In light of the dangers we all face when getting out on the road I thought I'd start a pinned post on tips for safe riding.  We all know the obvious ones, but I'd thought we could include some that people don't readily think about.

** Please keep this post free of crap **

My tip:

Clear your head of work or family issues when out on the road and concentrate just on riding, makes a difference I reckon.

 

A quick 5 mins check of the bike before setting out can make a difference to a safe and happy ride and all shit breaking loose. yeah we all talk about it but how many actually have a quick go over the bike before setting out.

Stagger your riding position if your riding in a group, never trust a car driver has seen you, never sit directly behind a car..sit to the right of it so the driver can see you in the mirror and you have an escape path if it stops. Pretty common sense stuff and worked for me so far....oh yer loud pipes.

Never sit beside another vehicle, either pass em or sit behind em, don't sit in their blind spot.
Give yourself some stopping room, if ya sit up their arse you will have no chance.
Look beside you before changing lanes, the bastards creep up on ya.
Don't sit beside cars in a dual turning lane thru the lights cause when they take the corner they swap lanes, either get in front or sit behind.
Practice your emergency stops at all speeds up to your highway speeds, using full front brakes and back brakes, you never know when you might need it, and it gives you an idea about how much distance it will take to stop at those speeds.
+1 on the Loud pipes.

Motor cycle rideing is inherently dangerouse ........

if ya that concerned sell ya bike and rap yaself in cotton wool

Probably the least used switch on any bike is the Horn. As a result most riders are unfamilier to it's whereabouts in an emergency, if you have to look down to find it it's probably too late...

We're taught in any vehicle to watch people's eyes to see if they can see you. Nowadays, tinted windows are the norm, and a few hours on a bike means you can't trust people in bucket seats not worrying about balance - just the stereo.

So, steal a sly, monentary glance at the wheels of cars at intersections and roundabouts. They won't lie and you'll be able to work out the nature of the driver a lot better.

I also spend quite a bit of time covering my handbrake/clutch and footbrake, when approaching intersections (with traffic or not), roundabouts and even up hills and rises that obscure your vision... just in case.

And another thing that doesn't apply to many - ride wearing what you feel comfortable crashing in.

WATCH them all    ............ there all out to get ya    ,  thats how i look at it .

Cheers  ..  and stay safe .

Some great riding tips there. I continually scan both sides and a fair way ahead to try and anticipate any problems that will come up on you. Check your mirrors frequently. Treat all car drivers as idiots and never trust their indicators.

Don't assume anything when you ride, and never allow yourself to think that you know it all. Even the best keep learning. And ditto to what 1elcys said about practicing emergency braking.

All great tips..only thing I can say is never ride pissed...either because of booze or anger.

my input is be carefull while on prescription meds............they really can be the difference between reacting and thinking bout reacting..........from experience...

If you see crap ( chunk of wood or large rock ) on the road and you can remove it wthout putting yourself in danger
please do so , the next bike to come along might be ME or one of your friends .

If Your in the bush , Don't ride between dusk till dawn . believe Me skippy can be anywhere not just between the signs . Oh , and fuckin farmers ,thier nearly as unpridictable

Learn to panic stop your bike without lockups. a Real doctor friend of mine said a very big concern when attending to motorcycle accidents is skin trauma.They can reset broken bones and reattach muscles but large areas of shredded skin infection can get out of control, so always wear protective clothes and equipment.

Head check then head check again when changing lanes. Nearly got taken out by some numbnut P plater togay speeding along. I thought he was further away and I checked again to find him right in the blind spot....fuggen tosser.

What has kept me upright and serious injury free for most of my riding life is to take every ride, even to the corner store, very seriously. The most dangerous place to ride is in your own neighborhood.....Complacency kills.....

Bt

As most riders know the last thing in contact with the ground is a little patch of rubber. Emergency braking would have to be one of the most often encountered situation.

Pulling up a 300kg plus bike in a hurry is not an easy task especially with a skinny 21 inch front wheel. most of us only have a go when shit happens. An advanced course every 12 months is what i intend to do from now on.

Like a lot of other riders i only got my licence about 5 years after riding unlicensed for 25 years. Learnt more in one day than i ever did in that time. Once you know HOW a bike works and put it into to practice riding becomes heaps more enjoyable and along with confidence and a relaxed riding posture.

And to sum it all up the best piece of advice is, under no circumstance no matter what happens DON'T FALL OFF.

learn how to mind read other motorists