Recently a young coworker of mine bought his first motorcycle and is very concerned with riding the bike responsibly and staying among the living. so he bought some literature on motorcycle safety which he let me read just for feedback. in short I feel the person that wrote the literature had never road a tricycle much less a motorcycle. So I decided to let him spend some time riding with me this past weekend, I feel it would help him to see in real life things to do and not to do. So I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread and pass on safety tips that we have learned in our own experience through the years. I will get us started.... On a 2 lane road I always assume the car in front of me will turn without making a signal so I tend to give them extra space and I'm always prepared to stop quickly. I also use my mirrors to keep a eye on the guy behind me because while he's tailgating me and texting on his phone he probably won't see my turn signal. Those are too that jump out at me immediately. Who's next?

 

Avoid riding in peoples blind spots whenever possible. If you can see there faces in there side mirrors you know if they bother to look they should see you, if not you might see them preparing to change lanes.

 

Here's one worth mentioning. It was easier for me to draw a little picture in AutoCAD and post it rather then explaining it in detail.

A lot of times when a larger vehicle in front of you is making a right into a driveway/parking lot/etc., will screen you from being seen from another vehicle wanting to make a left or go straight out of the same driveway. Expect that vehicle to pull out in front of you every time.



Congrats to your co-worker on the new scoot. Happy riding.

 

I'm not military. But their terminology sums it up best. "Situational Awareness". Best safety device I can think of.

 

When at a stop sign or red light, never sit with it in neutral.
Always wait in first gear and watch behind in your mirrors for someone about to rear end you.
If you have it in neutral, you won't have time to shift and move out of the way.

 

loud pipes save lives, honestly this is very true
if they cant see you let them hear you

also never ride through an intersection with one hand or just looking straight, look all ways to make sure nobody is turning into you or running a light.

 

Surprized nobody mentioned this, the best tip is to take a motorcycle saftey course. Best decision I made when I bought my bike.

 

Probably a good idea. But I started riding long before they had these. Same with "Hunters Safety".

 

x2. Good advice. Lots of good info comes out of those courses. Also, Pay Attention AT ALL TIMES and never under-estimate other drivers!

I also avoid riding at night if at all possible. Too many local casualities with wildlife.

 

You might also mention that, eventually he will get to be more comfortable and self assured, and that will be when he will be in the most danger. COMPLACENCY KILLS!