Riding and traffic tips/reminders for the comming season.

[unforgivenracing]

In Traffic tips for Bikes and Trikes!!!!!!!

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Basics? Sure. But keeping them fresh in your cranial could be the difference between riding tomorrow and The Long Nap

*** (Trikers need to watch your hips)***

Close your eyes and recall your last ride in heavy traffic.Imagine the vehicles surrounding you, crowding you, cutting you off. Imagine yourself monitoring closing speeds, reading street signs, noticing and anticipating traffic lights. Then imagine guessing what pedestrians will do, or how slippery that painted line might be. And those drivers with cell phones, newspapers or screaming kids to deal with...imagine trying to guess what they're going to do.

Riding in traffic can be a nightmare, especially for street-riding newcomers. Is it any wonder so many motorcyclists crash and burn while riding on congested streets? It's amazing how many different tasks motorcyclists deal with on a normal traffic-choked commute. Doing it successfully means processing a multitude of items at once and reacting correctly to each. Doing it wrong can mean roadkill--the human kind.

Watch drivers' heads and mirrors
Watching the head movements of drivers through their windows and mirrors is an excellent way to anticipate sudden moves. Most drivers won't lunge left or right without first moving their heads one way or another (even if they don't check their mirrors).

Trust your mirrors, but not totally
Your bike's mirrors can be lifesavers, but they don't always tell the entire story even if they're adjusted properly. In traffic, always buttress your mirror-generated rear view with a glance over the appropriate shoulder. Do it quickly and you'll add an extra measure of rear-view and blind-spot knowledge to your info-gathering tasks.

Never get between a vehicle and an offramp
This sounds almost too simple, but drivers who decide to exit at the last minute kill plenty of riders each year. The simple rule, then, is to never position yourself between a vehicle and an offramp. Passing on the right is generally a no-no, but in this day and age it's sometimes necessary. So if you do it, do so between exits or cross-streets.

Cover your brakes
In traffic you must often react extra quickly, which means not fumbling for the brake lever or pedal. To minimize reach time, always keep a finger or two on the brake lever and your right toe close to the rear brake pedal. When that cell phone-yakking dorkus cuts across your path trying to get to the 7-Eleven for a burrito supreme, you'll be ready.

Be noticed
Make sure drivers and pedestrians can see you, even from a distance. Ride with your high beam on during the day (as a courtesy, turn it off when sitting behind someone at a light), and wear brightly colored gear, especially your helmet and jacket. Aerostich's Hi Vis yellow suits and jackets aren't just hugely conspicuous, they've also become fashionable, so now you don't have an excuse.

Be ready with the power
In traffic, ride in a gear lower than you normally would so your bike is ready to jump forward instantly if asked. (Not everyone rides open-class twins, after all.) Doing so gives you the option of leaping ahead instead of being limited to just using the brakes when that pickup suddenly moves over. The higher revs might also alert more cagers to your presence.

Traffic slowing? Stay left (or right)
When traffic slows suddenly, stay to the left or right of the car in front of you. This will give you an escape route if needed. It will also help keep you from becoming a hood ornament if the car behind you fails to stop in time. Once you've stopped, be ready--clutch in, your bike in gear and your eyes on the mirrors. You never know.

Practice the scan
Constantly scanning your entire environment while riding--from instruments to mirrors to the road ahead to blind spots to your left and right rear--keeps you aware and in touch with your situation, and therefore better able to react. Dwelling on one area too long--watching only behind or in front of you, for instance--is just begging for trouble.

Left-turn treachery
When approaching an oncoming car that's stopped and about to turn left, be ready. Your brights should be on so the driver can see you (during the day), but don't rely on this to save you. Watch the car's wheels or the driver's hands on the steering wheel; if you see movement, be ready to brake, swerve or accelerate, whichever seems best for the situation.

Study the surface
Add asphalt conditions to your scan. Be on the lookout for spilled oil, antifreeze or fuel; it'll usually show up as shiny pavement. Also keep an eye out for gravel and/or sand, which is usually more difficult to see. Use your sense of smell, too; often you can smell spilled diesel fuel before your tires discover how slippery the stuff is.

Ride in open zones
Use your bike's power and maneuverability to ride in open zones in traffic. In any grouping of vehicles there are always some gaps; find these and ride in them. Doing so will separate you from four-wheelers, give you additional room to maneuver and allow you to keep away from dangerous blind spots. And vary your speed. Riding along with the flow can make you invisible to other drivers, especially in heavy traffic.

Use that thumb
Get into the habit of canceling your turn signals often regardless of the traffic situation. A blinking signal might tell drivers waiting to pull into the road or turning left in front of you that you're about to turn when you aren't. So push that switch a few times each minute. Better to wear out the switch than eat a Hummer's hood, eh?

More than one way out
So don't just brake hard in a hairball situation. There's almost always an escape route. Swerving into Mrs. Smith's front yard could be a lot better than centerpunching the Buick that turned left in front of you. Always have an escape route planned, and update it minute by minute.

Running interference
This one's easy, and we'll bet most of you already do it: Let larger vehicles run interference for you when negotiating intersections. If the bonehead coming toward you from the left or right is going to blow the light, better they hit the box van next to you, right? For the same reasons, don't lunge through an intersection as soon as the light turns green. Be patient, and use the vehicles next to you as cover.
Some of these tips go for when you are driving a cage, Be careful out there!!!

[gma]

Thx for the offering.

Permit me to add ...

- Be vigilant about tire pressure
- Never ride impared or angry
- Spend on your gear and your bike in the appropriate proportion
- Minimize self-imposed distractions - i-dumb, GPS, phone, video camera, blue-tooth, etc
- Recognize and respond appropriately to fatigue / dehydration
- Remember that every driveway represents an intersection - the location of most m/c axdnts
- Assume that cagers don`t understand the unique concerns of riders and that they aren`t intentionally trying to kill you - they just are aware
- Assume all cagers think you`re scum, that you `got it comin` to ya` and are trying to kill you
- Mitigate risk - when and where you ride, routes, traffic patterns, lane choice, intersection approach, weather, visibility, following distance, escape vectors, etc
- If you absolutely must carry a passenger, be certain they have perfect understanding of exactly what to do or not to do
- Catching yourself daydreaming is a sign - read it
- At night, you look like a p`diddle
- There`s no such thing as too much gear
- There`s never a good reason to loiter in a blind spot

Have fun!

G

[kartstar]

I'd also add:

Imagine your helmet is an invisibility suit - once you put it on, make the assumption that nobody can see you.

...except the police.

[Woofentino Pugrossi]

All add, make sure the tip of your holster sticks a bit out from under your coat.

[catman]

Keep the RISK-OMeter close at hand- learn to recognize risk (as is ), the earlier the better!!- then take the point of least resistance-- great discussion with all the ahem old aged drivers out there-and the young inexperienced jockeys, and the newcomers and the  ahem undocumented yet license carrying folks- the list goes on and the risk gets greater ,daily- the odds are against you - that a life ending circumstance could come your way-

[Garywc]

one good reason to ride all year long.

http://www.polarbeargrandtour.com/

my wife and I try to ride every sunday at the least
I find  riding in traffic to be a good  exercise to keep your riding skills sharp.

and when not on the street i try do some dirt riding to keep the motor skills in shape

[vnvbandit]

All add, make sure the tip of your holster sticks a bit out from under your coat.

Spoken like a true Floridian   

[catman]

+ :thumb:1 GRIFF!

[Woofentino Pugrossi]

Spoken like a true Floridian  

Aint from florida. I dont have blue hair. Key word is nothing is in the holster since ccw isnt legal here.

[chaplain220]

As we were getting our free continental breakfast before heading to the track, the local television station was reporting 2 sportbike riders killed on I-4 outside of Daytona, and a third was killed in a separate incident.  Sounds like the two were racing a car when something went really bad, really fast.  You hear stuff like this all the time, and it just breaks your heart to know that these bros are being taken out or throwing their lives away before they ever get the chance to be the dads, big brothers or community leaders that they could have been.  I brought my streetbike down with me and headed to the Hess station hangout on Intl speedway Dr at around 10pm for some street outreach.  Met a whole bunch of riders, rode with em for a bit, and the next morning, dude calls me, and 15-20 of em showed up at the track.  I think the bond we share racing, can be a powerful draw to not only make these guys better riders ,but  bring in some new race-blood, and help keep these bros alive to become the leaders they have potential to be.  +1 to the advice posted. 

[n2racing6]

Two things you can never have enough of for street survival---horsepower and brakes. One or the other will get you to where the SUV driver (while on the phone, drinking coffee and reading the paper) ISN'T!! Been riding for half a century, and have been hit once--my fault, I assumed the pick up would stop at the stop sign. Two months in the hospital made me a much better rider, as for the last 35 years I assume nothing about 'cage' drivers.