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Tips on How To be a more safe and cautious rider

stangl said:
19: Blame yourself if you crash and learn from it. Blame the bike the tires the road whatever and you will never learn. Leason learned move on dont dwell.
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OH YEAH, BROTHER!

I get very agitated when someone crashes (or gets hit by a car) and refuses to acknowledge their role that they played in bringing about the situation. Usually I hear stories that end with ". . . so I had no choice but to lay 'er down." ARGH. Or, as you mention, when people begin to offer all sorts of excuses as to why their former pride and joy is now a crushed piece of scrap (that blind lady, the gravel, stupid sob, cager, the sun, etc., etc.).

After every get-off or even minor fender-bender, I always go into debrief mode and seriously ask myself the following: "what was my role in this mess and what could I have done better?" The answer is NEVER "nothing." I always could have done something better, regardless of who or what initiated the accident situation.

Great write-up, stangl!

-MATT
 
Great tips!
I'll add some I've not seen:

1.) Don't ride the center of the lane, always stay right or left of it. The middle is always full of oil, especially near bumps and intersections.

2.) Always leave yourself an out. Pick the place you will go when the car behind you at the intersection (or in stop and go traffic) decides to rear end the car in front of you.

3.) If you are stopped, watch behind.

4.) At night watch the tail lights of cars in front of you. They will tell you about major bumps, and dips in the road.

5.) Don't look at what you want to miss, look at where you want to go. You will magically drive where you are looking.

6.) Look ahead in corners. The faster you go, the farther you need to look...

7.) Large white walkway paint stripes are not your friend. Especially not on cool damp mornings...

8.) When lane splitting forget looking at turn signals, cages never use them when it matters. The things to watch are their front tires, their mirrors, and the drivers. You can see a car about to cut you off well before it actually starts to move across your path.

9.) Did anyone say speed up or slow down to get out of blind spots? That's a good one to say a few times...

-Tal
 
9.) Did anyone say speed up or slow down to get out of blind spots? That's a good one to say a few times...
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:laughing .....maybe ha ha



Those are some good tips Taliskar! :thumbup
 
Usually when I come to a stop and there is no cages behind me for a good 4 car lenghts, I will flash my rear brake light 3-5 times and it has been a natural reaction now....

I also like to put my hand out even though I am signaling comin onto the freeway etc because Cagers see the motorcycle as a "machine" and forget that there is a Human on it...so the more conspicuous I can be, I do it......
 
I think it's important to be comfortable on the bike. ALMOST everything on a motorycle (controls) are adjustable. Make sure everything is where you can comfortably grab/press it. The less you think about comfort, the more you can concentrate on your ride.

Danny
 
ScottRNelson said:
Read Proficient Motorcycling by David L. Hough. I just finished the last chapter this morning and it has changed my riding. You can buy it for less than $25.00. It's the best investment in motorcycling I've ever made.
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I second that! I'm in the middle of the book right now, and while it hasn't covered much that was really news to me, it does a wonderful job of explaining why motorcycles behave as they do in response to certain inputs, and how you can use that behavior to your advantage. And it tells you exactly what steps you can take to create a mental attitude, and develop skills, that will help you be prepared for whatever situations you encounter on the road.
 
Thanks everyone for all the good specifics. I've got one general rule that really should be on all our minds when riding the twisties:

Don't treat the twisties like a racetrack. Even if you know the road, even if you're a racer, even if you've done the ride 10,000 times, you just don't know what's around the corner. You don't know when some sand or oil or coolant will be on the road.

We all make mistakes - hell even pro racers crash. Don't push things to the hairy edge when just past the edge is a car or a truck or a tree or a cliff.

This is what trackdays are for. The road surface is clean and will be kept clean. There are no obstacles, and if you crash generally nothing to hit other than the ground. Yeah they're expensive and maybe you can't afford it often, but can you afford to break your leg? Or be paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of your life? Or die?

Enjoy but keep it sane folks. So much more fun to hang with other cyclists at Alice's and The Wall and enjoy a spirited ride in the hills, than have to give our condolences on BARF.

Peace!
 
Here are a couple more I thought of.

-- If you catch a glimpse of something shiny/reflective on the road surface ahead, set yourself up to avoid riding through it. Most things that are shiny are also slippery; for example, metal objects, oil, ice, puddles of water.

-- When you find yourself becoming tense, grip the tank tightly with your knees. This will transfer the tension from your upper body to your legs, letting your arms and shoulders relax, keeping you from making unintentional steering inputs. It will help make your riding smoother under everyday circumstances, and if it becomes a habit, you'll be more likely to retain control in an emergency situation.

-- For new riders, if you have a tendency to twist your shoulders when you look over your shoulder to check behind you (thus causing the bike to deviate from its path of travel), try ducking your head slightly, so that you are looking more past your armpit than directly over your shoulder. It helps keep your shoulders square.
 
Great advice, guys!!!

Here's a few more:
(Many of these are from riding Hwy 9, but apply anywhere.)

~~ Assess your environment constantly, keep scanning the road, the cars, the trees for deer, your mirrors, etc.

~~ I use my horn a LOT! Better to give a friendly toot than be run over by someone who "never saw you".

~~ ASSUME when riding past blind driveways that cagers will pull out half-way into the road before looking - stay closer to the yellow line, finger ready on the horn.

~~ Bridges tend to be narrow - ride further away from the yellow line, to give oncoming cars, trucks or buses ample room.

~~ When there's oncoming traffic, as well as bicyclists, ASSUME that the car will swerve around the bicyclist across into your lane - move away from the double yellow.

~~ Whenever possible (ok, always), I wave a thank-you to each car I pass. It diffuses their hatred or jealousy or rage, and they may be the ones stopping to help you later when you've crashed.

~~ Ride WITH your head, not OVER it!

Yana:banana

and my sig:
 
Ensure your gear (jacket, helmet, gloves, boots, etc) fit snuggly. Gear that is too loose may provide less protection, or fail completely (i.e. a helmet that is too big could come right off yer noggin in a crash and not do its duty).

Something interesting... I bought my Shoei helmet over 2,000 miles ago and it was terribly tight after riding for an hour or so. It would cause a deep red mark on my forehead and give me a headache. Now that I have gotten it worn in - it is just right, or possibly too loose. So you need to try on your helmet when you go to purchase one... and please, don't use a used helmet that you aren't 100% sure of its history and age. I do believe the integrity of the helmet is lost over time and is lost when its been dropped on the ground - that is a very controversal topic, but would you rather believe the integrity isn't lost and possibly lose your head, or play it safe and keep yourself intact as-is? :D
 
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safety suggestions

My contribution to this thread was given by my instructor 25 years ago when I was learning in London traffic.

'Ride as if you're invisible'

Andrew
 
cacowgirl3 said:
I bought my Shoei helmet over 2,000 miles ago and it was terribly tight after riding for an hour or so. It would cause a deep red mark on my forehead and give me a headache.
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Cacowgirl3: I had the same problem with my first Shoei back in the early 90s. I spoke to an Arai rep at a MC show back then and he looked at my noggin and indicated that I have a "long oval" head, not well suited for Shoeis of that day. I tried-on and then bought an Arai Signet and stopped having the "Shoei welt" and headaches.

This was all a couple of years ago. I understand that Shoei now makes some different helmet shapes that might fit long-oval heads better. However, I'm now a committed Arai Signet person. Fits great.

-MATT
 
Are we off topic now, or what?

I have the same head shape issue, but I find that Shoei fits me well (RF-700 and RF-800) and Arai doesn't. Maybe I didn't try all of the Arai models, since I'm most interested in the least expensive helmet that meets the Snell and ANSI standards and Shoei was it. I still have an older Arai helmet that never did adjust to my head shape. My forehead hurts if I wear it too long.

As for the liner stretching, I have a good example of that. My RF-700 is maybe 4 years older than my RF-800, both in exactly the same size. I use the older helmet for short trips and where it might bet banged around a little and save the newer one for more serious rides. The newer one is much more snug.

I think I've grown to like how easy it is to swap visors on the Shoei as well.
 
Re: safety suggestions

Thump said:
My contribution to this thread was given by my instructor 25 years ago when I was learning in London traffic.

'Ride as if you're invisible'

Andrew
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...as if you are invisible to everyone but cops.

Michael
 
wear brite a** clothing help too....so they can see u better...not matching your bike help too i think...is not about fashion...is about surviving...i have a yellow bike....i wear either blue or red jacket...juz in case if i am sliding on da ground...wouldn't want other driver to mistaken me for my farings....
 
Tactical advantage.........

I really like BARF. We are all in this together. There's a few things I can offer. Maintain your machine properly! I see it all the time here at my shop. Accidents waiting to happen are easily avoided simply by checking things on a routine basis. Get a dial type guage and check your tire pressures at least once a month. Rubber is porous and air is supposed to leak out slowly. I ride as if people are trying to hit me. Sounds paranoid, yeah, but it has kept me alive for a long time. I've had DIRECT eye to eye contact with cagers who still pull out at intersections. LEARN AND PRACTICE THE PERFORMANCE LIMITS OF YOUR BRAKES!!!!!!!!!
Did you know your stopping distance is SHORTER if you pull in the clutch lever while panic stopping? Disengaging the clutch removes all of the momentum of the engine from increasing your stopping distances. Imagine trying to grab your chain while the bike is in gear and you'll see what I mean. I started out racing dirt bikes, which was a huge help in learning how to handle a bike. Anybody can accelerate quickly- not everyone can stop as quickly as possible. Having great brakes with shit tires is a no-no. Put a crowbar in your checkbook and get the best rubber you can afford. I'm thinking about a special deal for BARFERS on tires. I'd rather sell tires cheap than read about a brother or sister crashing and not truly knowing why. Sportbikes are so cool, their capabilities are awesome. Get some professional instruction rather than that pipe. Learning your bike's performance limits before you expand them is essential. Don't let the little head think for the big one. See Dick. See Dick drink. See Dick ride. See Dick crash. See Dick die. Don't be a Dick.....:laughing :laughing :laughing
 
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Great tips guys..

don't know if anybody mentioned this but

1) Practice emergency braking regularly.
2) Practice avoiding target fixation.. (believe me if you donot practice enough you will end up fixating and crashing)...

Practicing proper habits makes you a smoother and safer rider...

ride safe everyone...!!!
 
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