For the beginners. From those who have to those who haven't yet.

[sgtslag]

Be a Rock Star...  Wear Ear plugs!  At the next concert you attend, watch carefully:  rock stars wear ear plugs, as their careers depend on their being able to hear!  The sound levels on stage would end their careers after 10, or so, years...  Maybe sooner.  There is no way to repair the damage, and it is all cumulative, over time.  So, be a Rock Star!

Wind noise, at 55 MPH, is loud enough to permanently damage your hearing.  Add in a helmet, and the noise gets amplified.  Wear a helmet anyway!!!  Loud noises, such as wind, traffic, and your bike's engine noises, will cause you to become tense, all over, slowing your reaction times, making it harder to control the bike.

Riding with ear plugs will reduce the sounds of traffic, and wind noise, but you will still be able to hear traffic around you.  The tension in your body will disappear, you will be much more relaxed, more able to react, and control the bike.  Be a Rock Star...

Disposable Foamie ear plugs run a wide range of dB (decibel) noise reduction, but 32 dB NRR (Noise Reduction Ratio) is best.  If you plan to ride frequently, or for long periods of time, save up for custom fit ear plugs.  They tend to be less effective, usually clocking in at 28 dB, but you will be able to wear them for 6+ hours without pain.

So...  Being hard of hearing, or even deaf, is not cool.  Be a Rock Star!  Cheers!

[trapper]

Great thought Slag. But in some states ear plugs aren't legal. I agree with you fully that the loud noise of the wind, especially when amplified from a helmet can be damaging but, people should check in their areas to make sure this won't get them pulled by the boys in blue.


Another thing I was thinking about today while riding to work.
A quick extra look can go a long way. Don't just trust your mirrors when switching lanes. Take a quick look over your shoulder. This will 1, confirm if it is safe to do so and 2, give an added notice to the drivers and riders behind you that you intend to move over.

[Hoosier Daddy]

 I see nobody mentioned how important it is in curves to Look Through the Turn and to Turn Your Head!
 New riders tend to look at the pavent, fixating on the path between the yellow and white lines in a curve. You should make a conscience effort to pick your head up a little more and look further through the turn than usual. That means that you are looking at where you want to go the entire time you are turning, not in front of you. Also, the motorcycle wants to go where your head is looking. So turn your head instead of just moving your eyes.
 Imagine if you focus on the pavenment only to find the curve is indeed a switchback, by the time you see it, the opposite turn would be upon you and leave little time to react.... or you come around a corner only to find debris in the road? Don’t focus on the hazard, but instead look at the path of travel around it.
 Turning your head will also be easier for others to recognise your intent. That Cager will SEE your intents by the way your head is turned.

[LukeM]

I put little convex adjustable mirrors on my bike, in the lower half of the lenses.  They work well to see what's in the blind spot.  I still look twice.

One lesson I learned early on: when stopped and in a turn lane, go forward first and then turn the bars.  Doing it the other way around is almost certain to dig the front wheel in, and the bike will fall over.  Happened to me in a rush hour afternoon at a busy intersection.

+1 on "finishing the turn".  

Luke M

[sgtslag]

Technically, ear plugs might be illegal.  Realistically, it would not hold up in court:  you can hear with them in place, and they make you safer; besides that, it is a certifiable medical issue.  LEO's would only tag you for ear plugs if they pulled you over for something else, then noticed your ear plugs.

Ear plugs for noise reduction (NR) are not the same thing as wearing ear plugs for music -- aka, headphones.  No one has ever been documented for being tagged for NR'ing ear plugs.  I choose a legal fight, that I know I can/should win, over permanent hearing loss.  Cheers!

[free2ride]

a couple of "you bet, I agree"s:

1. ear plugs. got some custom fitters for my ride -- wow, what a difference they may. a much more enjoyable ride. I took them out at one road stop to "rest" my ears, and knowing I was going to stop in another 15 for something else didn't put them back in. boy did I regret it. from now on if I am on the highway they are going in even for 5 minutes. that wind noise was awful.

2. look ahead. look up. if you are looking just ahead of you you will see a problem . . . but it will be too late to react. look father ahead and you'll notice problems well before they become a problem!

[icerigger]

Add one to looking ahead. I've been riding for almost 40 yrs and last year had my first case of target fixation, almost killed me and SWC. Look where you want to go and you'll get there. Look and something you don't want to hit and guess what?

[icerigger]

Sorry, should have been "look AT something".

Say, how do you edit your postings?

[free2ride]

icerigger wrote

Say, how do you edit your postings?

click "more" on your original post then click "edit post"

[shultz_1978]

New riders may not know how to use the back brake and clutch for slow speed riding. This should be mastered in a nice open parking lot.

While staring off you can get the bike moving at a nice slow speed (stay in first gear ) slowly apply the rear brake and easy off the gas. As the bike slows down you can use the clutch and throttle to keep the bike moving with out stalling it. Yes you will be slipping the clutch. Just keep the rpms low. Will applying the rear brake gently you will crate a forward force on the rear wheel with the drag of the brake. This will give the you stability. You will be amazed at just how slow you can ride and make turns.

I have been riding like this for  some time now. I roll up to stop signs looking both ways stop for a brief second and roll on through.

Do this carefully. You don't want on of this bike on you. So know your limits and take your time mastering these tips. You well get better as time passes.

[shinyribs]

I was wondering when someone would bring up target fixation. That is soooo easy to do! And extremely dangerous. I find that I want to fixate when riding in a group. Especially on some twisty road and watching the bike ahead of me. I tend to get sort of hypnotized by watching the bike ahead of me sway back and forth through the curves.

This kind of comes back to what Lostson said earlier about relaxing. If you are tense you tend to fixate worse. If you are relaxed and just enjoying yourself you tend to stare at things and ponder the possibilities and ''what might go wrong''. Another reason not to ride beyond your current skill level.

You still need to be very aware and look at everything. Scan the road ahead of you for immediate danger then glance further out to see what's coming next. Then scan the road ahead of you...and on and on.
And this relates to what Hoosier said about looking through the turns. If you look through the turn rather than at it you'll actually be able to make a much smoother,sweeping turn. Kind of like mowing the grass. If you stare directly ahead of the mower you'll swerve constantly. I f you look out across the yard you'll cut nice straight lines. Goofy analogy,I know, but it's the best I could come up with.

 Look through the turn and try to keep your head level while doing it. Just because the bike and your upper body lean through the curve doesn't mean you should lean your head as well. Your depth perception will suffer if you lean your head. The next time you are in your car cruising down the highway(nice easy straight stretch) lean your head and see what happens. It totally distorts you're perception. Your brain is used to seeing things with your head level. Tilt it,and it doesn't quite cope the same.

Keep scanning.Keep a look out in the distance.Keep relaxed.

Works for me at least :)

[sgtslag]

Dress for Success!...

Rain Gear:
Proper gear makes riding more comfortable, and safer.  Being cold, wet, and miserable, makes riding more difficult, and dangerous.  Proper rain gear is a must:  Frog Toggs ($30?) are the best I've found yet.  They keep you dry, but they also breathe, so that you don't get damp, and clammy, from built-up perspiration accumulating within your rain suit!  They will also break the wind, so it won't steal your heat away, as you ride.

Helmets:
Helmets are made to fit different head shapes.  Try different helmet manufacturers to see which models fit your head -- if it doesn't fit properly, it won't be comfortable; if it isn't comfortable, you won't wear it.  A helmet will increase your survival rate by 30% -- you will be 30% more likely to survive an accident, if you have a helmet on.  Helmets also prevent Traumatic Brain Injuries, which can occur even from low speed crashes -- TBI's never go away, they never get better, and you will never be the same again.  Sometimes death is preferable to a TBI...

An $80 Pep Boys, DOT rated helmet, will provide as much protection, in an accident, as an $800 racing helmet.  The DOT certification is actually quite good.  The Snell 2010 standard is basically the same as the current DOT certification, so save your money.  Full-face provides superb protection for the entire head (including the face); modular helmets are much more convenient, though more money; half-helmets provide virtually no protection -- look at how much of your head is exposed to potential impact...  Nazi soldier type helmets look cool, but they provide very little real protection -- head exposure.

Full coverage of the facial area is preferred!  Any impact on the face, can seriously impair your ability to control the motorcycle.  Cover your face, and everyone will be much safer, especially you!

Riding Jackets:
Inexpensive Cordura riding jackets provide a tremendous amount of protection from road rash, and bone injuries (armored jackets are the only ones to be considered...).  My son went down at 40 MPH, in a $70 (inexpensive, as riding jackets go), Cordura, armored riding jacket.  He slid roughly 40 feet on the pavement, before stopping.  The Cordura sleeve burned through, and 1/2 of the elbow pad burned through, but his arm was untouched.  He did not have leather chaps on, so he suffered road rash on his buttocks, and upper thigh.  I went down as well, being the driver of the bike at the time.  My Cordura jacket suffered minor abrasions on one wrist; my leather chaps suffered minor scrape marks on one side only.  No other injuries suffered, period!

Consider a Hi-Viz color, or a construction worker's Hi-Viz Vest over your riding jacket, for improved visibility.  The most common thing to hear from a cage driver is, "I didn't see him!"  Make yourself visible!  They work amazingly well in the rain, when visibility is very poor.  Also, if you have an accident, and you are able to walk, people will see you, and slow down -- they will think you are a road worker, and they will give you a wide berth.  If you are on the ground, they will have a much better chance of seeing you, and avoid running you over!

Boots:
Boots will save your feet/ankles in a crash.  Get a pair made for riding, as they are more flexible, and the toe is thinner, allowing you to shift much easier.  I tried work boots, but they just weren't flexible enough, and the toe was entirely too thick.  Riding boots are much more comfortable, and easier to use.  Prices vary, but mine were around $80.

Gloves:
Leather riding gloves protect your hands from rock, and bug impacts.  At 60-70 MPH, a small rock, or bug, will hurt -- a lot!  They can also distract you from the road; if the pain causes you to tear up, your vision will become impaired.  Wear gloves.

Dress for success, dress for the part you play on the stage of life.  Cheers!

[free2ride]

excellent, Sarge. nothing to add to that other than that when a bug hits you between the eyes at highway speed it's much better to have to stop to clean your face shield so you can see again  [it must have been a huge bug that hit me!] than to wipe the tears of pain away!

[trapper]

Very well put Sarge. As I told my newbie, she wasn't getting on my bike till she at least had jeans, boots and a good jacket. She had first asked for a ride last year and was standing there in sandles, shorts and a tank top. Wouldn't take her till she fixed that. Once she started getting interested in getting her own I made her go buy a proper set of boots and the whole nine yards.

[Hoko]

A good habit you want to get into is the pre-ride check of important bike systems.  Start with tire air pressure.  Your tires are only touching the pavement in a space about the size of a credit card.  Check the pressure in those tires often.  Bring it up to the recommended pressure listed for your particular bike.  The factory service manual for my 78 CB750F Super Sport recommends 26 psi in the front tire and 28 psi in the back tire for a single rider.  There are higher psi settings for carrying a passenger.  Check your manual to find the right settings for your bike.  Incorrect air pressure in your tires will greatly affect the handling of your bike.

[motogrady]

all good stuuf

my little contribution, traction, and the lack thereof.

gravel will kill you, same with leaves, you see it coming try to avoid or get off any steep lean.
Stand the bike up straight for the instant you hit it if you can, and for sure get offthe front brake.

oil and grease sometimes collect in the center of a lane,  mainly when you come to stop
at a light or sign.  Cars and trucks leak oil too.  Stay out of that stuff, especially when it just starts raining.

Fire trucks slosh water on the road, dump trucks lose gravel and dirt, don't follow them too close.

You pull off the road, get the tires a bit muddy or wet, give them time to clean off.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Hoosier Daddy wrote

I have been actively riding for my 4th summer now and although I have read it many times, that one ^ still illudes me.

Just a little feed back. Every since I posted this I have been conciously making the effort on this and now it has already become second nature!
 SOOOO much nicer when the light bulb comes on!