Bonneville America Forums Forums Rider Safety Forums Riding Technique favorite traffic riding tip

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To put my own spin on some of what has been said (and just like Lays potato chips, you can't eat just one):

- Ride like a fighter pilot - everybody is the enemy.
- The best defense is a good offense. Of course just about everything on the road is bigger than you, but I'm referring mostly to lane position and eye contact with cagers (loud pipes also play into it). There's a really bad T intersection near my office and I always stare at the driver on the right waiting to turn left in front of me. So many have pulled out into traffic I almost try and intimidate them into watching. But I still cover the brakes just in case.
- Even when they see you, they don't see you (see above)
- Time is your friend. I think a lot of the reason they don't see you is that they're are either tired or in a hurry. If they're in a hurry, you can help make them see you, for instance at a four-way stop, by pausing a little more when it's your turn or by going through the intersection a little slower. You might make them mad but they'll see what they're mad at. Once you clear the intersection then you can nail the throttle.
- Don't ride in their blind spot
- Always check your mirrors, especially when stopped. I have carpel tunnel syndrome and my hands can start to hurt pretty bad if I have to sit at a light holding the clutch and brake lever, but I don't shift into neutral and use my rear brake to hold my position to rest my hands until I'm sure the traffic behind me has come to a stop.
- I listen to music with my MP3 player and headphones on long trips, but never in town - it's too distracting
- Don't worry about waving to a passing motorcycle when in heavy traffic because you never realize just how quickly conditions can change. I almost ate the back of a pickup truck this week because he decided to stop just as I was starting to throw a wave at another bike.

Oh crap, that got longer than I planned. Gotta get to work.

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