Road Safety Guidelines

All bikes will be maintained in a safe condition. Motorcycles with malfunctioning lights, brakes, or worn tires (less than 2/32 tread) will not be permitted to participate in a Chapter ride.
All motorcycles will be fueled (topped off) prior to arriving at our meeting area.
No drinking or drugged driving is allowed.
All traffic laws will be strictly obeyed.
When riding in a pack formation, or while riding on any freeway, motorcycles will be ridden in a staggered formation.
One rider will be designated as the Ride Captain. The Ride Captain is responsible for planning, mapping, and coordinating the ride.
One to two riders will be designated as the Tail Gunner. The Tail Gunner is responsible for keeping all riders in formation. Should a rider need to leave the pack, only the Tail Gunner will stop to assist them.
Riders who elect to drop out of a ride (i.e. they do not desire to go further due to time constraints, prior commitments, etc) will notify the Tail Gunner before doing so.
One rider will be designated as Sergeant of Arms. The Sergeant of Arms is responsible for keeping the peace, enforcing chapter and charter rules, and the collection of monies for tolls, etc.

All riders will familiarize themselves with the following hand signals. These signals will be strictly adhered to at all times.

To signal that the pack must STOP, the Ride Captain will extended his/her left arm straight down, palm facing back. [View Signal]
If a rider NEEDS FUEL, they will waive their left hand from side to side while pointing at their fuel tank. All forward riders will relay the signal until the Ride Captain acknowledges it. [View Signal]
If the Ride Captain wants the pack to ride in a SINGLE FILE FORMATION, he will raise his left hand above his head with his index finger extended. All riders following the Ride Captain will relay this signal back to the Tail Gunner. [View Signal]
If the Ride Captain wants the pack to ride in a DOUBLE FILE FORMATION, he will raise his left hand above his head with two fingers extended, and waive the hand from his left to his right. All riders following the Ride Captain will relay this signal back to the Tail Gunner. [View Signal]
To signal a right turn or lane changes to the right, the Ride Captain will hold his left arm out, bent at the elbow, with the hand along the riders head. [View Signal]
To signal a left turn or lane changes to the left, the Ride Captain will hold his left arm straight out from his body, parallel to his back. [View Signal]
To signal that the pack must SLOW DOWN, the left hand will be held downward with the open palm facing back. [View Signal]
To signal that the pack must STOP QUICKLY, the left hand will be moved in a pumping motion along the left side of the bike, while using a close fist. [View Signal]
If a hazard is in the roadway, signal it on the right by pointing with the right foot; on the left, point with left hand and down towards hazard. This signal will be relayed by everyone so that riders within the formation behind you are aware of the hazard. [View Signal]
The Road Captain will signal the FOLLOW ME signal by extending the left arm up from the sholder, with his/her palm forward. [View Signal]
The Road Captain will signal the SPEED UP signal by extending the left arm down to the side, fist clenched with twisting motion as if turning the throttle.
The TURN SIGNALS(accidentally left on) signal is displayed by opening and closing hand with fingers and thumb extended. [View Signal]
The HIGH BEAM signal is displayed by placing hand on top of head, open palm, face down. [View Signal]
The REFRESHMENT STOP signal is displayed by placing hand at face, fingers closed, thumb to mouth. [View Signal]
The COMFORT STOP signal is displayed by upper arm extended horizontally, forearm straight up, fist clenched with short up and down motion. [View Signal]
The Road Captain will give the TIGHTEN FORMATION signal by holding arm straight overhead with finger spread. Close and open fist, repeat.. [View Signal]
The YOU LEAD/COME ALONGSIDE signal is displayed by arm extended upward 45 degrees, palm forward pointing with index finger, swing in arc from back to front. [View Signal]
If the pack becomes separated (i.e. some of the bikes didn’t make it through a signal light) the last rider in the first group will flash the motorcycles high beam lights off and on. This signal will be relayed forward, until the Ride Captain acknowledges it.
If the group becomes separated, the last rider in the first pack will mark the trail. In other words, it the lead group turns from it’s current course, the last rider will stop at that point (in as safe a location as possible) and wait for the following group, and advise them of the direction change.
FREEWAY LANE CHANGES will be made in the following order. The Ride Captain will signal the lane change using hand signals only. The hand signal will be relayed down the pack to the Tail Gunners. The Tail Gunner/s will move over into the lane and hold that lane open for the pack. Once the lane has been secured, the two riders preceding the Tail Gunners will move over only if it is safe to do so. Turn signals will be used at this point. This procedure will be repeated, two bikes at a time, until the entire pack has moved over.
BREAKING INTERSECTIONS must be done with the total cooperation of other motorists on the road. We are requesting permission to BREAK the intersection, not demanding it. The two lead bikes will begin by securing the intersection. Once the intersection has been secured, the two lead riders will signal the pack through. As the pack drives through the intersection, they will automatically fall into a single file formation to the right side of the roadway, and travel no faster than 30 miles per hour. The two lead bikes will follow the pack through the intersection and cautiously pass the pack on the left. As bikes are passed, they may fall back into a double file formation. (Check with your state authority to determine the legality of this maneuver)