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Today I was thinking about the tips I have received and the words and phrases I heard that help me to ride better. Also how watching some so at ease has made an influence on how my riding is getting better....or how a mentor made the difference between quitting and continue trying...

So....how about sharing what stuck in your head that comes back everytime you ride?

I have a few such moments.....

Where you look is where you go......where you look is where you go.....
Where you look is where you go.....
Where you look is where you go.....
Where you look is where you go......
This phrase is what prevented me from riding into a curb the first time out on the road on my new bike. It is also what saved me from riding into an oncoming vehicle on a curve....

Now....it is like a mantra.....

I think the biggest thing that helped me along the way, and still does is the chin check. Every time i stop at a light, or a street sign i took a look behind me on both sides and beside me on both sides. Same goes for whenever i proceeded from said stop light or stop sign.

When i first got onto the road by myself i found my self repeating the words of my instructors.... Left, right, left (the order of the directions i look). I don't mutter the words anymore because its so second nature to me now to do my chin checks every time i stop and go. Helps keep me aware of what's going on around me when i ride.

Same thing for me blues, always look where you want to end up!

For me it is the same thing I have used since I learned to drive a cage.
Look, driving/riding is a visual activity.
Vigilance.

This has only grown more relevant since I came back to riding.

i.e. Escape routs if that... soccer mom/cell phone user isn't paying attention.

In a cage or on a bike I have never had a close call that does not mean I stop looking for it.

That is kindda what I repeat to myself...

I don't know it's a piece of info, but it was a piece of advice that greatly shaped my attitude towards riding.

A friend/riding mentor said "Anyone with a working right wrist can make a bike go fast in a straight line."

It kinda opened my eyes and made me realize that speed on the straights isn't what makes motorcycles fun, it made me focus on developing cornering skills, and using straights to relax.

The constant reminder tow watch other drivers...I dont worry about what I do...I watch the enemy.

Apart from "look where you want to go", the best piece of advice that I've gotten is "Ride your own ride."
I personally like new shoes more than spending the money on speeding tickets....
I ride to my ability and not to anyone else's. Most of the people I ride with are totally fine with this and those that aren't don't ride with me more than once.

Most of the time when highway riding I tend to forget about how much wind an 18-wheeler can whip up when it passes by in the opposite lane. When I see one coming I remember to stay relaxed but ready for the gust and anything it carries with it.

"ride like no one has seen you and those who have are trying to kill you"




"if its shiney its slippery"




"Its not a computer game ya dont get 3 lives out there"





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"When things go wrong on a motorcycle, most people stop riding and start crashing. No matter what happens--KEEP RIDING THE BIKE."

Meaning--if things go wrong--sudden, violent inputs make things worse.