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1. Assume you're invisible.
To a lot of drivers, you are. Never make a move based on the
assumption that another driver sees you, even if you've made eye
contact. Bikes don't register to the four-wheel mind.
2. Be considerate.
The consequences of strafing the jerk du jour or cutting him
off, start out bad and get worse. Pretend it was your grandma
and smile.
3. Dress for the crash, not the pool or the pub.
Sure, McDonald's is a 5-minute trip, but nobody plans to eat
pavement. Modern mesh gear means 100-degree heat and is no
excuse for a T-shirt and board shorts.
4. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
Assume that car across the intersection will turn across your
bow when the light goes green, with or without a turn signal.
5. Leave your ego at home.
The only people who really care if you were faster on the
freeway will be the officer and the judge.
6. Pay attention.
Yes, there is a half-naked girl on the billboard. That shock
does feels squishy. Meanwhile, you could be drifting toward Big
Trouble. Focus.
7. Mirrors only show you part of the picture.
Never change direction without turning your head to make sure
the coast really is clear..
8. Be patient.
Always take another second or three before you pull out to pass,
ride away from a curb or into freeway traffic from an on-ramp.
It's what you don't see that gets you. That extra look could
save your butt.
9. Watch your closing speed.
Passing cars at twice their speed or changing lanes to shoot
past a row of stopped cars is just asking for trouble.
10. Beware the verge and the merge.
A lot of nasty surprises end up on the sides of the road: empty
McDonald's bags, nails, TV antennas, ladders, you name it. Watch
for troublesome debris on both sides of the road.
11. Left-turning cars remain a leading killer of motorcyclists.
Don't assume someone will wait for you to dart through the
intersection. They're trying to beat the light, too.
12. Beware of cars running traffic lights.
The first few seconds after a signal light changes are the most
perilous. Look both ways before barging into an intersection.
13. Check your mirrors.
Do it every time you change lanes, slow down or stop. Be ready
to move if another vehicle is about to occupy the space you'd
planned to use.
14. Mind the gap.
Remember Drivers Ed? One seconds worth of distance per 10 mph is
the old rule of thumb. Better still, scan the next 12 seconds
ahead for potential trouble.
15 Beware of boy racers.
They're quick and their drivers tend to be aggressive. Don't
assume you've beaten one away from a light or outpaced it in
traffic and change lanes without looking. You could end up as a
civic hood ornament.
16. Excessive entrance speed hurts.
Its the leading cause of single-bike accidents on twisty roads
and racetracks. In Slow, Out Fast is the old adage, and it still
works. Dialing up corner speed is safer than scrubbing it off.
17. Don't trust that deer whistle.
Ungulates and other feral beasts prowl at dawn and dusk, so heed
those big yellow signs. If you're riding in a target-rich
environment, slow down and watch the shoulders.
18. Learn to use both brakes.
The front does most of your stopping, but a little rear brake on
corner entry can calm a nervous chassis.
19. Keep the front brake covered always.
Save a single second of reaction time at 60 mph and you can stop
88 feet shorter. Think about that.
20. Look where you want to go.
Use the miracle of target fixation to your advantage. The
motorcycle goes where you look, so focus on the solution instead
of the problem.
21. Keep your eyes moving.
Traffic is always shifting, so keep scanning for potential
trouble. Don't lock your eyes on any one thing for too long
unless you're actually dealing with trouble.
22. Think before you act.
Careful whipping around that mica going 7 kph in a 30-kph zone
or you could end up with your head in the drivers side door when
he turns into the driveway right in front of you.
23. Raise your gaze.
Its too late to do anything about the 20 feet immediately in
front of your fender, so scan the road far enough ahead to see
trouble and change trajectory.
24. Get your mind right in the driveway.
Most accidents happen during the first 15 minutes of a ride,
below 40 mph, near an intersection or driveway. Yes, that could
be your driveway.
25. Come to a full stop at that next stop sign.
Put a foot down. Look again. Anything less forces a snap
decision with no time to spot potential trouble.
26. Never dive into a gap in stalled traffic.
Cars may have stopped for a reason, and you may not be able to
see why until its too late to do anything about it.
27 Don't saddle up more than you can handle.
If you weigh 95 pounds, avoid that 795-pound cruiser. If you're
5-foot-5, forget those towering adventure-tourers.
28. Watch for car doors opening in traffic.
And smacking a car that's swerving around some goofballs open
door is just as painful.
29. Don't get in an intersection rut.
Watch for a two-way stop after a string of four-way
intersections. If you expect cross-traffic to stop, there could
be a painful surprise when it doesn't.
30. Stay in your comfort zone when you're with a group.
Riding over your head is a good way to end up in the ditch. Any
bunch worth riding with will have a rendezvous point where
you'll be able to link up again.
31. Give your eyes some time to adjust.
A minute or two of low light heading from a well-lighted garage
onto dark streets is a good thing. Otherwise, you're essentially
flying blind for the first mile or so
32. Master the slow U-turn.
Practice. Park your butt on the outside edge of the seat and
lean the bike into the turn, using your body as a counterweight
as you pivot around the rear wheel.
33. Who put a stop sign at the top of this hill?
Don't panic. Use the rear brake to keep from rolling back down.
Use Mr. Throttle and Mr. Clutch normally and smoothly to pull
away.
34. If it looks slippery, assume it is.
A patch of suspicious pavement could be just about anything.
Butter Flavor Crisco? Gravel? Mobil 1? Or maybe its nothing.
Better to slow down for nothing than go on your head.
35. Bang! A blowout! Now what?
No sudden moves. The motorcycle isn't happy, so be prepared to
apply a little calming muscle to maintain course Ease back the
throttle, brake gingerly with the good wheel and pull over very
smoothly to the shoulder. Big sigh.
36. Drops on the face shield?
Its raining. Lightly misted pavement can be slipperier than when
its been rinsed by a downpour, and you never know how much grip
there is. Apply maximum-level concentration, caution and
smoothness.
37. Emotions in check?
To paraphrase Mr. Ice Cube, chickity-check yourself before you
wreck yourself. Emotions are as powerful as any drug, so take
inventory every time you saddle up. If you're mad, sad,
exhausted or anxious, stay put.
38. Wear good gear.
Wear stuff that fits you and the weather If you're too hot or
too cold or fighting with a jacket that binds across the
shoulders, you're dangerous. Its that simple.
39. Leave the iPod at home.
You wont hear that cement truck in time with Spinal Tap cranked
to 11, but they might like your headphones in intensive care.
40. Learn to swerve.
Be able to do two tight turns in quick succession. Flick left
around the bag of briquettes, then right back to your original
trajectory. The bike will follow your eyes, so look at the way
around, not the briquettes. Now practice till its a reflex.
41. Be smooth at low speeds.
Take some angst out, especially of slow-speed maneuvers, with a
bit of rear brake. It adds a welcome bit of stability by
minimizing unwelcome weight transfer and potentially bothersome
drive line lash.
42. Flashing is good for you.
Turn signals get your attention by flashing, right? So a few
easy taps on the pedal or lever before stopping makes your brake
light more eye-catching to trailing traffic.
43. Intersections are scary, so hedge your bets.
Put another vehicle between your bike and the possibility of
someone running the stop sign/red light on your right and you
cut your chances of getting nailed in half.
44. Tune your peripheral vision.
Pick a point near the center of that wall over there. Now scan
as far as you can by moving your attention, not your gaze. The
more you can see without turning your head, the sooner you can
react to trouble.
45. All alone at a light that wont turn green?
Put as much motorcycle as possible directly above the sensor
wire usually buried in the pavement beneath you and located by a
round or square pattern behind the limit line. If the light
still wont change, try putting your kickstand down, right on the
wire. You should be on your way in seconds.
46. Every-thing is harder to see after dark.
Even You. Adjust your headlights, Carry a clear face shield and
have your game all the way on after dark, especially during
commuter hours.
47. Don't troll next to or right behind Mr. Peterbilt.
If one of those 18 retreads blows up which they do with some
regularity it de-treads, and that can be ugly. Unless you like
dodging huge chunks of flying rubber, keep your distance.
48. Take the panic out of panic stops.
Develop an intimate relationship with your front brake. Seek out
some safe, open pavement. Starting slowly, find that fine line
between maximum braking and a locked wheel, and then do it
again, and again.
49. Make your tires right.
None of this stuff matters unless your skins are right. Don't
take em for granted Make sure pressure is spot-on every time you
ride. Check for cuts, nails and other junk they might have
picked up, as well as general wear.
50. Take a deep breath.
Count to 10. Smile at the idiot. Forgetting some clowns 80-mph
indiscretion beats running the risk of ruining your life, or
ending it.
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