mv how to survive on a motorcycle

3. When you are following semi-trailers (or cars) on the
interstate... always follow directly behind their wheels. Reason: If they
straddle the dead animal, brick O block, etc.. in the road, you will not
have enough reaction time to change directions if you are following
directly "centered" behind them. I usually do the same with cars.

4. Fast food places. Be careful when you pull up to the drive
through window!! This area is always covered with oil from idling cars.
Watch your footing. Be forewarned. also...Toll Booths! Oil drippings mixed
with AC condensation makes it impossibly slippery exactly where you want
to put your foot down to pay the toll. Contributed by Sir Mike in Shakopee, MN

9. Counter Steering. Learning this technique will save your life!
All racers use this method. In a nutshell... pull on the right handlebar
and you go left or pull on the left handlebar and you go right or..the method
I use is the exact reverse.... push lightly on your left handlebar and
you'll go left.. or push right... go right. Learn the physics..Learn it until
it's second nature because many times in an emergency situation, you have only
reaction time... not thinking time.

10. One simple rule for me has been eliminating the blind spot to
zero. Knowing whose around you at all times without having to turn your
head all the time is one way to stay alive. Adding little blind spot mirrors on
the bike can do that.

11. Braking Part 2. Always complete your braking BEFORE you enter a
curve. Example: On any approaching curve.. do all your braking before you
start to lean into the curve. In the curve you have the choice of either
coasting through it or accelerating through it.

19. If it's early morning, or late evening, and the sun is
positioned such that you can see YOUR OWN SHADOW in front of you, that
means your pretty invisible to oncoming traffic...kinda like a Japanese Zero
diving out of the sun, eh ??

41.If you're an all year rider read up on weather riding and
practice! I can't stress practice enough. Remember that cone course
exercise you did back in MSF school? Go to an open (vacant) parking lot and
practice those things on your bike. Yes the almighty undisputed heavyweight
champion K. Try practicing when the lot is wet and practice easy riding on the
street before pressuring yourself to ride to work in the rain. You might drop it,
you say? Hmmm... maybe you should sell your K and go down and get the
latest sedan w/ the aqua-treds. Remember, you don't have to ride. You don't have
to subject yourself to these critical life situations that riding puts you in.
I'm just saying, be prepared for whatever kind of riding you want to do.

43.Keep your mount clean. If not for vanity's sake It'll be easier
to maintain because you'll be able to i.e.spot the source of that fluid
leak more readily or see that bolt missing from the front of you're otherwise
road grime encrusted engine case. Isn't it interesting how the bike seems
to have more power after a good detailing :)

45. Pre ride inspection. I hope everyone does this before
every ride. It's just one of those cursory things that only takes a minute
(once you get the process down) to perform and can literally make the
difference between life and death. You wouldn't want a tire to fail in mid
sweeper at 100 on Hwy 1 would you? Or the engine seizing up because it
happened to drink an excessive amount of oil since last you checked? It's
awfully hard to eyeball rear tire pressure when she's on the center stand
Of course the list goes on and on. It's just the little things folks. Did you
ever see that Billy Bob Thornton movie Sling Blade? Remember the part
where that man is forever trying to start his lawnmower and finally decides to
take it down to the shop because he's had it? Remember what the first
thing the mechanic did upon hearing the owners report, he checked the gas tank.
Basic, basic, basic ;)

47. Learn how to maintain and service you're own bike. I can't
stress how much of a plus and a lifesaver this skill is to possess. Common
sense has it that if you know how you're bike is put together and how
things are supposed to operate you'll be more articulate in performing your
pre ride inspections and if break downs ever occur on the road or you drop
the bike(for some godforsaken reason) you'll be better prepared to handle
the situation.

48. Leathers are great but it's a blessing either to have a rainsuit
handy or a set of some sort of synthetic riding suit available for riding
when the weather is uncertain. This applies especially if you're a
365day/year rider like me whom commutes everyday. I believe the top quality
synthetic suite offer comparable protection from road rash if not better
weather protection for sure in a touring riding situation.

49. If you tend to breathe heavy (like me) or if it's going to be
cool/cold on your ride applying some sort of anti fog coating to your
glasses and/or face shield will work wonders in letting your eyeballs do
their job unhindered. I find that the Fog City Fog Shield is an ingenious
product which is basically a condensation proof sheet of plastic which is
applied inside the face shield. All that stuff they teach you in MSF
school like covering the brakes to lessen your braking response time and
therefore stopping distance... well, it helps to be able to see every little nuance
of detail of the road you're about to ride over and a few seconds of
face shield clouding when you're canyon scratching or riding in traffic can make all
the difference when self preservation becomes a factor. Figure out what method
works for you and use it!

50. Nutrition: If you're going to go on that epic sporty ride or
starting that epic trip the NExt day make sure you get a proper meal and
appropriate amount of shut eye the night before. You'll feel much more
stoked for the ride when you get up in the morning because you're
body/mind will be ready for whatever. Also, don't eat heavy meals during break stops
on the ride. Try to eat a snack or light meal such as a salad w/ a bit of
chicken or soup and a roll or half that sandwich. You want as much blood as
possible to stay in your brain and not be digesting food(because that
doesn't involve CPU time ;)Besides, did you ever notice that after a grand
meal you feel like taking a grand nap?

51. If you do end up taking your mount to get dealer serviced
you'll want to go over it thoroughly before riding off. Hey, are you willing to
bet your life that that young kid mechanic or even old salt mechanic didn't
overlook the fact that the break fluid reservoir cap was not properly
tightened or that the bike was even properly filled w/oil before putting
the fairing back on or that the tires are appropriately inflated after having
been renewed? Don't laugh, it happens more than you know.

52. Look where you want to go, not where you don't want to go. I
think it is a reasonable argument to say that everything else we do to
control a bike is secondary to this. Some situations can be avoided by
slowing down (no way!), driving defensively, being more visible and so
forth. But these only help prevent a bad situation, they don't fix it
after it has occurred. And once in a bad situation, while there are many
different ways to move a bike to help get out of that situation (weight transfer,
sliding tires, handlebar control, throttle control, etc), the bike does not
know instinctively where it should go, it has to be told. Before it can be
told, however, the driver must make the decision of where he/she wants it to
go. That means looking to that spot. Target fixation is real! G.D. Ball, PHD / Mn.

53. When riding in mountains you really need to understand how your
direction of travel is linked with the Sun; you'll be comin' round the mnt.
rubbernecking or whatever and then BLAMMM sun in face. Wind, the wind
generally follows the Sun. The thermals cause wind to "rise" with the Sun
and set with the Sun".Ridge lines are usually swept clean with high winds
cutting a right angle to the road. Moisture, Sun and wind play a great
role on surface moisture. There are places in the mnts. that after summer will
not be hit by Mr. Sun until next year. Combine this with natural springs,
condensation, or people pissing in the road and there can be a big puddle
right around the bend. Brian S./ Va.

54. Whenever stopped in traffic, NEVER put the bike in neutral.
Keep the tranny in 1st gear and get used to holding in the clutch lever. As
much as most of us hate to do this, it allows the rider to simply release the
clutch and go if you need to move out of the way of danger. A motor
officer in South Florida was killed because it took him too long for him to
clutch, engage 1st gear, release the clutch and begin to roll_even though he had
enough time and space to escape the approaching car. Remember..."Neutral
Kills!" Mark P/ Florida Atlantic University Police Department

55.As you approach a stoplight or stop sign, angle the bike
slightly so the mirror of choice has a clear view directly behind you. It's no
secret that you can realistically glance in the mirror and see what
approaching from directly behind you without contorting your body. So just before
rolling to stop turn the bike slightly until the view to the rear is
clear. Now you'll be able to see the 103 year old blue-hair in the Dodge Dart
that still hasn't seen you between her and the school bus. Mark P / Florida
Atlantic University Police Department.

56. A second reason for #55 Now that you are aware that the
approaching car isn't going to stop, the angle of the bike points it
between the two cars in front of you allowing rule #1 to come into play and allow
you to quickly roll forward to the safer place between the cars up
ahead. Mark P / Florida Atlantic University Police Department.

57. Emergency gear to carry in your pockets at all times: A cell
phone (but don't be surprised if it doesn't work from rural roadside
locations); a whistle, so you can attract the attention of a rescuer from
the bottom of the canyon after you're too weak to yell; a pencil and piece
of paper to take phone numbers, street or trail names, or instructions
from an emergency operator. If you carry a cell phone while you ride, make sure
you have it on your person, not in your tank or saddle bag. If you crash,
and your bike ends up on the other side of the road from you, and you
can't crawl or otherwise get to it, you'll be unable to call for help. You
should also have the number of your phone taped to the phone somewhere it can be
easily read, since someone may be using the phone on your behalf, and
therefor won't know the number, and the emergency operator would really
like to be able to call them back. Scot M./ Dublin, Ca.

58. ALWAYS be extremely paranoid when riding alongside parallel
parked cars, or even worse, stopped traffic lines. When the idiot who's in a
parallel spot, or in line, pulls out, or even worse, does a U TURN (!!)
out of their parking spot, you'll be flying over their car onto the pavement.
C Santos / Ann Arbor, MI

59. On the highway, if you're on the leftmost lane, and cars
abruptly stop ahead of you, PULL OFF QUICKLY AND CAREFULLY ONTO THE
SHOULDER. Let the moron behind you who isn't paying attention rear-end the
car in front, not sandwich you between his car and the car ahead. C Santos Ann Arbor, MI
Appendage from Pirate: While # 59 has actually saved MY life.. Here
is a slightly different perspective of this same tip.. and a valid one.

59: Part 2 / The natural reaction to suddenly seeing the car in
front of you stopped is to swerve & tromp on the brakes. The only place to
swerve in this situation is to the left onto the shoulders. I've seen more
people go onto & sometimes over the shoulder avoiding the car in front
than ever rear end the car in front. I would suggest that when you find
yourself in this situation, either go to the right, between the cars stopped in front
of you or drive down the shoulder 3 or 4 car lengths. My Brother-in-law
went to the left & stopped next to the drivers door of the car in front of him
& the following car ran him over as he avoided the stopped car by driving
down the same shoulder. Contributed by J.D. in Mariposa, California

60. When its wet, watch out for man-hole covers in turns and
intersections. They're always in the worst spot for motorcycles. Also,
painted lines at crosswalks and those great big painted arrows at
intersections are really slippery when they're wet. Kevin Harvey / Idaho

61. Always carry a camera, even a disposable camera works great. As
they say, a picture says a thousand words. And in the case of an accident,
you might need photos of skid marks, highway signs and markings, where
vehicles ended up, initial damage to any and all vehicles, (damage might
mysteriously increase after leaving the scene...hummm.) injuries, dead
animals, witnesses, road and weather conditions. Ken Bowen / Dallas Texas

62. When trying to rack up lots of miles on a bike, you can help
keep your body on even keel by eating small, mini-meals at each gas stop -
as opposed to one or two heavy fast food meals during the day. Fruit
slices, unsalted nuts, and water works great for me at each gas stop. These
mini-meals help keep blood sugar at normal levels although I am neither
hypoglycemic nor diabetic. Tosh Konya / Troy OH.

63. Contrary to the view taken in tip# 3, riding behind the wheels
of an eighteen wheeler can also be hazardous to your health. The retread
tire is a way of life for truckers. We all know what happens when a tread
separates from a tire. The shock and noise numb your brain just long
enough to get you killed. The tread usually "bangs" against some part of the
under side of the truck, then it comes off (Hopefully in small pieces). The
failing tire can also cause a vehicle to swerve into you or your path.
Flying tire treads can be deadly. The tread can be very heavy and take on
very unusual flight characteristics. The impact from a tread (especially a
large section) can kill you. My advice, if you are given a choice, don't
ride behind any large, heavy, vehicle un-less you are going slower than
twenty five! Wade Davis / Ocala,Fl.

65. Heavy rain: It's begun to rain so torrentially that you need
shelter fast. There's a bridge underpass up ahead. If you stop, stop at
the far end of the underpass. If you stop at the near end, or even the middle,
you may be run over by a car or truck that decides it needs to stop
beneath the underpass, too. It may be raining so hard that the driver doesn't see
you until it's too late. Mark Hammond / San Francisco CA

66. Strong wind: If you find yourself struggling against a strong
crosswind on the open road, focus on muscling your knee and thigh against
the fuel tank for counterbalance. With a little practice, itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s remarkable
how effective the knee/thigh pressure on the bike can be in riding safely
and comfortably in a strong crosswind. Mark Hammond / San Francisco CA

67. Quitting time! Be incredibly alert around quitting time, people
are tired and hot to get home and come sailing right straight out of those
parking lots straight for the left lane. Friday afternoon ahead of 4th of
July, they're also towing a trailer and coming at you twice as fast! Jack
Connolly / Post Falls K12GT 04

68. Late Apex! I just keep repeating that as I ride the twisties
and it keeps my line where it should be. As any rider with experience knows if
you ride early apex's it's just a matter of time before you hit something
in the road or hit a curve that is a reducing radius and you find yourself in
the wrong lane ! Joe McCarthy / Andover, Ma

69. An appendage to Tip # 3.. another reason to always follow
directly behind car or truck wheels... The center of the road has all the
grease and drippings from cars and trucks. Riding behind the tire lane of
a car gives you a more traction area of the road. MW / San Jose, CA

70. Start fresh, Stay fresh. Save that nice refreshing shower or
bath for the last thing you do before starting your trip. Get the scoot
loaded and pre-flighted, etc. ( I have found it much easier to check the
tire PSI's before you load your 300 lb grill! ). Take a few ( 2 or 3 )
extra minutes at each fuel stop and wash up a tad. Hands, face and neck,
underarms, and crotch. Back before the PC days us Army dudes called this a
"Whore's Bath". Drew Bland /Evansville, IN

71. A quick check of all the potential anchors and UFO's you have
bunjied and tied on to your scoot before you leave each fuel and rest-area
stop might be appreciated by your fellow travelers too. Shit flying off
your scoot at 80 mph is "UFO's to your fellow travelers ! Bet you can figure
out what the "anchors" are .. Drew Bland / Evansville, IN

72. Go on extra HIGH Alert anywhere in the vicinity of Farm
equipment and related vehicles, most especially those big Drop Deck heavy
haulers with the Big Cats, etc on board. All kinds of shit can come flying
off the trailer deck, from between the dualies, etc.. right at YOU with
little or no warning !! This will occur more often when something makes
the vehicle Bounce. ex: RR Tracks, bridges, chuck-holes,etc. Also strong gust
of winds will cause more UFO activity too from both these vehicles as well as
terra firma. A tumbleweed blowing cross-ways of you when your running 80 mph
or more will give you a pucker check ! Drew Bland /Evansville, IN

73. Here's a trick I've figured out to help with tailgaters. One
good trick is to increase your following distance, sure, but that doesn't
help if something else (see UFOs in tips 71 and 72) makes you brake
quickly. I've found a little gentle swerving in my lane helps keep the cell-phone
wielding commuters off my tail. I think it just reminds some people I'm
there, and makes others think I'm just a bit crazy, but after a few
weaves, I usually get at least two seconds distance behind me. Jeff Pettiross / Seattle, Wa

74. As a New England alternative to tip # 69...in the spring, the
potholes on the freeway always appear in the tire tracks. Particularly on
the edges of overpasses. Some of these are big enough to eat your front
tire. At night, you may not see them until it's too late. The second place
they appear is between the driving lanes, and though generally not deep,
they can be long, and they can trap your front tire. On New England
freeways, in spite of the oil on the road, it's often safer to ride in the
center of the lane. Rick Ramsey / MA.

75. A clean bike is a safe bike. Wash Wax and detail your bike on a
weekly basis. Not only does it attract dollies :-), but it gives you "Face
time" to see loose fasteners, bulged rubber, cracked hardware etc etc.
Danno Campbell / New York, NY

76. When appraoching a cross road at high speed on a
highway-------------try to stay behind something large (like a car or
truck)---------and then the idiot who is attempting to get on the highway
(in rush hour traffic)-----will see the big vehicle------and NOT---- pull
out in front of YOU! At least if he does-----he'll get T-boned by the car
or truck-----and not you! (Giving you time to slow down, turn, or
stop-------before the T-bone event!) Richard Craig / Napa, California

77. I agree with all of these points, except for #36. Yes, you want
to stay out of anyone's blind spot. But what you want to maximize is your
separation from other traffic. Usually traffic travels in "packs", and the
best way to do this is to spend as much time as possible between "packs",
which means travelling mostly at the same speed as the rest of the
traffic. Every time you pass someone or someone passes you, the risks are
increased. Of course each of us is the best driver on the road, so the risk is
increased mostly when we are being passed. Brian / Culpeper, VA

78. Tailgaters part 1: To stop folks from tailgating me, I have
placed the following sign on the back fender of my ride: Tailgating KILLS!
Please don't!
Guess what? you get 3 seconds of in-trail spacing (most of the
time)... And I live in California! Jeff Frost /Sacramento, California

79. Tailgaters part 2: If you are as sandwiched in as everyone else
around you (and they have not read your sign), but there is no where to
go, follow this procedure: Downshift at least one or two gears, let off the
gas, and simultaneously turn around and point directly at the offending driver,
making eye contact if possible. Hold this for a drop of about 5 mph
maximum, just enough to force the offending driver to take the smallest amount of
action and then take off. This will open the lane ahead of you for a
momentary escape and will also bring the actions of this idiot driver to
the attention of everyone else. Do it in front of a cop (correctly) and you
get a bonus: the guy gets pulled over! Needless to say, you have to be totally
aware of your surroundings. If you are not, only ride in the middle of the
night. Jeff Frost /Sacramento, California

81. Many riders crash out when they are learning or are novice. One
of the main contributing factors to this is over confidence and peer
pressure. If you are new to motorcycling and are riding with a group of
experienced riders don't feel you have to keep up, ride at your own pace
and well with in your own ability. For those experienced riders that have a
novice rider with them be considerate, don't all blast off and leave
him/her for dead, some one hang back and offer helpful hints and constructive
criticism. Laurie (Lozz) Burrows / Western Australia

82. Road rule # 1 should be, never drive anything while intoxicated.
If you are going to participate in poker runs, or attend motorcycle
rallies, drink only non- alcoholic beverages. I know too many of my fellow
motorcyclist friends who have been seriously hurt, some killed, from
drinking and driving motorcycles. Tom / Albany, Ill.

84. Park your ego and vanity at home. Both will get you dead (if
your wheels are still turning) in any confrontational situation. Better to
let the idiots achieve a steady-state. Someone else will judge them later.
Michael Lyman / Fremont, CA

88. When approaching a stopped vehicle that is looking to turn into
my lane (typically the dreaded left turn without seeing you), I try to
quickly determine if the driver has made eye contact with me. At the same
time, I am concentrating on the wheels of the vehicle. If they turn or
move even the slightest amount, I immediately execute my planned evasive
aneuver (that I planned long before approaching the vehicle in question). Michael
Lyman / Fremont, CA

89. If the rider or driver in front of you is slowing down, be damn
sure you know why before you pass them. They may have hit the brakes for
(1) the squad car looking for speeders (2) the idiot in front of them who is
about to make a U-turn in front of you or (3) the steer in the ditch that
is getting ready to cross the road. Hank Barta / Beautiful Sunny Winfield, Illinois
90. Be very careful behind open top dump trucks and other haulers.
The things they haul have a tendency to want to escape. I had to dodge an
old tire at 60mph when it decided to fly out of the top of a truck. Lt.Col
John Reschar / Colorado Springs, Colorado

91. When you are about to pull out to overtake the vehicle in front
of you, check your mirror again. The car in the lane you are moving into
may be going much faster than you expect and you cannot see this from a single
mirror check. Saved me the other day when the car was doing about 120mph
Graham Dockrill / UK

92. HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK ALONE! As many of us are over 40,
there is always the chance of having a heart attack while riding or driving.
Pay Attention: You are riding along and suddenly you start
experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to radiate out into your
arm and up into your jaw. You are only about five miles from the hospital
nearest your home; unfortunately you don't know if you'll be able to make it
that far. WHAT CAN YOU DO? Pull over? or try to make it to the hospital? A
tough call if on a motorcycle. Without help, the person whose heart stops
beating properly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds
left before losing consciousness. However, these victims can help
themselves
by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken
before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when
producing sputum from deep inside the chest, and a cough must be repeated
about every 2 seconds without let up until help arrives, or until the
heart is felt to be beating normally again. Deep breaths get oxygen into the
lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating.
The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In
this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital. F. Daniel Rochman MD /
Contributed by Frank Ganger / Lake Bluff, IL

93. What's the most unused button on your bike? Other than the
emergency flasher.. your horn. Many of us can ride for days or weeks
without hitting the horn. This is NOT good in an emergency situation as you could
very easily find yourself fumbling for the horn button while that 28,000lb
SUV is merging on you. My suggestion is.. Before you leave your driveway
after your bike is warmed up... Re-familiarize yourself with the horn
button. Hit the horn a few times. Feel the horn button while not looking.
In an emergency situation one or 2 seconds fumbling for the button can mean
the difference of being safe and being in a pine box. Pirate / Asheville. NC

94. If you do find yourself down, outside of the line of traffic,
don't move until you've checked out the function of all your parts by
touch and mini-movements. If you have ANY neck (or back) pain or ANY numbness or
weakness anywhere, stay down, stay still, and please don't let anyone take
off your helmet until hospital based professional evaluation is complete.
and carry ID in or on your helmet and person, and the EMT's have all been
trained to look for an ICE (In Case of Emergency) # in your cell phone.
Use it. Contributed by David Hunt .. Neurosurgeon / Hoboken, NJ

98. Place body or high vis reflectors on the front and back of the
motorcycle. It makes a world of difference in a parking lot, or at the stop
light at night. They stop 20 feet behind me. Contributed by Nick Zarras,
Captain, USAF / Las Vegas, Nevada

99. Always look at driver patterns in front of you, and then open up
your spacing if anything looks out of the ordinary. It saved my life when
a woman started to fall asleep, got scared as she started to weave into a
side support and over corrected going 90 degrees to the road and airborne in
front of me. I had plenty of room see her fly away into the ditch, then stop
normally to call for help.Contributed by Nick Zarras, Captain, USAF / Las
Vegas, Nevada

100. Don't be afraid to ride slow. Contributed by Pappy Hoel,
founder of the Sturgis motorcycle rally / Bismarck, ND

That's it, gang. Good luck and be safe. Remember ...try to project
a positive image.....you are representing ALL motorcyclists to the
non-riding mortals who move among us. Enjoy!

Mon Valley ABATE