Ride Well or Crash Well - TOP TIPS

[Survived-til-now]

Under Ride Well or Crash Well - Limecreek asks

 

Quote:

 

Accidents? I'd rather read or talk about tips for skillful riding. Accident post mortems have their place—I guess, but isn’t this Ride Well?

 

Ride Well should be a place to share tips in the pursuit of building skills—a place to help us all sift our current average a little more to the right.

 

Unquote

 

OK - happy to oblige. Let's have your one-liner Top Tips for Riding Well..

 

My two top tips:

 

1. If you can get round the corner by braking then you could have rode round it without braking.

 

2. Look where you want the bike to go and not at the hazard you are trying to avoid!

 

Andy

[Quinn]

1. Ride what you want to bring to the crash, because you probably won't have time to go home and change while it's happening.

 

2. If you can see your shadow, the sun is in oncoming traffic's face.

 

---

 

 

 

 

[JayW]

1, If you're running late and feel pressure to get there on time, then consider taking the car instead.

 

2. Take a rider training/refresher class at least annually.

 

Jay

[Dave39]

Assume every cager on the road is crazy, doped up, drunk, on the cell phone and/or day dreaming....and hates motorcyclists.

[upflying]

Expect the unexpected and nothing with surprise you.

[Bill_Walker]

Expect the unexpected and nothing with surprise you.

 

But if you expect the unexpected...then...um... nothing is unexpected ... and ...um... you can't expect the unexpected... but AAAAAAGGGGGHHH!

 

 

Tips:

1) Don't think about logic/linguistic/rhetoric problems while you're riding.

2) Read all of David Hough's books.

[MAT2CHI]

Dress for the ride like you know you are going to crash that day.

[russell_bynum]

Most lowsides never happen.

[4wheeldog]

If the weather was good when you left home, it will be crappy on the way back.

[rfc1992]

1. In low speed turns, if you look down you go down. Spot the turn by looking in the direction not the point you want to cross.

 

2. Never pet a burning dog.

[MotorinLA]

1. STEER TO THE REAR!!!

 

2. When in doubt, accelerate .

[Ken H.]

Do everything you can to be as visible as you can, then ride knowing that none of it works.

[Dave_zoom_zoom]

These are all good tips.

 

I never even considered that burning dog problem!!!

[Survived-til-now]

Here's another couple.....

 

Never tail an emergency vehicle through traffic - the sea that parts in front of it closes equally quickly and no-one is looking in a mirror.

 

Don't get caught alongside an articulated lorry making a turn (is that a rig in the US?)

[Missusfinz]

If you are on a four lane road with driveways and alleys, stay in the passing lane.

[90%angel]

Track shcools (not days, but schools) aren't just for learning how to ride around a track. They can definitely improve your street riding skills.

[beckyanne19]

Once a month I practice tight turns around light poles in a parking lot.

[philbytx]

 

If you HAVE to ride behind a truck....BACK OFF!!!

 

Which may lead to....

 

When passing vehicles, always pass "with authority"!

[Bob Palin]

If you are on a four lane road with driveways and alleys, stay in the passing lane.

Please don't do this, use the lanes properly and keep your eyes and wits open.

[ElevenFifty]

1. Look where you want to go - the bike will follow your eyes

 

2. When you DO get in a 'pucker' situation, don't give up, RIDE THE DAMN BIKE. It is more capable than you are. Half of all the serious accidents only involve a bike and a rider who made a mistake.

 

3. On the slab, avoid knots of traffic ... pass with authority or back off and let things thin out a bit. The more solid objects moving in a confined space, the greater the likelyhood that they will bump into one another. I relax when there is no other vehicle anywhere near me ...

 

4. Don't trust the guy behind you ... In traffic, I will begin to slow well ahead of a stop and will check to make sure the following driver is slowing as well.

 

5. All auto drivers are oblivious in their air bag protected cacoon of loud music and cell phones. They don't like me and believe I'm a road hazard.

 

6. Speed is your friend when it gets and keeps you away from other vehicles ... It is your enemy when it increases risk to you and others. Go faster wisely. ;~)

[russell_bynum]

If you are on a four lane road with driveways and alleys, stay in the passing lane.

Please don't do this, use the lanes properly and keep your eyes and wits open.

 

+1

[Ken H.]

If you are on a four lane road with driveways and alleys, stay in the passing lane.

Please don't do this, use the lanes properly and keep your eyes and wits open.

 

+1

+2

 

Always ride in lane position ________ is one of those ‘hard’ rules some advocate which take away your versatility to ride/do what is best for the circumstances of the moment.

 

Learn what lane offers what advantages and disadvantages when, and then make the decision on where to ride appropriately.

 

[Randy B]

I haven't seen this one:

Ride like you're invisible...you are.

[Albert]

"Loud Pipes Save Lives", er, oh damn, sorry wrong forum.

[flat_twin]

This goes along with lane position consideration ...

 

Don't allow yourself to get boxed in at a traffic light or any other stop.

Keep the motorcycle in 1st gear and plan an escape route.... just in case.

[Pilgrim]

Stay out of sucker holes. That's any spot in traffic where you have no options if things go to hell.

 

Don't pass trucks on the outside of a curve. Example: a curve to the right on a four-lane, especially a downhill grade - don't use the left lane there to go around him. Anything that comes off his load will be in your lap (This tips comes from having watched a truck throw an enire load of lumber all over two westbound and one eastbound lanes of I-90 on Fourth of July Pass in Idaho.) If the curve is more than he can handle he'll drift wide, into your space, without even saying please.

 

If you see little chunks of tire on the road now, watch for big chunks soon. And if you're behind a truck and smell hot rubber you may be smelling a tire about to fail.

 

Pilgrim

[Boffin]

I just put this in another thread, but it is a good rule for this one:

 

The Golden Rule. "You should always be able to stop under control, in your own lane, in the distance in which you can see."

At night the distance is the area covered by low-beam. On a single track-road (one lane for both directions) as we have in quieter rural areas in the UK, the rule changes to "half the distance".

 

Andy

[Lawman]

Under Ride Well or Crash Well - Limecreek asks

 

 

OK - happy to oblige. Let's have your one-liner Top Tips for Riding Well..

 

______________________________________________________

 

1. Don't try to keep up with Limecreek..

[RevRay]

Loud apparel saves lives.

[Ozonewanderer]

Only ride as fast as you can see. Especially relevant when diving into turns where your view through the turn is blocked by trees or earth. (Oh deer!)

[murrayg]

Reminders for myself mostly:

 

1. Don't follow any vehicle too closely, less than 3 seconds back. I struggle with this at times. I want to pass and be done with traffic.

 

2. Nobody ever ran off the road going to slowly in a turn.

 

3. The term "a little hot" is the cool, sexy way to say out of control nearing a crash.

 

4. If you can help it, don't be the first vehicle into an intersection when your light turns green. Somebody is running their red light.

 

5. Yeah, it can be a pain, but wear all the stuff that's suppose to help protect you.

 

6. If you're riding with people faster than you (almost everybody on this board for me. I'm sure there is somone I'm faster than, but I can't think of any one at the moment.) Let them go and ride your ride.

 

 

[ltljohn]

Watch your six and check the intersection when starting off at a green light. A few examples why.

Red Light Camera Footage

 

[BalancePoint]

Watch your six and check the intersection when starting off at a green light. A few examples why.

Red Light Camera Footage

 

That is some seriously chilling footage.

[Matts_12GS]

Put a live toad in your mouth first thing every morning and nothing worse will happen to you all day long.

 

My tips:

 

1. Get your head in the ride or get your ass off the bike.

2. Never ride with anyone braver than you are. (paraphrase of the aviation expression never share a cockpit with anyone braver than you are)

[Bill_Walker]

Watch your six and check the intersection when starting off at a green light. A few examples why.

Red Light Camera Footage

 

Sheesh! Those weren't even "I think I can make it on the yellow" runs. Springfield, eh? Isn't that where The Simpsons live? These people drive like toons. Or maybe tools.

[BanjoBoy]

Relax, relax, relax!!!

I keep come'in across n00bs (I'm sure none are BMWSTers) in the twisties, and they are all sooo tense. They're fighting themselves, their bikes, and the road. If you're going so fast that you're all tensed up, you're probably riding to fast for your ability. Slow down, and be smooth, and enjoy the ride.

[Finitw0]

Watch your six and check the intersection when starting off at a green light. A few examples why.

Red Light Camera Footage

 

Hey, at least none of these were my car.

 

Which Springfield is this? Certainly not IL. These people have either no situational awareness of they are DUMB.

 

 

[Ken H.]

Man those are scary to watch. It’s amazing how many people never even touched their brakes. What WERE they looking at? Oh, never mind – rhetorical question.

[Ozonewanderer]

1. If you can get round the corner by braking then you could have rode round it without braking.

 

Andy

 

This is a terrific tip! It's like DUH. How obvious when I think about it, but who thinks while in panic mode. Thanks

[lvnvbiker]

If you aren't dragging parts and making sparks in the corners you have more lean angle available.

 

KEEP YOUR FEET ON THE PEGS!, a foot dab on the highway gets you a kneebrace at the doctors office.

 

When off road don't ride "over your head", you can catch up later if you don't crash out earlier.

[Don Johnson]

Two rules to always remember:

 

1. All automobile drivers are crazy.

 

2. They're all trying to kill you.

[Todd_Z1]

Never drive faster than you are willing to crash.

 

Todd

[Finitw0]

Try to stay on your bike and ride the thing, even when you feel you are in a situation where a crash is imminent. By departing from your bike, you automatically lose the battle. Trust your training (and/or get some training) and don't panic.

 

The bike is more capable than you are, ride within YOUR limits.

 

Also, Wear Gloves!