Safe Riding Techniques and Practices

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Try to avoid heavy traffic whenever possible. I seldom ride in urban areas and tend to head for the back roads to for an enjoyable ride. I will occasionally, make an errand run down town but I select times when traffic will be at it's least and it's get in and get out.

When riding a bike, I think that it's duck hunting season and I'm a duck.

It's funny how motorcycling can be so much fun and can also be very dangerous.

I bet that if the traffic laws were changed to provide heavy penalty/sentences for car-bike collisions, there would be a lot less.
 
Here's one -- if you begin to see lots of mailboxes on a country lane? SLOW DOWN! You never know when some old farmer is going to pull out with his pickup or tractor. People driving on their local roads are oblivious to anything because they feel secure and familiar. They pull u-turns, pull over w/o signals -- you name it.

Beware local traffic !

Also, slow down at the end of a long riding day. You are tired, grumpy, and in a hurry to get there. This is when you are most at risk -- your brain isn't concentrating as hard as early in the morning. You might not see that on-coming driver start to turn left right in front of you in time.
 
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If you're the last guy in a long conga line of slow traffic beware oncoming left turners or cross traffic is going to want to go. Whatever it takes to be visible, do it, even if it means backing off 4-5 seconds.
 
Buy and read Proficient Motorcycling and More Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough.
Re-read each one annually.
 
Originally Posted By: olddognewtrks
Take a motorcycle safety course. Cheap, and easy to find.

ALL THE GEAR, ALL THE TIME! i.e., dress for the crash, not the ride. Sweat washes off. Skin grafts in the Burn Unit suck.

Learn your bike's basics-tire pressures (frequent), chain slack, headlight adjustments, fluid levels, what wires go to what things, especially running lights. No, you don't have to become a master mechanic, but if you miss an avoidable problem, it's your butt, not someone elses.



I always rode (yes, past tense; I'm currently hugely underemployed) in the left side of the lane. My rationale: I drive from the left side of my car, therefore all my visual cues are the same, I'm seen in both car mirrors, I stay out of blind spots, no one can get me opening a car door, and people have to pass me properly without running me out of my lane.

Oh, and practice, practice, practice! Find deserted roads and do progressively harder stops to the point of nearly losing the front end so you're not surprised during a real emergency. Practice swerves and lane changes, and progressively add some braking. You'll thank yourself when you prevent some moron from killing you. And they WILL try to kill you.

If you can possibly afford it, take professionally taught track courses. I know I will when I can.

Ride safe!


I own ALOT of motorcycle gear for every season, When i say dress for the conditions im refering to proper CE approved protective gear, but it comes in many forms. Im not putting on my fieldshier suit to go 2 blocks to the store, Im not going to put my textile jacket on to go attack cornners, and im not going to put my full race suit on to go cruise town in traffic. Propper riding gear for the conditions = a much more comfortable ride. I understand how this could be misunderstood.."generic awnsers". I'm just clairifying.
 
I'd like to add one more post regarding proper riding gear. DON'T WEAR HUNTER CAMO WHILE STREET RIDING! Please! It works too well, so even people looking for you won't "see" you until the last moment. I (or any of the other cars around me) could have taken a guy out last year. Only saw him when he lurched across the crosswalk at a cross street. He stopped before I got abreast of him, but it scared me a bit.
 
The cars are out to kill you! every vehicle is out to kill you!! That and the slippery part of the lane of the center .
 
Be sure to get noticed:
1 Make sure you are riding a Harley Davidson with extra loud exhaust and lots of chrome goodies because more people will hear , see and notice you because you are riding an American legend and they will wish they were riding one too.

2. Wear matching Harley leather boots and jacket. Plus a Harley helmet and fingerless gloves and chaps. More people who are afraid of bikers will notice you as well and usually get out of your way because they don't want to get beat up if they make you angry.

3. Get plenty of tatoos....teen drivers love and admire tatoos aand would rather run over their Grandmother than hit someone with a nice biker tatoo...so the more tatoos you have the safer you are.

Well that should about do it....safe riding everyone...
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Read this on another site, but I don't know if it is accurate:

"Riding down the George Bush Turnpike doing 70MPH when one of his chaps came unzipped and flew back and got caught in his rear wheel or in the chain and gear. The wheel locked up and he went down quick. Luckily he was not hurt too bad and is back on the bike today. Somehow he got this video from the state I guess for insurance reasons or something."
 
Always make yourself visible. As cage drivers, we basically know where blind spots are. As bike pilots, make sure you aren't in one. Every cager is out to get you. From the guy that is texting the last revision to his latest contract, to the woman putting on make up, talking to her BFF, and frying bacon up on the dashboard so the kiddos have a good breakfast. Always wear your gear. Jacket, helmet, gloves, long pants, and boots.. something to keep your ankles protected. "Gear is too expensive" is a poor excuse. My boots, jacket, gloves, and helmet all came to about 400. using Christmas and New Years clearance sales. Top of the line stuff too.. Scorpion Helmet, DOT and Snell, 200.00 off. Olympia Jacket, Dupont Cordura, armor, thermal liner, 180. Boots, 79. Gloves, 35. And wear it all the time. It won't do you a bit of good hanging in the closet. Take the MSF class. The biggest thing I walked away from the class with was that the bike stands up during hard braking. No wonder so many folks run off of curves. They panic, grab a handful of brake, the bike stands up, they go off the road. Learn to push harder and dial in more throttle. Throttle settles the suspension, tightens the lean angle, and with proper bar input, keeps you in the lane. Practice, practice, practice. Experience builds confidence and confidence creates experience. It feeds itself. Then, you will want to take a track day class, where you will probably learn you really didnt know as much as you thought, and that your bike can lean over until parts are dragging, and you are still in control.
 
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