The following are a few common sense guidelines I use when riding in a group. Some of these items may seem very basic but wile prove valuable to first time group riders and maybe even to the more experienced riders who have simply not given much thought to these things.

1. Safety is the top priority: Riding in a group doesn't increase your risk as long as you ride safely and remain aware of all of the other motorcycles riding around you.
    
2. Ride in your comfort zone: You should NEVER rush to keep up with the group. If the group is moving too fast for you, drop back for your safety and the safety of the group. Take your time and enjoy your ride. The more experienced members of the group will recognize that you have slowed down and will eventually slow down or even stop to allow you to catch up. And if you have stopped for some reason, someone will come back for you. Always remember safety first.
    
3. Take responsibility for the rider behind you: Keep an eye on the rider directly behind you by checking your mirrors every few seconds. If the rider behind you starts to fall behind bye a fair amount, you should also start to slow down. If you lose sight of the rider behind you, turn your head to be sure they aren't just in your blind spot then slow down for a while. If they don't catch up, come to a full stop and safely turn around to find them. Something may have happened and they may need help. The rest of the group will follow this same process.
    
4. Pay attention and make no assumptions: This should be the case any time you are on the road, but it is even more important when riding in a group. Because of the shorter distance between you and other riders, not paying attention can quickly catch up with you. You really don't want to ram into the rider in front of you or lose control and wreck the riders behind you.
    
5. Trust your leader: This is a two way street and your leader should be skilled enough to move the ride along at a safe pace. Your leader should start the ride by giving a basic outline of what will be happening and some basic information. If you are new to group riding, or just new to this group, be sure your leader is aware of this fact. Always feel free to ask questions or otherwise communicate with the leader. If you have problems during the ride, communicate with the leader as soon as the group comes to a stop.
    
6. Stay in formation: When riding in a group you lose a bit of freedom to move around. It is important that you don't change position within the group at random. There are times when a position change is safe and even a good idea. But for the most part, after you get moving and your position is set within the group, you should try to stay there. Changing position too often can be dangerous if the riders around you are not expecting it.
    
7. Know the formation: The formation is the spacing and positioning of the riders while on the road. There are three basic formations and which one is appropriate depends on the riding conditions.
   
   
   • Two Abreast: Two bikes side by side sharing the lane with the next two side by side behind them and so on. This is normally reserved for low speed events such as funerals or processions. This is also used when coming to a stop sign or signal light. This formation should never be used at speed on the open road. There simply isn't enough safe space around each motorcycle.
      
   • Tight Stagger: The first bike is in the left half of the lane with the next in the left half of the lane with the front tire a couple feet behind the back tire of the bike ahead. The two bikes should never be side by side. The third bike is then in the left half of the lane at the same distance and so on. This is best for low to medium speed in town riding. This helps to keep cars from cutting into the group. If there is too much room between bikes, cars may try to enter the group.
      
   • Loose Stagger: This is the same basic formation as the tight stagger with more room between bikes. Normally there should be two seconds between you and the motorcycle directly in front of you in your half of the lane. This gives a little less than a one second gap between you and the bike in front of you but in the opposite half of the lane. In an emergency, everyone should be able to stop safely if you stay in your half of the lane. This is the most common formation for riding on at medium to high speed on fairly straight roads.
      
   • Single File or Trail: This is when bikes are fairly well spaced out and not really staggered. This often happens when riding in the country when taking corners at speed. You don't even need to be going all that fast. The tight corners found in the country and mountains means you need more room to deal with the unexpected. In this case there is usually 3 or more seconds between you and motorcycle in front of you and each rider is shifting between the left and right half of the lane as needed to make the corners.
      
   • Changing It Up: In most rides you will find yourself moving from one formation to another depending on the conditions around you. Riding in a group is a little like follow the leader. Watch the person in front of you and do as they do. If your leader (the person just in front of you) takes up a position in one half of the lane in and the speed and road allow for it, move in to one of the staggered formations. If the leader moves ahead and starts shifting from one half of the lane to the other, follow suit and use the Trail formation. You should never use the Two Abreast formation unless you are coming to a stop or unless you have been specifically instructed to do so by the leader. Remember rule #1, always ride safe.
      
8. Stop signs and turning at intersections: When going through a stop sign, the entire group goes through as one unit. If there are cars at the intersection you may want to let them go first but when the leader goes through, everyone else goes through WITHOUT STOPPING. This may not be possible if you are riding in a very large group but in medium to small groups this is the best way to stay together. When turning at an intersection, maintain your lane position through the turn. If you are in the left lane position, finish your turn in the left lane position. The same holds true for the right lane position.
    
9. Ware the right gear: It is usually a good idea to ware or at least bring a jacket. It might be hot now, but if the weather turns cold as it often does when you ride into the mountains or to the coast, you can't put on a jacket if you didn't bring it. If there are riders with saddlebags on their bikes, you may be able to store your extra gear if you don't want to ware it. Gloves and sunglasses are usually a good idea too. What you ware when you ride really depends on what you think you need but please give it a little thought.
    
10. Have fun: Don't let these guidelines put a damper on your ride. They are here to make your ride safe and more fun. These should all become (if they aren't already) second nature to you at some point. The more you ride, the better your riding will become. Have fun and be safe out there.