Ducati Monster Forum

I love to ride and love to get people riding. I'm happy to lead a new rider's ride if people can put up with my riding style. Post up if you are interested and which day. I am out of town on the 10th and 11th. Everyone and type of motorcycles are welcomed provided you can live with the following restrictions:

• Kick-stand up time is no later than 7am from E.Village. We can talk about a second stop for folks who lives outside of NYC. 7am is early, but there's less traffic and po-po on the streets. We'll probably be back in the city around noon 1pm. People should feel free to continue riding if they like
• Must have insurance, license, current inspection/license stickers, and full riding gear (helmets, boots, jackets). I don't ride w/ squids and I don't want to have to deal with the law
• Read the Pace. This ride will be at most speed limit +10 while in the straights, strictly speed limit in towns. Twisty section will be the only section that the above does not apply
  Route (for now) will be 9W up to Bear Mt., Bear Mountain loop, Palisades back. I open to suggestions on the route
• Raindate: May 17th

I will be demonstrating proper apex turning to the best my ability in case you are interested in the next, but ride the line you are comfortable with. Apex turning for those who are interseted is to ride the outside painted line until the last moment, then aggressively lean the bike and drive out of the turn. Your kicks will not come from high speed, but from the fact that if you don't lean precisely you may run out to the shoulder or oncoming traffic.

If you are experience and interested in helping lead this ride, please post up! Depending on the final size it would be great to have, at minimum, a lead and a sweep!


What is the pace? This is the pace:
http://ducatimonsterworldwide.org/index.php?topic=117.0

Add you name below if you can make it.  Ideally we can match 3 new riders to 2 experienced riders (lead/sweep).  If there are more that 3 new riders, we will probably split into groups.

Experienced:
1) CDawg



"New Rider"
1)

I might be able to make it Clifton. Let's say tentative for now. :)

Too early to commit, but if I can make it I will sweep for you.  You don' want me to lead unless you think the new riders need U turn practice.

Im down i can sweep, and possibly lead but im kind of a go wherever guy right now.  I plan a route and follow it generally, no GPS yet :-X, i dont really know that area too well either.

Im good for either day the 17th or the 18th just say the word!!!

Maybe I can help with the next one. 
I can't make it the 18th, I'm doing Lee Parks Level 2 that day.

No worries.  Love to hear about ARC#2 when you are done! wt:

i'm in either the 17th or the 18th.

You don't want me to sweep.  Ask the last two guys who were riding in front of me, on the last two group rides I've been on.  :-\

Clifton, I should be good to go for the 18th. I'll know for sure by the beginning of next week  wt:.

Hey C-Dawg,

I can make it.

Shawn

Weather.com says rain for next sat and sun, but its never that accurate this many days in advance, keep your fingers crossed!!

Now I'm curious, what could have possibly happened that was any fault of your own?

Sounds good.  I would like to come depending on how my Saturday night goes  dr::   So - Tentative.

Hey C-Dawg,

New rider here; count me in. I just moved over from the other board.  Where is our designated meeting place in the E. Village?  I'm in for the 17th or 18th depending on the weather.  Hopefully, we're greeted with clear roads and sunny skies.

Haha..  I was there!  Beware!  DCAL is cursed!

if the weather is decent (i no like the rain  :() & the ride is set for the 18th, i'm good to go.   [thumbsup]

Okay, so I'm hearing that 18th is a go unless the weather is bad.  Unfortunately, the rain date will have to be ~June 7~8 as I am out of town the next few weekends.  Please copy&paste this list below and add your DMF name to it if you are interested.  This way the last post always has the most current info.  This is a common way for folks to plan trips.  Include some info on you experience to help me pick routes (particularly if there are anything you are not ready to do, e.g, freeways, etc...).

I'm thinking the morning will cover hand signals, riding formations, challenges of group riding, counter steering, road design.
Route-wise, I'm thinking (all negotiable) assemble in Palisades gas station after exit 1, 9W north to Route 59 to Seven Lakes to Bear Mt loop to Palisades south to home.

1) CDawg (lead)
2)

1) CDawg (lead)
2) EvilSteve (not a beginner ;))

ha, my bad dude!  ;)

1) CDawg (lead)
2) EvilSteve (not a beginner ;))
3) ricol  [thumbsup]

1) CDawg (lead)
2) EvilSteve (not a beginner Wink)
3) ricol  waytogo
4) Shawn H

1) CDawg (lead)
2) EvilSteve (not a beginner Wink)
3) ricol  waytogo
4) Shawn H
5) GLantern (Not a noobie [moto] i can play sweeper)

1) CDawg (lead)
2) EvilSteve (not a beginner Wink)
3) ricol  waytogo
4) Shawn H
5) GLantern (Not a noobie  [moto]  i can play sweeper)
6) dang_wind (can do 18th otherwise out of town for 7-8th)

1) CDawg (lead)
2) EvilSteve (not a beginner Wink)
3) ricol  waytogo
4) Shawn H
5) GLantern (Not a noobie    i can play sweeper)
6) dang_wind (can do 18th otherwise out of town for 7-8th)
7) beancounter

Please keep a look out Friday afternoon and we can make a group call based on the weather...in case we get rained out, here are some of what I planned on covering on Sunday in case we get rained-out.  Remember to take everything with a grain of salt:

Riding formations/proper blocking: Assuming the road is free from debris, for all lanes, except for the inner most lane, the lead rider occupies the left 1/3 of the lane.  The next rider follow ~2 seconds behind on the right 1/3 of the lane.  The 3rd rider takes the left 1/3 of the lane, etc...  The reason the lead take the left 1/3 of the lane is to force any car behind the rider to do a proper lane change to pass the rider.  IF the rider is in the right 1/3 of the lane, a car from behind only need to get 2 wheels into an inner lane to pass the rider.  However, if the lead rider is in the inner-most lane, then the lead rider occupies the right 1/3 of the lane (all subsequent riders stagger) to for any passing vehicles to do a full lane change to pass.

Challenges of group riding: Group riding is a lot of fun, but try not to be pushed to ride beyond your ability.  If the pace is faster than you are comfortable, then you have 3 options: push harder (not recommended by me), arrange to meet at the next turn point, or wave goodbye and ride what you are comfortable with.  Another thing to watch out is the tendency for you to follow the rider ahead of you with your eyes.  This is a common mistake.  If you look at the rider in front of you then you will follow his/her line.  If they go down, you go down.  Try your best to look at the space beside the rider infront of you so that if he/she goes down, your eyes are already at your escape route.


Hand signals:  There are a lot of hand signals and different riders will use the same signal to mean different things.  It is best to check if you are new to a group what signals they use and what they mean.  Signals are meant to be passed up and down the chain.  Typically the lead rider will call out most of the signals, but if you are in the middle of the pack and need to stop, hit your horn and high-beam and put up a signal.  It will/should get passed back to the last person and front to the lead.  Here are some of the ones I will use.

• One finger in the air: Single formation (twisties ahead, everybody rides their own line)
• Two fingers in the air: Double/staggered formation (city, highway, transition areas where speed limit is observed)
• Fist in air: Prepare to stop a the next safe area.  I use this for rode-side stop, gas stop, drinks, stop, and bathroom stops since a stop is a stop.  Other folks will use different signals to mean different types of stops
• Tapping my helmet: Police ahead.  This is also sometimes use to alert riders I pass to let them know the law is ahead
• Waving forward (typically pointing behind me and sweep to in front of me): Pass me and take the lead
• Waving up (typically from waist height to head height): Speed up, tighten up the group
• Waving down (typically from chest height to seat height): Slow down, give me more space and slacken up the group

Road design: This is important not just for racing, but also everyday riding as properly solving a turn makes the rider safer and funner!

There are only really only 3 basic types of turns: constant radius, increasing radius, and descreasing radius. 
A constant radius turn means the turn unfolds at a sonstant stead rate.  This means, if you lock in the correct lean angle in the begining, you can maintain that lean angle through out the entire turn.
An increasing radius turn means as the turn unfolds, it widens out. This means, whatever lean angle you locked in at the begining, you CAN lean even more if you want to (i.e., go faster) towards the end.
A decreasing radius turn means as the turn unfolds, it get more narrow. This means, whatever lean angle you locked in at the begining, you NEED to lean even more towards the end.  This is the type of turn that usually gets people.

Two other key road features are camber and slope.  The road surface can also have neutral camber, positive camber, or negative camber.  Neutral camber is a flat road.  Positive camber is a road that is tilted into the turn.  A negative camber is a road that is tilted away from the turn.  The road can also be flat, uphill or downhill.

The interaction between turn types, camber and slope is where ridinge get fun and dangerous.  Since people typically dislike decreasing radius turn I will only list these so you can be thinking as you are riding:  A constant radius turn with a negative camber becomes a decreasing radius turn, a constant radius turn that is downhill becomes a decreasing radius turn. an increasing radius turn with extreme negative camber and/or extreme down-slope can become a decreasing radius turn.  However, a decreasing radius turn can become a constant radius turn if it has enough up-slode or enought positive camber.

IMPORTANT: If the ride happens, we will ride the Bear Mountain loop.  There is one turn where there is a constant radius turn with a  strong slope.  Depending on which direction you take it, it is either an increasing radius turn (uphill) or a decreasing radius turn (downhill). This is a great turn to understand road design.  I will call this out in advance with a slow-down signal if we take it downhill.

Do we lose anyone if we change the date to Saturday the 17th?  Latest forecase suggest Saturday AM may be rain free:

1) CDawg (lead)
2) EvilSteve (not a beginner Wink)
3) ricol  waytogo
4) Shawn H
5) GLantern (Not a noobie    i can play sweeper)
6) dang_wind (can do 18th otherwise out of town for 7-8th)
7) beancounter

Probably me but I don't know if my bike will be working in either case.

*sigh*

Saturday would be no go for me i already planned the day with my girl since the rain date was in june.  If it changes ill let you know

Don't think sunday will be a good day to ride. Rain is in the forecast. Saturday or a rain date.

Alright rain's coming in Sunday instead of Saturday so let's move it to Saturday the 17th.  Let's meet at the first gas station on the Palisades (by Exit #1) at 7:30am.  Try to get tothe gas station before hand so you are fully gassed and ready to go at 7:30am. 

My cell is 917-414-3061. TXT me if you are running late and want us to wait. 

1) CDawg (lead)
2) EvilSteve (not a beginner Wink)
3) ricol  waytogo
4) Shawn H
5) GLantern (Not a noobie    i can play sweeper)
6) dang_wind (can do 18th otherwise out of town for 7-8th)
7) beancounter

EDIT: Also, I will use my foot to point out road debris like road kill, etc...  A left foot off the peg means there is a debris on my left; a right foot off the peg means there is debris on my right.

EDIT #2: Another tip, check the weather for where you are going, not NYC.  More than a couple of time I dressed for NYC weather only to find myself cold when I get up to Bear Mt.  I now plan by checking the weather in Cold Springs.

Hey Clifton,

I may be up for part/all of this ride and won't have a problem playing sweep. I'll do my best to make it but if it's raining or I'm not there at your specified time then roll out and have a great ride!

Keith

I'm still in for Saturday!  See you guys there.  This will be my first group ride and first time meeting people from DMF.  See you guys at the meeting place.

bummer, can't do the 17th.  have a safe ride!

Hey Clifton,

Thanks for leading the way!  The route was a lot of fun [thumbsup]  Finally, my first proper mountain ride.  It sure beats aimlessly puttering around the city.

Wish everyone could make it next time.  Keep me posted on future rides..i'm in!

Roberto

Great to meet you too! There are more fun roads to share.