how come motorcyclists don't ride in the middle of the road?

Question

they always ride close to the medium or the shoulder.

and how come when they ride in groups, the first one rides close to the medium, the next guy rides close to the shoulder and everyone behind them alternates like that?

Answer 1

Generally safer to ride in the tyre tracks of 4 wheelers.

The nearside track is dodgy for a lot of reasons but it invites motorists to try to squeeze past.
The offside track puts you right in the rear view mirror of the vehicle in front so he knows you are there. It gives you a little more time and space to manouvre for when those donuts dive out in front of you from a side road. It also stops following vehicles trying to squeeze past. It also gives you max visibility for overtaking.

The group riders stagger for visibility and safety. ( you got a longer braking distance )

Answer 2

First of all, you don't want to be side by side to another bike when you are going at any reasonable speed. You need as much room to make any maneuver. Second you are essentially following the second bike in front of you so you ride in a staggered formation. That way you can keep a 2 second distance behind them and still stay grouped together. The middle of the road also is usually covered with oils and fluids from cars that travel the same roads, and makes the road slicker in case of emergency braking is necessary. Most people I know rather ride on the left side of the road because it is the same side as the drivers seat in a passenger vehicle. While people are riding bikes, they are usually always looking for a way out in case of an emergency. This formation allows for that.

Answer 3

For the lone biker, I can say through personal experience that I don't ride right up the middle because that's where the grease and slipperiness lie. Cars and trucks passing over the road will coax the coating on the road towards the middle.

As for the group, they ride like that in case of an emergency stop. This way they will not be lined up to collide with one another should one not be paying strict attention.

As for the first rider being close to the medium, I think that is more a matter of preference.

Answer 4

> how come motorcyclists don't ride in the middle of the road?
On curves, and especially "crowned" curves, we ride where it's safest.

> the first one rides close to the medium, the next guy rides close to the shoulder and everyone behind them alternates like that?
This is the DMV-recommended staggered formation. It's safer than riding side by side, and is less likely to tick off other drivers than riding single file.

Answer 5

Plenty has been said about oils and fluids making the center line slick.
Another reason is; If following another vehicle it is smart to ride in the same tire line as them. If an object is in the road, they will straddle it and you will never know until it's too late.
As for the right or left line, the left is preferred because you will be more visible to car drivers who might want to accidently squeeze you off the road and you will have more space to maneuver quickly.
Riding staggered is for maneuvering space, a gust of wind can push you just enough to casue a problem and that would suck.
And the bandanna has nothing to do with gang involvement, oh wait, that's another question, sorry.

Answer 6

There is a myth about the dangers of the slippery middle of the lane. It is true that it will become more slippery as the rain loosens the oils from the surface, but this is not as big a concern as it was back in the day when cars leaked a lot of oil. Todays cars don't leave behind much anymore so it's becoming a non issue after a few minutes of rain washes it away. The biggest reason to ride "off center" of the lane is so that you can have the best possible view of the road ahead of you and see what's going on ahead of the car in front of you. Seeing the road surface and hazards ahead of you may require you to move to the left or right frequently to maximize your safety. In many parts of the country the road is rutted from the studded snow tires and heavy trucks. These ruts hold water and become very dangerous in the rain, so holding the center is the only safe thing to do without stopping.

Answer 7

Motorcyclists tend to not ride in the middle of the road because the middle of the road is slicker than on the sides. Fluids from cars tend to be concentrated in the middle of the road.

Riders ride staggered because it is easier for other drivers to distinguish that two motorcycle headlights are not actually a car. It also is less dangerous for the riders should something happen and one rider falls. In some states it is the law to ride staggered.

Answer 8

slicks are in the middle. The reason riders ride staggered is you don't want a chain reaction in case the guy in front of you encounters a problem( debris in road, flat tire, etc) You are suppose to ride staggered with 2 second intervals. When the guy ahead of you passes a light pole or mile marker you're suppose to count 1001,1002. You should pass the same marker when you end counting.Again it's reaction safety.

Answer 9

We don't ride in the center of the lane because that's where the oil, antifreeze, and grease falls off of cars and trucks. Makes things slippery. Not to mention cement mixers that sometimes dump a trail of cement right in the middle of the lane. When riding in groups, the riders are staggered to prevent them from running into each other by leaving a little escape route.

Answer 10

pretty simple actually...

the middle is where all the oil leaks from cars, and where all the other sediments end up since car tires cut a path, so therefore it's slicker when both dry and wet due to the remaining debris.

alternating pattern allows for in case the biker needs to dodge something, they don't push the guy in front or behind off the road or into the next lane... the one in front should ride to the right, or otherwise if they dodged from oncoming traffic, it could cause the 2nd guy to have to avoid by diving the ditch...