Safe Riding Suggestions and Philosophy

These are a collection of safe riding guidelines and philosophy of safe riding.  These ideas will not suit everyone's riding style and experience.  Use what you can and want to at your own risk.  Your experience and style may vary.  Your state laws may prohibit use of these suggestions.

1.  Always ride with your brights on from dawn to dusk.  Be seen.
 
2.  When a car is entering the road from the left/right: watch the vehicle's front wheel for movement, not the driver's eyes.  They always see you, but they never "see" you.
 
3.  Always stay 2 -3 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you.  You need this time to recognize a problem and time to react (Motorcycle Safety Foundation's SIPDE - scan for problems, identify identify the problem(s), prioritize problem(s), decide what to do, execute your decision). NOTE: Honor thy twelve-second path of travel. Follow thee not anything you cannot see over or through.  Understand thee well thy front brake.  WichitaGreg
 
4.  Stay within the speed limit and within the riding conditions to control your bike, slowing down early for stops. NOTE: Works well (and is certainly the prudent "boiler-plate" guidance) right up until the traffic is moving at some other speed. Larry #10770
 
5.  Don't drink and ride.  You're just giving cagers an edge.
 
6.  Check your bike tires, brakes, lights, and signals before riding.
 
8.  Wear a helmet.  Don't give the pavement and curb an edge.
 
9.  Don't follow the car ahead of you too closely.  You can become "a part" of that vehicle and not be seen by on coming drivers making a left.  Be seen.  (on the reverse side) NOTE: look out BEHIND You! While stopped at a light or sign, clutch lever pulled in, transmission in first, escape route chosen, frequent glances at rearview mirrors. Gramps
 
NOTE:  Great recommendation, When I come to a light I leave plenty of room in front of me and keep an eye out for people coming up behind.  This gives me lots of room for when the cagers behind don't gauge the distance right or some other problem. I have room to escape to either side of the car in front or use the street, sidewalk or another place I need to.  Also watch those intersections when going though.  Just because you have a green light and it has been green for a while doesn't mean someone won’t come tearing through.  I had a guy about a month ago start to come through an intersection I was already half way through.  I gassed it and he pulled his head out and all was good, but it sure woke me up. Bear VROC #9102
 
Note:  On a four lane undivided highway, ride on the inside lane in order to be more visible to on coming traffic that may be considering making a left hand turn. Riding in the outside lane often results in you and your bike being hidden from the view by vehicles that are in the inside lane, between you and the on coming vehicle waiting to turn left.  Ride Safe, Johnny Pancake VROC #803, 97 1500 Classic, Marietta, Georgia
 
10.  (ADDITIONS WELCOME. ADD WHATEVER YOU WANT)
 
Rule #10.1: Don't hit the vehicle in front of you.
Rule #10.2: Don't hit anything else, either. Including the ground.
Rule #10.3: Don't let anything else hit you.  I think those about sum it all up, IMO.  Phil "Gunslinger" Thompson
 
10.4 In my neck of the woods where trees grow tall and there's shade a plenty (especially on the side roads) I keep a close watch for those slippery "green" areas.  I also keep an open eye for gravel on the roadway. -- Bob "Bandit" Carlson   Red/Wht B1 Vroc 5043 
 
Motorcycle Safety Philosophy
 
If you're at a stop and a car waves you through. just go through then wave thanks to them. Otherwise if you wave thanks and then attempt to go through they will have thought you were wavin " No - I insist you go ahead" and proceed to look all dumbfounded at you as you almost hit them while they go through. Ken H. '89 VN750 VROC #11434
 
I would add a comment although it is certainly not a rule or even a number. I think if you ride a motorcycle, it helps to be paranoid. You may live longer!!! CYborg #3007 Borgessa "The 92/99 A-Classic-Nomad"
 
Hope these help as well:
 
Counter Steering:  If you push the left bar, the bike goes left. If you push the right bar, the bike goes right. That is, unless you keep pushing the right bar all the way, then you will probably go left while the bike swaps ends.
 
Crashing:  Remember riding isn't inherently dangerous...crashing is.
 
The Sidelines:  It's always better to be on the sidelines wishing you were on the track than on the track wishing you were on the sidelines.
 
Fuel:  The ONLY time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.
 
The Rear Wheel:  The rear wheel is just a big fan used to keep the rider cool and his butt relaxed. If in doubt... watch. When it locks up or slides out you can actually see the rider start sweating and pucker marks are left on the seat.
 
Too Slow:  No one has ever hit something too slow.
 
Rides:  A 'good' ride is one you can walk away from.
A 'great' ride is one you can walk away from and use the bike again.
 
Getting Hit:  They can't hit you if you're not there.
 
Mistakes:  Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.
 
Traction:  When traction is sparse, the probability of survival is inversely proportional to the angle of lean. Large angle of lean, small probability of survival and vice versa.
 
Your Brain:  Never let a motorcycle take you somewhere your brain didn't go five seconds earlier.
 
Fog:  Stay out of fog. The single red taillight you think is another rider ahead that you can catch might be the red starboard light of a docked boat.
 
Parking:  Always try to keep the number of times you park the bike equal to the number of times you've ridden it.
 
Luck & Experience: You start with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before you empty the bag of luck
 
Mirrors: If all you can see in your mirrors is the direction you were previously traveling intermingled with sparks, and all you can hear is commotion from the passenger riding pillion; things are not at all as they should be.
 
Other Objects:  In the ongoing battle between objects made of metal, rubber and plastic going dozens of miles per hour, and the ground going zero miles per hour, the ground has yet to lose. Same holds for cars, trucks, walls and most animals. Draws don't count.
 
Judgment:  Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, experience usually comes from bad judgment.
 
Going Forward:  It's always a good idea to keep the headlight end going forward as much as possible.
 
Looking:  Keep looking around. There's always something you've missed.
 
Laws:  Remember, gravity and centrifugal force are not just good ideas. They're laws not subject to repeal. nite lite vroc #4234 '01 fi nomad petaluma, ca
 

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