What we’re about
Welcome to SLOW RIDERS ——We're glad you're here and we look forward to both meeting and riding with you!
We are a co-ed motorcycle club that has the sole purpose of riding, making friends, and having a good time. We don’t care what kind of motorcycle, 3 wheeler, scooter, dune buggy, etc. you ride. We are a laid back group that obeys the rules of the road and gives respect to our fellow riders. We are a private non-profit club organized by volunteers and no one is paid for doing any kind of work. Everyone is welcome to join this club but we do have a few recommendations to offer to keep us safe and keep it fun.
You ought to have at least somewhere in the neighborhood of 2500 miles of riding experience to accompany us. If not, please make the trip leader aware of this and we will accommodate you in any way we can.
It’s probably best if you live locally, within the tri-cities area, to fully enjoy participating on our rides. This isn’t a deal breaker, but it certainly will add to your enjoyment of our rides if you to have a relatively short commute to the places we gather to start them.
This club is about riding and exploring. We will have a lot of rides throughout the warmer months. The group’s event leaders will host a ride every 2nd Saturday depending on the weather. In addition, members are encouraged to contact each other through the Slow Riders’ web page to create your own trips.
We offer the following as suggestions for participating on our rides with us.
**Trips are posted on the Slow Riders’ web page with a summary of what is planned and where to meet-up. A gathering time will be announced which will allow for fueling up, bathroom break, and hearing the important but absurdly brief safety talk by the trip leader. A kick-stands up time will also be posted which is the time we leave.
**Please arrive at the meet-up location with a full tank of gas. Often we meet at gas stations/convenience stores where you can fill up upon arrival.
**It is advisable to carry cash. Some places along our route may not accept credit cards.
**We hope you will follow the trip leader at all times. Please give him or her the benefit of the doubt regarding directions and turns. If there are unexpected detours or other reasons to question the route, the trip leader will pull over and discuss them with everyone.
**It is most helpful if everyone rides in a staggered formation when possible. Sometimes road conditions prevent it, but in a staggered formation riders have a much better view of the road conditions ahead which is never a bad thing.
**Be aware that we try to stay no more than 5 mph over any given speed limit. Many of us have the skill sets to ride much faster but we do this to avoid tickets and sharp increases in our insurance premiums.
**Although tail gating on a motorcycle is not encouraged for obvious reasons, it will help us stay together better if we tighten up the formation a little as we approach intersections with red lights. If the group does become separated by a red light be assured the trip leader will pull over in the first safe location and wait for the rest of the riders to catch back up. Our goal is not to leave anyone behind.
**We ask that when turns are made, please make sure the rider behind you sees you making that turn before you continue on. This will have the domino effect of ensuring everyone makes the turn.
**This idea of making sure the rider behind you stays in view is extremely important when a bike breaks down or is involved in an accident. If you can’t see the rider behind you please slow down and let him or her catch up. This will domino forward up to the leader preventing those ahead from driving off into the sunset unaware. If there has been an accident this will keep the group together so all can offer help. Also, if you can't see the person in front of you, please make an effort to speed up and join them. On most of the roads we ride, it is almost impossible for the trip leader to see greater than six bikes behind him/her. We are depending upon you to help us keep the group together.
**We also ask that if you must leave the group before the end of the planned ride please let the trip leader know. Trip leaders are constantly comparing the number of bikes in the group when we started vs the number of bikes still with us. Dropping out without warning tends to confuse and possibly annoy. Remember – this is supposed to be fun.
***That’s pretty much it for things we feel need mentioning. Regarding most everything else just use common sense and be considerate. We’d love to have you along on our next ride.
Wilkes, Ron, Brian, Dean, and Duke
