50 Ways to Stay Alive

[Tristik]

~~
When I first started getting the idea of getting a bike into my head, I was debating between a PCX and a Ninja 250r. I came across this thread for new riders on a Kawasaki forum and figured it would be a good one to post here. Great read for new riders and seasoned ones as well as a reminder. Please note this is written for the US, so a few of these may sound backwards if you live in another country.

1. Assume you're invisible.
To a lot of drivers, you are. Never make a move based on the assumption that another driver sees you, even if you've made eye contact. Bikes don't register to the four-wheel mind.

2. Be considerate.
The consequences of strafing the jerk du jour or cutting him off, start out bad and get worse. Pretend it was your grandma and smile.

3. Dress for the crash, not the pool or the pub.
Sure, McDonalds is a 5-minute trip, but nobody plans to eat pavement. Modern mesh gear means 100-degree heat iand is no excuse for a T-shirt and board shorts.

4. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
Assume that car across the intersection will turn across your bow when the light goes green, with or without a turn signal.

5. Leave your ego at home.
The only people who really care if you were faster on the freeway will be the officer and the judge.

6. Pay attention.
Yes, there is a half-naked girl on the billboard. That shock does feels squishy. Meanwhile, you could be drifting toward Big Trouble. Focus.

7. Mirrors only show you part of the picture.
Never change direction without turning your head to make sure the coast really is clear.

8. Be patient.
Always take another second or three before you pull out to pass, ride away from a curb or into freeway traffic from an on-ramp. It's what you don't see that gets you. That extra look could save your butt.

9. Watch your closing speed.
Passing cars at twice their speed or changing lanes to shoot past a row of stopped cars is just asking for trouble.

10. Beware the verge and the merge.
A lot of nasty surprises end up on the sides of the road: empty McDonalds bags, nails, TV antennas, ladders, you name it. Watch for troublesome debris on both sides of the road.

11. Left-turning cars remain a leading killer of motorcyclists.
Dont assume someone will wait for you to dart through the intersection. They're trying to beat the light, too.

12. Beware of cars running traffic lights.
The first few seconds after a signal light changes are the most perilous. Look both ways before barging into an intersection.

13. Check your mirrors.
Do it every time you change lanes, slow down or stop. Be ready to move if another vehicle is about to occupy the space youd planned to use.

14. Mind the gap.
Remember Drivers Ed? One seconds worth of distance per 10 mph is the old rule of thumb. Better still, scan the next 12 seconds ahead for potential trouble.

15 Beware of boy racers.
They're quick and their drivers tend to be aggressive. Dont assume youve beaten one away from a light or outpaced it in traffic and change lanes without looking. You could end up as a civic hood ornament.

16. Excessive entrance speed hurts.
Its the leading cause of single-bike accidents on twisty roads and racetracks. In Slow, Out Fast is the old adage, and it still works. Dialing up corner speed is safer than scrubbing it off.

17. Dont trust that deer whistle.
Ungulates and other feral beasts prowl at dawn and dusk, so heed those big yellow signs. If youre riding in a target-rich environment, slow down and watch the shoulders.

18. Learn to use both brakes.
The front does most of your stopping, but a little rear brake on corner entry can calm a nervous chassis.

19. Keep the front brake coveredalways.
Save a single second of reaction time at 60 mph and you can stop 88 feet shorter. Think about that.

20. Look where you want to go.
Use the miracle of target fixation to your advantage. The motorcycle goes where you look, so focus on the solution instead of the problem.

21. Keep your eyes moving.
Traffic is always shifting, so keep scanning for potential trouble. Dont lock your eyes on any one thing for too long unless youre actually dealing with trouble.

22. Think before you act.
Careful whipping around that micra going 7 kph in a 30-kph zone or you could end up with your head in the drivers side door when he turns into the driveway right in front of you.

23. Raise your gaze.
Its too late to do anything about the 20 feet immediately in front of your fender, so scan the road far enough ahead to see trouble and change trajectory.

24. Get your mind right in the driveway.
Most accidents happen during the first 15 minutes of a ride, below 40 mph, near an intersection or driveway. Yes, that could be your driveway.

25. Come to a full stop at that next stop sign.
Put a foot down. Look again. Anything less forces a snap decision with no time to spot potential trouble.

26. Never dive into a gap in stalled traffic.
Cars may have stopped for a reason, and you may not be able to see why until its too late to do anything about it.

27 Dont saddle up more than you can handle.
If you weigh 95 pounds, avoid that 795-pound cruiser. If youre 5-foot-5, forget those towering adventure-tourers.

28. Watch for car doors opening in traffic.
And smacking a car thats swerving around some goofballs open door is just as painful.

29. Dont get in an intersection rut.
Watch for a two-way stop after a string of four-way intersections. If you expect cross-traffic to stop, there could be a painful surprise when it doesnt.

30. Stay in your comfort zone when youre with a group.
Riding over your head is a good way to end up in the ditch. Any bunch worth riding with will have a rendezvous point where youll be able to link up again.

31. Give your eyes some time to adjust.
A minute or two of low light heading from a well-lighted garage onto dark streets is a good thing. Otherwise, youre essentially flying blind for the first mile or so

32. Master the slow U-turn.
Practice. Park your butt on the outside edge of the seat and lean the bike into the turn, using your body as a counterweight as you pivot around the rear wheel.

33. Who put a stop sign at the top of this hill?
Dont panic. Use the rear brake to keep from rolling back down. Use Mr. Throttle and Mr. Clutch normally and smoothly to pull away.

34. If it looks slippery, assume it is.
A patch of suspicious pavement could be just about anything. Butter Flavor Crisco? Gravel? Mobil 1? Or maybe its nothing. Better to slow down for nothing than go on your head.

35. Bang! A blowout! Now what?
No sudden moves. The motorcycle isnt happy, so be prepared to apply a little calming muscle to maintain course Ease back the throttle, brake gingerly with the good wheel and pull over very smoothly to the shoulder. Big sigh.

36. Drops on the faceshield?
Its raining. Lightly misted pavement can be slipperier than when its been rinsed by a downpour, and you never know how much grip there is. Apply maximum-level concentration, caution and smoothness.

37. Emotions in check?
To paraphrase Mr. Ice Cube, chickity-check yoself before you wreck yoself. Emotions are as powerful as any drug, so take inventory every time you saddle up. If youre mad, sad, exhausted or anxious, stay put.

38. Wear good gear.
Wear stuff that fits you and the weather If youre too hot or too cold or fighting with a jacket that binds across the shoulders, youre dangerous. Its that simple.

39. Leave the iPod at home.
You wont hear that cement truck in time with Spinal Tap cranked to 11, but they might like your headphones in intensive care.

40. Learn to swerve.
Be able to do two tight turns in quick succession. Flick left around the bag of briquettes, then right back to your original trajectory. The bike will follow your eyes, so look at the way around, not the briquettes. Now practice till its a reflex.

41. Be smooth at low speeds.
Take some angst out, especially of slow-speed maneuvers, with a bit of rear brake. It adds a welcome bit of stability by minimizing unwelcome weight transfer and potentially bothersome driveline lash.

42. Flashing is good for you.
Turn signals get your attention by flashing, right? So a few easy taps on the pedal or lever before stopping makes your brake light more eye-catching to trailing traffic.

43. Intersections are scary, so hedge your bets.
Put another vehicle between your bike and the possibility of someone running the stop sign/red light on your right and you cut your chances of getting nailed in half.

44. Tune your peripheral vision.
Pick a point near the center of that wall over there. Now scan as far as you can by moving your attention, not your gaze. The more you can see without turning your head, the sooner you can react to trouble.

45. All alone at a light that wont turn green?
Put as much motorcycle as possible directly above the sensor wire usually buried in the pavement beneath you and located by a round or square pattern behind the limit line. If the light still wont change, try putting your kickstand down, right on the wire. You should be on your way in seconds.

46. Every-thing is harder to see after dark.
Even You. Adjust your headlights, Carry a clear faceshield and have your game all the way on after dark, especially during commuter hours.

47. Dont troll next toor right behind Mr. Peterbilt.
If one of those 18 retreads blows upwhich they do with some regularity it de-treads, and that can be ugly. Unless you like dodging huge chunks of flying rubber, keep your distance.

48. Take the panic out of panic stops.
Develop an intimate relationship with your front brake. Seek out some safe, open pavement. Starting slowly, find that fine line between maximum braking and a locked wheel, and then do it again, and again.

49. Make your tires right.
None of this stuff matters unless your skins are right. Dont take em for granted Make sure pressure is spot-on every time you ride. Check for cuts, nails and other junk they might have picked up, as well as general wear.

50. Take a deep breath.
Count to 10. Smile at the idiot. Forgetting some clowns 80-mph indiscretion beats running the risk of ruining your life, or ending it.

Orginal Author Unknown
~

[you you]

Nice idea but lost interest after the first 10

[Taz]

Couldnt stop thinking of 50 shades of grey which I think every chick in Australia must be reading at the moment as its in every bookstore here.

[you you]

Couldnt stop thinking of 50 shades of grey which I think every chick in Australia must be reading at the moment as its in every bookstore here.

Don't know which is worse. I'll put them both in room 101

You must get to a certain point in reading through the 50 that you think "ferk it I'm selling the bike"

Or "I'm becoming an auditor"

[louthepoo]

i thought it was a good read - the 50 list above, not 50 shades of badly written hype

[you you]

i thought it was a good read - the 50 list above, not 50 shades of badly written hype

A career in Audit becons...

[louthepoo]

i thought it was a good read - the 50 list above, not 50 shades of badly written hype

A career in Audit becons...

no chance! my brother is an audit manager and i'm far tor colourful for that 'brown' world

[maddiedog]

Good tips. If everyone kept common sense in mind when riding and didn't let emotion or recklessness interfere, the road would be a lot safer place.

[you you]

Good tips. If everyone kept common sense in mind when riding and didn't let emotion or recklessness interfere, the road would be a lot safer place.

[louthepoo]

I suppose if you're a seasoned rider then that list sounds a bit obvious and unnecessary, but to newbies its quite informative

[you you]

I suppose if you're a seasoned rider then that list sounds a bit obvious and unnecessary, but to newbies its quite informative

Fair enough. But I also think biking should be fun first, lists and revisions second. The always someone telling you you're going to die and the 50 list just sounds like fuel to your tabloid reading relative

[you you]

Actually stuff that. I'm going to pick five rules to break tomorrow.

[gn2]

Do you have children or will you be in the running for a Darwin award...?

[Tristik]

...If everyone kept common sense in mind...

~~
Lots of drivers don't, heh. I think that's why there's so many things about watching your ass when on a bike. Most of these things will come as instinct to some, and become instinct after awhile of driving. But, when starting out, it's good to practice good habits so they become reflex/second nature.

I've never been concerned about my driving. Ever. It's everyone else that I'm worried about.
~~

[you you]

Do you have children or will you be in the running for a Darwin award...?

Grandchildren. Will you learn anything? Evolution of species never said anything about the world needing one more smartass

[barljo]

This:-

I've never been concerned about my driving. Ever. It's everyone else that I'm worried about.
~~

is my new signature.

[you you]

This:-

I've never been concerned about my driving. Ever. It's everyone else that I'm worried about.
~~

is my new signature.

Very good. You can read it a couple of ways

[gn2]

I'd rather be a smartass than a regular ass.

[you you]

I'd rather be a smartass than a regular ass.

Clearly

[Fish called Honda]

I suppose if you're a seasoned rider then that list sounds a bit obvious and unnecessary, but to newbies its quite informative

I'm as new as they come, picking up my PCX on 1st September and doing my CBT this Friday. I have not riden on 2 wheels for nearly 15 years and that was a single 17 hour ride on a clapped out 50cc ped across Mallorca.

These tips are reall handy to get me in the right frame of mind. This scooter is supposed to improve my life not end it. Based on that I am happily absorbing as much advice from all you experienced riders as I can before I even sit on one again.

Great forum, really enjoying it, any advice anyone has regarding my first few days in the saddle next week always welcome.