Safety tips what you got?
Tourer
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 349
Likes: 1
From: Central Florida
Great piece of advice I believe I actually read on this forum posted by another member: Make yourself as visible as possible but assume they do see you and they are intentionally trying to kill you.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,056
Likes: 251
From: Connecticut
I'd have to say that when a new rider wrecks it's mostly when he fails to negotiate a turn. My advice is to not only take the MSF course, but to read whatever else he can to improve his skills. Then practice, practice, practice in a large empty parking lot before he takes it to the streets. Another thing is throttle control. Gotta have throttle control....which you also need to successfully negotiate a turn. You have to learn to control the bike at low speeds before you can high speeds.
Road Master
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 931
Likes: 3
From: England
Hi from across the pond - best bit of advice my old man gave me when I started riding nearly 40 years ago was to treat everyone else on the road as an idiot - mostly served me me well. Also avoid the falling into complacency due to unconscious competence.
Unconscious Competence
1. The skill becomes so practised that it enters the unconscious parts of the brain - it becomes 'second nature' - common examples are driving, sports activities, typing, manual dexterity tasks, listening and communicating.
2. It becomes possible for certain skills to be performed while doing something else, for example, knitting while reading a book.
3. The person might now be able to teach others in the skill concerned, although after some time of being unconsciously competent the person might actually have difficulty in explaining exactly how they do it - the skill has become largely instinctual.
4. This arguably gives rise to the need for long-standing unconscious competence to be checked periodically against new standards.
Lastly take courses, there's no shame in it - I did a couple with our police force on defensive riding and advanced riding. I learned a lot from the professionals and it was great fun too!!!
Our test here in the UK is very **** now - but no amount of prep can help you when you are out there on your own. Only common sense and a sense of self preservation - despite what teenagers and young men think - we are not invincible!
Unconscious Competence
1. The skill becomes so practised that it enters the unconscious parts of the brain - it becomes 'second nature' - common examples are driving, sports activities, typing, manual dexterity tasks, listening and communicating.
2. It becomes possible for certain skills to be performed while doing something else, for example, knitting while reading a book.
3. The person might now be able to teach others in the skill concerned, although after some time of being unconsciously competent the person might actually have difficulty in explaining exactly how they do it - the skill has become largely instinctual.
4. This arguably gives rise to the need for long-standing unconscious competence to be checked periodically against new standards.
Lastly take courses, there's no shame in it - I did a couple with our police force on defensive riding and advanced riding. I learned a lot from the professionals and it was great fun too!!!
Our test here in the UK is very **** now - but no amount of prep can help you when you are out there on your own. Only common sense and a sense of self preservation - despite what teenagers and young men think - we are not invincible!
Last edited by Gaffy52; Oct 23, 2012 at 09:31 AM.
Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 136
Likes: 1
From: North Dakota
Relax. That is my advice. Being overly tense can lead to indecisiveness that can cause just as many problems. I think this comes with seat time, but the courses will get the basics in your head. Our ND state manual says to use the SIPDE method. Scan - Identify - Predict - Decide - Execute.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,311
Likes: 1
From: -
Practice your wheelies, burnouts and drifting otherwise both you and your bike with last too long!!!.
On a more serious note, learn about trajectories to take on a curve so that you end the curve on your lane and not the opposite or close to the center median where another vehicle might be. Stay well inside the median, a distracted driver coming from the opposite direction could be in the middle already and you need to allow extra room.
If you are behind a car and approaching an intersection where another car is waiting to join your road from the right, position yourself on the right car wheel track so the car waiting will be able to see you being behind the car and will not pull out as soon as the car in front of view has passed.
Likewise if the car waiting at the intersection is on a street on the left, then you need to stay on the left car wheel track.
If there are cars both right and left slow down and make room from the car in front of you , stay in the center of your lane slightly moving right and left, within a foot / foot and a half width to get the waiting car to see you. And be ready to break if they don't.
btw , also practice emergency braking.
On a more serious note, learn about trajectories to take on a curve so that you end the curve on your lane and not the opposite or close to the center median where another vehicle might be. Stay well inside the median, a distracted driver coming from the opposite direction could be in the middle already and you need to allow extra room.
If you are behind a car and approaching an intersection where another car is waiting to join your road from the right, position yourself on the right car wheel track so the car waiting will be able to see you being behind the car and will not pull out as soon as the car in front of view has passed.
Likewise if the car waiting at the intersection is on a street on the left, then you need to stay on the left car wheel track.
If there are cars both right and left slow down and make room from the car in front of you , stay in the center of your lane slightly moving right and left, within a foot / foot and a half width to get the waiting car to see you. And be ready to break if they don't.
btw , also practice emergency braking.
