My grandmother once observed that I sould never trust anyone in a cage because, if they weren't nuts, they'd be on a bike like everyone else. So, beware of the drivers around you as if they were raving lunatics because they are.
Always allow at least 4 seconds following distance. This serves 3 functions. It saves you from having to stop so hard that the idiot behind runs over you. You can often just slow down when traffic stops ahead.
If as few as 10 people in a row followed this rule, many traffic glitches could easily be smoothed out instead of growing into a full tieup.
With the extra space available for smoothly switching lanes, a lot of traffic slowdowns would never happen to begin with. A lot of freeway tieups and accidents happen because someone tries to get across to an exit through a mass of tailgating cars.
Pretend you are invisible because you are. You can't be seen if nobody looks, and very few people trouble themselves to do that.
If your pipes are loud enough to be heard over the din of a boombox and cell phone through the dangerously thick sound insulation they are putting on cars these days, some of the more alert drivers might be aware of your presence. Of course, the majority won't care anyway.
This is just a theory, but the logic seems to be valid:
If your appearance and/or behavior is bazaar enough to make a driver think, "Look at that nut on the motorcycle", it forces him to admit to himself that he can see you. That could save your life.
