Riding Skills and Safety

.border{ border-style:solid; padding:20px 20px 20px 20px; width:370x; line-height:33px; margin-left:15px; margin-top:20px; margin-right:20px; margin-bottom:20px; float:right; font-color:blue; } Is it Lane Splitting Legal in my State? The Legal Definition of Lane Splitting Lane Filtering, Lane Sharing, and Lane Splitting Safety Guidelines Safety Precautions The Four R's Do's and Don'ts of Lane Splitting You either love it or hate it, lane splitting i... Read more

Racing season is upon us, and as street riders, one of the big challenges seems to be getting a knee down. Don't ask me why, or what the benefits are. The biggest advantage of dragging a knee is to feel where the ground is, using a knee puck on your racing leathers. What does this have to do with the street? Nothing! That said, here is the big secret to touching a knee. First, back to basics. Pretend that you are looking down at a motorcycle going in a circle. The circle made by the tires ... Read more

We all know how often I have to listen to a careless driver claiming that they didn't see the motorcycle. This ridiculous claim is made by drivers who are texting, deep in discussion with passengers, practically asleep, or simply not paying attention. In reality, if you look at a motorcycle, you can't help but see it. They aren't invisible. The most visible part of a motorcycle, at least in the day, is the daytime running light that has been required for the last 30 years. Every time the... Read more

All motorcycle riders should take precautions when riding in any weather conditions. Motorcycles are smaller than the other vehicles on the road and are often overlooked. In a perfect world, riders as well as other motorists would be responsible and focus completely on the road. This is not a perfect world and riders must take special precautions. They need to pay attention to everything around them when riding, especially other motorists. It is important that all riders gear up properly befo... Read more

Okay, so this blog post is off to a bad start. Why? No glove. A few years ago, I had my mind blown by a two day private police motorcycle course with a great instructor. It really opened my eyes, and I came away with an appreciation for a part of my riding that I had ignored - low speed maneuvers. Jerry the Motorman Palladino makes a business out of teaching the police techniques that make motorcycle cops so comfortable with the low speed stuff. By low speed, I mean walking speed. By ma... Read more

My last post pointing out that ABS brakes on motorcycles save many lives, was met with some skepticism.  This is not surprising when you are talking about a 41% decrease in rider deaths.  It's a HUGE number.  Of course, this explains why virtually every motorcycle manufacturer now offers ABS as an option, and many make ABS standard equipment. Every decent study shows that accidents between motorcycles and other types of vehicles involve a lot of crashes where the vehicle cuts off the moto... Read more

Table of Contents: 1. Motorcycle Maintenance 6. Types of Injuries 2. Pre-ride Motorcycle Checklist 7. Constant Vigilance 3. Helmet Safety 8. Ride with a purpose 4. ATGATT 9. Be Seen 5. Training 10. Eye Contact 1. Stay safe with a well-maintained motorcycle It's wise to consider the motorcycle itself as a part of your plan to stay safe on the road. Motorcycles have much tighter tolerances than automobiles. Motorcycles require fastidious and consiste... Read more

It's a question of when, not if. If you ride a motorcycle long enough, you will go down eventually. What you do before, during, and after your motorcycle crash may just save your life, so it helps to pay attention and plan for the worst as a motorcyclist. Choosing the right insurance Insurance goes beyond your motorcycle policy. A motorcycle policy may cover your bike and the property damage from the crash. But does it cover the damage done to YOU in the event of an accident? How... Read more

Photo: Craig Howell CCAsk any motorcyclist about riding solo. Some say they love it, and it helps them clear their heads after a long week at work. Others say riding alone is boring and potentially dangerous. The most dangerous motorcycle accidents occur when riding alone. What if there's nobody around to see you when you go down? What if you can't drag yourself to safety, or even to a place where someone will see you? What if you can't find your cell phone because the crash threw it 100 ya... Read more

Photo: Raniel Diaz CC Motorcycling purists rolled their eyes. Racers thought wasting almost 25 pounds on it was silly. The year was 1988. It was the end of an era in motocross and Eddie Lawson stole the Grand Prix Championship title from Wayne Gardner. The Cold War was about to end and BMW released the very first motorcycle equipped with antilock brakes. Not on MY bike Back then, the idea of strapping 25 pounds of dead weight to a bike in the name of "safety" was anathema to motorcyclin... Read more