Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2007 7:04 am
Now that I've had some time...
Watch the wheels of vehicles that are either
a) preparing to turn left from an oncoming lane
b) turning right into your lane/traffic direction
In both cases, weaving slightly left-to-right will assist a vehicle driver in seeing you. A study out of Britain deduced that most of the car/motorcycle collisions involved the one of the two above failure-to-yield scenarios. In most cases, the driver “didn’t see” the motorcycle. The study deduced that the human brain has difficulties isolating an oncoming bike rider, and suggested that a horizontal “jigging” adds a directional vector that allows for easier perception.
Corollary to above: when approaching an intersection where there’s a cager about to turn left from the oncoming lane, arc to the right. This will not only give you some x-axis (horizontal) motion to aid perception, but also add some space to work with if the idiot does try a turn. (In most cases like this, the jerk will see you at the last moment then hit the brakes, thus blocking most/all available space. Ergo, the more space you have to start with, the better.)
Practice low-speed skills often.
Right of way is a concept – not a universal law. Just because you SHOULD have the right of way, doesn’t mean others will let you have it. Just because you SHOULD have the right of way, doesn’t mean you should take it. If a car/truck bullies you, let ‘em. It’s not worth risking your life/health for four-10 seconds.
Practice emergency braking techniques regularly. This includes highways. Know how long it’s going to take your beast to stop at a given speed – then never ride at speed that will require a greater stopping distance than you can see.
Take the right-hand lane or centre when going into a partly-obscured left-hand turn. You never know when some truck is over the line coming the other way.
Take the right-hand or centre lane when going over a blind hill. Same as above.
Assume that most drivers can’t see you – and that if they can, they *will* try to run you over.
Learn how to ride while standing the pegs. This will help if you have to go over some obstacle in the road.
Never ride in a blind spot of a cager unless you’re moving through.
Check your air pressure once per week. Carry an air-pressure gauge. Check the pressure before you ride, or within two km/one mile while tires are cold. A tire that’s 5 PSI below factory spec will suffer losses/changes in handling.
Never, ever, ever stunt/trick on public roads.
ATGATT. Even for the trip to the corner store.
If you’re lost/disoriented, STOP and refocus. Driving around when you don’t know when you’re going will cause your brain to focus more on navigation than on appropriate driving and thus increase the chances of a “dumb tourist move.”
Watch the wheels of vehicles that are either
a) preparing to turn left from an oncoming lane
b) turning right into your lane/traffic direction
In both cases, weaving slightly left-to-right will assist a vehicle driver in seeing you. A study out of Britain deduced that most of the car/motorcycle collisions involved the one of the two above failure-to-yield scenarios. In most cases, the driver “didn’t see” the motorcycle. The study deduced that the human brain has difficulties isolating an oncoming bike rider, and suggested that a horizontal “jigging” adds a directional vector that allows for easier perception.
Corollary to above: when approaching an intersection where there’s a cager about to turn left from the oncoming lane, arc to the right. This will not only give you some x-axis (horizontal) motion to aid perception, but also add some space to work with if the idiot does try a turn. (In most cases like this, the jerk will see you at the last moment then hit the brakes, thus blocking most/all available space. Ergo, the more space you have to start with, the better.)
Practice low-speed skills often.
Right of way is a concept – not a universal law. Just because you SHOULD have the right of way, doesn’t mean others will let you have it. Just because you SHOULD have the right of way, doesn’t mean you should take it. If a car/truck bullies you, let ‘em. It’s not worth risking your life/health for four-10 seconds.
Practice emergency braking techniques regularly. This includes highways. Know how long it’s going to take your beast to stop at a given speed – then never ride at speed that will require a greater stopping distance than you can see.
Take the right-hand lane or centre when going into a partly-obscured left-hand turn. You never know when some truck is over the line coming the other way.
Take the right-hand or centre lane when going over a blind hill. Same as above.
Assume that most drivers can’t see you – and that if they can, they *will* try to run you over.
Learn how to ride while standing the pegs. This will help if you have to go over some obstacle in the road.
Never ride in a blind spot of a cager unless you’re moving through.
Check your air pressure once per week. Carry an air-pressure gauge. Check the pressure before you ride, or within two km/one mile while tires are cold. A tire that’s 5 PSI below factory spec will suffer losses/changes in handling.
Never, ever, ever stunt/trick on public roads.
ATGATT. Even for the trip to the corner store.
If you’re lost/disoriented, STOP and refocus. Driving around when you don’t know when you’re going will cause your brain to focus more on navigation than on appropriate driving and thus increase the chances of a “dumb tourist move.”
