Serious Thoughts about the Central Route

Goodland (Kansas) is a great city.  RFTW is received there with open arms.  The community is patriotic and giving.  We are treated with respect and admiration there.  Unfortunately, this years run was marred on Sunday after we pulled out of town.  I was riding in Platoon 5 when I saw Kansas Highway Patrol cars proceeding west bound at a high rate of speed.  When we closed in to the Oakley, KS fuel site, I heard rumors (passed on by pack riders monitoring the CB channel) that an incident had occurred on I-70 east of Goodland ten miles (where highway construction reduced the eastbound lanes from two lanes to one lane) that had involved motorcycles in the run.  Oakley is another great, patriotic community.   Our lunch stop is about four miles south of the fuel stop.  When we got there I was really looking for factual answers.  None were forthcoming, but the rumors were strong that six RFTW riders (including three Australian riders) were involved with an over-the-road truck.  Approaching Bunker Hill, another bike was being loaded on a wrecker, apparently a one vehicle incident.  The weather was wonderful.  Road conditions were dry.  Visibility was unobstructed to infinity.  Perfect riding conditions.  I respectfully suggest Central Route cease the practice of side-by-side riding.  At any speed, ten feet (with no room to maneuver to the right) is simply insufficient in any emergency situation.  Being packed in that tight just means more motorcycles will be involved when an emergency (such as occurred at Goodland) situation occurs due to lack of maneuver space.  I know of no motorcycle riding programs that advocate side by side riding.  I certainly don't know it all, but if you do, send me the link.  I would like to review it.  The Central Route coordinator made the statement at the riders meeting in Goodland that Run for the Wall reviews procedures and the first consideration is rather proposed changes are good for the riders.  I would humbly submit that giving riders additional manuver space if an emergency occurs is exactly what the coordinator said, something that is good for the rider.  I am not trying in any manner to place blame on any one person or organization.  I simply want the RFTW Board of Directors to make a conscious determination if two-up riding is in the best interest of the participants.  I know our reaction times slow with age.  I know that a lot of our riders have participated for many years.  I know that new riders join a road situation where  they may not have significant experience dealing with the unexpected.  I know I was told that six motorcycles were involved in an incident where usable traffic lanes reduce from two to one.  I know that choke points require special actions by everyone in the pack.  This time something happened and some riders ended up in the hospital.  The route coordinators have a big job and do it well.  I would think a Board of Directors decision to ban two up (side by side) riding would make their jobs easier.  I do not believe all Central Route riders will agree with me and I respect their individual decisions.  At the same time, I do not apologize for recommending the change of long standing procedures to provide the possibility of increased safety for our riders.  Thank you for reading my thoughts.  Nighthawk

While not on the run this year I have to agree that we should reconsider the side by side riding.  It is not safe on any road for that many riders to have to ride side by side and have zero options when things go wrong.  My daughter has ridden with me for several years and last year rode her own and it scares me to death the fact that she has no where to go if things go bad.  Route coordinators.  I ask you to consider the riders safety over the visibility of side by side riding.

I have read all the post on here about the acident. There are a fiew things that I would like to set streight. First the bikes that did go down in the accident outside of Goodland were not riding in side by side formation they were stagared. that was partly to do with the order  from the lead element that the pack was coming into a construction zone and partly that the riders involved were already is stagared formation. I have talked with all of the people that were involved in the accident at the hospitol so it is first hand information. I have talked with all of the board of directors about the policies of riding side by side and we are going to take a very long and hard look at it after the run and we have already made some changes for the rest of this run. This is not only for the Centeral route but the southern route as well they have 2 platoons that ride side by side as well. I did not get to make the run this year  but I was in California and I will be in DC. When I talked to one of the riders that has his girlfriend in the hospiton  the first thing he did was to thank the board of directors for making it manditory for all riders to wair helments on the run. He said that if they had not been wearing them that he felt that he and his girlfriend would not be here. I wont to thank all of you that have posted on here about your conscerns and your views we as a Board do listen . Thank all of you that take part in the Run For the Wall and all it stands for. Ray Too Tall McDowell  BOD 2012

If I may add a thought, I had to drop out on Friday at Angel Fire for a medical emergency involving my wife. I'll post more on that later, but I'd like to add the medical emergency information we carry for all participants provided critical information to the responders and ultimately the hospital folks that treated my wife.  She had a stroke at the hotel Friday evening and was Life Flighted out to Santa Fe and then to Denver.  I heartily endorse the continued use of the medical information sheets.  They helped save her life.

Fahrdawg,  God bless you and your wife and our prayers for her complete recovery quickly.  i ride with a medical emergency wrist band which is a waterproof (so they say) USB that has a complete medical history of everything I have been through including my shot records.  The drive is $18.75 or so and brings up information in either P.C. or Mac.  Its available at big box stores and at medical supply businesses.  Next year is the 25th.  See you there.  Nighthawk

FOR THE LAST FEW DAYS--I HAVE BEEN RIDIN IN MY TRUCK AT THE BACK OF THE PACK. THE ROAD GUARDS HAVE DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB. PERIOD. FOR THE MOST PART THE RIDERS HAVE OBSERVED THE PROPER RIDING FORMATION -STAGGERED AT APPROPRAITE TIMES. BUT--AT THE MORNING MEETING--EVERY ONE WAS REMINDED-TO KEEP THIER FOCUS AS THIS IS NOT A SUNDAY AFTERNOON OUT.  YES--IT IS STREESFUL RIDING IN A LARGE GROUP. BUT I HAVE RODE IN MANY DIFFERENT EVENTS N RIDES--AND RFTW IS THE BEST AT WHAT THEY DO. BASICALLY IT COMES DOWN TO EACH INDIVIDUAL TO DO HIS PART. AND UNFORTUNATLEY-WE HAVE SOME WHO HAVENT RODE IN YEARS N SUDDENLY GO OUT N GET A BIKE AND THINK THEY CAN DO THIS. AS I ALWAYS PREACH--IF U HAVE TO THINK ABT SHIFTING AND BRAKING --THEN YOU ARENT READY. IT SHULD BE SECOND NATURE. THERE IS ALOT OF SKILL THAT GOES INTO RIDING A SCOOT OR TRIKE. AND YOU MUST!!! --LOOK AHEAD OF US AND ANTICIPATE..IS THERE MORE WE CAN DO? MAYBE.  GOOD SOLID SUGGESTIONS ARE CERTAINLY WELCOMED.  WE ASK THAT PRAYERS BE SENT UP FOR OUR FALLEN AND INJURED ,,AS WELL AS PRAYERS FOR A SAFE MISSION THE REST OF THE WAY TO DC.  GOD BLESS US ALL.  

Edited by shadow - May-23-2012 at 4:34am

Jetman - Please let the injured riders know that their RFTW family is praying for them & wish them a complete & speedy recovery. Safety has always been a concern for RFTW as demonstrated by its track record. The Run has grown so much with more & more of our FNG's becoming motorcycle riders that I am sure the BOD will consider additional safety measures if necessary. Prehaps the CR should consider using the SR riding protical with both side-by-side and staggered riding based on experience & comfort level. I am sure we will hear from Leadership on this matter and unfortunate incident.

Yes, I also read of this too, but elected not to post their names, not knowing wether their emergency contacts had been notified. Hopefully they have been notified and not reading about it posted here. I believe you should allow Leadership the opportunity do this rather than posting names. I respectfully request you edit or remove your post. thank you.

Edited by Redcatcher - May-23-2012 at 5:56pm

Thanks Jetman for the infor....They are in our prays...

I have to say that I agree, I rode a very short distance with the Run this year but it was an extremely nervous time.  I have never like riding side by side and have complained about it since my first mission.  I absolutely love this mission and think that it has been a blessing to me, but unless the Central route offers platoons that do not ride side by side next year or in the coming years, I have ridden my last one.  There is a reason that side by side riding is illegal in a lot of states.  It is dangerous, it gives you no room to avoid road hazards, and although I have not been on as many RFTWs has have a lot of you, I have been riding motorcycles for 38 years and the rubber band effect has always seemed worse to me in side by side riding. 

The Central route rides through my home town but if I ever decide to ride it again and the CR does not offer platoons of staggered formation riding, I guess I will have to ride all the way down into Mississippi or Tennessee to join instead of the 21 miles to Corydon to where I live.

Now having said that, I will be praying for the quick recovery of all those injured in the accident.  GOD Bless you ALL.


Edited by bigrazoo - May-24-2012 at 1:52pm