How to ride in a group.

I know this is a touchy subject amongst our club, but it is something that must be dealt with. Riding in a group. Too be honest, we suck at it. I look in my mirror and I see people in the middle, people in another lane and people so far behind that I can hardly see them at all.  Most of the time it is not a lack of knowledge, but a lack of having the ability, the desire to twist that throttle. See the RIGHT image to the left, <---- that should be you! Leaving gaps in the pack by not accelerating enough invites cars to come into the pack and splits us up. It also makes going thru the lights a nightmare. A group of 10 of us usually take up 3 times the space we should. This weekend we will be riding in a large group of Scooters and Motorcycles. We wont be going fast at all, but leaving too much space between each other will be a problem. It shows you do not know how to ride in a group and fear accelerating. Other riders will instantly see this and seek to avoid you causing mayhem with people trying to pass you or our whole group. With all the group riding we do, we should be experts by now. Twisting that throttle is something you should not fear. Speed is not the issue, acceleration is the issue. Smaller bikes require an aggresive throttle, weather you like it or not to maintain safe riding in a group at any speed. See that picture up there of "Staggered Formation" - That is how close we should be ALL THE TIME. 6 Scoot lengths between riders is just downright wrong and dangerous to us all.

You can learn alot by checking out this thread from the NY Scooter Forum: http://www.newyorkscooterclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=780&sid=f03037d6ff67652bfccb0d77c73b044f as well as practising some full power starts on your own. The Hornets Long Island Scooter Club hopes to see you Sunday (in the rear view mirror, not a block away) in close formation, putting along at 1MPH to 30MPH during the annual Toy Run this weekend. Scoot On... In formation...