About Us
This chapter of the Southern Cruisers Riding Club abides by all the common SCRC rules and regulations, as defined in the Club Constitution and Club Riding Rules.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with these, always ride safe, and never give the Club a bad name.
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Constitution
The latest version of the constitution text below is always available at http://www.southerncruisers.net/constitution.htm. In the event of discrepancies between the text on this page and the text at the central site, the latter will be considered valid at the expense of the former.
GENERAL INFORMATION
1) SOUTHERN CRUISERS RIDING CLUB®, from here on known as the SCRC, OF P.O. BOX 27, Atoka, TN is the National and International Headquarters for the Southern Cruisers Riding Club® and all local Chapters and Membership will take direction from said Headquarters and will comply with the constitution of this organization. Any information about the Southern Cruisers Riding Club® and the operation of its Constitution should be directed to the Founder and National President at this address: Rickster@SouthernCruisers.Net.
2) For those that wish to form a Chapter you must apply to the Southern Cruisers by utilizing the Online Chapter Form: http://www.southerncruisers.net/chapt.htm. After review of the instructions on the Chapter Form, and if the applicant agrees with the information listed here, the Vice President will contact the local State Officer in which the Chapter would fall under and those other Chapters that would be deemed to be in close proximity for information on whether this Chapter is in the best interest of the SCRC. After approval has been obtained, the applicant will then be required to purchase the Club Patch . Upon submitting proof of purchase, the Vice President will then open the Chapter and assign the Chapter a Unit Number. The applicant that applies for an SCRC Chapter will at that point be known as the 1st-Officer of that Chapter and will take direction from the State Officer in which they applied. Any information needed about Chapters and Officers of the Southern Cruisers Riding Club® will need to be directed to the National Vice President and Chapter Director of the SCRC at this address: Hip@SouthernCruisers.Net.
3) All First Officers of formed Chapters will be sent the current codes to access those areas restricted to Club Officers. A JPG file of the Membership Card will also be supplied for those that are interested in making Membership Cards for their Members. The First Officer may also place within the Chapter a Second Officer and Road Captain and other positions if necessary to keep the Chapter operating at its very best.
4) All First Officers must maintain current Email, Phone Number and Address with the SCRC. Officers, who do not maintain lines of communication not only with the SCRC, but also Chapter Members, shall be replaced or the Chapter closed and the remaining Membership moved to the closest Chapter, if no replacement is found. Any Member of the Chapter may contact the State Officer or National Vice President as a request to assume the role as the New First Officer. The State Officer and the National Vice President will issue all decisions on these requests.
5) The Club Patch of the SCRC and the name "Southern Cruisers Riding Club®" are the property of the SCRC and are a Registered Trademark and as such are not to be reproduced for sale by ANY member " Profit or Non Profit " without the written permission of the SCRC Trademark Owner. The "Patch" and the name "Southern Cruisers Riding Club®" may be reproduced for Membership Cards, Letterhead, Newsletters and Web Sites or other similar items. All Graphics used on the National Web Site may be used on the Chapter Web Sites without permission from the SCRC. Chapter Web Sites will need to be approved before they are listed on the National Site and all updates involving the National Web Site will need to be directed to the Webmaster of the National Site at this address: WebMaster@SouthernCruisers.Net.
6) The "Patch", as worn on the vest or jacket shall consist of the Winged Eagle worn on the upper half of the vest or jacket. No three-piece patches are permitted in the SCRC. No Member of the SCRC shall ever add the letters MC or wear the designation 1% on their vest, jacket or any other article of clothing while representing the SCRC. No Rockers/Chapter Location Bars - "CLBs" that identify a City, State, or Territory or anything giving the appearance of a rocker will be worn with the SCRC wings on the back of the vest or jacket.
OFFICERS
1) The SCRC at the National and International level will consist of Four Officers, National President, National Vice President, National Membership Director and National Events and Rides Director. The term of service of these Officers is unlimited. If one of the National Positions becomes available, the New Officer will be Voted in by the remaining National Officers .The National Officers has the rights to Vote in a New National Officer when it becomes necessary to maintain the SCRC to its fullest.
2) The National President will oversee all activities of this Club and all activities involving the Trademark of the Club. The National President will also maintain the National Web Site and will oversee all Officers and Members within the SCRC.
3) The National Vice President shall maintain the appointment of all State and First Officers. All Officers resigning positions shall inform the Vice President and assist at finding a replacement. The National Vice President prior to acceptance shall approve all replacements for State and local Chapter Officers and will oversee all Officers within the SCRC.
4) The National Membership Director shall maintain the current Roster and assign all new Members to a Chapter. Chapter First Officers will update the National Membership Director when any status should change for a Member. The Membership Director responds to General Membership questions and requests, and oversees the General Membership of the SCRC. Any information regarding the General Membership of the SCRC should be directed to the National Membership Director at this address: Jarhead@SouthernCruisers.Net.
5) The National Events Director will assist the Membership Director in assigning new Members to Chapters. The Events Director will keep a log of all SCRC Events scheduled for dissemination to all Members. Any State or Chapter First Officer that would like to have a National Event will discuss this with the National Events Director for information regarding a National SCRC Event. Only National and Local SCRC Events will be listed on the National Web Site and will need to be cleared through the National Events and Ride Director in order to have the Event listed under the Events Section on the SCRC National Web Site. Any information about National and Local Events needs to be directed to the National Events Director at this address: Richard@SouthernCruisers.Net.
6) The State Officer shall be appointed by the National Vice President to serve an unlimited term and may be removed by the same, or by action of the Board of Directors for conduct that shows the SCRC in a bad light, or any other reason deemed in the best interest of the Club. The State Officer shall assist the National Vice President in opening Chapters. He/She shall assist the National Chapter Director in determining if a new chapter should open when another chapter exists in close proximity. The State Officer will also assist the National Vice President in replacement of First Officers in his state, whether they resign or removed from office. State Officers are responsible for maintaining communications between Chapter First Officers and the dissemination of information. State officers shall keep the National Officers informed of all matters that concern the SCRC.
7) First Officers are those that have applied for a Chapter and are in charge of the same. First Officers will use their own discretion as to their term of office. They may appoint, or be replaced by a method of their own choosing, such as holding an election. The National Vice President will approve all First Officers. First Officers may be removed by the same, the State Officer with approval of the National Vice President, or by action of the Board of Directors, for conduct that shows the SCRC in a bad light, or any other reason deemed in the best interest of the Club. First Officers duties are: Keeping chapter Members informed, maintaining communication with their State Officers and National Officers and maintaining their chapter roster. The First Officer will notify the National Membership Director of all changes in Membership status and member roster information.
First Officers who resign from their positions for other than hardship reasons will have a 6 month waiting period before they can be considered for another Officer position in the Southern Cruisers. Hardship reasons consist of personal illness or that of a direct family member, death of a direct family member, relocation, temporary financial hardship or extreme time constraints placed on a member by employment, education or family. Officers that have resigned due to hardship will be able to regain an Officers position based on the Chapter's need and the Chapter Director's approval.
Officers that resign due to conflict of interests; or who have been negatively reviewed by the Board of Directors previously; or Officers that have been removed from their position for failing to follow the Club By-Laws or Officer Code of Conduct will not be allowed to hold an Officers position in the Southern Cruisers Riding Club again.
8) Other Officers may be appointed by the First Officer or elected by the Membership of that Chapter. Other offices may include, but no limited to Second and Third officer, Road Captain and Tail Gunner. A Chapter may maintain its own board for the resolution of chapter related problems.
9) Other Offices may become necessary as the Club grows and will be established by the National Officers and duties described in this Constitution.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
1) The Board of Directors will consist of a panel of 7 to 9 Members, appointed by the National President, National Vice President and The Chairman of the Board Of Directors. Board Members will serve on a year-to-year basis not to exceed more than Three Years as a Board Member.
2) The Board will meet on-line for the discussion of problems that CANNOT be resolved by the First Officer, State Officer or the General Membership. Any Member has the right to address the Board for any grievance, but the Chain of Command should be followed in this order, First Officer and State Officer, should be contacted first, if the circumstance permits.
3) A grievance may be presented to the Board in either Email or letter form. All pertinent information must accompany the request. All complaints from Officers or General Membership sent to the BOD for a review will be kept confidential and will not be released to the Public or the Membership of the SCRC. This gives all the Membership the opportunity to file a complaint without being subjected to public controversy. The content and context of complaints will only be shared with the individuals filing the complaint, the Board of Directors and the complaintants.
4) Any Board Member may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the remaining Board Members. Any information and/or complaints to be reviewed by the SCRC Board Of Directors need to be sent to the Chairman of the Board at this address: BOD@SouthernCruisers.Net.
MEMBERSHIP
1) Membership in the SCRC is open to anyone with an interest in group riding regardless of race, creed or sex and all applicants must be 16 years of age or older. Members must be either a Rider or Passenger on a Motorcycle. Spouses, if they ride with their husband or wife as a passenger are eligible to join with the same Membership Status as the motorcycle operator. Non-riders will only be allowed Membership under special circumstances to be determined by the Chapter First Officer and the National Membership Director.
2) The Southern Cruisers Riding Club is a No Dues, " Family Oriented Club " and does not require attendance to Meetings or Rides. However, lack of Communications and Participation may lead to revocation of Membership at the discretion of the Chapter First Officer.
3) Anyone wishing to apply for Membership shall complete either form , the form that has been reproduced on Paper, or the On Line form at https://secure.southerncruisers.net/purpose.htm . The word "AGREE" must be entered on the online form for consideration of Membership. A signature must appear on reproduced forms. The SCRC and its Chapter Officers reserves the right to refuse Membership to anyone.
4) Upon submittal of the Membership Application, the Membership Director will assign the applicant to a Chapter and issue a Membership Number and forward the application to the Chapter First officer receiving the new applicant. The Chapter First Officer shall contact the new applicant as soon as possible, but one week is deemed sufficient.
5) The First Officer may remove Membership from any Member that does not comply with the Constitution of the SCRC or acts in a manner that does not reflect the SCRC in a good light. The First Officer may also turn problems within the Chapter over to the State Officer for more direction on the problem with the intent to make a final decision that's acceptable to the SCRC and the Membership of that Chapter.
6) Members may be placed as a Member-at-Large (MAL) if no Chapter is in their area. Applicants may not elect to join as a MAL if there is currently a chapter in their area. Upon the opening of a Chapter in the MAL's area, the MAL shall be placed in the Membership of the New Chapter.
MEETINGS
1) Meetings may consist of formal sit down or rides that are conducted by the Chapter. No Member is required to attend any meeting, however, the First Officer of a Chapter may deem revocation of Membership necessary if a Member has not participated in an extended period of time. Also, Membership may be revoked if attempts to contact Member through Email, Telephone attempts or US Mail are not responded to or the attempts fail due to incorrect information.
2) Any National, Board Of Directors, State, or Chapter First Officers may call meetings. Members of the Southern Cruisers Riding Club® may also request Meetings by contacting the First Officer of that area and with approval may head this Meeting.
CHARITY EVENTS
1) The SCRC will not discourage any member from attending a charity event or any chapter from conducting one. If the SCRC is used in the billing of such event, then the SCRC will approve the charity that has been selected as beneficiary. No Bank accounts, Savings or Checking should ever be opened under the name Southern Cruisers Riding Club by any Officer or Member.
2) If the name, Southern Cruisers Riding Club®, SCRC, or the Club Emblem is to be used in the promotion of a charitable event, by a chapter or member, then beneficiary of the event must be previously approved by the SCRC.
NATIONAL AND STATE EVENTS
1) The Annual Reunion of the Southern Cruisers will be held by the SCRC in conjunction with the Honda Hoot. This reunion will be, in most cases, the third week of June. All members are encouraged to attend and enjoy the camaraderie that the SCRC has created. The hosting Chapter/Chapters will be responsible for conducting rides and setting up motels for the Event. One hotel will be designated as the headquarters and establishment of the Headquarters will done as soon as possible for maximum occupancy.
2) State Rallies are encouraged and the State Officer will oversee the management of the rally. State Rallies should not just be limited to members in the State, but open to all members of the SCRC.
3) Chapters are encouraged to hold interchapter rides and weekend get-togethers. Chapters are also encouraged to attend local events and conduct local events so to promote the camaraderie of the club and increase chapter participation.
4) The Southern Cruisers annual birthday Celebration will be conducted during the month of October in a location set aside by the President of the SCRC. The local Chapter/Chapters will be responsible for conducting rides and setting up motels for the Event. One motel will be designated as the headquarters and establishment of the Headquarters will done as soon as possible for maximum occupancy. The Birthday Celebration may be conducted in conjunction as a charity event as designated by the President of the SCRC.
5) Drinking and Riding is not Condoned by the Southern Cruisers Riding Club®. Members must user their best judgment when on a club ride, to limit consumption of Alcoholic Beverages. It is the Right of the Ride Leader to dismiss a participant from the ride if in the Ride Leader's judgment, the participant's drinking may be a hazard to themselves or other participants in the ride or the ride leader deems that a motorcycle is in an unsafe condition.
AMENDMENTS
1) These bylaws may be amended by a three-fourths vote of the International Officers.
Riding Rules
The latest version of the riding rules text below is always available at http://www.southerncruisers.net/ridingrules.htm. In the event of discrepancies between the text on this page and the text at the central site, the latter will be considered valid at the expense of the former.
Rules for Group Riding Safety
The purpose of riding in an organized group instead of an undisciplined pack is to provide the additional safety that a well-organized group inherently generates. This comes from within the group and from the outside. When a group rides in an orderly fashion, people dont get in each others way, and the organization of the formation itself discourages cars from attempting to cut in. I have even seen trucks move to the far side of their lane to minimize wind blast when they see a well-ordered formation "single up" and move as far away from the truck as their lane allows. Once riding rules have been adopted by a club, EVERYONE Riding with the SCRC is expected to follow them. Anyone violating the rules, and compromising everyone else's safety, will be warned, and if their actions continue, will no longer be welcome to ride with the club. The following rules are compiled from a number of sources. Most clubs that ride in orderly formations follow similar rules. Details may vary from one club to another, sometimes because of the style of riding they do, or sometimes because there are a number of reasonable options, so they chose the one they prefer.
NO ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION WHILE WE ARE RIDING !!!
Formation Riding: Will be in a standard State Patrol (staggered) formation. In staggered formation, the bikes form two columns, with the leader at the head of the left column, so he will be able to view all bikes in the formation in his/her rearview mirrors, and be able to see around vehicles the group approaches. The second bike will head the right column, and will ride approximately 1 second behind the leader (and in the opposite side of the lane). The other riders will position their bikes 2 seconds behind the bike directly in front of them, which puts them 1 second behind the diagonal bike. This formation allows each rider sufficient safety space, and discourages other vehicles from cutting into the line. The last rider, or Tail Gunner, may ride on whichever side of the lane he prefers. He will have to change sides during the ride, based on the situation at the moment.
Ride Leader: The Ride Leader must be aware of the length of the columns, and must gauge the passing of merges, highway entrances and exits, etc., to allow for maximum safety and keeping the group together. He must make sure that he leaves enough time/space for the formation to get into the appropriate lanes before exits, etc. All directions come from the Ride Leader. The Ride Leader makes all decisions regarding lane changes, stopping for breaks and fuel, closing of gaps, turning off at exits, any concerns of what lies ahead, accepting/rejecting radioed messages from other individuals, and so on. No individual will assert himself independently without direction from the Ride Leader to do so.
Tail Gunner: The Tail Gunner serves as the eyes of the Ride Leader. He watches the formation, and informs the Ride Leader of any potential problems within the group. He watches other vehicles, and informs the Ride Leader (and anyone else with radios) of hazardous conditions approaching from the rear, such as vehicles trying to cut into the formation and trucks passing with potentially dangerous wind blasts. He will watch for merging lanes, and will move into a merging lane (or stay in a merging lane just vacated by the group) in order to "close the door" on other vehicles that may otherwise find themselves trying to merge into the formation. At the Ride Leaders request, the Tail Gunner changes lanes before the formation, to secure the lane so the formation can move into it.
New Riders: The position of new (inexperienced with GROUP riding) riders within the group is significant. New riders should be positioned as close to the front as possible.
Lane Changes: All lane changing starts with a radio request from the Ride Leader to the Tail Gunner. The Tail Gunner will (when it is safe to do so) move into the requested lane and will inform the Ride Leader when the lane is clear.
At this point, the Ride Leader has three options:
(A)
Simple Lane Change: This is an ordinary lane change, and can be used in most situations. After the Tail Gunner has secured the new lane, the Ride Leader will put on his directional signal as an indication that he is about to order a lane change. As each rider sees the directional signal, he also turns his on, so the riders following him get the signal. The leader then initiates the change. All other riders change lanes too. The important concept is that NO ONE moves until the bike in front of him has started moving.
(B)
Block Lane Change: This can be used interchangeably with the Simple Lane Change. It requires a little more work, but it is well worth the effort. Its quite impressive to watch, and gives the riders a tremendous feeling of
"togetherness". This sounds a little complicated, but is actually very simple to do. After the Tail Gunner has secured the new lane, the Ride Leader will put on his directional signal as an indication that he is about to order a lane change. As each rider sees the directional signal, he also turns his on, so the riders following him get the signal. The leader then raises his left arm straight up. Each rider repeats this signal. Then, as the leader lowers his arm to point to the lane into which he is moving, he actually initiates the change. All other riders lower their arms at the same time and change lanes too. This allows the entire formation to move from one lane to another as a single block.
(C)
Rear Fill-in: This is sometimes necessary if a long enough gap cannot be maintained in the new lane, for example when trying to move from the right lane to the center and vehicles from the left lane keep cutting into the opening. After the Tail Gunner has secured the new lane, the leader (usually at the suggestion of the Tail Gunner) will call for the group to fill in the space from the rear. He signals this by raising his hand to shoulder height and "pushing" it towards the new lane. All riders repeat the signal, and the last bikes move into the space in the new lane ahead of the Tail Gunner, then the next-to-last bikes move in ahead of those, and so on until the Ride Leader finally moves into the space ahead of the entire formation.
Emergencies:
In the unlikely event of an emergency condition, the Ride Leader will make every attempt to move the formation to the shoulder in an orderly manner. If a bike breaks down, let the rider move to the right. DO NOT STOP. The Tail Gunner will stop with the problem bike. The Ride Leader will lead the group to a safe stopping place.
Hand Signals:
Each rider (and passenger) should duplicate all hand signals given by the rider in front of him, so that the signals get passed all the way to the back of the formation. The following signals are used in addition to the standard (right turn, left turn slow /stop) hand signals.
Block Lane Change:
The leader (after having the Tail Gunner secure the lane) raises his left arm straight up. Each rider repeats this signal. Then, as the leader lowers his arm to point to the lane into which he is moving, he actually initiates the change. All other riders lower their arms at the same time and change lanes too.
Fill in from rear:
After having the Tail Gunner secure the lane and putting on his directional signal (which is repeated by each rider), the Ride Leader raises his left hand to his shoulder and "pushes" his open hand toward the lane into which he wants to move. This signal is repeated by all riders, and each rider in turn, rearmost first, moves into the space ahead of the riders behind them.
Single up:
When conditions warrant single file (narrow road, anticipated wind-blast from trucks, obstruction, pedestrians, etc.) the Ride Leader will raise his left hand straight up, holding up just his index finger. All other riders will repeat this, and the two columns will merge into one.
Staggered Formation:
After singling up, when single file is no longer necessary, the Ride Leader will raise his left hand with thumb and pinky out, other fingers closed, rotating his wrist back and forth (indicating left, right, left, right). All other riders will repeat this and resume staggered formation.
Tighten Formation:
When the Ride Leader feels that the formation should be tighter (bikes closer together) (usually after being informed by the Tail Gunner), he raises his left hand with fingers spread wide and repeatedly closes them into a fist. All other riders repeat this and close up all unnecessary space in the formation.
Road Hazard:
This is the one signal that can be initiated by ANYONE. Anyone seeing a hazardous condition on the road surface (road kill, oil, gravel, significant pot hole, etc.) will point at it. All following riders will repeat this, and all riders will avoid the hazard.
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