her-motorcycle.com

Safety

by Tommy
(Albuquerque)

1) You just laid out $2000-plus for a bike - Buy & WEAR a helmet, too. It's worth a couple more bucks.


2) Probably heard this before - No one is looking for you in among the larger vehicles - watch the road, front AND back. Pretend you are invisible - because you ARE to the guy eating the breakfast burrito, drinking coffe, shaving, and talking on his PDA phone steering with his knees. Get AHEAD of this doofus, but not IN FRONT OF - he might squish you at that next light when you stop and he doesn't.


3) Wear decent riding footwear - sandals and flip-flops will not keep your ankle from being ground into the pavement under your bike.


4) Wear decent clothing for riding. All right, wear a T-shirt or tank-top if you must - but wear long pants!


Armored mesh jackets work pretty good at keeping you cooler in the heat and protected.


5) Don't assume that someone looking in your direction "sees" you. See Number 3.


7) Your front brake is your friend, and most of the braking on a motorcycle (or bicycle) is done on the front - something like 70% front 30% rear. So be careful locking up the rear, it seems to slide the rear around on my Kat.


6) ....And maybe most important (except Number 1), Be leery of advice from "experts". Do research. Look up different forums. I have a Katana, so www.katriders.com is my "home" for info, but I look around.


7) Don't be afraid of working on your bike. Get a maintenance manual - I have Hayne's. Ebay has tons if you can't find it local. Everything is pretty simple and compact and right at hand on a bike, not as overwhelming for newbies as a car or truck.


8) BE PATIENT!! Whether working on the bike or riding on it, don't get in a big hurry or things can get out of hand quick!


9) Don't ride like a dumbass "... just like all those other bikers/suicide riders/maniacs/rocket-bikers/(fill in your choice epithet here) that I see riding all over town!!" because you'll get to hear variations of that phrase ALL DAY LONG from people who drive like the guy in Number 3.



I know there are other things I could relate, but this is what I remember of the top of my head, and most came (sadly) as a result of experience.
Have fun, be safe,
Tommy

Comments for Safety

Click here to add your own comments

Dec 22, 2007
Long pants are NOT protection
by: Pam

What Tommy offers as riding gear advice is less than smart. He completely left out gloves.

Your hands have more bones in them than any other part of the body. The bones are delicate. Injury to either or both hands can potentially put you out of your JOB if you are injured badly enough. When riding, always wear quality, well fitting full fingered motorcycle gloves. Knuckle armor is a good thing... suppose you clip a car's mirror?

Proper motorcycle boots will protect feet and ankles from both the heat of an exhaust pipe and worse injury from pavement in a drop or slide.

Street pants, such as blue jeans, will offer NO protection if you go down. Wear gear.

P

Dec 22, 2007
Long pants are NOT protection
by: Pam

What Tommy offers as riding gear advice is less than smart. He completely left out gloves.

Your hands have more bones in them than any other part of the body. The bones are delicate. Injury to either or both hands can potentially put you out of your JOB if you are injured badly enough. When riding, always wear quality, well fitting full fingered motorcycle gloves. Knuckle armor is a good thing... suppose you clip a car's mirror?

Proper motorcycle boots will protect feet and ankles from both the heat of an exhaust pipe and worse injury from pavement in a drop or slide.

Street pants, such as blue jeans, will offer NO protection if you go down. Wear gear.

P

Aug 21, 2007
Thanks -
by: Anonymous

...for your safety tips. You seem quite experienced, especially with the vexing behavior of drivers on the road. I agree with everything you said - except for the tank tops - Wear a protective jacket is my motto (but, I'm a bit of a safety freak)
Visit again,
Christine

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Advice for Beginners.




Her Motorcycle

Our Newsletter
Email

Name

Then

Don't worry -- your e-mail address is totally secure.
I promise to use it only to send you Her-Motorcycle.com Ezine.

Home
Most Popular Discussions
All Forums Her-Motorcycle Forum Ask A Motorcycle Question Women's Motorcycle Clubs

Guest Content
Submit

Your Bikes
The Bikes Women Love To Ride

Just Ride!
Learn to Ride Best Motorcycle For A Woman Sport/Touring Bikes New Bikes Used Bikes Bike Values Insurance

Road Trips
USA Road Trips Europe Road Trips Motorcycle Friendly Accomodation

Gear & Gadgets
Helmet Hair Motorcycle Riding Gear Online Partners Parts & Gear Search Motorcycle Accessories

Archives & Resources
Guest Articles History Maintenance Winterizing A Motorcycle
[?] Subscribe To This Site

XML RSS
follow us in feedly
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Subscribe with Bloglines

| Home | What's New | Site Search | About | Contact | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy |

Return to Top
Copyright© 2007-2013 Her-Motorcycle.com. All Rights Reserved.