Skylands Sport Touring Motorcycle Club is a private club. We invite members and non-members to ride with us, as long as they’re wearing proper protective gear (full-face helmet, together with riding jacket, pants, boots and gloves), their bike is in good riding condition, they display a mature, non-competitive attitude and they abide by the rules listed below.  Any rider who violates these rules may be asked to leave the group ride.  If you are uncertain about the meaning of any rule, be sure to ask a member to explain it.

1. Ride your own ride. This means that you should ride at a pace that’s comfortable for YOU. You must be aware of the limits of your skills, abilities and experience, and ride accordingly.  Do not exceed your comfort level by trying to keep up with a faster rider.  If you crash, you’ll ruin everyone’s day, especially yours.
2. Make sure your bike is safe. You are responsible for ensuring that your motorcycle is in a safe operating condition and that it will not pose a hazard to other riders or you.
3. You are responsible for the rider BEHIND you. When you reach a turn, check your mirrors. DO NOT make the turn until you’re certain the rider behind you sees you.
4. Pass at your own risk. Pass other vehicles only when it’s safe to do so. DO NOT use any hand signals intended to tell the rider behind you what to do; IGNORE any signal you may see from another rider. DO NOT make an unsafe pass because of concern about being left behind — the rider in front of you will wait for you at the next turn.  See rule no. 3.
5. Do not tailgate. Maintain a safe braking distance by endeavoring to follow the “three-second rule”; with a three-second minimum gap at all times.
6. Leave your ego at home. If you’re not comfortable maintaining the pace of the rider in front of you, wave the rider(s) behind you by when we’re stopped at a stop sign or traffic light.
7. Do not pass other Riders when riding.  Same guideline as rule no. 6- wait till we’re stopped.
8. Ride staggered on divided highways. Ride single file on secondary roads.
9. Use your turn signals when turning, changing lanes, or pulling over.  And remember to cancel them.
10. Don’t “peel off” secretly. Let at least one other rider know if you decide to leave the ride, so we don’t waste time coming back to find you, thinking that you crashed or had a mechanical problem.
11. Don’t ride impaired. No one may ride with with the club while impaired by alcohol or other drugs, whether prescription or non-prescription, legal or illegal.  We do not tolerate even one beer with lunch.  Nor should anyone ride with the club when any other impairment to their physical or mental condition could affect their ability to ride safely and within these rules.
12. Respect all traffic laws.  We believe in personal responsibility. If you violate any speed limits or other laws, you are totally and absolutely responsible for ANY consequences.
13. Having a GPS.  Club members are strongly encouraged to have a gps (or gps app on a smartphone that can load & display a gpx file) with them and download the route prior to the ride.