Road Rules & Riding Information

Lines

Line riding is not dangerous, and if done properly, can be a very safe and pleasant activity. The following information covers IE/95 Line rides.

The collection of bikes making up a particular ride or "Run" is called a "Line". The Line is comprised of the Club Director, the Road Captain, Lane Blockers, Drag Bikes, IE Membership, and Guests. Although explained below, it is helpful to state now that the Road Captain has general control of the Ride being conducted. The Road Captain plans the route, the stops, and other activities along the way. Blockers and Drag Bikes control the Line, movement of the line as well as movement within the line. Blockers assist in keeping the line together while traversing cross streets, controlled intersections, or obstructions to the Line. Blockers enforce safety rules within the Line. Drag Bikes keep the line together, insure that the speed set by the Road Captain is observed by all riders, initiates all actions ordered by the Road Captain, protects the line from encroaching vehicles, fall out with bikes having mechanical difficulty, and enforce safety rules within the Line. The composition is something like this:

First Row: Road Captain and/or Director: There may be times when the Club Director cannot make a Run. There will always be a Road Captain who has laid out the general route the Run will take and who will guide the Line along the way. The Club Director is responsible for Club activities. The Road Captain is responsible for the Run.

2nd Row: Blockers: Blockers are experienced riders, minimum of two, who clear passage through intersections, etc., so the entire Line can stay together.

3rd Row: IE Membership: These are veteran and new members mixed together. The veterans are knowledgeable enough to be able to pass information up and down the Line through hand signals, while keeping watch on the Line and new members behind and ahead of them to detect problems and help resolve them before they become accidents. There may be several rows taken up by these members.

Next Row: Guests, and Prospects: These are riders who are invited guests of other clubs or organizations or prospective members not familiar with the IE ride techniques, Line riding, or simply do not feel comfortable yet in the Line. There may be several rows taken up by these riders.

Last Row: Drag Bikes: These are experienced riders, never less than one, who bring up the rear of the Line, keep cars and other vehicles out of the Line, keep everyone else reasonably close together, and assist the other riders as necessary. The Drag Bikes also assist the Road Captain in closing lanes, setting up passing lanes for the Line and other safety functions.

Signals

Line riding requires good communications skills, an understanding of hand signals, and basic safe riding practices. There's nothing like rumbling down the road in a Line of motorcycles. Once you've ridden with a Line, it's hard to ride alone again!


Hand Signals

There are a few basic hand signals used when riding in a Line. The most common ones are Right and Left Turn and Slow Down. In addition, Road Hazard, Car Passing, Single File riding, & Staggered riding are also fairly common. Lastly, "Close the Door", "Change Lanes from the Rear", and "Block the Lane" are very helpful to the Road Captain (in the front of the Line) and the Drag Bike (in the rear of the Line).



LINE SIGNALS

Once learned, everyone in the Line performs these signals as a means of passing information up and down the Line.

Slow Down: Left hand extended downward (approx. 45 degrees) and palm facing backward, fingers spread open.

Right Turn: Left arm upright (forms a 90 degree "L"), palm forward and hand extended.

Left Turn: Left arm extended straight out and hand extended.

Single File Line: Arm extended well over head with index finger pointed up (like the number 1) means Single File riding, used for narrow, winding roads, road obstructions and hazards or special maneuvers. SEE ALSO: "Taking the Lane" for important information on Single Files!

Staggered Line: Hand straight up with two fingers extended indicates Staggered riding is allowed. Staggered riding is used on open roads and where there is plenty of room to drift in the lane safely. Normal Staggered formation is diagonally across from the bike ahead of you, usually about 2-3 bike lengths behind.

Road Hazard: Pointing downward at road hazards warns fellow riders of potholes and debris in the road.

Police: Pat the top of your helmet with your palm.

Low Gas: Pointing to your gas tank means you are low on gas! Blow horn to alert other riders of your need, and always pass this signal FORWARD through the Line to the Road Captain in the front of the Line.

Turn Signal is ON: Point at the offending rider, get the rider’s attention, then point at the turn signal.

Car Passing the Line: Ball your hand into a fist, and 'rap' repeatedly against the side of your helmet. Pass this information up the Line as quickly as possible.

Ride Tight with me: Two fingers pointing downward, greater than 45 degrees, toward the road immediately adjacent to the rider giving the signal is an invitation to ride tight, or very close. This facilitates conversation, exchange of information or whatever. To be done ONLY between experienced riders. Blockers or Drag Bikes can prohibit riding tight if it appears to jeopardize the Line!

 Road Captain Signals:

Although the Road Captain will perform most of the signals you see here, the Blockers and Drag Bikes can also perform them.

Turnaround Signal: Left arm upright and hand drawing a large circle overhead. This is used for Line riding as well as signaling to an approaching rider to turn around and join the Line.

Close Formation: Left arm moved in an up and down Motion (pumping) with fist closed. This action means tighten up or close riding formation. This signal helps keep cars from merging into the Line, and keeps people from straggling too far behind.

Loosen Formation: An arm extended high over the Road Captain’s head while he shakes his hand with a limp wrist.

Stopping the Line: Fist in the air, palm forward, arm held at approximately 90 degrees.

Good communications are essential for efficient and safe Line riding. It's very important to have a Line ride meeting before each ride, to familiarize new riders with hand signals and so everyone knows what the Road Captain expects of all riders. This becomes second nature with riders in short order, and isn't difficult to follow with a little experience in Line riding.

An important part of communications is passing signals back and forth through the Line. Watch the Line ahead of you or the Road Captain if they are in view, for possible signals. When the Road Captain gives a signal, don't assume that everyone else sees it...echo the signal to the riders behind you. Always pass signals from the front of the Line to the Drag Bike in the rear of the Line, and from the Drag Bike in the rear to the Road Captain up front.

NEVER perform maneuvers in a Line unless instructed by the Road Captain, Blockers or Drag Bikes. Anything you do effects everyone else! When you are in the Line you are part of a unit. Should something force you to fall out of the Line, signal your intent by hand and signal, then fall out safely. A Drag Bike will fall out with you to render assistance

ALWAYS wait for the Road Captain to make the decision and give the signal first. They are supposed to make the decision, give a signal, and everyone else follows through with the maneuver.

Line Riding Techniques

'Closing the door', 'Taking the lane', and 'Changing from the rear' are techniques that improve the flow of a large Line on the road, and help keep cages (cars) out of our midst.

  • Closing the Door: This is a traffic-blocking move, designed to keep other types of traffic out of the Line. Once signaled by the Road Captain to "Close the Door", the Drag Bike slips into the adjoining lane. The rest of the Line stays right where they are. The Drag Bike effectively closes the door against potential passing vehicles and gives the Line freedom to complete whatever maneuver required closing the door in the first place. The Road Captain initiates this technique by either a turn or hand signal. The signal is passed back to the Drag Bike, who acknowledges the signal and then performs the lane change, ‘closing the door’ to traffic behind the line. Once the Drag Bike closes the door, the Road Captain again signals the lane change and the entire line shifts safety. As a note, The Road Captain may signal the Drag Bike(s) to close the door on traffic behind the Line if he intends to turn or perform other maneuvers where having no traffic behind the Line is a safety concern.

  • Taking the Lane: This is used to move a Line into traffic where no traffic control is present, or where it is necessary to move the entire Line at once.

The Road Captain pulls the Line up to where a turn or entry into traffic is to be made. The Blockers pull out from the Line and up to the front. When the Road Captain gives the signal the Blockers "Take the lane(s)" by pulling directly into them and raise their hand to the oncoming traffic. The Road Captain then pulls the Line out and onto the roadway. Once the last rider is on the road, the Blockers fall in position in the rear. The Road Captain gives the signal for "Single File" riding, so the Blockers can then move back up the Line on everyone’s right until they are back in their assigned position. When Blockers are returning to the Line, the Line runs in single file closest to the centerline to allow the Blockers to move up quickly through the Line and to prevent other vehicles from encroaching into the Line’s space. As the Blockers move up back into position, the trailing Blocker signals for "Staggered riding" as he moves up the Line.

Turning across traffic requires 2 Blockers to pull this off, one in each direction of traffic. Blockers and Drag Bikes should always be assigned at the beginning of the ride.

  • Changing From The Rear: The Road Captain decides to change lanes, and gives a hand signal to do so...but the Road Captain doesn't switch lanes yet. The Line passes the same hand signal to the rear of the Line, but none of the Line changes lanes yet, either. Finally, the Drag Bike at the rear gets the signal, checks the lane, and moves over. Once the Drag Bike at the rear has made his move, the rest of the Line can follow from the rear forward into the next lane. The reason for this is simple, it keep cars and other traffic out of the Line, and allows everyone to move into a lane that's clear and safe! An added feature is it allows a large Line to move into a lane that may be heavily loaded with other traffic. The Drag Bike initiates the move, thus blocking other traffic and allowing the Line to move over. This maneuver is very similar to Closing the Door.

  • Riding Tight: This means riding much closer than the 2-3-bike length spacing rule. It can be quite pleasant on open stretches of highway, where visibility and risk are minimal. However this can be very distressing for the inexperienced rider, so ONLY ride tight with someone you are FAMILIAR with and whose riding skills and habits you trust! Never attempt to 'Ride Tight' with someone you're not familiar with, and always ask if it's OK to ride tight with someone before you do.

Safety Techniques

Vigilance while driving cannot be stressed enough! Everyone riding in a Line has to look out for themselves and each other. Here are a few final techniques to develop.

  • Watch your Mirror! A great deal of information will be available to you through your mirror. Watch it carefully and share what you discover with the Line. You cannot pass information up or down the Line if you aren’t looking for it.

  • Be a Buddy! Be mindful of the riders around you. If one develops trouble, fall out of the Line with him so they will not be alone. Alert your companions there is a problem so it can be passed up to the front.

  • Safety First! If you and a friend just can’t wait to check each other out performance-wise, fall out of the Line so you won’t endanger anyone.

  • Check Your Scoot! If you haven’t performed maintenance on your Scoot, lately, or can’t remember when you last did, get it done before joining the Run. No one has fun sitting on the side of the road.

  • Obey the Rules! Failure to do so can get you censured!

  • If You Don’t Know, Ask! If you don’t know, ask someone!!

This information is provided in the interest of safety and as a courtesy by the Iron Eagles Motorcycle Club. For more information, visit our website at www.The95.org