GROUP RIDING

The lead motorcycle should be in the left 1/3 of the lane, the second
motorcycle should be in the right 1/3 of the lane, one second behind the
first rider and so on. Leave enough room between each motorcycle so that any
rider can maneuver to the right or left without hitting anyone else. Always
stay in line with the bike in front of you. Do not switch between left and
right side of the lane. If a rider should fall out of formation, the next
rider on the same side of the lane where the vacancy exists should move up
to fill that spot and so on down the line.

The following distance used within the formation is based on the "2 Second
Rule" of thumb. That is you should be 2 seconds back from the bike directly
ahead of you and 1 second back from the bike either ahead left or ahead
right in stagger from you, within the lane. This following distance is
designed to provide a space cushion around each rider that gives each one in
the formation enough time and distance to brake and/or swerve in case of a
sudden, unexpected hazard that requires evasive action by any part or all of
the group, while keeping the group tight enough for group safety.

Too much following distance can be just as bad as, too little following
distance. If the formation lacks uniformity in what we appear to be doing,
then we don't look like we are together. We become regarded as random
individual vehicles in the traffic pattern, and not like a group trying to
function as one vehicle. Too much following distance invites cars into the
formation, splitting it up in traffic. So, if a car starts to blindly move
into the group, let them in. We can always re-form the group a little later
down the road.