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Seven more motorcycle safety tips no one ever told you and probably never will.
7 More motorcycle safety tips no one ever told you
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I just checked the seven safety tips. Usually do not.
1 Those stick on mirrors take up space, which makes the mirror not as useful as before. But the little mirrors can also help.
2 All my boots have laces, and I am not changing. I like laces, I do not like velcro. Jeans with wide bottoms are a bigger problem.
3 The center of the lane used to be much worse, especially after fresh rain. Have a look at the video. The bike is in the center of the lane often, just before it went over the rail way tracks at a bad angle. You guys have straight roads. I ride on all of the lane for curvy roads. Often in the middle of straight roads.
4 Good point. We have rain, not air conditioning drip. Never heard of it.
5 Snug fitting leather jacket for summer. Oversize rain proof jacket for winter. Armour if you must. But which is more important, your neck and head, or an elbow?
6 ID in a secure pocket. It will fall out of the back pocket of jeans. Mine is in the back pack, tank bag, or a secure jacket pocket.
7 Forgot what is was, but my notes say I knew that.
UK
1 Those stick on mirrors take up space, which makes the mirror not as useful as before. But the little mirrors can also help.
2 All my boots have laces, and I am not changing. I like laces, I do not like velcro. Jeans with wide bottoms are a bigger problem.
3 The center of the lane used to be much worse, especially after fresh rain. Have a look at the video. The bike is in the center of the lane often, just before it went over the rail way tracks at a bad angle. You guys have straight roads. I ride on all of the lane for curvy roads. Often in the middle of straight roads.
4 Good point. We have rain, not air conditioning drip. Never heard of it.
5 Snug fitting leather jacket for summer. Oversize rain proof jacket for winter. Armour if you must. But which is more important, your neck and head, or an elbow?
6 ID in a secure pocket. It will fall out of the back pocket of jeans. Mine is in the back pack, tank bag, or a secure jacket pocket.
7 Forgot what is was, but my notes say I knew that.
UK
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28,710 Posts
Tip #7 was flashing headlight for cop down the road or for bikers tapping top of helmet.
I do the headlight flash myself. It's universal. Tapping top of helmet has had other meanings but shouldn't. I've seen it mean, I have problems and pulling over in a group ride. It's what the ride captain wanted. But everyone should know one set of signals;
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I do the headlight flash myself. It's universal. Tapping top of helmet has had other meanings but shouldn't. I've seen it mean, I have problems and pulling over in a group ride. It's what the ride captain wanted. But everyone should know one set of signals;
When I am driving my car I use the headlight flash to warn of a cop ahead, but on my bike I can't easily do that. I believe in modulating headlights as a great way to be more conspicuous to oncoming drivers (so hopefully they will not even attempt to turn left in front of me). I can turn the feature off by quickly changing from high beams to low beams and back to high beams, but that takes a few seconds and by then the opportunity to warn an oncoming bike is already gone. So I rely upon the tapping on the top on my helmet, even though it seems that many riders do not understand the signal. The rest of the tips are worthwhile, but I would add a few more:
- Don't have anything in your jacket or pants pocket which will cause further injury to your body if you go down. I have a locking trunk, where among other things I keep my sunglasses. When I change from regular glasses to sunglasses, I also put my keys, my wallet, my cell phone and ALMOST everything that I am carrying in my various pockets into that trunk. The one exception for me, and yes I know it is a risk, is a handgun that I keep holstered in the front right pocket of my jeans. If I should ever need that gun its unlikely that I would have the time and opportunity to stop the bike, dismount, open the trunk and retrieve the gun from among the other items in the trunk. So it stays in my pocket and guarantees at least a big bruise if I go down, but everything else goes into the trunk.
- Always have raingear with you. Weather can change and it can go from a warm clear day to a rainy and cooler day. Getting wet clothing is not that big a deal, but getting wet AND cold can severely impair your riding skills. Add to that, when it starts raining the car drivers around you are less likely to see you, and have challenges of their own due to the rain. Add to that your shivering and misery and an accident is more likely. Keep a rainsuit in my on board luggage, or in a backpack, or whatever every time you go out on the bike.
- Always have some wet cloths or wipes with you. Especially in areas where bugs are plentiful, a direct hit of a large bug in the center of your face shield can seriously impair your ability to see ahead of and around you. Worse yet would be if you ride through a swarm of bugs, such as on a bridge crossing a river when there happens to be a mayfly swarm and you are hit by thousands of these insects in a short time (I say this from experience). Being able to pull over and have wet cloths with which you can remove the bug or bugs, at least from the helmet face shield, can save your life. It can be as simple as taking a few paper towels or a washcloth soaked in water and sealed into a plastic storage bag. Takes up very little space or weight, and with a decent storage bag will last months before it is dried out.
- Don't have anything in your jacket or pants pocket which will cause further injury to your body if you go down. I have a locking trunk, where among other things I keep my sunglasses. When I change from regular glasses to sunglasses, I also put my keys, my wallet, my cell phone and ALMOST everything that I am carrying in my various pockets into that trunk. The one exception for me, and yes I know it is a risk, is a handgun that I keep holstered in the front right pocket of my jeans. If I should ever need that gun its unlikely that I would have the time and opportunity to stop the bike, dismount, open the trunk and retrieve the gun from among the other items in the trunk. So it stays in my pocket and guarantees at least a big bruise if I go down, but everything else goes into the trunk.
- Always have raingear with you. Weather can change and it can go from a warm clear day to a rainy and cooler day. Getting wet clothing is not that big a deal, but getting wet AND cold can severely impair your riding skills. Add to that, when it starts raining the car drivers around you are less likely to see you, and have challenges of their own due to the rain. Add to that your shivering and misery and an accident is more likely. Keep a rainsuit in my on board luggage, or in a backpack, or whatever every time you go out on the bike.
- Always have some wet cloths or wipes with you. Especially in areas where bugs are plentiful, a direct hit of a large bug in the center of your face shield can seriously impair your ability to see ahead of and around you. Worse yet would be if you ride through a swarm of bugs, such as on a bridge crossing a river when there happens to be a mayfly swarm and you are hit by thousands of these insects in a short time (I say this from experience). Being able to pull over and have wet cloths with which you can remove the bug or bugs, at least from the helmet face shield, can save your life. It can be as simple as taking a few paper towels or a washcloth soaked in water and sealed into a plastic storage bag. Takes up very little space or weight, and with a decent storage bag will last months before it is dried out.
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We were told a number of those tips at the MSF course. 
1. While useful on cars, I've not found convex mirrors particularly useful on my bikes. Something about the shape of the really small ones just bothers me. Instead I always do a head check before changing direction.
2. I get around that by wearing boots that zip up!
3. Definitely good advice about lane position. Another thing to worry about is with painted lines and tar used to seal cracks. Those buggers can be really slippery even on a dry day.
4. A/C puddles are also good reason to wear non-slip footwear, though they're especially useful if you ride in the winter or rain.
5. Snug fitting gear is also better when you're going highway speeds. Getting pummeled by your own jacket kinda makes the experience less fun.
6. Identification is zipped up in my purse (which I modified to be work like a backpack). So long as the purse doesn't disintegrate they'll have everything they need.
7. Amusingly enough, I can't flash my headlights in my car. Both low and high beams are HIDs and flashing HID bulbs can dramatically shorten their lives.
Two of my own tips:
1. If you're entering a curve or turn and the road looks a little "dusty", take it easy because there are probably rocks and gravel waiting for you and depending on your bike, you will lose traction if you come in hot.
2. Manhole covers, metal grates, and metal bridges (see: Chicago) can be especially treacherous in damp or wet weather.
1. While useful on cars, I've not found convex mirrors particularly useful on my bikes. Something about the shape of the really small ones just bothers me. Instead I always do a head check before changing direction.
2. I get around that by wearing boots that zip up!
3. Definitely good advice about lane position. Another thing to worry about is with painted lines and tar used to seal cracks. Those buggers can be really slippery even on a dry day.
4. A/C puddles are also good reason to wear non-slip footwear, though they're especially useful if you ride in the winter or rain.
5. Snug fitting gear is also better when you're going highway speeds. Getting pummeled by your own jacket kinda makes the experience less fun.
6. Identification is zipped up in my purse (which I modified to be work like a backpack). So long as the purse doesn't disintegrate they'll have everything they need.
7. Amusingly enough, I can't flash my headlights in my car. Both low and high beams are HIDs and flashing HID bulbs can dramatically shorten their lives.
Two of my own tips:
1. If you're entering a curve or turn and the road looks a little "dusty", take it easy because there are probably rocks and gravel waiting for you and depending on your bike, you will lose traction if you come in hot.
2. Manhole covers, metal grates, and metal bridges (see: Chicago) can be especially treacherous in damp or wet weather.
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28,710 Posts
San Fransisco will challenge you big time if you don't understand this one.We were told a number of those tips at the MSF course.
1. While useful on cars, I've not found convex mirrors particularly useful on my bikes. Something about the shape of the really small ones just bothers me. Instead I always do a head check before changing direction.
2. I get around that by wearing boots that zip up!
3. Definitely good advice about lane position. Another thing to worry about is with painted lines and tar used to seal cracks. Those buggers can be really slippery even on a dry day.
4. A/C puddles are also good reason to wear non-slip footwear, though they're especially useful if you ride in the winter or rain.
5. Snug fitting gear is also better when you're going highway speeds. Getting pummeled by your own jacket kinda makes the experience less fun.
6. Identification is zipped up in my purse (which I modified to be work like a backpack). So long as the purse doesn't disintegrate they'll have everything they need.
7. Amusingly enough, I can't flash my headlights in my car. Both low and high beams are HIDs and flashing HID bulbs can dramatically shorten their lives.
Two of my own tips:
1. If you're entering a curve or turn and the road looks a little "dusty", take it easy because there are probably rocks and gravel waiting for you and depending on your bike, you will lose traction if you come in hot.
2. Manhole covers, metal grates, and metal bridges (see: Chicago) can be especially treacherous in damp or wet weather.
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6,300 Posts
It’s funny how different sports or activities have signals that mean very different things, and in some cases totally opposite.
Case in point. For quite a few years I was a trained, certified white water kayaking instructor. Kayaking has a set of signals that in some cases are opposite of motorcycle signals. Funny how all my sports require helmets though.
1) Patting the top of a helmet in kayaking means “I’m OK”, usually after a crash or mishap. This is a reassuring signal that makes everyone who sees it relax and de stress. Pretty much opposite is true in riding where it signals trouble, speed trap, slow down...
2) in kayaking you NEVER EVER EVER point towards a hazard, you always point to the safe route or line your showing the person. The first time I went riding with my wife’s club I almost fell in a huge pothole that the guy in front of me pointed it.. without thinking I went where he was pointing...
Be careful out there.
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Case in point. For quite a few years I was a trained, certified white water kayaking instructor. Kayaking has a set of signals that in some cases are opposite of motorcycle signals. Funny how all my sports require helmets though.
1) Patting the top of a helmet in kayaking means “I’m OK”, usually after a crash or mishap. This is a reassuring signal that makes everyone who sees it relax and de stress. Pretty much opposite is true in riding where it signals trouble, speed trap, slow down...
2) in kayaking you NEVER EVER EVER point towards a hazard, you always point to the safe route or line your showing the person. The first time I went riding with my wife’s club I almost fell in a huge pothole that the guy in front of me pointed it.. without thinking I went where he was pointing...
Be careful out there.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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