and or based on personal vouching from other experienced riders. It will be the sole discretion of the ride leader to determine if the group ride needs to be invite only. Unfortunately this recommendation is slightly subjective in nature but to be considered safe than sorry. For eg a rider with years of experience and thousands of miles under his belt who recently moved to the area might find it hard to get in on such a ride. But others in the group will be able to come up with a fair assessment in these rare scenarios.

Supplementary Guidelines

These are just suggestions and technically not even guidelines. These steps are just to enhance the knowledge and best practices to improve the skill of everyone in the group regardless of current riding experience.

1. Skill lab: Experienced riders have voluntarily come forward to help with newer riders to gain confidence and experience by riding with them in group rides. There will be specific rides just for this purpose or even a sub group on main rides where they will be willing to hang back with them to give pointers. Never be worried about asking for help
2. Parking lot practices: we can set aside some days and find large free parking spaces to set up some cones and practice riding skills. Again folks are willing to come forward for these and use every opportunity to improve ourselves.
3. Winter powwow: During down times in certain months when we cannot ride, we can always meet some random destinations and talk about motorcycles and best practices to improve our riding. We can come up with topics to discuss and collectively build a greater knowledge base to be more safe and efficient.

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