Great Advice

 

This post is similar to last week's. However, the article that I've come across is so awesome that I needed to share it. Motorcycle Cruiser magazine posted an article which originally appeared in its sister publication, Motorcyclist. The article is titled, 50 Ways to Save Your Life (see article here). Please read this as it is a great and comprehensive list. I'm going to discuss a few of these that resonate with me because I have personal experience with them.

Learn to use both brakes.
A huge reason that I crashed my motorcycle (see more about that story here) was that I locked up my front brake when I tried to stop for a deer in the road. The problem with only using the front brake is that it squats the front shocks and takes weight away from the rear, causing the rear of the motorcycle to lose traction. When I aggressively clamped on the front brake, the rear of the bike slid out, causing me to drop it. After that, I've always used both brakes simultaneously, even when I was riding around a parking lot at slow speeds.

Look where you want to go.
This one brings me back to my Motorcycle Safety course. After the first day of the riding portion of the course the instructors gave us a practice riding exam. I passed, but I did miss a couple of cones in the cornering and cone weaving portions of the test. One instructor pulled me aside and told me that I was a competent rider, but I really needed to focus on looking where I wanted to go, not at the ground directly in front of me. For some reason, this resonated with me and I completed the real riding exam on the final day of the class flawlessly.

Drops on the faceshield?
If you remember my opinion on riding in the rain, you'll know that I believe you should get as much practice as you possibly can. This assures that you'll be a better rider if you are suddenly surprised by a torrential downpour.

I'm going to repeat my statement from last week for this week's quote as it resonates well for the tone of this one.

"Ride smart, ride often, ride safe." - Josh Karvakko

Is it weird or narcissistic that I quoted myself?...Oh well, let's go with it.