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What we’re about

Virginia Easy Riders is a motorcycle sport-touring group based primarily out of Haymarket VA.  Our riding territory extends generally through Virginia, western Maryland, and West Virginia, north to the Pennsylvania line and south as far as Harrisonburg,VA.  We enjoy riding single lane backroads and two lane mountain highways described as twisty, but also routes with interesting scenery and minimal traffic.  Interstates are sometimes used to get to and from the "playground" areas, but we try and keep interstate usage to a minimum.  Day rides on the weekends are generally 175 to 250 miles roundtrip from the meetup point, which is usually near Haymarket or Marshall.  Weekday rides of 150 to 175 miles are occasionally scheduled, usually on short notice as work schedules permit.  Pit stops are taken about every 90 minutes and a lunch stop is always included.  Lunch can be anywhere, although we don't do fast food shops.  Several members of the group enjoy riding year round if that interests you.

We encourage safe, responsible, and pleasurable motorcycle riding.  While women and men of all experience levels are welcome, our pace is usually brisk and we enjoy leaning into the technical stuff.  But always, RIDE YOUR OWN RIDE! All types of motorcycles are suitable for our trips although it helps to have a bike with a bit of ground clearance.  Members are currently riding larger bikes including Harleys, Goldwings, BMWs and others.  We avoid gravel and dirt routes.
We ask that you respect all of your fellow riders and avoid displaying any potentially offensive words or symbols. 
Please read and honor the following ride guidelines:

1. Ride no more than 70% of your skill level to leave room for error.  We will wait for you at turns and forks.

2. New/slower riders in the back, experienced/faster riders in the front. Ride leaders will wait at all turns for any riders separated by traffic conditions or riding style.

3. Riders with a desire to be in a certain position (i.e., wing person, sweep) should express that at the pre-ride check-in. Riders should maintain their position in line from designated stop to stop so that line adjustments can be safely communicated.

4. Keep a safe and consistent distance from the rider in front of you.(interstates 50-75ft., divided 75-100ft., unlined 100-150ft.).   

5. Maintain staggered positions in closer formations on interstates and divided highways to prevent traffic from splitting the group; single file on twisty and/or unlined roads. 

6. When the person in front of you passes a car on back roads, do not assume you also have enough space, do not follow right away unless the road is clear. When you pass a car on back roads, continue at passing speed well past the car being passed to allow those behind you enough room to safely pass also.

7. If the rider in front of you goes down, do not look at the fallen rider, look for the escape route so that you don't run over the rider.

8. Pay attention to the road, look for road hazards such as gravel, tar snakes, black ice, pot holes, animals, etc.

9. Do your best to be skillful in emergency situations, don't just give up.

10. Be courteous to one another on the road; and, no smoking while riding.

11. Slow down before sharp turns, blind hills, and blind corners.

12. Do not pass the ride leader for everyone's safety.

13. In entering main roads from an intersection, do not assume the turn signal on a car who has the right of way is true, wait for the car to turn before entering the street.
14. If the ride leader slows down and stops on the side of the road  (usually turning on his flashers in advance), slow down in single file and stop single file behind him as far to the right as safely possible so that the leader may have a clear view from the left mirror.
The Leadership Team

Bike inspection tips

All riders:
I can not impress enough the importance of thoroughly inspecting AND test riding your bike in the week before our weekend rides especially the long ones.

These comments apply to you if:

  1. you're not regularly riding and/or

  2. you haven't ridden your bike in over a month and/or

  3. you've had your bike in a repair shop and the only test riding you've done is to ride it home. Unless home is over 10-15 miles away.

    Food for thought:

    - Check tire pressures before every ride !!!  Bring a gauge with you. Don't waste your money on cheap gauges. Buy the best.

    - Check oil

    - Check brake pads

    - Inspect/lube the chain OR inspect the drive belt - No you do NOT typically lube a belt !!!

    - Check clutch cable. The inner wire cable usually has a small area exposed at top when you depress the lever and many times it wears out right at the lever

    - Check all lights and horn

    - Rubber seals dry out and leak when any vehicle sits for a long time. Look for oil leaks on the inner fork tubes and engine. Look underneath the bike at the bottom of the engine with a flashlight. This is where the oil leaks go to in many cases if you can't see it on the sides or front.

    - Mechanical equipment in many cases give warnings that something is wearing out ie. strange noises, vibrations, Oil pressure
    light occasional flickers, bike handles differently,  etc. You know your bike better than anyone always watch and listen for these warnings. Look for things that might be wrong. Some riders may not want to know it because it's gonna cost them money but you can't stick your head in the sand on this one. A break down 100 + miles away and the major inconvenience to you and us all will be more costly.  One rider recently paid $300 for a 75 mile tow to the nearest Harley shop. 

    - Starting:
    Unusual starting or unusual hesitation when accelerating

    - Battery: 
    Wet cell batteries only last a couple years. Stop using them as soon as possible.  And in most cases they act up intermittently and in the worst situations. I've found that the AGM sealed are the best. The new lithium batteries are still on the fence ie.  they are too new and don't have a dependable track record yet. You'd be one of the ginny pigs if you buy one right now. I've found that batteries in general are extremely variable in their life span.  But how you maintain it is a huge factor.  Pay close attention to the battery power while starting. Did the starter turn nice and fast or was it slower than usual or have a fast then slow hesitation ?  And if you ever hear the ole "click" like one of our guys did this past Sat ride then check the cable connections if tight. If all OK there then yank out that battery and get it tested before attending a ride.  This is a big reason why you should start your bike by Tues or Wed prior to every ride especially if you have an older bike  (over 5 yrs) or and old battery  (over 2 yrs) and especially if you don't ride more than once a month.

    Every time you let your battery run down (even if it doesn't go completely dead) you're not only reducing the life of the battery but you are also reducing the amount of charge that it will hold when "fully" charged as per the LED's on a battery tender. The best way to maintain a battery is to start it out on a tender immediately after purchase and never forget to plug it in after every ride. I've gotten 12 yrs out of a Harley Factory battery.  Due to alot of riding every weekend plus keeping it on a charger all the time. 2 HD service mgrs I know both said they've never seen anyone get even 10 yrs from battery.

    If you don't have your battery on a battery tender charger you need to invest $30 for one and keep it on the charger all the time the bike sits. DelRay sells a good one. Tender Junior at WalMart. I just bought a new one there for only $28.

    - When possible take it out for at least a 10 mile spin during the week. Find an open road so you can open up the throttle some. Especially if you don't ride more than once a month.

    So please respect everyone else's ride and time. Do the visual inspection at a bare minimum and ideally do a test ride prior to our rides.

    If any questions call or text me 703-304-6670

    Thank you,
    Larry
    Co-Organizer
    Virginia Easy Riders Group

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