What would be the five most important motorcycling tips that you could offer someone?
Clearly there are numerous safety considerations for bikers, but we take a look at our “big five” below.
Motorcycling tip #1: Bike Maintenance
Topping our list of motorcycling tips is bike maintenance. There’s no two ways about it: a well maintained motorcycle will be safer than a poorly maintained one.
Tyres
Tyres should have a safe amount of tread. The legal minimum is 1mm of tread across the centre three-quarters of the tread area. Ironically, the legal minimum for a car is 1.6mm, and you could be forgiven for thinking a bike tyre should legally have at least as much tread as a car, but strangely this is not the case. But do you know why do we have tread cut into our tyres? (Clue: the answer is not just ‘for grip!’). The answer is, quite simply, to disperse water/rain on a wet road. Would the legal minimum of 1mm accomplish this? The answer is no. It would therefore be wise to replace our tyres before they get to the 1mm legal minimum. A set of good “boots” (tyres) on our machine is money well spent as we will not only be safer but our machine will perform much better in general riding, including accelerating, cornering and braking. This of course becomes even more important during the winter months when we have to also cope with cold and wet tarmac.
Brakes
Your life can depend on your brakes. It sounds obvious, but check them: make sure they are working as they should. Check for wear on the discs and pads/shoes. Check your brake fluid levels on any disc brakes. You can never be too safe.
Chain and Sprockets
These should be in good condition and not be showing excessive signs of wear. The chain should be checked for the correct tension according to the owners manual, and the alignment between the front and rear wheel should be correct. A well lubricated chain is also a safety must, plus if lubricated the chain and sprockets will have a much longer life, actually saving you money!
Electrics
Checking your bulbs is a must. Main beam, dipped beam and indicators. Also check your tail/stop light is working when operating the front and back brake: you really do need that 44 tonne lorry behind you to be able to see you are slowing down! Also check that your horn is working! Remember, if that car starts to pull out in front of you – your brakes can slow you down/stop you – but your horn (used in a timely manner) can stop “the others” dead! On a motorcycle, noise is our friend! Loud pipes might save lives, but so do loud horns! Use it!
Suspension
Check that your suspension legs and springs have good travel and return, and that there are no leaks. Worn or badly maintained suspension on a motorcycle is dangerous and will adversely affect the safety and handling of the machine.
Clean Your Bike!
As we clean our machine, we often get close up and personal with them, and are more likely to spot any small problems before they become real issues. If you are too busy to give your bike a good old clean then as a minimum keep all your light lenses clean, as this will obviously make you more visible. A quick wipe over only takes a few seconds but it could make the world of difference to those around you.
As far as motorcycling tips goes, bike maintenance is clearly a biggie. Don’t neglect it.
Motorcycling tip #2: Wearing the Correct Kit
This motorcycling tip cannot be understated. The correct kit not only makes us more comfortable/warm, but if the worst happens it will protect us from unnecessary injuries.
Helmet
A couple of obvious points here: buy the best you can afford, and always buy new. You simply cannot be sure of the history of a second hand helmet. Motorcycle helmets are designed for one impact after which they must be discarded and replaced. The helmet fit should be snug but not tight: a helmet which is too tight will not only be very uncomfortable, it will also affect your concentration. Fastening your helmet securely and properly to your head is a legal and safety must. When fastened you should just be able to get 2 fingers between the strap and your chin.
Clothing
Leather is traditionally what motorcyclists choose as it has excellent anti abrasive properties; it’s like wrapping half a cow around your body! In a slide, motorcycle leathers will save your skin for an impressive 6 seconds. Cordura-type motorcycle clothing does tend to perform better in the wet than leather (in terms of comfort and warmth), so this is popular with the all weather rider and commuter. Again these are made from robust fabric and in a slide will last for a very respectable 4 seconds.
Fashion jeans or fashion leathers? The bad news is you are looking at only 1 second in a slide before the tarmac reaches your fleshy bits when you are wearing bog standard fashion clothing!
Gloves
Gloves are not a legal requirement but to not wear motorcycle gloves when riding your machine is folly. Hands are obviously very vulnerable and motorcycle gloves are going to not only protect you from the weather, but are also going to help prevent injuries in the event of an “off”.
Boots
Feet, ankles and shins are another very vulnerable area, not least because these parts of our body are in line with every car bumper bar out there. Injuries to these areas are common, and motorcycle boots can help a lot in preventing this. Motorcycle boots have heel guards, shin guards and toe guards to protect all these vulnerable areas. The sole of the boot is also rigid, often having a reinforcement such as a steel shank which offers a great deal of support and protection. Remember soft shoes and trainers offer little or no protection.
Waterproof Clothing / Over Clothing
These are excellent for all weather riders and commuters, as they will keep us dry in the wet and also greatly reduce wind chill. If we get cold and wet, hypothermia sets in very quickly which is unsafe and will adversely affect concentration levels. We may even increase our speed in order to get to our destination quicker, just when weather conditions make this unwise!
Hi-visibility Clothing
Wearing bright clothing will increase the chances of getting seen by other road users by a factor of 20! Load the dice in your favour and wear bright/ fluorescent clothing. Also ride with dipped headlights even in daylight.
So, our top two motorcycling tips: look after your bike, and look after yourself. Noticing a pattern?
Motorcycling tip #3: Hazard Awareness and Defensive Riding
#3 on our list of motorcycling tips is a sensible one: basically, the further we plan ahead the safer we are. Early recognition of hazards makes them easier to deal with. You have probably heard the saying “Expect the Unexpected”? A better saying on a motorcycle is “Expect the Expected” and you will be ready to deal with the actions of other road users in a timely manner. Ride confidently and defensively at all times.
Motorcycling tip #4: Ride According to the Road / Traffic / Weather Conditions.
Take all these factors into account and you will be far safer. Also, always ride comfortably within your own abilities. Many accidents are caused by trying to keep up with your mates! Remember the other rider(s) may be more experienced or more willing to take risks! Keep it in your comfort zone at all times. If you fancy a bit of competitive riding, track days are an excellent idea. You will learn fast cornering and racing lines within a safe and controlled environment (nothing coming the other way, and no lamp posts!). Remember, there is road riding and track riding, and on the road there is often something coming the other way so always consider this when negotiating bends on the road. Statistically, a large number of accidents for motorcyclists occur on bends in the road, often associated with too much pace causing loss of position coupled with on coming traffic.
Motorcycling tip #5: Correct use of Brakes.
Possibly an unusual one to include in a list of motorcycling tips, but nevertheless definitely worth a mention as many riders use their brakes inappropriately.
The front brake is our best friend, and our worst enemy. If our machine is upright/almost upright the front brake is the brake of choice to rub speed away, used in a progressive manner and adding in the rear brake as a secondary action.
If, however, our machine is banked over, through a bend, junction or roundabout for example, the front brake becomes our worst enemy as it will now cause us to drift out of position in a bend, or affect stability in a junction situation.
The back brake is the brake of choice for slow speed manoeuvring, so this would include junctions, slow moving traffic etc. The back brake is also the brake of choice when stationary, as it acts like the hand brake in a car, and on a motorcycle frees up the right hand for excellent throttle control.
Best practice when braking is to use the front brake first and most, adding the rear brake just after. Many riders when slowing will rely almost totally on the back brake coupled with gearing down, and increased engine braking as gearing down. This becomes a habit or riding style, which then becomes a major problem when we need to stop in an emergency, such as a vehicle pulling out in front of us. Through habit we will now rely on the back brake which, under heavy braking, will cause the bike to “fishtail” and weave, and ultimately not stop in a reasonable distance. This is now akin to trying to halt a car with the hand brake, very ineffectual. If however we have, through habit, always used the front brake first when slowing this will become a good habit and in our “muscle memory”. Now when a car emerges in front of us with no conscious effort we will activate the front brake and give ourselves every chance of stopping, or at least rubbing off as much speed as possible before impact.
Remember, we have 4 brakes on a motorcycle: Front brake, back brake, engine brake and finally a brick wall. Use your brakes correctly and you should never need the 4th one!
So there we have it. Our top five most important motorcycling tips. If you can think of one which should have made it into the top five, or maybe even the top 10 motorcycle tips, please leave a note in the comments section below.
This article was kindly contributed by Judith Scott, Chief Instructor at Two Wheel Training: for all your motorcycle training needs, contact Judith on 07980 313544.