Be The Bunny! Safe riding and motorcycle survival thread

Hmmm most good stuff covered.....

General braking, if no modulator, double or triple tap the brakes just enough to flash the light before fully braking will help get the attention of the person behind you that may not be focused,

Use your intuition as well, if something about a drivers behaviour doesn't feel right, watch them, give them room, whatever.... many telegraph they are about to do something stupid.

I'm a full gear guy as well.... feel naked if I skip a single piece. Yet, this is a hard one to do. Except for each areas legal minimum, we can't influence others choices. Keeping new riders informed is the best idea, but many get caught up in the image side of things, while not thinking of their own safety.

Funny thing is I see guys on a $20K shiny new cruiser wearing sneakers, shorts, t-shirt and a skid lid..... and me on mybike in full gear that cost me as much as my bike, well almost

 

Re: Be The Bunny! Safe riding and motorcycle survival threa

i also see people riding dressed like that
also see the guys on crotch rockets with jackets that match the bikes a full helmet wearing khaki shorts and sandals

 

Re: Be The Bunny! Safe riding and motorcycle survival threa

Yeah, I have felt the same way before. Those guys on crotch rockets in flip-flops and shorts and t-shirts, but with a full face helmet, and the cruiser guys with the sneakers, etc. It's almost a uniform. My gear did cost me almost as much as my Seca, and I often did feel a little odd, but odd or not, at least I knew I was safer than those guys.

 

its better to be safe and alive than to be cool and dead.

 

Re: Be The Bunny! Safe riding and motorcycle survival threa

buy and read the "Proficient Motorcycling" books by David Hough

Great reads.

Lots of things to think about while riding and lots of skills to practice.

ken k

 

Re: Be The Bunny! Safe riding and motorcycle survival threa

Visit www.ride2die.com every couple of months. It will help make sure you stay focused and wear your gear.

ATGATT, baby!
Herb

 

Re: Be The Bunny! Safe riding and motorcycle survival threa

OUCH!!!

 

most of those bikes were crotch rockets. maybe the bikes gave them feelings of super powers and super coolness.

Sad to see that stuff but it does make one think twice about getting on a bike without the gear needed to survive.

I for one will always be safe, but thats not to say that the cages around me give a damn.

2 near misses in the last month because of drivers in cars & trucks just don't pay attention when they are on cell phones.

Found Proficient motorcycling at webbikeworld.com


http://www.webbikeworld.com/books/more- ... ycling.htm

 

Found this website that has many PDF files for free to read online or download.

http://www.msf-usa.org/index_new.cfm?sp ... me=Library

 

Re: Be The Bunny! Safe riding and motorcycle survival threa

Coming into work tonight I followed 2 guys on rockets.
These bikes had LED taillights and that was it.
One bike had a headlight, the other nothing.
Neither had any running lights on.
I thought there were no directionals on the bikes either.
Turns out at the light I could see that the directionals were just these 2"x.5" deals stuck up under the rear fender.

So basically from the front the one bike was invisible all he had was a taillight.
His buddy had a headlight but from behind just a singal thin strip of red, easily missed.
I couldn't believe they were riding like that.
As we left the light they both pulled the wheel up.
If I fart the cops are up my butt to see what I ate.
Tonight nowhere to be seen.

 

Re: Be The Bunny! Safe riding and motorcycle survival threa

Tough, but dedicated cops in your town..........

 

I think one of the best peices of advice I have heard was make yourself seen and heard. Not just the bright colors and a fog horn for the bike, make it unusual like gluing a clown wig to your helmet. Things that are out of the ordianry and that attract attention. Once again may not fit with the cool look but you will be noticed. Things like flags and anything that tends to move arround work alot better than a stationary rider. As far as the sound aspect just think how many people go running to an ice cream truck even when they can's see it and parents notice because they hear their money going out the door with the kids. Just a couple of things I have heard of, I have not practiced yet other than brighter multicolored clothing and all the gear from head to toe.

 

Re: Be The Bunny! Safe riding and motorcycle survival threa

goodmorning all,one subject not covered(or maybe i missed it) is tying down. my friend died because he had tied a coat on the back and a sleave,yes only the sleave came loose and found the spokes of his rear tire. :cry: at 65mph ...well....you can figure out the rest. i've become rather "anal" about tying down now.so plssssss,don't let even a piece of cord you think will just break if it gets caught hang from the seat/rack. come home alive so we can talk!

 

Good point! I wanted to talk a bit about following distances. I keep seeing apparently otherwise conscientious motorcyclists following WAY TOO CLOSE behind cagers in rush hour traffic. OK, yes, your bike can stop quicker than the car ahead of you if he suddenly jams 'em on...BUT you also are stopping quicker than the car BEHIND you who is invariably following you too closely. Result=motorcycle sandwich and you're the meat. Leaving a good distance to the car ahead, especially in high-speed heavy traffic leaves you a "cushion." If the traffic ahead suddenly "whoas up" (NASCAR vernacular there) you have some room to slow without getting piled into from behind because you're not trapped too tightly behind the vehicle in front of you. Important to always remember the performance advantages provided by a motorcycle over a car are also DISadvantages if you're suddenly placed at the mercy of THEIR performance envelope. Be the bunny!

 

Re: Be The Bunny! Safe riding and motorcycle survival threa

That would be Bunny Meat. Stew.

 

Re: Be The Bunny! Safe riding and motorcycle survival threa

excellent follow up bigfitz, i drive for a living and see too many drivers on top of each other :evil: we need all the space we can get in order to have an "out" in case of trouble. check mirrors every few seconds and know who is "along side" so you can quickly choose a direction to manuever if nessasary. have fun all!

 

I follow the "diamond" approach............in this case, the diamond being the shape as shown on a deck of cards suit.......stretched to the front and rear, squater on the left and right sides.

Imagine a bird-eye view of you (on your bike, or in your car) travelling down a road. Place this "stretched" diamond over the top of you, centered on your vehicle.

The area outlined by the diamond are the areas you want to keep clear of other objects (cars, etc.) as those areas are your escape routes whenever an event happens. Besides proper driving style and techniques (don't tailgate, use your mirrors, keep a constant mental "map" of where everything else is around you, etc.), your constant attention to where your escape routes are is THE most important task of the driver.

Forward diamond point area: in case someone runs up behind you and can't won't stop.

Rear diamond point area: in case you have to come to a sudden stop, you have to create space behind you so that no one behind you runs you over.

Left diamond point area: in case someone on your right starts coming over, or in case you didn't leave enough forward space (or if something suddenly appears in the road in front of you, dead cow, muffler pipe, etc.).

Right diamond point area: in case someone on your left starts coming over, or in case you didn't leave enough forward space (or if something suddenly appears in the road in front of you, dead cow, muffler pipe, etc.).

Note that when you travel in the far left or far right lane---and assuming the road has some type of "shoulder lane"---then you automatically guarantee yourself that at least one of the "side exits" are almost always open and available to you.

You have to adjust your riding/driving to make sure that all four points of the diamond are open and available to you, all of the time, and the more area the merrier.

The biggest challenge, of course, is keeping the diamond point to your REAR open, as other people tend to tailgate. Many strategies are available to handle this situation, from moving out of the way and letting bozo pass, or if you're in a car, a couple of quick, BRIEF slams on the brake (where the guy behind you can see your vehicle diving forward, as in an emergency stop) usually send the right message.

Be sure to carry a sidearm in your vehicle at all times, that can be useful if you try the "jam on your brakes" manuever and get into a competitive match with Mr. Macho Bozo who doesn't take hints easily or kindly.

KEEPING THESE DIAMOND AREAS OPEN and available to you at all times is your responsibility, not anyone else's!

 

Very good points brought up already. I always wear the full gear even on the hot days(not that we get many of them in Alberta). Another good point on the be seen motto is, Be able to see. Don't over run your headlight at night. I have upgraded my headlight to a brighter one and added extra driving lights to help luminate the sides of the road as well. My extra lights are not bright enough for my liking so I'm getting bigger ones soon. The reason you ask...We have Moose, Elk and Deer up here by the hundreds and I have been cut off by a few deer crossing the highway. Not fun dodging deer at higway speeds. Even had a wolf cross the road on me a few weeks back, all he did was look at me as he slauntered across the road. If you ride at night make sure you ae able to see whats in front of you And whats on the side of the road that might decide to become in front you.

 

Man, that Live 2 Ride site is almost enough to spook me out of riding. I love riding, but man that site reminds me there is a cost to count.

Chris KQ6UP

 

Amen I was shocked at some of those images. But oddly enough was suprised at the guy riding in jeans. I figured they would offer some good protection. But I do not know what speed he was going when the crash occured.