Bike Safety Principles

[MajRod]

What are your self-made principles for keeping safe on the roads? The rules you abide by and never break?

Example:
-Never split lanes when traffic flows faster then 80km
-Give other motorcyclists a safe following distance when they pass cars
-Keep slightly to the left of the vehicle in front of you in case they suddenly brake

I never stop learning new tricks . I would love to hear your views and opinions.



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[Anth0ny]

What are your self-made principles for keeping safe on the roads? The rules you abide by and never break?

Example:
-Never split lanes when traffic flows faster then 80km
-Give other motorcyclists a safe following distance when they pass cars
-Keep slightly to the left of the vehicle in front of you in case they suddenly brake

I never stop learning new tricks . I would love to hear your views and opinions.



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Always!

Never listen to music in your ears etc, I like to hear all my surroundings, also keeps me more focused.

Also, WEAR PROPER KIT!!!! Dudes who ride in flipflops and shirt with no gloves are silly

 

[AndyPants]

Beware of Fortuners
(Much much more dangerous than Taxis)

 

[Qui_Illustrati]

ATGATT - All The Gear All The Time!

even if you're going for a quick ride. I'd say the most important rule IMO

 

[Anth0ny]

If you don’t look like this then you’re doing it wrong.... [emoji23]


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[Maxim]

Dont fall?

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[DannyBoyOPC]

Always!

Never listen to music in your ears etc, I like to hear all my surroundings, also keeps me more focused.

Also, WEAR PROPER KIT!!!! Dudes who ride in flipflops and shirt with no gloves are silly

its not about how cool you look on the bike

 

[CarboVan]

- Dress for the fall, not the ride

 

[Graafmonster]

• Always ride to only 70% of your abilities on public roads, If something pops up in front of you in a turn, you have that 30% to use in your evasive reaction.
• Always look to the farthest part in a turn that you can see, the part right in front of you you have already seen and you know its clear.
• Target fixation is real. See the obstacle, acknowledge the obstacle, look in the direction you need to go and the bike will follow.

 

[George S]

Ok, I have been riding for more than 10 years. Grew up in a house were my dad always had a bike, riding and commuting daily ever since. I think managing the risk on your rides is the answer.

I have a Suit for the track but I do not wear it daily I only wear it when on track. My reasoning is that If a car hits me it is going to hurt weather i am in the suit or not, and it really is not comfortable wearing it for 8 hours at work.

If I commute I only wear Helmet, Jacket and Gloves(Very important IMO as I have come down in the past). Work shoes and pants.

When touring I wear my adventure boots and riding pants as well.

Always expect cars to turn in front of you and to not see you.

Always expect that cars don't have turn signals and watch a drivers behavior rather than their signaling.

 

[sabie]

• ATGATT - Has saved my ass more than once. I'd rather sweat like a mofo, than pick the pieces of debris out of my skin.
• I generally don't lane split at the speed limit, don't trust cars enough above 50/60km/h
• When riding with others, ride staggered. I still see so many bikers following close in line with each other.
• Don't for once assume someone sees you, basically expect every car to lane change or turn in front of you.
• Ride to your abilities, don't try to show off on public roads.

 

[donaldklopper]

What the others said, and my 2c:

Don't day-dream on the bike. You need ALL of your wits about you ALL of the time. If you're not mentally exhausted after doing a long ride (except maybe just highway cruising in an experienced group) then you were too relaxed. Always look ahead, not where your wheels are now. Think ahead and play out worst case scenarios in your head and ride accordingly. Yes, that will suddenly start impacting your speed negatively...

If you're listening to music you're (probably) looking for trouble since it takes that "edge" off. Rather observe / scan the road, sidewalk, bike metrics regularly, listen for new sounds, enjoy the scents and sounds and sights of being outside (sort of anyway). I love the break of each new season since those first couple of days you smell the new season ... then you get used to it.

Don't try to "lean" as much as possible. Rather turn correctly. Shift your knee, foot, elbow, head, torso, bum into the turn to counter the centripetal forces, helping to avoid having to lean the bike too much. This is a complex topic. You're supposed to have chicken strips on the rear tire unless you're doing track racing. And we don't do track racing on public roads.

Don't weave when you're lane splitting or in traffic. You can make small adjustments to your track to get between cars. This causes less stress on the cagers, and breeds less animosity to bikers.

Say thank you with a head nod or a wave if someone looks as if they saw you and didn't cut you off. Not only if they made way for you. Sometimes they make too much way and cause other vehicles stress.

 

[MajRod]

Some very good advice coming through here... Thank you...

I use to weave (very small movements) while splitting lanes in order to make myself more visible. I realised that no amount of "lights flashing" will draw the attention of someone on their phone. Now I simply try to keep the bike on a stable line in case I need to brake suddenly.

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[Flex]

Proper gear and riding offensively. You are not a car, and can't ride in between them as if you are one. Get away from them as quickly as possible.
Think for other people, always have an escape route in mind if something happens

 

[OhiAs_ZA]

I wish I could afford a bike because I would love a KTM Duke [emoji7]

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[Tatty]

Avoid paint strips in the road when its wet.

Assume someone is do what you don't want them to, Ie turn out in front of you, then proceed when its safe.
Don't assume that you have been seen, assume you haven't.

 

[Tatty]

Proper gear and riding offensively. You are not a car, and can't ride in between them as if you are one. Get away from them as quickly as possible.
Think for other people, always have an escape route in mind if something happens

I'm 100% for this.

 

[donaldklopper]

You are not a car, and can't ride in between them as if you are one. Get away from them as quickly as possible.

Yup by all means go between them to get through them ... don't stick around there between them.

And don't sit behind a car in its blind-spot.

Make your presence known.

 

[Maximums_Rickimus]

-Think for other people because as much as you'd like to think that everybody uses everything between their ears, not everyone does.
-Always wear the proper gear. Whether you're driving a 50cc or a 1000cc, the only thing between you and the road is your gear when you come off.
-Be courteous on the road. Most drivers think bikers are assholes and will treat them that way too.
-As a general rule I only ever lane split if cars are going very slowly, between 30 to 40km/h or standing still.
-Avoid the yellow bank next to the gravel. As tempting as it looks it is often a minefeild littered with debris and loose gravel.
-Back brakes and gears are used to slow you down, front brakes are used to stop you. Getting this ratio right if you don't have a bike with ABS can be tricky but can save your life when you need to brake quickly.
-When the road is wet or it is raining, allow some extra distance for braking and maintain a slower than usual speed. Helmets don't have wipers and oil tends to surface on the roads during heavy rains.

 

[MajRod]

I have this meme stuck in my head as a constant reminder when I ride...I think it's Nicolas Cage who said it in Gone in 60sec ..

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[damian666]

One thing i realised if you cant see the person eyes in their review mirror, the person in the car cant see you either, Be careful out there on our roads.

 

[D3TTOL]

Always!

Never listen to music in your ears etc, I like to hear all my surroundings, also keeps me more focused.

Also, WEAR PROPER KIT!!!! Dudes who ride in flipflops and shirt with no gloves are silly

You're gonna hate my biker shorts. xD

 

[D3TTOL]

I wish I could afford a bike because I would love a KTM Duke [emoji7]

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Dukes can be cheap.
Them little 125/250cc dukes can be found on the second hand market

 

[Dopplegarp]

+1 to all the advice so far. My add would be, keep your anger in check. A fender bender for a car can potentially kill one of us, so I think us bikers (or is it just me?) can sometimes bubble over a bit when people do something stupid around us. This will only make a situation worse. Case in point, years back before I managed to become a true Zen rider, some guys ran a red and almost took me out (Being paranoid at lights saved me there) and in a rage I gave chase. Got brake checked by them and almost taken out a second time before they raced off. But even if they had stopped, the only thing I would have accomplished would to have had the shit beat outta me by some douchebags, or been killed. Stay safe, stay calm, stay alive guys.

 

[Toxxyc]

+1 to all the advice so far. My add would be, keep your anger in check. A fender bender for a car can potentially kill one of us, so I think us bikers (or is it just me?) can sometimes bubble over a bit when people do something stupid around us. This will only make a situation worse. Case in point, years back before I managed to become a true Zen rider, some guys ran a red and almost took me out (Being paranoid at lights saved me there) and in a rage I gave chase. Got brake checked by them and almost taken out a second time before they raced off. But even if they had stopped, the only thing I would have accomplished would to have had the shit beat outta me by some douchebags, or been killed. Stay safe, stay calm, stay alive guys.

This. First rule of a fight is to not get involved in one.