Modern Buddy

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These are wonderful. Nice job iwabj Definitely a great include for the MB library. I will enjoy the ride I am about to go on all the more with this in mind. Thanks!

iwabj wrote:19. Keep the front brake covered'always
Save a single second of reaction time at 60 mph and you can stop 88 feet shorter. Think about that.

I ride at all times with at least one finger (usually 2 or 3) on each brake lever. In addition to giving me instant deceleration when needed, it gives my throttle hand a good no-need-to-look reference point to keep my speed steady.

iwabj,

Your posting may end up saving at least one scotter rider's life someday.

Cheers.

this is a really great post! there are things on the list i forget from time to time;3, 19 and 49. maybe worth a mention is to know your machine. you don't have to be a mechanic to know if something is loose or disconnected. cracked, broken or malfunctioning. pilots are taught to check and re-check a airplane inside and out. a total walk around. none of us do it but we should. all in all, great job.

There's a lot of good stuff here, maybe even too much to consider adding other points. Still, one of my most important rules of the road is to avoid blind spots when you're riding alongside someone on a multi-lane road. I either stay behind the person, in case they move or drift over or accelerate very quickly past them. Never get boxed in, especially in their rear 3/4 view.

There are conflicting opinions on covering the brakes at all times. Some riders believe in this religiously, others don't. I tend to keep my rear brake covered but the most important control for my right hand is the throttle. There are times when I'll cover the front brake but, most of the time, I do not. Again, I want to emphasize here that I'm not trying to convince anyone to ride this way. If you own only one bike and you're more comfortable covering the front brake all the time, by all means, do it. But, if you own multiple bikes with varying power levels and different throttle responses, you might want to consider paying the most attention to your throttle.

Great list wabj!

About left-turn situations -- To make myself morer visible, if there is no traffic beside me, on approaching an intersection where oncoming traffic is set up for a left turn, I often swerve back and forth several times in my own lane in the hopes that the change in the left-turner's visual pattern would alert him to a small mover. This seems particularly effective in low-light situations.

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Me too. I will often gently move from one side of my lane to the other just to catch drivers attention.

I love that this thread has become active again. I haven't read these for a while and upon rereading, it is amazing how many of the list items have come to pass or almost come to pass. This is still one of the best safety threads ever.

Great post iwabj, it's always good to read over things like that. It really does keep the mind fresh.

Like others have already written in this post, and I'm sure many other posts, covering breaks is a debated topic. The MSF course down here just told us that covering breaks is a sure fire way to lose fingers, and that proper handlebar position is always the way to go.

Down here in Atlanta I live by rule #1, and I know that it has certainly saved me from serious injury (or worse)a dozen times or so already.

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What a great help to read all these, and refresh our memories! Great job, and thanks!!

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You forgot the most important rule for not getting into trouble on two wheels. Drive a car.

January's Motorcyclist has a good bit in the STREET SAVVY section called "A Dozen Ways To Die". May be up on their web site in about a month or so....under the MC Garage tab.....