Rides

We are a friendly bunch and are happy for you to come along and join a ride or part of one, or even come along to the starting point and have a chat even if you can't join the ride. Make sure you understand your personal responsibilities, by joining a ride it will be deemed that you have acknowledged and accepted the risk.

Have a look at the Club Events page and register so that we know you'll be coming along. If you're not a member or would like to catch up with the group just for a portion of the ride, then please use our 'contact us' page and select 'Rides/Itinerary - Club Captain' from the list of contacts there to let the Captain know you're coming. The Club Captain will receive an email and will know to look out for you.

DOCV ride attendance is growing all the time and it is not unusual that we will get 40+ bikes on a ride. This generally leads to a great day out but its a lot of bikes to get from one point to the next in a safe and timely way. Riders that do not do what is expected or do not have the right skill levels for a ride can cause significant delays and hold the group up for extended periods of time. Please read the information below so you know what's expected and ask the Captain or ride leader if you still have any questions.

If you're interested in doing a Fun Day (ie. a fun track day) at Phillip Island or Broadford - check out that page too.

BEFORE THE RIDE

If you intend joining a Club ride, here are some guidelines to follow:

Check the ride details on www.docv.org and make sure that you allow time to get to the meeting place early and with a full tank. Take note of the route and other details.

• Please register on www.docv.org – an idea of numbers makes it easier for the ride leader to plan the ride and to book the right numbers for lunch. If you’re not a club member then please use our 'contact us' page and select 'Rides/Itinerary - Club Captain' from the list of contacts there. In your message, let the Club Captain know you will be joining us, along with some details so we can identify you!

Arrive with a full tank of fuel

UNDERSTAND YOUR PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Motorcycling can be extremely dangerous. You may be injured or killed, or you may get lost and not be able to find your way home. Even worse, your motorcycle may be damaged!

Please be aware that your participation in club activities and rides is at your own discretion and your own risk. By attending or participating in a DOCV club activity, whether you register in advance via the website or simply turn up to the event, it is deemed that you are acknowledging this danger and accepting the risk.

We recommend that you download the following apps on your smart phone:

• Emergency + - this app uses GPS location services to provide you with your longtitude and latitude coordinates to relay to emergency services, and it has a list of national emergency numbers. 
• St John's Ambulance First Aid - this app has a list of first aid protocols including 'Removal of Helmet', which many other first aid apps do not have.

The corner marking system is used by many motorcycle clubs - it allows all the riders in the group to have a seamless, trouble free ride at a pace that suits them, but without riders having to know the route. It’s follow the leader, and is easy to get right, but also easy to get wrong.

Here’s how it works:

• At an intersection where there are two or more options to turn, the lead rider will indicate well before the turn so that the rider directly following the lead rider (the ‘corner marker’) can find a safe place to pull over to indicate the direction of travel to the following riders.
• The corner marker must stop where they are clearly visible to riders following, and where it gives riders plenty of time to plan for the turn. The spot needs to be where the corner marker can see the approaching bikes.
• In some cases the lead rider may point to the spot he/she wants the corner marker to stop – it may be that it’s not safe to stop later near the corner for example.
• The third rider (second ‘corner marker’) may stop around the corner – depending on the corner and the size of the group. The lead rider will cover this during the briefing.
• The corner markers should position their bikes to indicate the direction to travel – if their bike is facing the wrong way it can be confusing.
• The rest of the group will travel past until the tail rider (Tail End Charlie - usually wearing a fluoro vest) arrives and will nod or beep for the 'corner markers' to continue.

Next corner, we do it all over again and again and again . . . The idea of having two riders stopped is that if someone heads off down the wrong road (it does happen) then one of the two bikes can go off in pursuit and return them to the flock of ducs. 

If you miss a corner marker and go in the wrong direction (it does happen, no dramas) then you will eventually come to an intersection. If no-one is marking the corner then you should be suspicious. Stop your bike, phone the ride leader and wait. We will find you eventually, but we'd rather not chase you down too many roads.

If you are the corner marker, NEVER leave the corner unattended until Tail End Charlie comes through and gives you a nod or a beep. 

ETIQUETTE ON THE ROAD

• Ride at your speed, one that you feel comfortable with. Do not try to keep up with faster riders. The quickest way to come unstuck is to try to ride faster than you normally would. Allow a safe distance between yourself and other riders. Staggering left and right side of a lane increases visibility and rider distance.
  
• If someone catches up to you in the twisties, don't race them on the straight, or accelerate hard when they move to overtake you. Let them pass safely. If they caught up to you, they're most likely more skilled and won't hold you up.
• For members on your first club ride - the easiest place to start the day is towards the back of the pack, regardless of how good a rider you think you are. This will give you idea of what people are doing and how fast they are capable of going. If you are comfortably keeping up, you can slowly move through the pack until you find someone who rides that same pace as you, and generally, this will be a good place to stay.
• Slower riders should try to depart in the middle of the group (but not so early they have to mark the first corner), faster riders are encouraged to pass safely as they move through the group for corner marking duties and relieve slower riders from doing this. This helps to keep us moving.
• We’ll aim to regroup somewhere on the longer stages (e.g. a photo point) to ensure all are safe and well.
• On a big ride with lots of turn-offs the lead rider may pull over to re-group to ensure all are safe and well. Do not take off any gear unless the lead rider does. Be guided by the lead rider - if he/she stays on the bike, helmet, and gloves on, do the same. It usually means that we’ll be continuing shortly.

LOOK OUT FOR OTHERS

• Pay attention and learn from what other riders around you are doing. It takes time to build up trust from other riders within the club, but if you start off on the wrong foot it will take a lot longer.
• Most importantly, please keep an eye out for your fellow participants. We have safety in numbers and are all doing this ride for the same reasons - that is, to have fun. Enjoy.

Be patient, ride safely, and arrive home happy.

CHOOSE RIDES THAT SUIT YOUR EXPERIENCE AND SKILL LEVEL

Some rides are longer and/or more difficult than others.  To give you and idea of how challenging each ride is the Club Captain or Ride Leader will grade each ride by adding something like the below to each ride description on the website.  It is your responsibility to use this information to gauge whether the ride is suitable for you.