by Supaduke » 13 Aug 2018, 10:13 pm
Best bits of advice I can give after 20+ years of riding bikes.
- Don't be a tight ass with tyres, it's all that seperates you from disaster.
- All the gear, all the time.
- Never exceed 80% of your ability on the road, never seek your limits. Go at a good pace and be satisfied.
- Lift your head, look up the road, see what's going on.
-Never split lanes at a speed of 15kph more than the other traffic. Give yourself a chance if someone does something silly.
- There is no such thing as a 'minor' accident on a bike. They will always be expensive and/or painful. Go to great lengths to keep it rubber side down.
-Ever hear someone say if describing an accident "Had no choice man, had to lay it down".They are nubs, Never lay your bike down. Stay on till the bitter end. If seperated from your bike you become nothing more than a missle. All the tools to avoid or reduce the severity of a collision are on your bike.
-In a group, ride at your own pace, or find others that ride at a pace you are comfortable with.
- Accept you are hard to see and many drivers are not as motorcycle aware as you would like. Make yourself visible, don't sit in blind spots.
-Trust no one. Don't cruise around with the attitude " He SHOULD stop, I have right of way, I'm going through". Make sure cars see you. A good trick is to wiggle your headlight (the flashing light draws the eye) if you suspect a car might not have seen you yet.
-Give other riders the nod when passing by, even Harley riders (They will often ignore you if you are not riding a Harley)
-If not riding a Harley, prepare yourself for the eye rolling and scoffing of Harley riders if you mention your ride at work etc. . Then ,if you dare, mention that your bike was a third of the price and is vastly superior in all technical aspects such as speed, handling, braking, fuel economy. This will be followed by " My mate's got a Harley that's had the motor worked, would thrash your bike on the quarter" . So you need to drop $10k-$30k to get a Harley going reasonably quick in a straight line.
- I like Harley's , everyone relax.
- Enjoy the comraderie that only Bikers know.