31 Flavors of Quick Tips For Motorcycle Riders
Apr 28 '07 (Updated Jun 15 '07)
The Bottom Line I don't know all the answers, but I wish someone would have told me this before my first ride.
There are a lot of things that they do not teach in rider courses, or that few of your riding buddies will take the time to pass on. None of these are earth-shattering, but all can make riding a motorcycle more enjoyable and safe. There has to be hundreds more, but these are a few of the things I wish someone would have told me before my first ride.
City Streets:
1. Take an accredited riding course. Having confidence in your basic skills increases your safety, relaxation, and enjoyment of every ride.
2. Dress for the accident you could have. All the gear, all the time. Over-the-ankle boots / shoes, abrasion resistant pants and jacket (armored if possible), gloves, and helmet should be worn every time you hear out the driveway. Even if your accident is so bad that bones are broken, saving the “meat” of your limbs can save those same limbs from a necessary amputation. Remember, even the Fonz wore a leather jacket while riding!
3. Maintenance! It is never fun to stand next to an inoperative motorcycle. It is even less fun in the rain. Make sure all your scheduled maintenance is up-to-date and do a “walk- around” check of your bike before you ride.
4. .Carry a rainsuit. Not only can you not believe the weatherman about rain, but a rainsuit will stop the cold wind from going through those denim pants.
5. Carry a cell phone. There is always someone you know who can help when you are in a jam. No cell phone? Tape four quarters to the underside of your seat – I have never found a pay phone that takes paper money!
6. Share intersections with other vehicles. While a motorcycle can be hard to see, riding near a car or truck will make others less likely to run that stop sign.
7. Do not be first. If you wait for at least a count of 3 before starting through the intersection after your light turns green, you might not be the target of that guy running the yellow light.
8. Watch all oncoming traffic. The lady said, “Everybody knows that I always turn here,” when the officer asked why she turned left in front of my motorcycle. I did not know that, so I left my bike in the street and rode away in an ambulance.
9. Tee shirts look cool, but the sun will bake your skin. A long sleeve shirt is actually cooler than a tee shirt. Wet that shirt down for an even cooler ride.
10. Keep your head on a swivel. Constantly taking in everything around you will make it less likely for you to be surprised by a car backing out of a driveway.
11. Stay off the shoulder. I once spotted broken glass, a used muffler, iron pipe, an oil slick, and an old chair in just a half mile of Nashville freeway. Motorcycles do not mix well with debris like that.
Freeways and Highways:
12. Ride slower than you can stop. Surprises are no fun at too high speeds. Your options decrease as your speed increases.
13. Sun block! It does not take long for a sun burn when the wind feels like it is cooling your face. Your nose will thank you in the morning.
14. Use a tank bag. Tank bags are handy places for those extra items you do not want to carry in your pockets or other luggage. Usually they also have a clear plastic pocket for a road map.
15. Carry masking tape. Maps or written directions can be taped to your fuel tank or tank bag so that you can refer to them safely as you ride. Masking tape will not mess up your paint either.
16. Wear ear plugs. The wind in your face feels good. The wind in your ears will steadily destroy your hearing. Ask your doctor, I bet he will concur.
17. Consider an electrical accessory outlet. Accessory outlets are available at all auto parts stores (they usually go by the name of cigarette lighters), and are a handy place to plug in MP3 players, iPods, GPS units, satellite radios, cell phones, and heated clothing. You can have all the comforts of home while riding Route 66.
18. An electric vest will warm your whole body. An electric vest will warm the blood in your torso. Since your brain will reduce blood flow to all your extremities as your body cools, warming that blood will increase the flow of warm blood to them. You warm you toes by warming your chest.
19. Sit on a sheep. Sheep skin pelts act just like the sheep skin seat covers you see in your neighbor’s sports car. They allow both cooling and warming air flow to sooth that important part of your body.
20. Clothes pins are your friend. Close pins can be used to clip written directions, notes, and even the grocery list to handle bar cables.
21. Primary colors are important. Any time the color of the pavement changes you can bet that the available traction will too. Dark colors might mean oil and light colors might mean sand.
25. Clean your headlight and taillight every time you fuel up. Road grime builds up on your lights and reduces their effectiveness. See and be seen is a good moto.
26. You only have too much gas if you are on fire! Fill your gas tank first. Filling your tank when you stop for the night or for a meal will make it less likely you will hold up your riding group, or worse yet, forget to do it when you are 25 miles from the nearest station.
27. Put on your rainsuit before it starts raining. There is a tendency to wait out the possibility that the oncoming rain will actually soak you. But if you lose that bet it will be a whole lot harder pulling that vinyl suit over wet denim.
28. Slip your boots into plastic grocery bags before donning your rainsuit. Those plastic Wal-Mart bags will slip more easily through the legs of your rainsuit while keeping the inside free of mud from your boots.
29. Let it rain. If it has not rained in a few days those first raindrops will free up the oil and dirt that has settled into the porous pavement. Mixed with water, that oil and dirt will be as slick as ice! It is a good idea to wait a few minutes for the rain to clean that slick layer off the pavement. It is also a good idea to relax for a few minutes before the added stress of riding in the rain.
30. Stay out of the center of the lane. That black strip down the center of the lane got there by cars leaking oil and antifreeze onto the pavement. Mix a little rain with it and you have a serious lack of traction. Without traction a motorcycle wants to lay down on the job.
31. Ride staggered. Riding directly behind another rider reduces your available stopping distance by at least seven feet. That extra seven feet of stopping distance can mean the difference between an accident and only an elevated heart rate. Riding staggered also makes two bikes easier to see by other traffic.
Now please do not think that I believe I know all the answers. After all the miles I have ridden I still find I learn something new during almost every ride. These are only a few of the things I wish someone would have told me before my first ride.
Ride Safe!
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