Hello All,

Today, I want to discuss rider safety issues that I have encountered over the years out on the road.

Before I begin, let me provide a real quick disclaimer and tell you a little bit about my riding experience. The information I will discuss is “My Opinion Only.” The discussion will cover training I received at a Certified Police Motor School and how I applied that training to law enforcement type riding and how I apply it to riding my own bike.

Never confuse the two because they are two totally different types of motorcycle riding. An LE Officer is taught to ride more aggressively because of the nature of their work. Often times, they ride in pursuit mode or are off to catch a traffic violator.

A civilian would never have a need to ride like an LE officer, but they do. Keep in mind, the skills I learned and have en grained in my riding style can certainly give you a greater advantage out on the road under any type of riding conditions.

I’ve been riding now for more than 38 years. I spent almost 10 years as a motorcycle officer and have served at an M.T.O, Motor Training Officer. I have ridden 10’s of thousands of miles in that time. I received regular in-service training updates and classroom instruction during my time on the motor.

That being said, I never ride with a false sense of security because of my training and I never ride above my limitations or confident that I’m immune to crashing because I have, FOUR TIMES!

Though I am not a certified instructor in motorcycle rider safety, I do consider myself an expert when it comes to riding motorcycles because of my training and riding experience, so I do feel qualified to talk about this topic.

Types of Riders:

You’ve heard the old saying that there are only two types of motorcycle riders, those who have crashed or those who will crash. There’s a bit of truth to that and I am sure that there are many out there who rode for a long time and never crashed once. Kudos to you if you fall into that group.

The fact of the matter is there are numerous types of motorcycle riders out there. And although I can’t identify them all, here are just a few:

The Recreational Rider: I usually associate this type of rider with a person who works full time, drives a car to work and only has time to ride on the weekends. They vary on the type of motorcycles they ride. Some like Sport Bikes, which is a watered down term for “crotch rockets.” Others like cruiser style bikes or bar hoppers or large touring bikes like Harley Street Glides, Ultras, Honda Goldwing’s, Victory bikes and so on. There is probably a mix of experience when it comes to their skill level. So it’s important to know who you’re riding with and what level of experience they have.

The Commuter: This person probably rides long distances to work and rides every day, weather permitting. If they haven’t crashed yet, it’s for two reasons. Luck or skill. They generally fall into the higher skill level group simply because they ride so much.

The Sport Bike (crotch rocket) rider: You’ll find these guys up in the hills on the “twisties” hauling A_ _! around corners. Their experience level varies. Go to YouTube and search Mulholland Crashes and you’ll see who I’m talking about. I’ll let you decide for yourself on the rest.

The Touring Rider: This is my kind of riding. Taking off for a few days and putting three to four hundred miles a day on the bike. We usually ride touring bikes capable of long range riding and carrying all the luggage necessary for a long trip.

The Iron Butt Rider: Hardcore! Riders. These guys and gals will ride 18 to 20 hours a day covering 800 + miles a day. My Brother-In-Law Thom has ridden over 1400 miles in one day, Lethbridge, Canada to Orange County California in one day. You Da Man Thom! They are usually on a time line as they need to make checkpoints at pre-designated times. There are many more groups out there but I think you get the jest.

There are a lot of misconceptions and opinions about the safest place to ride your motorcycle. Some people say the freeway is safer; and others will disagree and say it’s safer to ride in the city.

My preference is the freeway. Multiple lanes in one direction with no cross traffic. They usually have a center barrier reducing the possibility of a head on collision.

All you have to do is worry about what’s in front of you and what’s approaching from the rear.

Now the down side is, the speeds are faster than you’ll encounter on city streets so if you go down, you increase the chance of serious injuries or death. What you won’t have to worry about is “Cagers” running red lights, stop signs or turning in front of you.

This is a double negative because my least favorite and favorite place to ride is on two lane mountainous roads. Least favorite because there are no barriers protecting you from a head on collision. Most favorite because they are often the most scenic rides, which I love. But what the heck am I talking about. If I'm the rider, I should be paying attention to the road and not the scenery, especially if I have the Mrs. along for the ride.

While there is not a 100% sure way of avoiding a collision, constantly evaluating the conditions around you and applying safe riding habits usually give you a greater chance of survival.

A good rider isn’t the one who can ride the fastest and get there before anyone else. A good rider is the one who rides at a safe pace and gets there…Safe and Alive!

Speed:

To a motorcyclist, speed is the mother of all evils. It is sure to kill you in a crash. So you need to know how to control the urge to open that throttle wide open and let her breath. There are no safe places to ride wide open. I suppose a long desert road with no end in sight and no oncoming traffic is probably a good place to do this. If you can't overcome the urge, just remember speed limit laws exist even on these types of roads. Always keep in mind, an animal that darts out in front of you at 90 mph is just as dangerous as a car coming into your lane. It’s a safe bet that if you hit a deer, dog, coyote, varmint or any variation thereof at 90 mph, you’re going to go down. I know several people that have hit a deer, totaled their bike and landed in the hospital. So resist the urge to speed.

The Imminent Crash:

There are plenty of riders out there who have experienced this phenomenon and you know who you are. I’ve experienced it firsthand. The key to increasing your chances of survival greatly increase if you can burn off as much speed as possible before impact, then having a plan for what you’re going to do as you are impacting a vehicle.

First, you need to be familiar with your bikes braking system. I don’t mean just knowing where your brake handles and lever are. I’m referring to how they function on the primary bike you ride. Start by taking the time to thoroughly read your owner’s manual to learn what type of braking system your bike has.

After having read the manual, take your bike out to a parking lot somewhere and find a surface that is free of any debris that will make you fall over or go down.

Before I go any farther, let’s talk about ABS brakes. They have been a game changer for automobiles as well as motorcycles. Most people who operate cars with ABS have no concept of what to expect when the ABS system activates. They are usually caught off guard because they feel the brake pedal pulsating and that scares them. Their first instinct is to let off the brake to make the pulsation go away. That's the worse thing you can do because that pulsation is trying to keep you from crashing. This is why it’s important to do some research on how ABS brakes work and what to expect when the system activates on your bike or car for that matter.

ABS or Anti-Lock-Brakes allow rolling friction on the front wheels in the event of sudden or “Panic Braking” situation. The fact that the front wheels don’t lock up allow you to steer the vehicle during hard braking, thus increasing your ability to simultaneously steer around a hazard while slowing down.

In the old days before the advent of ABS brakes, if you slammed on the brakes, the car would eventually come skidding to a stop by one of two ways. It burned off all its speed because of the friction of the road way against your tires or it hit something.

This is commonly referred to as the Law of Inertia, which states an object in motion will remain in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. In this example, brakes or an object, are usually the unbalanced force.

When an ABS system activates, you’ll feel a pulsation in the brakes being activated by the ABS system. On a motorcycle, it’s either in your right foot or right hand. Don’t be alarmed by this. This is the ABS system doing what it’s designed to do, assist you in burning off speed and fast while allowing you to remain in control of the bike.

I personally don’t have ABS brakes on my bike because it didn’t come with them. Because of my training, I have taught myself over the years how to create a close second, though not as efficient as an ABS system.

Some bikes now have a new technology that links both front and back ABS systems up and input braking in both the front and back wheels for you.

In motor school, you’re taught not only how to stay upright, but what to do if you know you’re going to crash.

The exercise was called “Rapid Decels.” We would start off at a very slow speed, 5 mph. We would get up to speed, and then stop the bike by combination braking using both the front and rear brakes.

As we became more comfortable, we would gradually increase the speed in 5 mph increments all the way up to 40 mph. We would do this every day during motor school which developed muscle memory and a natural reaction when faced with a situation where panic braking is necessary.

The Crash:

There are a couple of opinions out there as to what you should do if you know you’re going to crash. Some will say, “Lay the bike down.” Well that’s easier said than done not to mention it takes some “Large Cajoles” to have the mindset let alone the skill to do this. Though I am sure this maneuver has saved many riders, it has also meant the demise of others. In my opinion, when you take evasive action like this, you have effectively eliminated much needed friction created by the tires on the pavement, friction that could quite possibly bring you to a complete stop before hitting anything.

Now I have firsthand experience colliding with a car broadside. So I can speak candidly about what I did in the past and what I would do in the future.

My preference if at all possible is staying with the bike and controlling the speed burn off for as long as I can before impact.

Next, getting as far away from the bike and vehicle I am going to hit as possible after impact. You don’t want to be in a sideways skid at impact because you’re sure to get sandwiched between the bike and the vehicle you hit. You certainly don’t want to be on the bike when you hit broadside because the Law of Inertia is going to take place in that your body is going to continue forward until it is stopped by something, which will be the handle bars, often resulting in massive internal injuries. This is not to say your not going to have severe injuries in a crash. Let me put it to you this way. I'd rather fly over the brick wall and land on the other side rather than hit it dead on.

When I had my most serious crash, my training kicked in. I was doing about 40 mph when the car pulled out in front of me. I knew I was going to hit so I tightened my thighs around the fuel tank, took a firm grip on the handle bars to control my forward motion and went into panic braking mode. I burned off a significant amount of speed before the crash. Just before impact, I knew I wanted to hit a 90 degree or right angle and held the bike in that path. Just before impact, I relaxed my grip on the handle bars and thighs from around the fuel tank. At impact I stood up slightly on my floor boards and as the bike impacted, I was bucked off the bike and up into the air and landed on my back on the roof of the vehicle. It wasn’t until the guy took off with me on top of the car that the real injuries occurred when I fell off. I truly believe to this day, 22 years later, that had he just stayed put, I would have been OK, maybe just a little sore.

Now I know what I just described seems like a lot of things to do and think about just before a crash. This is why training and mindset are imperative when it comes to riding motorcycles. My training, muscle memory and plan kicked in and I survived the type of crash many riders succumb to.

This is not to say that if you do what I did, you’ll survive, I'm just saying it may give you a greater advantage. In the end, you and only you will have to make the decision as to how you are going to react in a situation like the one I encountered.

Safe Riding Tips:

I’ve had the opportunity to ride with many people from all walks of life and different skill levels. I have to tell you; sometimes I’m terrified that they’re going to crash. These are the riders I tend to keep in front of me if at all possible.

One of the things I commonly see is instability when coming to a stop. Almost to the point I think they’re going to fall over.

When I come to a stop at a red light or stop sign, I put my left foot down first to stabilize the bike. I let the bike lean slightly to the left until I’m sure my foot is planted. It’s almost unnoticeable. I’m not a tall person but I am able to flatfoot both feet while I’m stopped. Once my left foot is planted, I’ll then plant my right foot. Now the bike is stable.

(Note: I don’t recommend this for shorter people who have to stabilize the bike with the tips of their toes, especially when riding two up. That would be a sure way to fall over since the weight of the bike and passenger would overcome the center of gravity at some point. I’ll leave it up to you to do what works for you).

If you own a bike with a cable clutch and keep the bike in 1st gear at a stop, you should make sure to have at least one of the brakes applied in the event the clutch cable snaps. This really isn’t an issue for bikes with hydraulic clutches although I suppose there could be a hydraulic clutch line failure so it wouldn’t hurt to use this same technique.

By having your brakes on, you will prevent the bike from lurching forward in the event of a clutch line failure. Always remember to keep a fair amount of distance between you and what’s stopped in front of you.

I’ve noticed my Brother-In-Law Thom, puts his bike in neutral at red lights. I believe this extends the life of your clutch cable and eliminates the possibility of lurching forward if a cable snaps.

While in stopped traffic, have a plan. If at all possible, have an escape path in case a car is approaching from behind and is going to hit you. Keep your eyes on your mirrors in stopped traffic to see what's approaching from behind.

When you take off from a stop sign or on a fresh green light, pause for a second and look both ways to make sure someone isn’t going to blow through a red. I can’t tell you how many collisions I’ve investigated because someone didn’t check traffic before they took off.

California is the only state in the country where lane splitting is legal. I lane split on occasion but only during times when traffic is moving no more than 20-25 mph. The faster you lane split the higher the chance is you’re going to crash.

Know what’s around you. Know and anticipate where the hazards are that are going to ruin your day. I have a GPS app on my IPhone called Waze. It is a user based GPS system, which means the information is provided from those who are in front of you. It’s pretty popular in California and has a large user base. As I’m riding down the roadway either in my car or bike, it informs me about traffic conditions ahead but more importantly, road hazards or accidents. This allows me to adjust my speed and anticipate a problem.

Don’t be in a hurry.

Make sure you wear the proper riding gear that will offer you the most protection in the event of a crash.

Expect the unexpected. Be ready to react. Have a plan.

Know who you’re riding with and what their skill levels are. I don’t do anymore charity rides because the truth is; there are some riders out there that have no business on a bike. It’s sad to say but true. I have a group of people I ride with and feel safe around them. I have no problem with new people joining us, but it takes some time for me to figure out what their skill level is and how comfortable I am with them riding close to me.

When participating in a group ride, have a ride safety briefing before taking off. Try to keep the bikes separated in groups of 5-6 bikes with ample room between groups. This will prevent a domino effect in the event of a crash. Make sure everyone knows the ride route in the event you get separated. Keep the less experienced riders in the middle of the pack but separated from each other. The more experienced riders should be in front of the less experienced ones to set a safe pace. Make sure you have an experienced rider bring up the rear. If at all possible, the Tail Gunner should have communication with the Ride Captain.

Now I know I’ve thrown a lot of information at you and if you’re still reading, I hope it’s been informative. There is so much more to discuss and I thank you for indulging me this far.

As you can see, riding a motorcycle safely is no easy task. It was never designed to be easy. If it were, it would have four wheels.

A lot of work, concentration and skill go into riding to keep you; you’re passenger and you’re riding group safe.

I know there are some riders out there that may have a different opinion than mine and I can appreciate that. Feel free to leave a comment because I'm always open to suggestions and new thoughts on rider safety.

In the end, you have to ride the way that makes you feel safe.

Please visit my Blog at www.hdhogandblog.com

Until my next post, ride safe and keep the rubber side down!

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Mark

 

Good post.
EDIT: Always tell who's law enforcement by the way they ride

 

Thanks for you post. Good tips for all different type riders.

 

I have to take exception your misconception that lane splitting is legal in California. It has not been legal however it has been tolerated by the state.

Just this year there is legislation being worked on to finally make it legal so that the state of California can issue legal guidelines on lane splitting.

I don't know if the bill has moved further along and passed or if it has died.

Here is an article about it from May of this year:

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-...gal-california

It does sadden me that you being former LEO and from what I am gathering from California to boot that even you failed to understand that lane splitting was not legal in California and still may not be legal if the bill in the article has not passed.

Just because California has turned their head and the LEO agencies turned their heads did not make lane splitting legal. Only the state legislature can make lane splitting legal.

 

Thanks for the nice post Mark.

One of the things that I have always taken seriously that you talk about is practice. Years ago, I was a commuter type, putting on many miles. Last year I started back with a 250, and now I have a Road King.

Well, when I first got the road king, it felt super heavy. Since then, I have put in many hours in the school parking lot- figure 8s, u turns, circles, avoidance turns. Stopping fast, taking off fast, stopping with no feet down- then going. It's all fun, it gets easier, and now I can ride the bike much better.

You can't emphasize enough the fast stop practice. Even a harley can stop fast.

One thing that I have done is to actively steer, when necessary. By this I mean I aggressively countersteer the handlebars to lean the bike where I think that it should be. This allows much faster changes in direction than just leaning into the turn.

 

Mark,

Thank you for the tips and sharing some of your experiences; I fall into that "Recreational Rider" and occasional "Touring Rider" with some friends from work types. Use to be a "Commuter" on HOV everyday in Northern Virginia just got too crowded at 7 AM when they let all the hybrid cagers (with coffee cups in hand) fill the restricted lanes and I sold my commuter (sport touring) bike.

I have ABS it was a must if I was going to buy something newer that had the option; thinking every little bit helps with my muscle memory being too accustomed to desk work...

Take care and as my signature states - "Ride Safe"

 

It's not illegal, thus, it is legal. The goal of that bill is to codify it so lawmakers can set parameters.

 

It was an interesting and useful post, thanks.

The only thing I would comment is that while technically, the highway is mostly safer, there is also the problem of being sideswiped, and not forgetting debris on the pavement which comes into view quite fast and we need to be ready to swerve or avoid, by being observant.

 

Yeah right, try that as a defense in a court of law and see how far that gets you.

In Florida there is no statute for running into the back of another vehicle so in your twisted view it would be legal for someone to run into the back of your car without penalty, after all you just said it is not illegal so therefore it must be legal.

What is one of the most common crashes? Rear ending another car.

What statute is used for a rear end crash in Florida? "Careless Driving" stated on the citation as "careless by striking another vehicle in the rear" in the comments section, careless is a catchall statute.

Further the last thing we need is for all the scooter riders who can't reach the speed limit lane splitting to the front of traffic at every traffic light causing everyone else to have pass them over and over as they hold up traffic.

Kind of like the people on their bicycles who are a pain to pass but they keep leap frogging you at each intersection resulting in drivers having to repass them multiple times.

 

Someone needs a snickers bar.