Some of you may remember Rob, as he was a Blue Riband instructor with us a few years ago.  A day out, and one event in particular, raise a few questions in his mind.  This article is based on an e-mail he sent while it was all still too-fresh in his mind.

Motorcyclists are a social bunch both on and off the road, often riding and drinking together.  It is my experience with that, with most groups, you'll find that the membership is diverse both in the level of rider experience and the types of machine being ridden.

One primary area of difference is in the braking systems fitted to the various machines, this being true even if it is a single model club, e.g. the 'Pan Clan' has non-ABS, ABS only and Combined Brake System (CBS) and ABS equipped bikes riding together.

Fundamentally, brakes stop the wheels going round; but the past few years has seen the braking systems fitted to some production motorcycles change considerably. Look around any group of motorcycles and you'll see bikes with ABS, CBS with and without ABS and good old fashioned un-assisted manual brakes.  They'll be trundling along in reasonable harmony - at least till its time to stop in a hurry.

You can argue the merits of the any of these systems till you're blue in the face, but by and large, aids such as ABS are a safety benefit, especially in difficult conditions.  Yes, a good rider, under test conditions, can out-brake ABS.  But in the wet, faced with a panic stop, braking aids will pull you up in a shorter distance and with less drama.

Similarly, in any group there are a variety of ridings styles, aptitudes, attitudes and experience sitting on the various machines in the group.  What an experienced rider might spot, an inexperienced rider might not.  What got me onto this subject was an incident at the weekend, involving our old friend, the car.

I had an opportunity to perform a full 'live firing' of the ABS system on my Honda ST1300 Pan European.  In actual fact it was a parallel test of two Pans trying to stop rapidly for the usual reason.

It was up at Bicester, after we'd turned onto the Enstone road and had got up to 70mph.  At the first turning on the left, a man in a car was sitting waiting to turn right.

There was a stream of traffic coming towards us, but if we'd have not been there it would have been safe to go.  So, he did his look left, look right, look left again, looked at us - but right through us - and pulled out.

Of course, now as he goes he looks down the road and sees us out of the corner of his eye, realises he's cocked it up and stands on the brakes.  He's now blocking the road as he had probably stalled it.

I'd already anticipated him turning out, it was one of those experience things.  So I'd already started to close the throttle before he pulled out, as had John who was riding with me.  The second he started to move I was on the brakes, but it had just started to rain heavily, so it was potentially very slippery.  I decided that I'd trust Mr. Honda's ABS development team and get on with thinking my way out of this one.  I pulled the front on as smoothly as I could and got on the rear simultaneously.  I was pulling fairly hard, harder than normal, before the front ABS cut in.

The brakes did their job, and it wasn't too harsh a stop all things considered.  I gave the car a good horning and he gave me the usual salute, backed off the road and let us through.

John on the other Pan was far enough back for it not to have been such a drama for him, but for me it was!  I can honestly say it was only the third time since I've started riding that I thought my number was up.  I was so affected by it, my riding was screwed up for the next 15 miles or so.

It was only later that I really started to think about how much worse it could actually have been:  In our original plan for the day, there would have been two inexperienced riders with us on ZX-6Rs. Their e-mail server went 'phut' on Friday last and they never received the details of the meeting point, so they stayed home.

For me, I think I got away with it because my experience predicted the situation and I was reacting before it became a life-threatening situation.  For them, if they had been there, they'd have been riding next in line behind me.  I wondered if they'd have stopped in time?  It's unlikely that they'd have anticipated the car turning out and even if they had, they would still had to have performed an emergency stop in the wet, without the benefit of ABS.

Far more likely scenarios are: they'd have locked their wheels trying to stop and would have fallen off; ran into me, or just never stopped in time and run into that car.  They'd probably have been struck by target fixation and all the other factors which turn a bad situation in a  serious smash.

Even if they had had the experience, other factors might have mitigated against them.  The poorer visibility afforded by the riding position of a sportsbike might not have allowed them to anticipate the car drivers manoeuvre, so their first indication that there was a problem would be me slowing down.  They would then have to stop in a space little longer than I (with the advantage of ABS) had to stop.  I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions . . . 

In either case, what would have given them an opportunity to stop would have been the distance they were behind me at the time I started braking.  If they'd been allowing the nominal 4 second rule for riding in the wet when following another vehicle, they might have a had a chance.  But how many riders actually do adhere to that rule?  There are only a handful that I know.  The rest seem to like to ride in close formation and it is something I observe in other groups, indeed with some groups it's a standard operating practise.

So, assuming you agree with the need to open up spacing in your riding group, why do people ride so close together?  Groups seem to close up when there is only one person navigating.  Everyone else hangs onto him, otherwise they're lost.  This is particularly true when riding outside your normal operating area.

Groups also seem to close up due to unspoken peer pressure.  One rider riding close on the tail of another can subconsciously force that first rider to close in on the rider ahead, as they try to avoid the unwelcome presence around their rear.

Being stuck behind slower moving traffic inevitably closes the group up and also leads on to other dangerous practises, such as following the rider ahead into overtakes.

All of the above can be avoided by planning and a bit of patience. 

So, next time you're out for a ride in a group, look at those round you and look at their bikes, especially if there is a likelihood of you riding in the wet.  See who has ABS because in a panic situation, they could be stopping much quicker than you.

When you're riding consider the space you're giving others in the group, and if required open the gap accordingly.  If you're being followed by a rider of lesser experience or a bike with less stopping power, especially in the wet, allow more space ahead so that if something does happen, there is room for you both to stop safely.

If you're new to the group or riding, give your self space and time.  Don't get sucked into what you're not happy with - that's anything from the speed of advance to the risks being taken.

Know where you're going so that you can never be lost, just temporarily unsure of your position, and finally: know your own capabilities.

Cooper Bike Training cannot be held responsible for the views expressed by Rob, particularly those concerning Oxfordshire Jaguar 'X'-type owners.

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