Ways to be Safe on a Motorcycle
There Is a Right Way, and There Are Many Wrong Ways
Contrary to the often-incorrect conventional wisdom, you actually can be safe riding with two too-few wheels. After all, we're talking about both style and attitude, things that even the dimmest of riders can adjust to personal advantage for enhanced health. Oh, where to start?
It's highly proper to begin at the beginning, that is, before you buy the motorcycle. People who ride frequently want something that resembles the bike Mat Mladin rides in AMA Superbike. Bad idea!
Mat is a professional, and he would likely tell you (if you could catch him) that motorcycling is for fun. What he does on the weekends is enjoyable for him, but are you really skilled and strong enough to test the top speed of a superbike on public highways? Not only would it be illegal, but a good odds maker in Las Vegas would be against your chances of surviving the trip.
A Match Made in Common Sense
So, first off, try to find a motorcycle that matches your skills and your style. Most of us ride regularly on the street, so a competition dirt bike won't help. Street bikes come in at least two types: expensive and more expensive. Are you riding to get from Point A to Point B? Then you won't necessarily have to spend $20,000 to $30,000 on a bike to accomplish the task.
If you ride for bragging rights, including fifteen pounds of hyper-shiny chrome doodads, you'll probably be looking around in Harley shops for some American iron. The dealers can see you coming, so they'll throw a pig on the grill and fix you right up. An alternative could see you looking at cruisers or dual-sport bikes with names like Honda, Ducati, Yamaha, and Suzuki. They want your business, too, but they may not take as large a chunk of your bank account in the process. Less chrome, a little more oomph.
Get Ready, Get Set, Think!
Buying the bike is only the beginning. Once you sign the dotted line, consider whether you already know how to ride a motorcycle. Having ridden thirty years ago and wanting to re-enter the sport is a sorry excuse for skipping refresher training equipment has changed, much as your waistline did.
So now you're at home and contemplating the first warm weekend of spring. The winds are under fifteen miles per hour, and the sand and salt from the city's trucks were washed away two days ago. What can you reasonably do?
Well, you can check the oil level, measure the tire inflation, and ensure that you're familiar with all of the bike's controls. Do all of the turn signals work? If so, you're closer than ever to taking that all-important first ride. There's another thing to look at, though, before you put the key into the ignition: yourself!
Take More than Your Underwear to This Dance
Since we are talking about safety, how you dress is crucial to skin, bone, and hair maintenance for every rider. A t-shirt, a pair of shorts, and flip flops on your feet mean you're ready for a backyard barbecue, not a motorcycle excursion. For every ride, the smart rider the one with the elevated chances of growing old is the one who dresses for the crash rather than for the wind-in-your-hair, happy-go-lucky look.
At a minimum, be careful of your head, which means you need a helmet. I don't care whether it's fixed full-face or flip-up full face, but you need to ensure that you're going to bring your face back home with you. Add to this an armored leather or textile motorcycle jacket (you can get it for under $200), gloves, long pants, and riding boots. The best boots will cover your ankles broken ankles are a drag.
Now you're ready to take the bike out very gently and see whether your impression of its power and versatility in the store are borne out by your experience on the road. It's best to do this initial testing on a deserted street or in a parking lot somewhere. Find out what acceleration you will likely get, and then test and test and test your stopping ability.
Go and Stop, Effectively
Improper acceleration can throw off your track and make you look silly, in addition to providing a dangerous sideshow for any other drivers/riders on the road with you. Failing to learn what your brakes can do can simply kill you.
One school of thought says the front brakes on a bike are to be left alone, while the rider makes most stops using the rear. Considering that more than seventy percent of your stopping power comes from the front, people who know consider that school of thought largely out of date and hopefully closed. Use your brakes as the instructors told you to; they see many folks doing it incorrectly. Live long, and stop in time!
As you become intimately acquainted with your new toy (I call mine that, too), you will find that the controls fall naturally under the digits that have to use them. After a while, you won't have to think about where things are, because by then it will be automatic a little muscle memory kicking in for you.
Finally, as a safety tip for old farts and young alike, ride like a thinking person and you'll stay alive. Oh, and by the way, your bike will last longer and look better, too.
