Drop Offs are a way of marking a turning point on the group’s route so that the riders can make the turn reliably, even when they are not in sight of each other as they approach it.   Dropping Off means that a rider stops his bike near the turning point where he can be seen by other riders as they approach in order to indicate the direction to turn.

Even if a group has radio communication between every bike, using a drop off system is the only reliable way to keep a group together, because even the best bike-to-bike radios only have a relatively short range.  Drop Offs cannot be used on motorways and nor, strictly speaking, on Clearways and Red Routes, but on all other roads a drop off system provides an excellent way of keeping a group of bikes on route.

Using a drop off system has the great advantage of liberating riders to proceed at their own pace, without feeling pressure to keep up with the rider in front which otherwise develops, especially among newcomers to group riding.

Staggered Formation - useful for major roads but not twisty country lanes. Click on the image for an enlarged view.

Overtaking is no bad thing

Overtaking among group riders can also take place without compromising the drop off system, so riders with different appetites for making progress can enjoy riding in the same group but indulge their own riding appetites a little too if they wish.  Of course there will be times (not just on motorways) when overtaking among a group would be pointless or would disrupt the group’s enjoyment and riders who wish to overtake should be sensitive to this.  But when a rider finds riding behind a particular individual irritating or frustrating, which can happen, if he has the option of either overtaking him or waving the rider behind through to drop back a place, the irritation can be relieved.  Riders who like to “make progress” can do so, as long as their overtakes are timely and safe, without forcing the pace for everyone else – they just get back to the front of the group and then get dropped off more often than other riders.  So everyone  can enjoy themselves on the ride and, because the drop off system will still work, no one need get lost!

Rabbit skin jacket by Divas FJ

There’s more than one way to skin a rabbit

There are a number of ways of dropping off route markers but the only drop off system which I think works reliably is when the Leader signals the rider immediately behind him that he wants him to stop and mark a turn, usually by means of an arm signal.  This rider then takes up a suitable position to mark the turn and stays there until the very last bike in the group arrives, then he gets going again and rejoins the group.  It’s simple to understand and it’s generally very effective.

But it can go wrong.  For example a Leader who isn’t on the ball can end up signalling a drop off to a rider who isn’t one of the group, just a biker who happens to be behind him having broken into the group.  One Leader I know tried to drop off a following rider who turned out to be a police motorcyclist and he got a very dirty look for his trouble.  And stopping a bike at the side of the road near a junction, whichever way you do it, is not entirely without risk.  So the Leader Drop Off System, good as it is, does need a bit of skill and effort to make it work well.

And of course it is important that all the riders in the group understand the drop off system which is being used, otherwise confusion probably will reign.

Leader Drop Off Rules – OK!

While there are other drop off methods, the Leader Drop Off system is the most reliable.

It is infinitely better than the main alternative, which relies on all riders in the group dropping themselves off at a turn when the rider immediately behind them is not in sight as they reach it.  This “buddy” drop off system is unreliable because it depends on everyone in the group maintaining sufficient vigilance and consideration for the following rider to stop at a turn and wait until the next rider in the group arrives who, if there is no one behind him, takes over marking the turn.  The following rider therefore “displaces” the marker, which give this systems alternative name – the displacement system.

At best, if everyone checks for a following rider reliably and stops until relieved by the next guy, it ends up needing a sequence of cumbersome if not hazardous handover manoeuvres at the turn.  Sooner or later the “buddy” system will go wrong.  For example riders can forget to check for a following rider at the turn – easily done if you are concentrating on dealing with traffic or other hazards as you approach and line up for the turn.  A non-group rider just behind a group rider as he reaches a turn could fool him into thinking that his following group rider is in sight, so he doesn’t need to stop.  Instead of the drop offs depending on the Leader, who is probably one or the more experienced riders in the group, everybody gets the opportunity to mess them up.  Even if the group operates a no overtaking rule, so that each rider will always be looking for the same bike behind him, this system can easily break down.

So for lots of reasons there is only one drop off system worth using and that’s when the Leader does the dropping off, by signalling to the rider immediately behind him.  It has to be the rider immediately behind the Leader who is dropped off, otherwise the uncertainties of whether the signal has been seen get a lot bigger. And the rider who is dropped off must, repeat must stay in position until the last rider in the group, usually called the Sweeper, arrives – otherwise the system does breaks down.  As long as all riders understand that they must stay in position marking a turn until the Sweeper turns up, even if it takes an hour (because there might be a big problem being sorted out, and someone will come and tell him eventually) this drop off system will work reliably.  Normally of course a dropped off rider will only be marking a turn for a few minutes.

While variations on other aspects of the drop of system may be possible, the essential features are that:

• Drop Offs are signalled by the Leader
• A Sweeper must be nominated and must stay at the back all the time
• A Rider who is dropped off must stay in position marking the turn until the Sweeper arrives.

Sweepers need to be conspicuous in appearance

Behind every successful Leader is a conspicuous Sweeper

So, you need a Sweeper (or Tail End Charlie) and he has a very important role.  He is there to act as back marker, so that a rider who has been dropped off will know when everyone has made the turn he is marking, so he can therefore move off and rejoin the ride.

As back marker for the group, the Sweeper needs to be easily recognisable as he approaches.  So he will usually wear or have on the front of his bike something conspicuous, something which sets him apart from the rest of the group. That can present a challenge among GoldWings of course because they’re all pretty conspicuous from the front, as from most angles.

It also helps if the Sweeper looks distinctive from the rear too, to give following traffic the impression that something special is ahead of them.  Hi viz jackets (i.e. full jackets as distinct from waistcoats) work well for this purpose, likewise hi viz garments with an explanatory message across the back; “GoldWing Club Ride” or “Caution Motorcycle Ride”. When I ride as Sweeper, wearing my yellow hi viz riding jacket and white helmet, riding a white bike, it seems to have the desired effect too.

If no one else in the group is wearing one, an ordinary high visibility waistcoat or jacket would do the trick but hi viz jackets and waistcoats are not uncommon safety apparel among Wingers, so a Sweeper might have to find a way of being conspicuous in a more unique way.   Maybe a bright orange high viz waistcoat rather than the more common yellow one would be adequate, or if push comes to shove sticking an A4 sheet of fluorescent paper inside the windscreen would probably work very well.  Fog or driving lights on a GoldWing add to its conspicuousness from the front considerably and these will work well to distinguish the Sweeper providing everyone else in the group can be persuaded to turn theirs off.

Picking up Dropped-Off Riders

The Sweeper needs to exercise riding skills too; he needs to be able to judge when and how to slow down as he approaches a dropped of marker bike, to allow its rider time to move off ahead of him as he arrives.   He therefore needs to spot where the marker bike in good time, so he can plan when to drop back a bit and where best to position himself in the roadway, to keep both himself and the rider he is picking up safe in relation to any following traffic, which might by then be itching to get past.

Fortunately  GoldWings are big bikes and that helps when it comes to “commanding the lane” as we call it in IAM circles, when what we really mean is positioning it centrally in the traffic lane to discourage if not prevent a following road user from overtaking us, in the interests of our own safety.

Communication between Leader and Sweeper

It helps considerably if the Sweeper can communicate with the Leader by radio during the ride but it’s not essential, the Leader Drop Off System can work perfectly well without radio communications.

If they can talk over the radio there are times when it will be important that they can do so, so if lots of bikes in the group have radios and they are being used for chatting, which can add to the enjoyment of the ride, everyone should understand that safety messages between Sweeper and Leader and vice versa should take priority.

Leader and Sweeper could of course use a different radio channel, but that would make it more cumbersome for the Leader to use radio to warn the whole group of a problem (“Loose gravel on this bend!”) so on balance its probably better that everyone who has a radio on the same channel.

Sweeping can be fun

The Sweeper role also has its perks; riding at the back of the group with no one except following traffic to worry about behind him, the Sweeper is free to drop back from the group any time he wishes, to create some space to speed up to enjoy an appealing set of bends.  Some riders like being Sweeper for this reason alone.

What happens if the Sweeper has to stop with a casualty?

The Sweeper is also usually the one who stops and checks on or helps any casualties among the group’s riders and bikes, or at least tries to communicate the problem to the Leader.  He (or maybe sometimes another volunteer from the group) may wait with the casualty until help can be organised, while the rest of the group ride on.  If the Sweeper stays with a casualty someone else has to take over as Sweeper, otherwise drop offs cannot work – and dropped off riders need to know the Sweeper has changed, so the new Sweeper needs to stop when he reaches them, to tell them he has taken over.

Choosing a safe place to stop to mark a turn

Bikers choose routes because they are scenic or because they involve interesting biking roads or both.  Most turns which require marking are therefore likely to be fairly straightforward cross roads or T- junctions and the like.  In these cases it won’t be too difficult to decide where to position the marker bike and it shouldn’t be a particularly hazardous location for a rider to be stopped at the roadside either.

However it’s not always easy and if the route brings you to an unforeseen and more complicated or obscured roundabout than anticipated, the Leader has to work out quickly what to do to mark it.  It might require more than one dropped off bike to mark it adequately, for example one on the approach to signal that a turn is to be made and one on the exit road as well, to make sure the correct turn is made.

A complex junction might even require the whole group to be brought to a halt somewhere before the turn, either just to bunch the group up so they can go through it in sight of each other or even to brief the riders about what lies ahead.  A Leader will sometimes stop the group beyond a complex junction to check that everyone made the turn before continuing.

So who decides where the Dropped Off bike should stop?

And this begs the question of who should decide precisely where a dropped of rider places himself at a junction or roundabout, because this raises safety considerations too.

The answer is of course that the Leader invites the following rider to stop by making the agreed signal, probably by pointing with his left arm (in UK, right arm abroad) to where he would like the rider to position himself.  But the rider being dropped off must make his own decision about whether it is safe to stop and if so precisely where to position himself.  Hopefully the Leader will have chosen somewhere sensible, but no one is infallible. The rider being dropped off must retain responsibility for his own safety at all times.

Generally speaking a dropped off rider should stop on the left hand side of the carriageway (in UK, right hand side in Europe) where he is most likely to be both safe and visible to following bikes.  He should only stop somewhere other than on the near side of the carriageway if there is special reason to do so, and of course only if it is safe and legal to stop there.  Being dropped off to mark a biking route doesn’t empower you to break any laws or to ignore the Highway Code.

Dropping Off for a Left Turn - click here to see an expanded image

Dropping Off for Left Hand Turns

For left hand turn at junctions and straightforward roundabouts it will usually be sensible for the dropped off rider to position himself at the nearside kerb, some distance before the junction or roundabout, normally at least ten meters before it – and considerably more than this if the riding group is large one, so that quite a number of bikes (or other traffic) are likely to end queuing at the junction or roundabout before making the turn.

So it’s no use being there to mark a junction if you end up hidden by a queue and approaching riders cannot see you as they approach.  The dropped off rider should therefore stop far enough back so that he will remain in view to approaching riders and not be at risk of becoming obscured if a queue forms.  He can then remain in position, left hand indicator on, showing the following bikes in the group which way to turn with no risk of confusing other road users by his actions.

Marking a Right Turn - click on the image to see an enlarged version

Dropping Off for Right Hand Turns

Right hand turns at junctions are more problematic, because the sensible place to stop to mark the turn will vary, depending on the configuration of the junction and the view approaching and across it.  There is also a much bigger risk of confusing other road users and the stopping position is potentially more hazardous.

Potentially the best position to mark a right hand turn is just beyond the turn, against the left hand kerb, close enough to the junction to still be in view to bikes which are approaching it – but not so close as to be at risk of being struck by a vehicle turning into the same exit road.  Only if the dropped off rider will be safe stopping in this exit road position and only if he will still be visible to the following bikes as they approach the junction should it be used.

If there is no safe place to stop just beyond the junction there are potentially two alternatives; either the rider stops further down the road in a safe place, then dismounts and walks back to stand on the verge in view of the junction, or he stops against the kerb before the junction, as for a left hand turn, but signals the right hand turn with his outstretched right arm.  This right arm signal is far from ideal because it could confuse the hell out of other road users, who might wonder what sort of hazard (or celebration, or political affiliation) is being signalled.  Nevertheless if stopping before the junction is the only safe position available, that will at least be a potentially safe option.  (By the way holding an outstretched right arm in the air is illegal in Germany and Austria!)

Dropping Off for complex junctions and roundabouts

Marking turns at junctions where more than four roads meet or they meet at strange angle, or of course the equivalent roundabouts, is even more problematic.  Traffic engineers come up with some weird solutions sometimes, enough to cause your satnav to gabble a seemingly contradictory set of instructions like “keep right then straight on left”.

There are some junctions and roundabouts which are so difficult to mark safely and effectively by dropping off a bike that the Leader will need to resort to other means of getting the whole group past them safely – probably by bunching up (or stopping if necessary) so that the group can follow each other through it nose to tail.

Roundabouts

Open view roundabouts are easy and you can drop one rider of a few yards along the exit road because he will be visible there on the approach.  Of course he has to find a position which is both in the sight line from the approach and also safe to stop.  The nearside kerb will usually be reasonable safe  on the exit for a roundabout but there are exceptions and each case needs to be judged on its merits.  In these circumstances a single drop off will be sufficient.

But if the junction or roundabout is obscured from direct view across it, as many are by road furniture or vegetation, marking becomes more of a challenge.  It may be sufficient for one dropped off bike to stop against the kerb on the approach to the roundabout so that the dropped off rider can point in the direction of the exit road with his arm, but it will often be more reliable to use two drop offs, one on the approach and one on the exit.

Even that might not work on some roundabouts, for example if the exit road turns sharply left, so that the nearside kerb on this exit road is unsafe as a stopping place and the curve of the exit road would  make it difficult for riders to see him while they are still on the roundabout anyway.  In these circumstances, especially if there is a road divider, stopping on the off side of the exit lane might be safer and more visible.

As with stopping on Clearways, halting at the kerbside on a roundabout is not entirely legal in UK but if, as there often is in UK, an area of “dead” tarmac on larger roundabouts which traffic never really uses, so it might be reasonable to make use of it for this purpose, effectively stopping at the nearside kerb just before the exit road.  However you should always look carefully at the road surface as you approach any of these “dead space” places on roundabouts or junctions, because they tend to collect a lot of road debris including loose stones.  They therefore present a risk of loss of tyre grip and perhaps even tyre damage.

Providing you are not likely to be stopped for a long time, halting just beyond a junction or roundabout on a Clearway in a position which is otherwise safe to use in UK isn’t very likely to get you prosecuted but please don’t tell the policeman I said so if you do get taken to task!

Continental Roundabouts

In Continental Europe roundabouts are generally smaller and tighter than in UK and have and most have an open view across them, so it is unlikely that you will have to do anything other than mark them by stopping at the kerbside on the exit road.

No Drop Offs on Motorways

As I mentioned in the previous Article in this series, motorways are no place for marking turns by dropping off.  The group has to try to say together all the time.

Next Article

The next Article in this series will present a few more experiences of difficulties I have encountered during group riding which are better avoided, including one which, tragically, resulted in the death of a rider ………