Do You Ride After a Beer or Two?

[admin]

First things first, riding while under the influence of drugs or alcohol is not okay nor do we condone it. Riding a motorcycle takes skill, intuition, and focus at all times. Riding on anything but the “top of your game” is never a smart idea.

Though you may be able to legally ride a motorcycle after having a couple of beers, it impairs your reaction time and raises the likelihood of an accident.

With that said, we won’t be naive and pretend that people don’t stop for a cold beer while riding on a hot summer day.

We wanted to know what the most common practices were when it came to having an adult beverage while out on two wheels. In the name of gathering real data, we asked 100 riders from all over the globe what their practices were when it came to having adult beverages and riding a motorcycle.

Below are our questions along with the data we collected. Disclaimer: The answers from this survey were given freely and anonymously.

Do You Ride After Having a Drink?​

The data collected came back very promising. The 57% majority of riders said they do not ride after having a drink and we commend those riders. These riders are far less likely to be involved in an accident as their reflexes and brain functions will not be impaired.

The riders who do not ride after drinking usually plan ahead. They plan to either not drink or find a ride home if the festivities turn into an all-night event.

Being in control while riding is the key to have a safe and enjoyable ride. Having one drink can dull your cognitive and physical reaction while riding putting you at risk while on a motorcycle.

As for the 43% of riders who said they ride after having a drink, they continued on to the next question of our survey.

How Many Drinks do You Feel You are “Okay” to Have?​

Most places have laws surrounding the maximum BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) someone can have while operating a motor vehicle. Depending on where you live, the consequences for driving/riding while under the influence can range from a cash fine to vehicle impoundment, but even worse, lead to an accident causing injury or death. These may seem like obvious facts, but in an article such as this one, they are necessary to add. If you’re caught driving under the influence, you’ll likely want to contact a DUI attorney such as David Aylor, a firm located in Myrtle Beach.

When out for a ride on a hot summer day, it’s nice to stop for a nice cold beverage. This starts with riding with a few friends then stopping for a bite to eat and ordering a cold one to wash it all down.

When it comes to the 43 riders who do “indulge” in our survey, 53.5% of them deemed to have a one-drink maximum if out on the bike. The second-largest percentage in the survey said they were “okay” to have two drinks before getting on the saddle.

Alcohol affects everyone differently and is dependent on many factors. Drinking alcohol while on an empty stomach, while dehydrated, or while tired are all going to hinder your ability to ride a motorcycle safely. These factors all play a role in brain function, alertness, and reflexes – which are all crucial when it comes to riding a bike.

Do You Wait Before Jumping on the Bike After Aaving a Beer?​

If you do decide to ride after having a drink, it’s best to follow the “one-hour” rule. Waiting for one full hour to pass after having a beer can allow the effects of alcohol to dissipate. This common rule is based on one 12 ounce beer at 5% alcohol content – like a Budweiser (Not sponsored).

When it came to the data we collected, the majority always waits before hopping back on the bike to ride. If you have a drink, this will help ensure you are under the legal BAC limit but more importantly, you allow your cognitive ability to return to its most effective state – sober.

How Long do You Wait After Having a Cold One?​

Running this small survey told me a lot about the true statistics of riders that drink and ride. It tells me the majority of riders choose not to drink and ride. But if they do, it’s no more than 2 beers – with the exception of two riders who said 3 or 4 drinks.

The majority who do indulge said they wait between one and two hours before jumping back on the bike – this is comforting news considering the effects alcohol has on your crucial riding skills.

If you plan to take anything away from our small survey, it is this – bikes and booze DO NOT mix. If you find yourself enjoying a cold beer while out on the bike, ensure it’s with food and allow at least one hour to pass before hopping back on the saddle. Better yet, “I’ll take lemon water” works just fine too.

The post Do You Ride After a Beer or Two? appeared first on webBikeWorld.

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[TacomaJD]

Not a popular choice, but I don't bat an eye at drinking several and riding. Cheers!

 

[670cc]

I’ve done around 300,000 road miles on motorcycles and I have never crashed. I’d like to say that making responsible choices involving riding has contributed to that perfect riding record, and a zero tolerance for alcohol when riding is one of those choices.

Do your ride, put the motorcycle away, then if you wish, enjoy a beverage of your choice.

 

[Rabbit]

I don’t drink and ride and I don’t ride with those that do. I have enough issues sober, I don’t need to compound them.

 

[arkyleo]

A long, long time ago when I was riding British bikes, I went on one of the Harley benefit runs and their poster said "no dry stops". I wondered what that meant and quickly found out at the first "stop". I still like to motorcycle camp, sit around the campfire over a brew or two--but no more riding afterwards.
I can usually find my tent ok but then the only problem is the loud B/Ser's who stay up till wee hours. Thats what earplugs are for.

 

[wjvh]

No.

 

[melensdad]

I'll admit to having one drink at a restaurant stop during a day ride. It was some sort of bourbon cocktail at one of those semi-trendy gourmet BBQ places that over charges for drinks and serves artisan cheese trays. I had the drink before my lunch. Ate my lunch at a leisurely pace, got back on the bike and rode home, which was over an hour away. Honestly it is the only time I ever remember drinking and riding.

Did I feel a buzz while riding? No. I'm pretty sure that the time delay between the consumption of the alcohol and the time I was back in the saddle was sufficient to metabolize the vast majority of the alcohol, perhaps all of it. Would I do it again? Maybe. I'm not really opposed to that type of "drinking and driving" because it the same way I operate a 4 wheel vehicle when drinking alcohol. 1 drink, before my dinner, never a 2nd, and a leisurely meal. If my meal stops involve alcohol they are rarely shorter than 90 minutes to 2 hours.

As the victim of a drunk driver accident (drunk destroyed one of my cars by crashing into it) I don't take very kindly to "buzzed" drivers. So my tolerance for drinking and driving is low but realistic and based on the science of our body metabolizing alcohol over time.

 

[mzflorida]

Drinking is not important to me in any case. I am always happy to be the designated driver when we go out in four wheels with friends. A drink or two with added time to metabolize the alcohol may be okay. I'm with 670CC. I would not want to die or become disabled because of stupidity on a motorcycle. I'm not a scientist but I am willing to venture a guess that adding alcohol to the equation would increase the odds of death or disability when riding a motorcycle. Look at it in the inverse. Would you have confidence if everyone around you just had two drinks and were surrounding you as you drove 80MPH down I75? Rhetorical question of course. If they can screw up and hurt you can screw up and hurt yourself.

 

[dduelin]

No, never.

I'm realistic that at my age of 65 I will not have the reaction time I had in past years so anything I can do to help my odds is in my favor. I ride a lot, I practice emergency and threshold braking drills a lot, I take refresher courses (well, before Covid) and I constantly run "what if" sceneros in traffic. I cannot afford to give any item of defense away.

A few years ago I led a ride to eat somewhere and two of the guys met us at the restaurant. When I walked up to their table they were finishing off a couple of beers. I waited until we finished eating and asked one of them as respectfully as I could not to ride with the group back to the campground because of perceived liability on my part of leading a ride with participants I knew were impaired and not telling everyone involved. I saw no need to tell everyone I just thought they would comply out of courtesy. Instead, the guy got belligerent and said it was his business and no one else's and he rode with us anyway. I still see the guy now and then and steer clear of him.

 

[Deleted member 1183]

Back in the day when I was in my 20's I did indulge and ride. They were different times. Nowadays it is totally unacceptable and rightly so. However it is no longer relevant to me because I havent drunk alcohol for almost 4 years. I once had an experience though, totally unrelated to motorcycling, that brought home to me that even a small amount of aclohol will affect ones judgement.
I was part of a badminton team many years ago. We travelled around locally to play other teams in a league situation. One club that we visited had a good clubhouse with a bar. I played my mens doubles well, and there would be an hour or more of a wait for the next game of mixed doubles. Instead of my usual pint of water I had one pint of lovely refreshing lager. I thought nothing more of that until I was on for the next game. The difference to my game because of that one drink was remarkable. Badminton as a game demands precision. I played poorly and my judgement was clearly impaired despite having no sensation of it being so. I never forgot that game, and anyone who suggests that one drink won't affect ones judgement to some degree is imho mistaken.

 

[TNHoosier]

No.

I was a MSF Rider Coach for 10 years. If I drank and then got on a motorcycle I would have been a hypocrite. I have lost 2 close friends to motorcycle accidents, none involving adult beverages. Why make the odds even worse?

 

[Fuzzy]

I read a study that 60% of single vehicle MC (can’t blame other guy) accidents involved a rider who had consumed alcohol. The real learning in study was that half of those did not drink enough to be above legal limit. In other words 1/3 of single vehicle MC accidents are the guy who just had one or two beers.

Think about it.

 

[670cc]

In a way, the responses so far say a lot about the type of riders that choose to ride the Honda NC. I expect the responses would likely lean in a different direction among certain other motorcyclist groups.

 

[MZ5]

No, I do not drink and ride. These days I do not drink at all, but at no time did I drink and ride; not even once.

 

[potter0o]

I had a beer once. I appreciate Griff's example. I just didn't feel as sharp riding. In the car I would have thought nothing of. On the bike it was noticeable. Have not done it since.

 

[GregC]

when I bought my bike I had one inviolable rule: I can drink, or I can ride, but I can't do both. I look forward to the end-of-day beverages after the ride is done.

 

[melensdad]

... they were finishing off a couple of beers...

This is one of the reasons I don't do group rides.

Not sure if they are the same everywhere, but in my area the group rides are 98% HD riders going from bar to bar and ending at a picnic site or some other place that also serves alcohol. People I know participate and tend to drink and ride. Sure they are paying to join the ride, and yes the money raised usually goes to a charitable cause, but I don't see the concept as fun.

The whole idea of riding from bar to bar is just not appealing. I don't even understand the concept of a group ride. Riding in lines at a speed set by someone else, just doesn't sound like something I'd ever want to do.

 

[TNHoosier]

I like to keep it to 4 bikes max in a group. And that is 3 other people I know and know their riding style well. We all know the route and wait at the turns to a different road to make sure nobody is lost. No pressure to ride a certain pace and no 'side-by-side' riding.

 

[RF52]

Never drank and rode at all. However; once upon a time, 38 years ago, I took a dip of chew for the first time ever and got on my motorcycle. Never again. The chew experience was a lesson well learned, and never forgotten.

Stopped going group rides. They turned in to groups of reckless fools, shredding the speed limit laws in traffic and drinking/riding; they didn't just endanger themselves, but others, and give bikers a bad reputation, so about 2/3 of my long trips are solo, and the other 1/3 are with no more than 2 other people, known that don't drink or ride like maniacs.

 

[dduelin]

This is one of the reasons I don't do group rides.

Not sure if they are the same everywhere, but in my area the group rides are 98% HD riders going from bar to bar and ending at a picnic site or some other place that also serves alcohol. People I know participate and tend to drink and ride. Sure they are paying to join the ride, and yes the money raised usually goes to a charitable cause, but I don't see the concept as fun.

The whole idea of riding from bar to bar is just not appealing. I don't even understand the concept of a group ride. Riding in lines at a speed set by someone else, just doesn't sound like something I'd ever want to do.

You've got the wrong idea. Group rides that are parades of riders limited in speed to the skill of the least confident or least skilled rider is something I know nothing about and never have.

Edit to add that when I reentered riding in 2005 I was fortunate to be guided to joining the local BMW Motorcycle Owners of America. One doesn't have to own or ride a BMW to join. My primary ride was a Honda then and remained pretty much so. Even when I did not own a BMW I maintained my membership and never felt like the odd man out. BMW owners tend to be safety oriented and active BMWMOA chapters host a lot of "learning-type events" locally at chapter level and at regional and national rallies that promote learning and improving the ride. I met riders there that became friends and riding partners to this day. Riding with people more experienced and better at it than I am increased the speed with which I became a better, safer rider. They pushed me to improve my riding and decision making. Perhaps there is a local BMWMOA chapter near your home. When Covid allows these events will start back up.

Like others in this thread, if I'm riding in a group it's usually no more than 3 or 4 and we all know each other's riding style very well. We stay pretty much in visual range. These guys usually are guys I've ridden thousands to tens of thousands of miles with on 100 to 500 mile day rides and many multiple day tours or trips out of state. Every few years there is someone new but he's vetted and invited. If you don't fit the group you don't get a second or third, whatever, invitation.

The last 15 years I've attended maybe 50 sport touring rallies across the country that draw riders from many states, arriving solo or maybe in pairs. Many of the attendees have no local knowledge of local roads but we all go to the rally because the area roads are worth riding days to get to. If the ride(s) at a rally has 5 riders to 25 riders we use a method of group rides called Drop and Sweep with just two rules. 1. There's a leader that knows the route and (2) a sweep or tail gunner and they are always first and last. Always first and last. When we pass an intersection the rider immediately behind the lead drops off on the side of the road and marks the direction of the ride through or from the intersection. This rider is a "bread crumb" and he stays right there on site until the sweep arrives then he pulls out ahead of the sweep and becomes next to last in the line - ahead of the sweep. At the next intersection another bread crumb is dropped, so one by one riders move up the line to become second behind the leader and the next bread crumb. Passing is allowed with courtesy and safety but the hot shot "got to pass everybody" riders end up being bread crumbs all day and this tempers the need to pass everyone. I've been on rides of up to 25 with absolute safety and these rides are on very technical, generally twisty technical roads where riders get spread out far beyond visual range, sometimes over several miles, on roads they have never seen. All sorts of rider experience attend and are accommodated on a ride like this. Fast, slow, and in between. You really do ride your own ride at the speed you are comfortable with. If the group exceeds 25 we usually divide into two groups. So being able to share GPS routes with dedicated nav systems is important so the lead can share the route of up to 250 miles with the group 2 leader. The ride I referred to was at rally in my home state and I was leading a drop and sweep ride.