Larger groups, say up to 10 bikes, works too. Then they might get strung out over perhaps five miles. But again, with everyone knowing where they are going and / or having a good marker ‘drop off’ system running (with everyone knowing how it works) it’s not a huge problem.
The problems come:
A. For the leader. It’s quite tiring leading a group, as you have to look after yourself AND them to some degree or another.
B. Lots of things look like motorcycles in the mirrors, keeping track of what is happening behind you is not always easy, especially if the bod behind has the light of a thousand blazing suns beaming out. You really cannot see a thing.
C. Cafe / lunch stops are tricky, as few small towns can cater for 10 bikes plus maybe pillions arriving to all sit down at once. The leader has to find a place where 10 bikes can park safely, which is not always easy, meaning you have to ride past places that would be very suitable for a smaller group or solo. Not least, contrary to rumour, not every town and village is littered with cafes.
For those that don’t like riding in groups, there’s an easy solution. Start to lead some groups and run them your way.
Spot on.
A good dropoff system works wonders even if people don't know where they are going - but everyone does need to understand it. Most roads are just fine, but some motorway junctions can be tricky. But a halfway decent leader can always slow down a mile or so before a tricky junction to let the group form up again. You can use a back marker to come up to front to give you a thumbs up to let you know everyone is together again, even if you don't have reliable comms. And then if the group still gets spread out, it's simple enough to pull over to the side of the road somewhere with good visibility for a few minutes until everyone is caught up again.
If you are looking after a group on tour and have organised the trip, it's a bit like being a cross between a social worker, tour guide and nanny at times. And it can be tiring indeed. On the flip side, it's wonderful if the group buys you dinner on the last night, maybe gives you a little gift and a round of applause for the trip - kind of makes it worth it. (My trips are like Wapping's - all unpaid).
For lunch stops with good size groups, I normally try and Google stalk the rough area in advance, look at POIs on MRA/BaseCamp, look at the satellite view to get a good idea of parking options. In France, places like a Buffalo Grill are pretty decent. They always have plenty of parking, are close to major road/motorway junctions, normally near a fuel stop and can accommodate good sized groups without a booking. It's not Haute Cuisine, but gets the job done.
Coffee stops can be more ad-hoc. If you are passing through a nice looking village and you see somewhere to park the bikes up, it's normally easy enough to get 20 cups of coffee and a cake in a town square. Worst case, grab a coffee at a petrol station while the group is filling up.
When I plan a route, I always look to put a waypoint at a fuel stop every 70 to 80 miles. I may not use them, but I always want to be prepared for the twat that didn't fill up at the last one, then comes up to the front pointing at his tank. I'll Google stalk the fuel stops on satellite view just make sure they are on the right side of the road, look to have more than 2 pumps etc...
As for filling up with a big group, as someone said above, a buddy system reduces time. 2 bikes fill together on the same pump, one rider pays. Next stop they do the same and the other bloke pays. It works out pretty good most of the time.
I tend to travel mainly with bikes with bigger tanks, but there's almost always a littlun or two, so I plan fuel stops for the littluns and try and explain to the group that some stops are just "splash and dash" for the small bikes and the bigger ones shouldn't fill up there. Doesn't always work, but mainly it does.
Personally, I really enjoy riding in groups, and leading them. It can be hard work at times, but I find it really rewarding being able to show people parts of the world that they may not have seen otherwise.
