March 2020 Newsletter

President’s Message

Hello Drifters,

On our February rides we’ve been riding in formation and using hand signals to communicate. We are getting better at it, but we still have room for improvement. I will continue promoting group riding techniques. This is why:

Group riding is inherently more dangerous than riding solo. On the plus side, a group of bikes is more visible than a solo rider, so we are less likely to be hit by surrounding traffic. Unfortunately, bikes sometimes run into each other in groups that are not using group riding techniques. 

Following distance is perhaps the most important aspect of group riding. Riding too close takes away room to maneuver when something unexpected happens. Riding too far apart allows other vehicles to enter the group. I’ve seen riders do scary things to get around these vehicles and rejoin the group. 

Knowing where the other riders are gives you an advantage when something unexpected happens. If you need to suddenly maneuver around a hazard and you don’t know where the rider behind you is, you’ll need to use precious time to check your mirrors to see where they are. If the group is well disciplined in riding formation, you’ll already know where the riders are and won’t need to look.

Group riding techniques improve safety while passing vehicles on 2 lane highways and while changing lanes on multi-lane highways to pass vehicles.

I know most of our riders are familiar with group riding techniques, but feel free to ask me if you are new or not familiar, since we haven’t been using them in our group until this last month.   Practice makes perfect, so we will review as needed.

President David Long

Upcoming Events:

Tuesday, March 17th, Saint Patricks Day Dinner – Black Bear Diner 6:00pm RSVP Becca before 3/10

Saturday, April 4th, Dinner at Rusty’s Ranch House, Cedar City 6:00pm

Tuesday/Wednesday May 19-20 Overnight ride to Torrey. See the events page for more information.

Ongoing Events:

Thursday Ride – Terribles 11:30a

Friday Breakfast – Golden Corral 9:30a

Saturday ZION HD Burger Lunch – 11:30a,