Safety Tips

[Scout63]

I was riding early yesterday and thinking about safety. Two small ideas that came to mind were 1) keep your eyes up; and 2) Don’t look sideways. Meaning:

I tend to want to look at what’s in front of the front tire to evaluate traction.  In reality, my decisions need to start hundreds of feet out.

It’s easy to get momentarily distracted by something that I am currently riding by.  If it is next to me, it’s threat has already abated. It also takes my eyes and focus off what could be a threat up ahead.

Finally, the old adage of look where you want to go is so true.  I’m trying to exaggerate my head turning towards my line.  It keeps me focused on the first two ideas.

Happy to be corrected and schooled on this important topic.

[Zenermaniac]

You can’t fixate in one direction. You need to constantly scan as well as look where you want to go. I’m also checking where I’m going to go if something unexpected gets in my way. You can also use another vehicle as a shield when you go through a four lane road intersection. Meaning, stay in the right lane (unless you’re in Great Britain, lol) and keep a vehicle on your left as a shield to someone turning into you. Besides riding like everyone is out to kill you think about what unexpected thing the idiots around you could possibly do. There’s a lot of them. Where I live there’s deer running across the road, cows in the road, potholes, Amish buggy’s, horse poop and the occasional tweaker that has no idea they’re in the road. Always something. It’s a wonder riding is as relaxing as it is.

[Guzzistajohn]

I stumbled on to this guy on YOUTUBE.    https://www.youtube.com/@MCrider     He teaches some road strategy techniques that are spot on! 

[pressureangle]

It's difficult for most people, even to get their head around let alone practice;

The part of your eye you 'see' with is called the Fovea. Many animals have larger or even multiple Foveas. This is why these animals move their eyes less than humans; we hunt with our eyes moving them constantly. The retina outside of the fovea has a lower resolution but can be, with practice, involved more in the conscious 'vision' of our passing world. We are highly attuned to motion and change in the non-fovea; so with practice, you can see and recognize threats very effectively without turning your fovea to them. Racers are excellent at this, seeing everything around them in it's entirety without taking their focus off their line or particular point of reference. Try reading a book, but read the line above or below the one you focus on. I used to practice to see how far from center I could read. You'll be amazed after a short time how your perceptions are altered.

[kingoffleece]

Always look forward before you look back.

[Gliderjohn]

Don't let your guard down and your eyes and mind wander when in very rural, very low traffic areas. That's what bit me last May. Second thing be AGATT! Saved me from much road rash, cutscand other injures when I went down. Seeing people ride with little or no protection just makes me sad.
GliderJohn

[chuck peterson]

As i age…ahem, ahem….

I’ve noticed that after glancing sideways and returning my head to straight forward….I’m not quite on the straight and narrow anymore…I’ve drifted off center a bit

[Tkelly]

I led a few guys on a ride on some curvy roads here in the Wisconsin Driftless region Sunday.It was a mild sunny day and Inwas very familiar with the roads.At least 3 of the others are faster riders than I so I felt some pressure to up the pace beyond my comfort zone.A couple guys complimented me on my surprisingly brisk pace and my reaction was initially flattery until a new guy commented that he was pushing his Harley bagger to keep up so that he didn’t  couldn’t enjoy the beautiful scenery.I have been thinking lately that everyone I ride with is faster and have been working on my cornering technique to the point that now I can feel fast.After I left the last rider I took off on a really smooth up and down curvy road on my way home,I wasreally into it,nailing the curves and moving right along untilI entered aright uphill curve that I couldn’t see around and sort of chickened out and backed off the throttle as I crested the rise where I saw 2 deer in the middle of the road.One jumped right and the other left as I rode between them at 50mph or so.I made a brief squeeze of the front brake but had no time to find the brake pedal on the t3.What saved me was my hesitation in entering the blind uphill curve otherwise I’m sure I would have crashed.The othe factor was the mellow sound of the bub exhaust,theycould hear me coming .The moral of the story is to slow the f*** down,let the fast guys do their thing out in front.I just have to figure a way to do it because I’m the only one who knows the roads.

[John A]

I constantly scan forward and back to me. I discovered that when three unusual things happen close together, I’d better be ready for the fourth, it’ll surprise the crap out of me and it’s easier to deal with if I’m ready and not thinking about the other distracting stuff that just happened

[SmithSwede]

I have too many individual tips to list.  So I’ll just mention a global tip.

Keep a written log book of all your mistakes, near misses, tips, good ideas for improvements. 

Whenever you have a near miss or good idea, add it to your book. 

Read your past entries on a rainy day.  Once you get actively involved in maintaining such a journal, your focus really improves. 

It also serves as self-discipline.  If you are tempted to “push” things, or “cut corners,” you will think twice because really—do you want to have to write in the Screw-Up Diary that you did something you knew was ill-advised and—sure enough—things were suboptimal afterwards?

[guido guzzi]

I led a few guys on a ride on some curvy roads here in the Wisconsin Driftless region Sunday.It was a mild sunny day and Inwas very familiar with the roads.At least 3 of the others are faster riders than I so I felt some pressure to up the pace beyond my comfort zone.A couple guys complimented me on my surprisingly brisk pace and my reaction was initially flattery until a new guy commented that he was pushing his Harley bagger to keep up so that he didn’t  couldn’t enjoy the beautiful scenery.I have been thinking lately that everyone I ride with is faster and have been working on my cornering technique to the point that now I can feel fast.After I left the last rider I took off on a really smooth up and down curvy road on my way home,I wasreally into it,nailing the curves and moving right along untilI entered aright uphill curve that I couldn’t see around and sort of chickened out and backed off the throttle as I crested the rise where I saw 2 deer in the middle of the road.One jumped right and the other left as I rode between them at 50mph or so.I made a brief squeeze of the front brake but had no time to find the brake pedal on the t3.What saved me was my hesitation in entering the blind uphill curve otherwise I’m sure I would have crashed.The othe factor was the mellow sound of the bub exhaust,theycould hear me coming .The moral of the story is to slow the f*** down,let the fast guys do their thing out in front.I just have to figure a way to do it because I’m the only one who knows the roads.

Glad to hear you followed your instinct and backed off when you did.    As the the late and verrry fast Bruce Finlayson said 'Ride your own bike.' In other words ride at a pace that's comfortable for you and don't worry if you don't keep up with others.
EDIT: The other part of 'Ride your own bike' is don't lecture those who are riding at a pace with which you are not comfortable...

[twowheeladdict]

I led a few guys on a ride on some curvy roads here in the Wisconsin Driftless region Sunday.It was a mild sunny day and Inwas very familiar with the roads.At least 3 of the others are faster riders than I so I felt some pressure to up the pace beyond my comfort zone.A couple guys complimented me on my surprisingly brisk pace and my reaction was initially flattery until a new guy commented that he was pushing his Harley bagger to keep up so that he didn’t  couldn’t enjoy the beautiful scenery.I have been thinking lately that everyone I ride with is faster and have been working on my cornering technique to the point that now I can feel fast.After I left the last rider I took off on a really smooth up and down curvy road on my way home,I wasreally into it,nailing the curves and moving right along untilI entered aright uphill curve that I couldn’t see around and sort of chickened out and backed off the throttle as I crested the rise where I saw 2 deer in the middle of the road.One jumped right and the other left as I rode between them at 50mph or so.I made a brief squeeze of the front brake but had no time to find the brake pedal on the t3.What saved me was my hesitation in entering the blind uphill curve otherwise I’m sure I would have crashed.The othe factor was the mellow sound of the bub exhaust,theycould hear me coming .The moral of the story is to slow the f*** down,let the fast guys do their thing out in front.I just have to figure a way to do it because I’m the only one who knows the roads.

Unfortunately, no matter what you do or how you ride the deer can just be there in a heartbeat as I experienced.  I do believe in not riding faster than your sight distance.  I always crest hills with the throttle off and go through blind turns as far out in the lane as I can get to give me more view through the curve. 

When I rode with a couple Supersport riders I would turn them loose on a road and say, when you get to end wait for me.  I was the only one with the GPS and knowledge of where we were and where we were going.  It worked out well for us. 

[Tkelly]

With this bike I’m starting to think there is something to the loud pipes save lives claim at least when it comes to deer.They are not obnoxiously loud but the deer seem to hear them before I get there and are moving off the road before I see them.I wouldn’t ride an electric motorcycle around here.

[cliffrod]

My V7 Sport has loud pipes.  In my experience so far, it definitely has an impact on the presence of deer within earshot. 

Before I married my wife, I regularly rode out onto the peninsula to the camp where she worked & lived.  She always talked about how many deer there were out there.   Never saw any deer when I was on the bike, even though I was watching hard for them. 

One night it was raining like mad, so she said to take her truck home and bring it back the next day.  Almost brand new Nissan, very quiet.  Even in the pouring rain, I saw at least a dozen deer that night.  I saw almost twice as many the next evening driving back at dusk,  the normal time I went to see her.  Back on the bike, I still never saw any deer out there.

Can’t say it works everywhere, but it worked there.

[Gliderjohn]

Don't know for sure. My T-3 has had/has mufflers that are probably about 50% louder than stock and for 16 years I lived three miles off pavement with two crick crossings in central KS. Quite a few times I had to brake for deer when my speed was already only about 35-45 mph. YMMV.
GliderJohn

[Roebling3]

Many years ago I was 'invited' to be tested; After 3 not chargeable accidents in 4 months. The written exam was easy. The testing in a make believe car, watching a video was a hoot. My response time was too short. The stand in 'officer' claimed I memorized the action. I countered with; I can do it with a bag over my head. It looked like he believed me. I still enjoy the unexpected.   R3~  BTW: 8.37M miles as of 2003, w/out MC.

[slowmover]

As a utility worker for 30 years I had to review this system every year. I’m long retired but still follow this when riding. It’s funny because it was dated in 1989 when I first saw it.
https://www.drivedifferent.com/smith5keys/