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Good control of the bike, good protective gear and most importantly expect the unexpected.
Keep alert and thinking "what if". And allow room to maneuver.
Accidents happen when there is a confluence of bad things happening at once. Car turns in front of a biker who is not attentive. Can't control the car but "expecting it" gives you a better chance.
Stay alert. And staying alert 100% is for me at least a challenge. In a car you can day dream but on a bike you better be on top of it all the time because you know the other guy isn't
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I'm a little surprised that no one mentioned this: Check your tire pressure!
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Don't look at any one thing for too long.....keep eyes moving. See motion induced blindness.
http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/mot-mib/index.html
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Yep pre ride inspection I'll bet the vast majority of us don't do it. Tires very important. I'll bet there are more bikes out there with dry rotted tires then you would ever guess. Lots of motorcycles sit unused and tires can kill.
If you dig into motorcycle accidents clearly inexperience and bad choices are a factor in many.
If you do it right you certainly can make the odds better.
I like to think of riders as amateurs or professionals.
DO IT RIGHT AND BE A PROFESSIONAL. Means riding gear, education and all the rest we are discussing here.
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(12-21-2013, 01:46 AM)mininsx_imp Wrote: I'm a little surprised that no one mentioned this: Check your tire pressure!
This is so important. Every single ride I do I check them by feel and If I am not lazy I check with a tire gauge.... Just last week on my way home from work I picked up a nail on my rear tire without knowing and the bike all of a sudden didn't want to turn at all, Low tire pressure will not let you turn the bike. I also make it a habit to keep the bike as clean as when I first got it so I know if there are any leaks or anything out of the ordinary.....A bike thats in tip top shape also helps in being a safer rider.
all great advices fellas
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Wow , some really great comments here but since some one brought up tire dry rot and I sold motorcycle tires for the last 15 years
I think I should comment. As a tire ages it slowly will not stop as well as it did when it was new. By the time it is 60 months old it is pretty much done. I know there are a lot of members with multiple bikes here so it is really important to check tire dates on the tires.
When you buy a used bike always check tire dates.
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How many guys run tires beyond five years if the tread is ok? It's only been a couple years that I learned better. Cars too. Old tires not good.
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I saw on a previous thread based on stats for motorcycle accidents and deaths, the following will improve your chances quite a bit.
1. wear a helmet
2. don't speed
3. don't drink
And a couple hints I have that different then others I read here...
- I do trust my mirrors( when blind spot mirror is added) and don't look back, the act of looking back over your shoulder takes your eyes of the road and momentarily disorients you.
- don't get too far behind the car in front of you, or another car may be tempted to pull in front of you, so I stay close enough that no one is tempted.
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A few acronyms from the MSF Basic Rider Course. These are always in the back of my mind every time I get on the bike.
SEE - Search, Evaluate, Execute
Pre Ride Inspection TCLOCS - Tires/Wheels, Controls, Lights & Electircs, Oil, Chain & Chassis, Stands
FINECC - Check Fuel On, Iginitioin On, Neutral, Engine Cutoff Switch On, Choke/Clutch
SLIPR when entering corners - Slow, Look, Press, Roll
Avoid blind spots and create a 360 degree cushion around you.
When entering a turn, keep your head up and look all the way through the turn. Learn proper counter steering technique for turning the motorcycle. To go left press on the left bar. To go right press on the right bar. Sounds totally counter intuitive but it works.
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Here's one to think about. I call it the "Biker's Dilemma". When approaching an intersection that is a two way stop where you have the right of way, a car on the cross street is waiting to pull out. He starts to roll forward slowly so what do you do? You're not sure if he sees you so you hit the brakes in case he doesn't. Seeing you slow down, he assumes you are turning even though you haven't signaled and he pulls out. If you don't slow down and he does see you fine but if he doesn't, you are going too fast to stop. What would you do? Personally, I just cover my brakes and depend on my gut reaction and take that. Not enough time to think about it when it's happening.
