Do you prefer to...

[Doorag]

Ok, it's time for a new poll. Feel free to explain your answers.

 

[minimad]

Only ever ride by myself. Only time i get to myself (kids)

 

[aussiejules]

This is a hard one to answer, all depends on who, where, when, and what for, i would have to answer yes to all.:thumbup:

 

[aaronrosencrans]

That is a hard question to answer. If we look at what you're asking, we need to decide which way we enjoy riding the best. Of course, each configuration has its own pros and cons.

Riding solo: It's just you and the road. It gives you the opportunity to do what you want, when you want and for however long as you want (as long as the tower...aka spouse lets you). The bad side is there's nobody to stop and socialize with during stops and generally no other riders around to scoot around with.

Riding with a Pillion: This can be a great thing and happens to be one of my favs. It keeps you out of trouble (for the most part) and you get to enjoy the same road with another person. I had an ex (complicated...my fault) who LOVED riding with me and I loved riding with her...ok I admit, she was hot. The ladies love the cuddle time and I'll be the first to admit, I kinda do too. The downer side of that is the back sweat issue....kinda nasty.

Small group: Not much out there is better than saddling up with some of your buddies and hitting the road, going where ever you feel like going. Get on and take a trip to the beach or the mountains (we have that opportunity in NC), whatever you like. The con is pretty much just you may have conflicting ideas of what to do. Also, if you feel like giving er the onion and tearing up some pavement, all those bikes will surely catch a lot of attention and inadvertently attract the fuzz.

Large groups: These rides have a mission in mind, which is to get out on the road and go somewhere, even if it's just a loop around the area. A set plan has to be put into place and it has to be organized for it to be safe. There's no room for goofing off, so you're pretty restricted. These things can be both good and bad.

So there's my totally pointless analysis.

What I meant to say is YES, I like riding.

 

[Doorag]

I guess what I'm asking is: If you had the chance to do all 4 on one day but could only do one of them, which would it be?

 

[CCHOUSEKY]

If I could only choose one? Hmm...small group. I like the comraderie of a small group and the go anywhere do anything kind of mindset. I enjoy all 4, but this would be my choice if I could only choose one.

Around here, riding in a large group usually means you're doing some sort of charity run or poker run, which are fun in their own right. If you ever get to do a poker run, I highly recommend it. Plus, when you get to the last spot, it's like one big bike show, with everyone walking around, checking out each other's bikes, and talking.

 

[HavBlue]

I guess what I'm asking is: If you had the chance to do all 4 on one day but could only do one of them, which would it be?

Ya see, this is the problem. You may have a charity ride with thousands of other riders in the morning and afterwards hook up with a few, then later wind up by yourself so all have been accomplished in that same day. I did however choose alone because I like it best.

 

[Mattberkshire]

Only ever ride by myself. Only time i get to myself (kids)

Same here, although I'm spending quite a bit of time playing the new Grand Theft Auto at the moment!

 

[brad81987]

I bought my bike as a commuter to replace my truck whenever possible so naturally most of my riding is alone. I do enjoy going out in a group of 4 or 5 on the weekends for a long ride.

 

[idanny]

I like riding in a small group just my bro and I. The reason why is I know that he is a safe rider and can count on him not to do anything to crazy. Another plus is we usually want to go out for similar type rides and once we start riding neither of us usually wants to stop. :Sport:

 

[jamesfz6]

I came across the same problem. I enjoy the alone time that i get, but i also like it when the "old lady" gets to ride along. She enjoys riding a lot but since we have a 6 month old at home she doesnt get to do it that much. So what we do is alternate, saturdays i get to ride as much as i want and sundays she gets to do whatever she wants.

 

[FZ1inNH]

I prefer to ride alone most of the time. On occasion I like a small group or just a pair. Large groups are a lot of stress and I don't have as much fun especially if there is a "Hotdog" in the pack.

 

[paulman]

This is a tough one. I like riding alone better when I am actually trying to get somewhere because I ride alot faster and harder by myself. Most of my friends dont really ride very fast because they all ride cruisers but I really do enjoy just taking it easy with them sometimes cruising backroads and making lots of stops to chill out and talk.

 

[rbesr]

It all depends on which bike I'm on. I prefer to ride alone most of the time when I'm on the FZ. My son joins me sometimes on his 750 Kawi but not all that often.

The Venture was bought for my wife and me to travel on together. Recent health issues have ended her being able to ride at all so I now tour by myself on it.

Regardless of what I'm riding, I do not like large groups. I don't do charity rides, poker runs or tie in with a group larger than 2-3 riders.

 

[Wavex]

Alone = ok, but can get boring.

Big Group = hassle, spend more time waiting for ppl than riding, more logistics than fun.

Small group = great. I personally think 3-5 riders is the best, especially if you all know each other and ride at approximately the same speed.

Of course if I can go, I never say no to a ride no matter how many ppl... my preference is 4 bikes though.

 

[MarineMom]

I enjoyed riding with a small group and making a day of it. I really preferred my rides & trips with my hubby(now in heaven). I hate riding alone but have been for commutes to work weather permitting (I'm from FL, now in KY brrrr) I've ridden in big groups for 9-11 memorials, parades, rally rides, and PGR tribute & it's cool but sometimes stressful depending on who is nearest rider & their skill. In general I just LOVE to ride!

 

[Wavex]

Welcome to the forum Marine, and sorry to hear about your man.

 

[bikerider]

I like riding alone and a small group ride is always a blast. Big Groups are always slow and a lot of waiting.

 

[fast blue one]

I dont have an out and out preference.
At times it's nice to just chill out on my own.
Other times a group ride is good if it's not too big.
Monday was a good case; 11 of us set out on the battle of Hastings run which by the time we hit the river turned out to be several thousand of us. I came back solo the the long way round following coast roads and all of the segments had their own attraction.

 

[keira]

If I had to choose only one, it would be a small group. This is a hobby that Rob and I share (and we don't share many) so it makes for anice time when we can go out and spend the day finding new roads. It's also nice to get together and hang out with just a couple friends. I'm usually not a fan of groups of more than 6 or so, just because it starts getting difficult keeping everyone together, and being the slowest in the group is more pronounced with that many people

I do enjoy riding alone, but I don't ride very hard or fast for safety reasons.