1. Perfect Your Roadcraft

 

Good roadcraft means less stress - and avoiding awkard and dangerous situations.  Be courteous and acknowlege courtesy to you.  Never be provoked.

 

2. Ride Deliberately

 

Think clearly and ride decisively.  Overtake quickly but safely so the road is left clear for other traffic.

 

3. Develop "Bike Sense"

 

Know your limitations.  Know your bike and treat it sympathetically.  Ride smoothly so as to reduce wear and tear.

 

4. Use your Horn, Signals and Lights Sensibly

 

Aggressive use of the horn is as bad as not using it at all.  Give good clear signals.  Use your headlights at all times, day or night

 

5. Concentrate

 

Total concentration is the key to good riding.  It improves control and ensures that nothing is missed or misunderstood.

 

6. Think First, Then Act

 

A good biker never rides automatically.  Every hazard is different and needs to be thought through in plenty of time and negotiated carefully.

 

7. Hold Back

 

When in doubt, hold back.  Keep your distance until it is safe to overtake, and don't cut in too quicky.

 

8. Corner Safely

 

Safe cornering means being fully aware of the forces at work on your bike, and applying correct cornering principles.

 

9. Use Speed Intelligently

 

Never go faster than you need to.  The speed limit is not the same as the "safe speed."

 

10. Know and Obey Highway Laws

 

Keep up on the changes to them.

New tires have very poor traction for about the first 50 miles. They need a chance for the mold release compound to be worked out of the tire’s surface. Use caution until your new tires have had a chance to break in. Also some automotive tire cleaning products can also reduce your motorcycle’s traction. - Milo Bjerke

We have all ridden in cold weather and despite having heavy gloves, possibly including extra liners, those fingers get too cold and begin to numb.

 

(By the way, I have found that silk liners offer better cold weather protection than heavier cloth liners.)

 

So, what to do about it?

 

Here is a tip that we came up with a couple of years ago when we were out on the last leg (612 miles) of a week on the road and it was so cold that our fingers began to get numb. We pulled to the side of the road, got off our bikes, and dug into our first-aid kits. We pulled out a set of latex gloves and put them on over the liners, then put our regular gloves on over the latex gloves. It's amazing how effective that simple idea turned out to be.

 

(You do carry latex gloves in your first-aid kit, right?)

Can You Make the Grade? By Robert Vaughan

Can you judge how long it will take a train to get to the grade crossing? Will the gates come down on time, or do they give you time to ride around them and still make it safely?

 

Cars often have trouble judging a motorcycle's distance and speed because we are smaller than cars. A train's distance and speed are hard to judge for the opposite reason--trains are so large. Large objects appear to be moving slower than they are. When a jet is coming in for a landing, it appears to be moving very slowly, though it is really doing about 150 miles an hour.

 

Viewing the train almost head-on gives it little apparent motion and makes it seem even slower. The parallel lines of the tracks going toward the train make it look further away than it really is. The combined effect of the trains looking both slower and farther away than it really is, gives us a false sense of security. Most trains take about two minutes to clear a crossing. It only seems longer. Yet, many people gamble two minutes against a lifetime, a real sucker's bet.

 

Don't the crossing gates have a safety margin built in so we actually have plenty of time after they first come down? The answer is sometimes, but not always. The gates are timed for a fast train and activate when the train is a quarter mile from the crossing. If all trains were fast, the train would always be at the crossing within 25 seconds. Even slow trains make the crossing within a minute. Unfortunately, the slow trains also make us think that we always have extra time. If everyone took this extra time for granted we would be fine for all the slow trains. However, the first fast train coming down the track would make mincemeat of all the drivers who didn't make it.

 

Railroads are now experimenting with new types of crossing signs and new ways to paint engines. Operation Lifesaver has helped to reduce crossroad fatalities. The highway department has even put a radio-equipped officer in the locomotive who looks for motorists who drove around the crossing arms. He has street patrols ticket the driver. Unfortunately, railroads and highway departments can't help the driver who sees the train but decides he can beat it across the crossing. In case of a tie, the train always wins.

 

As motorcyclists, this reinforces something we learned long ago--the biggest vehicle has the right of way. It's easier to fight city hall than Southern Pacific.

According to the Hurt Study:

 

5.1 percent of all motorcycle crashes occur in the 5:00-7:00 range (rear-end accidents).
10.4 percent occur in the 8:00 to 10:00 range (from the left).
7.2 percent occur in the 2:00 to 4:00 range (from the right).
77.1 percent of all motorcycle crashes occur in the 11:00 to 1:00 range (directly in front of you).

 

So: while riders must be aware of hazards coming from all directions, the vast majority come from directly in front of you. Hazards from the rear are important, but overrated.

Wear full protective gear, including a helmet. Good riding apparel protects you from the elements, keeps you comfortable, improves your visibility, and connotes responsible riding in addition to protecting you from injury. - Pat Hahn

Headlight angle is greatly affected when carrying a passenger. Have a spot on your garage door or wall, where the headlight normally shines with you sitting and when it's adjusted properly. (If you need to, make a mark of some sort in order to check your headlight aim periodically.) Now you can easily check and adjust your headlight if you carry a passenger. An improperly-adjusted headlight will drastically reduce your effective vision at night as well as the ability of other motorists to notice you during the daytime. - Milo Bjerke

When riding with others, never assume the person in front of you will give you lots of warning when stopping. If a child or animal runs out in front of them, they may brake hard very quickly. It is YOUR responsibility to be ready for this to happen at ANY time. - Charlie Coons

When riding with other motorcyclists with whom you haven't ridden with before, leave more distance between the bikes until you understand the differences in riding styles and comfort levels. - Milo Bjerke

Most motorcycle crashes happen between 3 and 6 p.m. Most fatalities happen between 7:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. Most injury crashes happen in populated areas. Most fatality crashes happen in rural areas. There are reasons behind this. Find out what the crash trends in your area are, and use the information to adapt your riding preferences to put you at an advantage against the statistics. - Pat Hahn