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Newbies, this one's for you!

This subject & context should be a separate Forum in it's own right , some darn good advise here.
Hoffo

That's a lot of reading a chock full o' good info. Here's my advice: relax your death grip on the controls, if you're hanging on for dear life you're not in control. Head up, look where you want to go, expect the worst from everyone else and stay out of the oil slick at intersections. Me, I watch everyone else's wheels at a stop, folks who creep will jump in front of you every time. Oh yeah, never hurts to offer a friendly wave to other riders

When I first started riding a street bike (@14), my mother was worried about an accident. A guy she worked with (who also rode) reassured her by telling her that bike riders become much better drivers because they learn to stay aware of their surroundings at all times and those skills carry over with them when they are driving their cars. That was almost 40 years ago. The fact that this thread exists today proves that it's still true.

Mom still worries though and I won't even go into the chaos that ensued when Dad bought a new bike @ 80.

This is what I told my son and his friends when they got their sport bikes... "There's a time and place for fast riding!" Always think about where you are, and what the results of your actions could be. They have all told me since that these words kept coming back to them...hopefully it made a difference.

later, Tom.

Your new bike is going to attract alot of attention. Don't let it distract you.
I should know better, but when a beautiful Spanish girl in a bikini is staring at your bike and smiling as you ride by, you're going to return the favor.


I stopped a couple feet short of hitting the city bus.

Live and Learn
or
Crash and Burn

Steepen your learning curve, newbies.

Been to TWO different bike club meetings where the guest speaker prefaces his discourse with "There are two kinds of riders - those who HAVE crashed and those that WILL crash" Aaackk ! I wanted to leave ! I sincerely believe , and it's not arrogant or naive , that one can ride a lifetime and never "crash ." It would be like sitting on a plane before departure and the flight attendant says "there are two kinds of passengers , those who have crashed and burned and those that will."

OK braking. There's a reason that many bikes have twin disks on the front while only having a single smaller one (or even a drum) at the rear. The front brakes are your MAIN brakes and at anything above walking speed they should be doing 70-90% of the work. At riding speeds the rear brake is more of a "stabiliser" for the rear too keep things in balance. At SLOW speeds (ie: walking speed, maybe up to 15mph/20kph) things change and your rear brake becomes more important than the front, but ONLY at those speeds. Relying on the rear at speed is a death wish, because as soon as the brakes start slowing the bike the centre of gravity moves way forward and you lose most of the traction on the rear wheel.

Brakes are also good for more than slowing the bike, they can help you control the bike in corners. While turning, gentle pressure on the rear brake (combined with easing the throttle off a little) will pull the bike further down into the corner. Conversely gently using the front brake (possibly with a slight increase in throttle) while cornering while stand the bike up. Note the emphasised words, this technique requires proper brake skills. Simply grabbing a handfull of lever will result in a very bad day. The correct technique is to move the lever (hand or foot) till you start to feel pressure then smoothly increase the pressure rather than applying it all at once.

Road position can save your life. Many newbie riders find themselves watching the road a few feet ahead of their front wheel - try to keep your vision 2-3 car lengths ahead of the bike, far enough ahead that you can anticipate things like pot holes, spilt diesel etc. If the road condition is clear and you're riding alone try to stay near the centre of the lane to keep the most distance between you and the traffic. If you're riding in a group, ride in the car wheel-tracks, with riders staggered left to right. This doubles the amount of space available to stop suddenly, and might help keep cars from pushing in front of you.

When pulling up at an intersection pay close attention to the road surface, and move from the centre of the lane to the car wheel tracks. You'll often seen "grease strips" at intersections where cars & trucks have spilt oil, diesel, coolant etc while waiting at the lights, and sitting to one side or the other will help avoid this. This is especially important in the wet.

Look "through" corners. If you focus on what's immediately in front of you on the twisties then what comes after will always be a surprise. If you look as far ahead as you can on corners you'll have ample time to set up your road position & speed to enter & exit the corner smoothly, and set yourself up for the next one. Your aim should be to enter the corner at the right speed to move through the entire corner, accelerating gently as you leave the corner to increase rear wheel traction and help straighten the bike up. Trying to change speed mid-corner will result in an unstable bike.

Use your gears! The single best way of losing traction is with your brakes. In general riding (ignoring very low speed maneuvers) you should generally only need your brakes when coming to a complete stop. If you're looking far enough ahead that you can anticipate what's coming, change down a gear or two to slow down rather than grabbing handfulls of brake. Using the gears to decelerate keeps the bike under power so you're ready to throttle up again to stand the bike up, or reduce throttle (perhaps feathering the rear brake) to corner harder. Relying on the brakes removes your control from the wheels, and takes them a lot closer to breaking traction & skidding. I'll say it again: In general riding you should almost never need brakes unless coming to a complete stop. If you don't believe me, watch the professional racers driving & riding - they rely mainly on the engine & gearbox to control the vehicle's speed than the brakes. Even when they do brake heavily, they still use the gears to assist in slowing the vehicle.

A couple of favorites...

Do Not Panic! If you keep your head you have a much better chance of coming out the other side of whatever is happening in one largely functional piece.

Caution and confidence (both born of experience) will keep you alive, fear and cockiness are the killers.

Be aware of the sun. In the direction of your shadow you are worse than invisible, you are painful to look at / for. If you live where the time changes, remember that this has a big affect on where the sun is at your normal riding time.

Learn how people in cars behave on Friday afternoons, and Wed. mornings and at long lights and in traffic jams and at rural stop signs. Learn to watch for folks to look lost. Understanding the things that impact cage driver psychology / actions will help you avoid meeting them close up.

That "gunk strip" is mostly at intersections. Otherwise, it's not too bad.

stay close to the center line, so that oncomeing traffic can see you.

As a returning "newbie" I have found this most educational.

Thanks Guys.

I have a little problem with the lane position theory being some kind of "rule". Where you should be in the lane varies depending on type of road, traffic, and weather conditions. The important thing is to use the whole lane accordingly.
In rain conditions on a heavily travelled road, the water will be deeper (ponding) where the car tires run. Bikes can hydroplane too.
On an interstate highway at 70 miles an hour, you can hug that center line if you wish, but an oncoming semi can push a whole bunch of air at you. And crosswinds can move you around a bit as well...
In city traffic, stay as visible as possible, but assume no one sees you. They will pull in front of you, pull right in behind you and in some cases try to occupy the same space you are in.

So use the entire lane, keep your mind on what you're doing and don't make any sudden moves. You will eventually develope a "sixth sense" - that guy isn't going to stop/that girl behind me is on a cel phone and not paying attention/that truck driver doesn't know I'm back here/that minivan is going to pull out in front of me, etc. etc.

I rode up on a sidewalk once to avoid a jerk who ran a stop sign..... it happens. Keep your options open and you will lessen your chances of becoming a statistic.

Problem with riding in the center is oil tends to gather there, not much of a problem in dry weather or in the interstate but on 2 lane 2ndary roads it can be. Painted lines and manholes tend to be slippery too as well as the tar strips.

Take care on bends in the wet, you never know if a truck has spilt deisal as it turned the corner, hitting that stuff is like ice.

Be aware of wet "slippier" roads after a long hot spell.

Run that new tyre in more than 100 miles, to be on the safe side.

Keep your headlight on permanantly, the more visible you are the better.

Have BOTH feet on the floor and a brake on as your pillion mounts and dismounts.

If you live where there's snow and ice in the winter, be very careful riding early in the spring. In Wisconsin they use sand on the roads, and it takes a couple of good spring rains to wash it all away.

Watch out for gravel on blacktop roads during the summer. On a lot of rural blacktops they occasionally spread fresh pea gravel (called "chipping the road" here). The gravel gets smooshed into the blacktop over time, but can be pretty dangerous until then.

Just make a water box in the driveway and do a hole shot up the street, break a tire in quick

edit: neighbors like it best with loud pipes

"But, keeping with the intent of this thread, I think "false or over-confidence" is what probably trips up most newbies. They begin to think after a few months or a few years that they've got this motorcycling thing "down pat", and then will find themselves in over their heads in some situation that they might not have encountered before."
Being a newbie with a gray beard, I appreciate the insights shared above. Arrogance is not a survival strategy. From my +30 years in construction I have yeared that successful safety has four components in order of importance: attitude, education, practice, and gear. Take responsibility for all four, and you have a decent chance of survival.

Spent the morning reading this one (when it wasn't busy).
Bump for newbs like me.

I'm thinking it would be a good thing to stickyfy this thread.

As a newbie, I definitely appreciate the thread. My pledge is to definitely take it all to heart. I definitely plan to...
- practice like crazy; nice techie office complex 1 block from my house with parking lots like artificial streets I will be going around for 100's of miles.
- will NOT carry a passenger for a loooong time
- practice emergency hard breaking, etc...
- take it easy, using with all good tips from here and safety course
- did I mention practice, practice, practice?

Thanks all,
CHUCKLES

Way to go Chuckles, you'll be an Oldbie before you know it.

Brilliant topic. Thanks guys.

During the cold months keep an eye out for wavy lines on the road. In areas like mine, the government agencies like to use a gell like supstance to de-ice our "wonderfuly maintained" and "smooth" roads. This gell is harmless once the sun dries it out, there's just one problem. If the sun stayed on the road long enough to dry all the gell then we wouldn't need to worry about ice. This de-icer sticks to your tires and can act like an oil slick.

This brings me to another point. There is no such thing as a safe or well maintained road. If it is smooth and feels good stay aware, because it will get rough again real soon.

Not sure if this has been addressed yet but one of the things I do pretty much automatically at the start of a ride is drop my left hand, locate the fuel tap and give it a quick twist to reserve and back. I do this so I know, instinctively, where it is, should I feel the low fuel 'stutter'. It's all very well on a straight road but what if you feel it halfway into a bend? It might not save your life but it may stop you having to drift over to the side of the road with empty carbs, cars passing too close for comfort.

Just a thought.

Lookin' at chicks was always my biggest road hazard.

First off, I want to thank each of you for sharing all this valuble information. I got my endorsement in Sept, rode 3000 miles on a honda 250 rebel and then purchased my first triumph. I find myself every few weeks returning to review all the tips . I honestly can say that because of each of you sharing your experiance , I am really enjoying the whole process of being a newbie rider. I ride every day and I am progressing nicely... I have many aha moments as I feel more at ease and more in control. practice practice and practice is the best advice.
THANKS SO MUCH TO EACH OF YOU AND KEEP THE ADVICE COMING.

Sandie

Great stuff here, many years of empirical data. My two piasters - riding here in New Jersey is a high art in survival. In the towns and cities, riding in the right tire track of your lane will encourage some sh*tbird to squeeze past you and sling you onto the curb or shoulder. We ride in the left tire track mostly, and on open roads you need to switch tracks at random or some jerk will sneak up on your right side and drift you into the opposite lane. ALWAYS lock eyes with drivers - if you can't see their eyes they will surely try some bonehead stunt. Just cause you're paraniod doesn't mean they are not out to get you.

Dress for a crash, regardless of temperature, & not the ride...
Every crash is preventable by SOMEONE, but maybe not by you...

I just read this whole thread. I just want to say thanks to all of you guys. I'm about as 'newbie' as they come (less than 500 miles riding experience) and I'll be revisiting this thread often.

Always adjust your speed to match visibility. There might be something on the other side of that obstruction. Remember, "can't see" is not at all the same as "nothing there".

Here's a new one!
Covered bridges. The old historic wooden ones.

Some of you may never see one in your life, but if you do encounter one be aware that some have 2 parallel wooden runners meant for car tires. Between them and on either side is the "floor" of the bridge, which may or may not be in good repair. It may also be a good 4-6 inches lower than the runners.
So as you enter this dark tunnel on a bright sunshiny day you may find yourself suddenly lower than you expected to be with visions of dropping through to the stream below. Then you may find yourself waiting at the end of this dark tunnel for a passing motorist to help you lift your bike back up to the road surface... Or to run you over as they can't see coming in either.

Just an observation. It never happened to me.

Well, maybe once.

Maryland doesn't allow lane-splitting. Just a theory, but maybe because people open their doors to drain their beverage cups or toss out their cigarette butts at an intersection and boom... motorcycle ride into a door. Nobody's happy about that!

Might be okay on the highways, but we have a LOT of big trucks out there and they always seem to be throwing re-treads and stones all around.

Now that I think about it, I think I'll just watch all around me, stay behind whatever's in front of me, then pass when it's safe!