421 days ago
How to stay safe on the road as a motorcyclist.

Riding tips for motorcyclists

1)    Always ride in the middle of your lane. You have as much right to be there as any other vehicle has and, if you are travelling at the correct speed, a vehicle must overtake you as he would any other vehicle. When you ride to the left of your lane, vehicles are going to try and squeeze past you without changing lanes thus putting you in danger.

2)   Before you change lanes ALWAYS do a BLIND SPOT – INDICATE – BLIND SPOT check. The last blind spot is of vital importance and will be a life saver as a faster bike or car could have moved into your blind spot in that split second.

3)  ALWAYS check your mirrors before stopping, slowing down or turning. You want to know what is behind you and if you are planning on stopping at an amber light, the bus behind you might have a different idea – give yourself enough time to get out of his way. The rule is: check your mirrors every 5 – 8 seconds.

4)  Do not use your front brake when your front wheel is turned to either side i.e. if you are going around a sharp corner, do not grab the front brake if you have entered the corner too fast, rather gently tap on the back brake. Using your front brake in a sharp corner puts extra stress on the front end and will cause a fall.

5)   The cornering rule is: slower in, faster out! You do not want to enter a corner at high speed and then slow down. Rather slow down into the corner and started speeding up again (gently) as you are about to exit the corner.

6)  DO NOT SPEED THROUGH TRAFFIC! You will not be able to stop your bike/scooter at high speed if a car suddenly takes the gap in the next lane.

7) Relax when riding in windy conditions. The wind will not blow you off your bike/scooter but it can cause you to go off course. The more you relax, the easier it is to ride in the wind.

These Safety tips were submitted by Bike & Scoota Tuta Riding Academy www.bikeandscootatuta.weebly.com