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I thought I would pass on a few things to watch for when you are riding whether you are a new or experienced rider.
Whenever you stop at a red light or stop sign watch out for oil spots in the road. I didn't see one a few weeks ago and put my foot right into it and my foot almost slid right out from under me. At least I was able to get enough traction to shift my weight to the other side. After that I had the same problem at the next stop because the bottom of my shoe was still oil covered.
Also if you ever get caught in the rain and you will those white lines at the intersections are a lot slicker than bare wet pavement
Never forget where your brakes are and be very careful of the front brake in loose gravel dirt or sand.

society909 wrote:I thought I would pass on a few things to watch for when you are riding whether you are a new or experienced rider.
Whenever you stop at a red light or stop sign watch out for oil spots in the road. I didn't see one a few weeks ago and put my foot right into it and my foot almost slid right out from under me. At least I was able to get enough traction to shift my weight to the other side. After that I had the same problem at the next stop because the bottom of my shoe was still oil covered.
Also if you ever get caught in the rain and you will those white lines at the intersections are a lot slicker than bare wet pavement
Never forget where your brakes are and be very careful of the front brake in loose gravel dirt or sand.

Don't forget to stop in the tire tracks of the lane and not the middle where more oil will be.
The slippery shoe thing can be lessened with a good riding boot that sports an oil resistant sole.
Glad you recovered before tipping over. That hurts the ego more than the bike

Turning into a client's driveway my front wheel hit a skinny strip of loose gravel (8" or less) that had collected between the driveway and the road. I was leaned slightly into the turn and fell. Since I always wear all the safety gear I was not hurt much at all, but did some minor damage to the handlebar, mirror, tank (hit by end of handlebar) and both turn signals.
A guy told me that instead of keeping my body parallel to the plane of the bike, that I should have been leaning my body towards the outside of the turn, much like sailors lean way out to the outside when a sailboat is turning.
I do not remember this from the Safety Course, and have not taken the Experienced riders safety course yet since I only have about 500 miles or less of experience in the 2 years.
Any comments or suggestions?

Maybe at very very slow speeds he would be right. Otherwise you keep your body in plane with the bike like you were doing. Glad you're ok!

daddymakk wrote: Don't forget to stop in the tire tracks of the lane and not the middle where more oil will be.

Better yet, avoid the middle of the lane at all intersections, even if you don't plan on stopping.

I learned this the hard way years ago when I was riding down the center and some dufus ran a red light. I had no choice but to get on the brakes hard, and as soon as I got to the greasy part I went down. Now I make it a habit to be on the left or right side before approaching any intersection.

flynrider wrote:

daddymakk wrote: Don't forget to stop in the tire tracks of the lane and not the middle where more oil will be.

Better yet, avoid the middle of the lane at all intersections, even if you don't plan on stopping.

I learned this the hard way years ago when I was riding down the center and some dufus ran a red light. I had no choice but to get on the brakes hard, and as soon as I got to the greasy part I went down. Now I make it a habit to be on the left or right side before approaching any intersection.

Well, I do the hard braking in the right or left slot, but I pull back into the middle just before the bike's completely stopped. Otherwise I get cager idiots squeezing their vehicles alongside me. Happens a lot around here, particularly at intersections that allow right on red.

Hey Bruce are you sure you wasn't using your front brake whenever you went down in that gravel. That will do it.
I have to agree with the guy who said he pulls back to the center of the lane at red lights. In my town if you want to hit the light sensor you have two lines on either side or one in the center the ones on the sides puts me too close to the cagers in the next lane who are too busy on their cell phones to watch out for me. I feel safer in the center of the lane.

I see Daryl Makk said he wares all gear all the time I guess I would do that if I lived in a colder climate like Canada. I am not trying to put anybody down or say you shouldn't wear all gear all the time but in the deep south the temperature here is 101 today with a heat index of 115. I am trying to keep from getting a heat stroke. There is no way I can ride in leather and gloves. Those stay in the closet till at least fall. Is their any other riders in southern heat who wears full gear? My hats off to you. I guess I am one of those extreme bikers. I wouldn't even ware a helmet this time of year if it wasn't required by law. Helmets cause my forehead to itch badly its the same way with me if I wear a hat or cap I can't wear them. I would rather be comfortable if I have an accident I will suffer the consequences but I will be the one to take the chance. I know I will probably get some feedback on this post but I had to put my 2 cents in

williamson8b wrote:Turning into a client's driveway my front wheel hit a skinny strip of loose gravel (8" or less) that had collected between the driveway and the road. I was leaned slightly into the turn and fell. Since I always wear all the safety gear I was not hurt much at all, but did some minor damage to the handlebar, mirror, tank (hit by end of handlebar) and both turn signals.
A guy told me that instead of keeping my body parallel to the plane of the bike, that I should have been leaning my body towards the outside of the turn, much like sailors lean way out to the outside when a sailboat is turning.
I do not remember this from the Safety Course, and have not taken the Experienced riders safety course yet since I only have about 500 miles or less of experience in the 2 years.
Any comments or suggestions?

Leaning to the outside is normal for low speed turns, you want to keep your body parallel for turns once the bike is going fast enough to countersteer.