5 Safety Tips to Ride a Motorcycle
Bert's Mega Mall | Power Sports Hub
Ask any motorcycle enthusiast and they will tell you that there is nothing better than riding down the open road on two wheels because riding a motorcycle offers you a sense of freedom and excitement that no car can provide. However, they will also tell you about the risks that come with riding a motorcycle if you are not careful. Although motorcycles are adventurous, exhilarating and fun to own, being safe is the #1 priority when riding. Here are 5 Safety Tips that will allow you to stay safe on the road.
Safety Tip # 1: Gear Up
One of the best ways to stay safe while riding is by wearing the proper gear. Safety gear including a helmet, jacket, pants, gloves, and boots are essential to keeping you safe in the event of an accident. A full-face helmet is highly recommended as it will protect your head and eyes during a fall. For full body protection, we recommend wearing leather because it is strong enough to protect the skin from abrasions in case of a fall down the road surface. If you are driving at night, wearing bright gear will prevent a collision because you will be more visible to other drivers. If you live in a place with warm weather like where we live in southern California, a lot of companies specialize in motorcycle gear that is vented to keep you cool while still having the necessary protective accessories to keep you safe.
Safety Tip #2: Inspect your Ride
Before you take your bike out for a spin, you should always do a quick walk-around to make sure everything is working properly. Things you should check out before you get on your motorcycle are tire pressure, mirrors, lights, horn, and turn signals. This quick inspection will let you know if there are any mechanical hazards you need to take care of before you hit the road. 
Safety Tip #3: Be Defensive
One of the most important ways you can be safe on the road is by being a defensive rider. You will be able to avoid a lot of the dangerous situations out there if you are aware of your surroundings. Be on the lookout for any road hazards like gravel, trash, pedestrians crossing, and of course the “bad driver”. Motorcyclists are known to be in a driver’s blind spot so it is important that you leave plenty of room between yourself and the vehicle in front of and behind you so that you will have enough space and time to react in case something unexpected happens. 
Safety Tip #4: Be Aware of the Weather
Before you decide to go for a ride on your bike, check the weather because driving a motorcycle in bad weather is much riskier than driving a car. If heavy rain, snow or ice is predicted, leave the bike at home. Since you do not have windshield wipers, your vision is compromised and since the road is wet, you can lose control of the bike more easily. If you absolutely must ride in the rain, be very cautious and don’t ride right after the storm starts. When it first starts to rain, the water brings up oil and other residue causing the road to get very slippery. If you wait some time the rain will wash away any stuff it brought up making the road a bit safer to drive. If the rain gets worse, the safest thing to do is to stop and wait for the road to stop before continuing your ride. 
Safety Tip #5: Ride According to Your Skills and Abilities
When you begin to ride a bike the thrill kicks in making you want to ride the roads with the greatest twists and turns. While some roads look easy riders require a lot of practice before they can take on the twists and turns safely. As a rider, it is important that you know your strengths and weaknesses. If you are new to riding it is important that you take baby steps and work your way up to routes with more challenging twists and turns before diving into those kinds of sections at full speed. That also goes for riding in freeway traffic where in places like California where you can “share” the lane, also known as lane splitting, with cars and trucks you have to be incredibly aware of the vehicles around you and comfortable being that close, the first few times can be quite nerve-wracking. 
Related:
- Keeping your Motorcycle Yours…
- Hand Signals Every Rider Should Know
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