Membership in the Northern Virginia American Legion Riders is open to all members of the American Legion, Sons of the American Legion, or American Legion Auxiliary.  We would love to welcome you as a member of our sponsoring post, Post 177, however membership in the Northern Virginia Chapter of the American Legion Riders is not post specific.

ALL RIDERS WELCOME REGARDLESS OF POST

For More Information Email Us Here

Or For Your Convenience You Can Download Your Application Here And Mail It In

VESTS & SUGGESTED PATCH PLACEMENT 

The official vest of the Northern Virginia Chapter of the American Legion Riders will be a black leather vest of the rider’s choosing. 

The Department of Virginia American Legion Riders suggests the following patch placement:

 BACK 

The American Legion Riders backpatch will be centered on the back of the vest.  “Rockers” will be appropriately placed around the backpatch as per the Chapter’s SOP. 

FRONT 

Suggested for the front of the vest are four patches (Pictured Below)

1)     The U.S. Flag will be placed on the left hand upper portion of the vest.  NO OTHER PATCHES OR PINS WILL PLACED ABOVE THE FLAG.

2)     The American Legion Riders Patch should be placed on the right hand upper portion of the vest.  The center of the patch will be in line with the center of the U.S. Flag covered above.

3)     The POW-MIA Patch will be placed on the lower left hand portion of the vest.

4)     The Commonwealth of Virginia Seal patch will be placed on the lower right hand portion of the vest.  The top of the Seal patch and POW-MIA patch should be in line.

NORTHERN VIRGINIA CHAPTER
AMERICAN LEGION RIDERS
RIDER SAFETY RULES

(Download Hard Copy Here In PDF Format)

GENERAL: 

The purpose of riding in an organized group (formation riding) instead of an unorganized pack is to provide the additional safety that a well-organized group inherently generates.  This comes from within the group and from the outside.  A well-organized formation is the key to the overall safety of each rider. We must present a well-maintained formation so other vehicles we share the roadways with can easily see that we are together, each position is known and stable. This allows them to easily navigate around us or in some cases through. It also affords us, as Riders in the formation, the knowledge of knowing what to expect from each other. Formation riding as an organized group is like most things; the better you are at it the safer it is. It is expected that members know these rules and are either competent enough to Formation Ride or avidly practicing to accomplish the level of motorcycling that comes with being a member of The American Legion Riders, The American Legion Riders Northern Virginia, and wearing colors that say “Rider”. 

The chapter has adopted these rules.  Everyone riding with the chapter is expected to follow them.  Anyone violating the rules and compromising everyone’s safety will be warned and subsequent violation could lead to disciplinary action. Enjoy the thrill of riding as a team and please…do YOUR part!

 A. RIDE PLAN BRIEFING:

1. It will be the responsibility of the Road Captain for each ride to conduct a pre-ride briefing that covers the anticipated Ride Plan. The Ride Plan shall address any special circumstances of the ride, the destination, the route, any known hazards, the speed, initial base formation, review of hand signals to be used and location of the Staging area. Also, require that all less experienced Riders, insecure Riders, trikes, and guests always be at the back of the formation. Tail Gunners and any Assistant Road Captains required shall be named, as well as information for emergencies such as the chase vehicle’s cell phone number.  

2. It is at the Ride Plan Briefing that the anticipated Ride Formations are announced.  Riders within the group are encouraged to voice their opinion regarding the Ride Formations anticipated so that everyone is in agreement. Where there is disagreement a vote shall be taken. Roberts Rules of Order shall be implemented with the Road Captain acting as Chairperson. The purpose here is to identify issues with the Ride Plan and its participating riders that could help to improve the safety and enjoyment of the group as a whole.  

3. Once the Ride Plan is agreed upon those Riders who do not want to participate should notify the Road Captain and not be present at Staging.

 B. STAGING: 

The staging of the motorcycles is a very important initial step to the overall organization of the formation and ultimately the safety of the Riders. When time and area are available the Road Captain should require each Rider to line up their motorcycles in a  “Side-By-Side/Parade” static formation assuring that each motorcycle is aligned with each other, left to right, with the more experienced Riders forward and left in the formation. Less experienced Legion Riders and guests should be more aft in the formation. This static staging of the motorcycles is quick and gives each Rider the ability to meet the person that will be their respective “Riding Partner” for that leg of the ride. It also gives the leadership a good overview of the formation and the ability to potentially detect problem areas. Once this initial staging has been conducted, less formal versions can be done for each leg of the event with ease, noting that the exact positioning of each motorcycle need not remain the same for each leg of the riding event. Once the ride begins each Rider knows that their reserved position is the area just behind the Rider immediately to their left thus the basic formation of Single File is established.

 C. KEY POSITIONS / DEFINITIONS: 

When the formation includes two columns, whether Staggered or Side-By-Side/Parade, the basic rule is that the motorcycles in the left lane are the dominant motorcycles of any formation, i.e., it is the motorcycle in the right column who must position his / herself on the left column motorcycle for any particular formation.

 D. RIDING PARTNER: 

Your Riding Partner is that person just to your left or right (depending which column you are in) that you will be paired with for a particular leg of the trip. This will usually be determined during the “Staging” process or prearranged.

 E. ROAD CAPTAIN: (Left Column - Front Motorcycle)    

The Road Captain is responsible for setting the pace and navigation. The Road Captain must be aware of the length of his columns and must gauge the passing of vehicles and merges into traffic, highway entrances and exits to maximize safety and maintain formation integrity.  He must make sure that he leaves enough time/space for the formation to get into the appropriate lanes for planned highway maneuvers.  All formation directions come from the Road Captain.  The Road Captain makes all decisions regarding lane changes, stopping for breaks or fuel, closing of gaps, turning off at exits, and any concerns of what lies ahead.  Caution should be given to “accelerated starts” from stop signs, traffic lights, highway entry, etc., as they only serve to break up the integrity of the formation. If the Road Captain makes a wrong turn ALL must make the wrong turn, as it is much safer for ALL to make that turn than several to break formation and go on their own. No individual will assert himself independently except for safety reasons. Road Captain / Leader has the discretion to split large groups into smaller groups and appoint required additional Road Captains and Tail Gunners for those smaller groups.

F. ASSISTANT ROAD CAPTAIN: (Right Column – Front Motorcycle) 

The Assistant Road Captain is jointly responsible with the Road Captain for route navigation and shares in the responsibility for choosing the formation. It is he/she that will be the primary influence that determines which formation (Staggered, Side-By-Side/Parade, or Single File) is the most desirable for the changing conditions. For example; if right front motorcycle moves from one formation to any other formation due to conditions, regardless of a hand signal being given or not, all other motorcycles in the formation should follow that lead and change.

G. RIDERS IN THE LEFT COLUMN: 

1. They are responsible for the distance or interval, front to back, between them and the motorcycle just a head. This is regardless of how far back in the formation you may be placed during the staging process. It is MANDATORY that the interval between each motorcycle in the left column be the standard two (2) second rule. (The two (2) second rule means that, regardless of speed, the safe following distance is two (2) seconds behind the motorcycle in front of you. This is measured by observing the motorcycle just ahead as he/she passes a fixed position, line in the pavement, road sign, etc., then counting “one thousand, two thousand” at normal conversational speech. It is encouraged that this routinely be done to establish and maintain proper interval. The formation shall look as if the space between motorcycles in a column, front to back, is a little more than 2 motorcycle lengths. 

2. The Rider in the left column will also be able to determine if the formation requires to be opened at his/her position to allow for transitioning automobiles, stopping for traffic lights, etc. (more on this in a related paragraph) 

3. All Other Motorcycle Riders have the responsibly to remain with their respective Ride Partner in the left column, regardless of whether this Rider is keeping his / her proper interval with the motorcycle just ahead OR NOT!  It is essential for you to remain with that motorcycle in the left column or ALL safety benefits to the formation may be compromised. This is an easy position to occupy as all one is required to do is stay with the motorcycle to his/her left…no worry about distance, the formations needed are done for you.

H. FORMATION RIDING: 

1. The Northern Virginia American Legion Riders wish to establish guidelines for Formation riding that improve the safety and continuity of rides. It is not our intent to add additional rules to the Commonwealth of Virginia traffic laws already in place. We recognize and support formations that are within the traffic laws of Virginia and do not support, in any way, illegal formations or riding. At anytime a Rider may choose not to participate in the ride by safely pulling out of formation. 

2. There is inherent safety with formation riding. Standardizing a particular formation implies restrictions beyond those of the law and loses the concept and fluidity of formation riding and therefore its inherent safety. A particular formation may be seen as “most common” or “usual” but there is no standard formation unless one wants to identify Single File as the mother of all formations. Even then Single File is but a starting point for the establishment of all other formations and as such, all formations, together, fluidly alternating from one to another constitutes formation riding.  To participate in formation riding it must be kept in mind that, again, there is no “Standard” formation. Formation riding is fluid and ever-changing, depending on the environment and the individual riding skills within the formation. Formation riding comes with understanding where each motorcycles position is within any formation and that every position is reserved and identified by the Single File formation and established at Staging. Safety in formation riding comes from realizing this concept and adhering to it. 

3. Single File formation is the most basic formation for a group of riders and serves to identify a motorcycles position within the formation regardless of how the formation changes. At Staging, each motorcycle is identified with another and the Single File formation is identified for all. In a Single File formation the Road Captain is obviously the person in the front and all other motorcycles line up behind. The area a motorcycle occupies in Single File formation is their reserved area, their bottom line space, their right of possession, regardless of how the formation changes. From a Single File, the formation may change to Staggered simply by moving every other motorcycle, beginning with the second motorcycle, to the right thus forming a right column. It is fundamental to realize that the space that was occupied by the motorcycle that moved to the right is still the one established by the Single File formation and is reserved for that motorcycle at all times.  When the motorcycle on the right moves forward, (never passing), to become parallel with the motorcycle immediately in front on the left, the formation is now Side-By-Side/Parade. Again, it is imperative that one realizes that the space that was occupied by the motorcycle that moved to the right then forward is still the one established by the Single File formation and that space is reserved for that motorcycle at all times.

I. STAGGERED FORMATION: (Forefinger And Thumb Extended Or Three-Finger Signal.) 

1. Because the Single File and Staggered formations provide the largest space on all sides for a Rider they are presumed to be the safest ride formations. Because of this it is recommended that all Formation Ride Plans incorporate the Single File and Staggered formations. 

2. In a Staggered formation, like in the Side-By-Side/Parade formation, motorcycles form two columns with the Road Captain at the head of the left column.  This formation is better for maneuvering the formation through tight or winding curves when each Rider may desire to use the entire lane to negotiate the roadway. In this formation the “Motorcycle behind the Lead” will move his/her motorcycle to the right column approximately one-second behind the leader’s motorcycle. Every other Rider will do the same thus forming a Staggered Formation. The Riders who remain in the left column will do nothing but continue to maintain their two (2) second interval with the motorcycle immediately in front of them.  This formation allows each rider sufficient safety space for hazard avoidance or unintentional drift. The negatives of this formation, which need to be considered, are that it does not afford the reasonable four (4) wheeler any structure with which to plan for necessary lane changing through the formation. Instead they attempt to penetrate whenever and wherever they choose. The other downfall is, if all Riders do not keep their spacing, we quickly become a pack of individuals riding in some proximately to each other. This is equally confusing to us, and those around us, becoming very dangerous to all involved.

J. SIDE-BY-SIDE/PARADE FORMATION: (Two Finger Signal) 

The “Side-By-Side/Parade” Formation utilizes an easily understood formation by the Riders and most importantly the four (4) wheeled drivers we share the roadways with. It is a formation in which the Riders are able to transition to the other two formations safely and with ease. Unlike the “Staggered Formation” in which the Riders create a wall with each slot filled, the “Side-By-Side/Parade” Formation affords an easy visual picture to the four (4) wheeled public what each motorcycle is going to do and the position in which they will remain. The “Side-By-Side/Parade’ Formation is easy for the Rider because all one must do if in the Right Column is stay directly beside the motorcycle in the Left Column. The left column only has to keep the interval (addressed above) between his/her motorcycle and the motorcycle ahead. A downfall of Side-By-Side/Parade Formation riding is the sharing of a single lane which narrows motorcycle spacing and thus increases risk especially for riders not experience with Side-By-Side/Parade Formation riding.  

K. SINGLE FILE FORMATION: (One Finger Signal) 

This formation is often used when the mass formation must be very maneuverable, i.e., the road curves present a condition that it safest for one (1) Rider to continually have access to the width of the entire lane, OR is used for short distances when it is necessary for the formation to form a single column in order to pass another vehicle. To get into the “Single File” the entire Right column will maneuver their motorcycles directly behind their respective Riding Partner and pickup the two second (2) interval between that motorcycle until the formation is once again transitioned to one of the other two-column formations.

L. TAIL GUNNER: 

There are several responsibilities with this position and he/she should be a seasoned veteran of the Rider Program, most preferably the Sgt at Arms. He/she indicates to the Lead Motorcycle when all are present and ready to ride/continue. The Tail Gunner, if able, will reserve the new lane when the Ride Leader initiates lane changes.  As each rider sees the turn signal, he will signal accordingly.  NO ONE, except the Tail Gunner is to begin his lane change until the motorcycle in front of him starts his lane change.  The chase vehicle, upon recognition of the signaled lane change, should change lanes to protect the formation’s intended lane if the lane is clear.  If the lane is not clear, the chase vehicle will signal with the formation and initiate the lane change following the Tail Gunner into the new lane.

M. EMERGENCIES: 

In the event of an emergency condition, the Road Captain, if he is aware of the emergency, will make every attempt to move the formation to the shoulder in an orderly fashion.  If a motorcycle within the formation breaks down, the rider is to carefully signal to those around him and cautiously move to the shoulder of the road.  DO NOT STOP.  The formation will maintain integrity and the Tail Gunner and chase vehicle will stop with the problem motorcycle. The Road Captain will lead the formation to a safe stopping place as soon as it is safe to do so. 

N. HAND SIGNALS:

 Each rider should duplicate all hand signals given by the rider in front of him so that the signal passes all the way throughout the formation.  All riders should be familiar with the hand signals. 

O. FILL GAPS: 

1. When a motorcycle drops out of the formation and creates a gap, the following motorcycles will fill the gap by moving FORWARD in their own Column. Crossing from one column to another is not encouraged and should be reserved for the back of the formation where it is the safest.  

2. Since spacing is fundamental to the safety of formations riding it is strongly recommended that riders keep their spacing. Do not encroach on another Rider’s position nor increase your spacing beyond that of the formation you are in unless safety is compromised by doing so. Depending on the length of the formation a seemingly small increase of ones space will become compounded as you move back in the columns and ultimately loose the structure and safety of the formation in general. It is very important to keep your spacing.

 P. YIELD TO CARS:

When a car signals a need to break into the formation, either needing a lane change to exit or needing room to merge onto the highway, the nearest motorcycles must yield in an orderly fashion and give them plenty of room.  That Rider’s Partner will follow suit, therefore opening up the formation for the traffic. Most drivers proceed along entrance ramps assuming they will be able to merge between cars.  They are not expecting a motorcycle formation and this may cause them confusion, making their next moves unpredictable and unsafe.  Riders must anticipate this condition and provide them an obvious safe entry onto the roadway.  Once a car merges into a motorcycle formation, their natural tendency will be to exit the formation lane as soon as traffic permits.  Riders must allow them plenty of room to maneuver out of the formation before closing the gap after their departure.  As well, most drivers coming up on a desired highway exit expect to easily move from a cruising lane to merge between cars on the highway to exit without much required space.  Faced with an unexpected motorcycle formation, they will most likely become desperate for space in the exit lane as their exit approaches.  When riders become aware of a car’s turn signal to exit, those riders abeam or to the immediate rear of the exit vehicle’s position must slow down allowing sufficient room for the car to change lanes into the formation lane and make their exit, closing the gap in an expedient, but orderly fashion.  Maintaining tight formation integrity when faced with a car driver’s determination to break in can cause a serious accident. 

Q. BEING PREPARED: 

Try to always fill your tank prior to arriving for a ride. Always fill your motorcycle tank when the Leader provides a stop for filling, even if you don’t necessarily need fuel at that time. The Leader bases the fuel stops on everyone being on the same fuel page. Try to never be the last Rider ready when all are ready to depart. This distracts from the enjoyment of riding if we must always wait on the same couple of Riders at each event. 

R. SAFETY: 

Last but never least, DO NOT COMPROMISE YOUR SAFETY OR THE SAFETY OF ANOTHER RIDER if you are reasonably certain that maintaining your position within the formation may lead to an accident. Also, should you become uncomfortable with your position in formation, or have difficulty keeping formation integrity, you must not hesitate to drive well away from the formation and re-enter at the back just forward of the Tail Gunner. Remember, you know your level of competency more than anyone and are ultimately responsible for your overall Safety.

S. Basic Hand Signals

Left Turn Left arm and hand straight out. Back of hand to rear. Fingers together and straight out.		Right Turn Left arm straight out with forearm and hand pointing up. Back of hand to rear. Fingers together and straight up.
Left Hazard Left leg extended out at an angle pointing at hazard. Both hands remain on handlebars.		Right Hazard Right leg extended out at an angle pointing at hazard. Both hands remain on handlebars.
Slow Down Left arm angled down with up and down motion. Back of hand angled slightly to the rear.		Stop Left arm out with forearm and hand pointing down. Palm of hand to the rear.
Staggered Formation Left arm straight up, index and little fingers pointing up, Twist wrist back and forth.		- OR - Staggered Formation Left arm straight up with index Finger, middle finger, and ring finger spread apart and pointing straight up.
Single File Left arm straight up, Index finger pointing up, Back of hand to rear.		Side-By-Side/Parade Also referred to a Double File. Left arm straight up with index Finger and middle finger, spread apart and pointing straight up.
Tighten Up The Formation. Left arm straight up with fingers spread alternating with closed fist repeatedly.		Pull Off Start by pointing with left arm straight out and move arm to point forward, then return to starting position.  Repeat. Point with index finger.
Slow Down Left arm angled down with up and down motion. Back of hand angled slightly to the rear.		Stop Left arm out with forearm and hand pointing down. Palm of hand to the rear.