It is true that riding in a convoy has its appeal such as camaraderie among friends who have the same love for motorcycles, safety, going to places we never knew existed and so forth.

However, there are times when we just want to ride solo.

1. Alone with our thoughts

This is usually the main reason some bikers like to ride solo. It is time to get away from the toxic partner, the screaming kids, the unappreciative boss, etc., etc. Take some deep breaths along the way. You will soon discover the answer to that nagging problem.

2. No peer pressure

Peer pressure is real during group rides and it is not confined to riding fast, but also riding too slow. It is not uncommon for the faster riders to berate the slower ones (who chose to ride at a relaxed pace), or vice versa. We may even get riders who seem to challenge us to a race. Which brings us to…

3. Our own pace and schedule

Having no peer pressure lets us ride at our own pace and adhere to our own schedule (or not). There is no one to harass us if we put on our gear slowly. Or taking an extra-long stop. Or having to ride like mad just to chase someone else’s schedule.

4. Stop whenever we want

We decide when we want to stop. Or pull over whenever you see a beautiful view such a sunset. Or a green carpet of paddy fields. They will do nicely in our Instagram, thank you very much.

5. Go whenever we want

As much as we like taking our own time, we also hate those who take too much of our time. Strange but true, is it not? We will ALWAYS find that one friend who takes forever to gear up (only to stop the entire convoy because he forgot something). Or that guy who needs to pee in every 50 kilometres. Or the group that constantly stops to eat even before the exhausts are even lukewarm. So instead of taking 4 hours to reach Butterworth, the trip took 8 hours. ARGH!

6. Idiot riders

Sometimes riding in a group sets a rider’s ego loose to show off such as pulling wheelies. Or teasing the local ladies non-stop. Or show up hungover for the next day’s ride.

7. Safety

The safety aspect is derived from not riding with idiots. We can mitigate our own risks instead of putting our lives and limbs in the hands of others. This way, we can ride more relaxed rather than being tensed from worrying about the safety of the others and ours.

8. Change of mind

Imagine riding to our destination and the signboard indicates a destination we have never been to before. Just set the new destination in our navigation app and off we go. Or we decide to spend the night in a nice town that appeals to our fancies. Go ahead, who is to stop us?

9. Explore

Group rides usually need to adhere to a specific route and schedule. And sometimes, we are only follow the rest around like sheep. Instead, solo riding allows us to pick a route that we have not seen or a destination that is not crowded. It is fully up to us to explore every village or town along the way. 

10. Practice your riding skills

Trying to practice your skills during a group ride is not be a smart idea, as there are other bikes around. Also, we can bet there will be several others around to impart the wrong advice which would be detrimental to our riding and safety.