If you are new to riding, these are good rules to remember. Most are taught in motorcycle safety courses but some are not. Read this or I'll kick your asses!

From the pages of Motorcyclist... take what you wish... disregard
the rest...

1. Assume you're invisible
Because to a lot of drivers,you are. Never make a move based on the
assumption that another driver sees you, even if you've just made
eye contact Bikes don't always register in 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 think again.

3. Dress for the crash,
Not the pool or the prom Sure, Joaquin's Fish Tacos is a 5 minute
trip, but nobody plans to eat pavement Modern mesh gear means 100
degree heat 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.

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 McDonald's
bags, nails, TV antennas, ladders, you name it. Watch for potentially
troublesome debris on both sides of the road.

11. Left turning cars remain a leading killer of motorcyclists
Don't assume someone will wait for you to dart through 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 you'd planned
to use.

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


15. Beware tuner cars.
They're quick and their drivers tend to be aggressive. Don't assume
you've beaten away from a light or outpaced it in traffic and change
lanes without looking. You could end up as a Nissan hood ornament

16. Excessive entrance speed hurts
It's the leading cause of accidents on twisty roads and racetracks. In
Slow, Out Fast is the old adage, and it still works. Dialing up comer
speed is safer than scrubbing it off.

17. Don't trust that deer whistle
Ungulates and other feral beasts prowl at dawn and dusk, so heed
those big yellow signs. If you're riding in a target rich environment,
slow down and watch the shoulders.

l8. Learn to use both brakes
The front does most of your stopping, but a little rear brake can calm
a nervous chassis.

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

20. Look where 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.
Don't lock your eyes on anyone thing for too long unless you're
actually dealing with trouble.

22. Think before you act
Careful whipping around that Camry going 7mph in a 25mph zone or
you could end up with your head in the drivers side door when he
turns into the drive way right in front of you.


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

24. Get your mind right in the drive way
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 the 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 it's too late to do anything about it.

27. Don't saddle up more than you can handle
If you weigh 95 pounds, avoid that 795 pound cruiser. If you're
5-foot-5, forget those towering adventure tourers.

28. Watch for car doors opening in traffic
And smacking a car that's swerving around some goof-ball's open
door is just as painful.

29. Don't 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 doesn't.

30. Stay in your Comfort zone when you're riding 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 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 you're essentially flying blind
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 counter-weight as you pivot
around the rear wheel.

33. Who put a stop sign at the top of this hill?
Don't 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 su****ious pavement could be just about anything. Butter
Flavor Crisco? Gravel? Mobil 1? Better to slowdown for nothing than
go on your head.

35. Bang! A blowout!
No sudden moves. The motorcycle isn't 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 face shield?
It's raining. Lightly misted pavement can be slipperier than when it's
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 you're mad,sad, exhausted or anxious,
stay put

38. Wear good Gear
Wear stuff that fits you and the weather. If you're too hot or too
cold or fighting with a jacket that binds across the shoulders, you're
dangerous. It's that simple.

39. Leave the iPod at home
You won't 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 it's 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 bother-some drive line
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
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
Turn signals get your attention 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 won't 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 won't
change, try putting your kickstand down, right on the wire. You
should be on your way in seconds.

46 Everything is harder to see after dark
Adjust your headlights, carry a clear face shield and have your game
all the way on after dark, especially during commuter hours.

47. Don't troll next to-or right behind-Mr. Peterbilt
If one of those 18 retreads blows which 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 Don't 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 Visualize whirled peas. Forgetting some clown's 80-mph
indiscretion beats running the risk of ruining your life, or ending it.
__________________

 

nothing in there i didnt like.

if that makes sence...

in other words +1

 

Lots of rules there. Some of them are wrong.

For example, gaps are there to be made use of and are useful shelters in stationary traffic

Don't ride with the dfront brake covered unless you expect to need it.

Learn to use both brakes and expect the front tio do most of the work, BUT at slow speed, eg coming to a stop, ease the front the brale as you pass below walking speed and stop on the rear to eliminate the risk of a front wheel lock up which will dump you off the bike just as you come to a stop.

Mirrors give you most of the picture. Before you turn or change lames, make a 'lifesaver' look over your shoulder - BUT only into the blindspot. Try to cover the area that you've already covered with your mirrors and you're riding blind for longer than is necessary.

Most of that list is good, but it's a random list - hard for a newby to remember in that form. You need a 'system' that's easy to remember and brings everything else into it.

Read 'Motorcycle Roadcraft'. You'll have to translate it from English to American.

Rob

 

Well, Knowing most of the rules, and lot's of riding with seasoned riders is really where it's at.

 

Personally I only ride with other riders who know and use the system. Anyone else, however skilled, is too unpredictable. It's easy to learn, but it does take a few weeks for an experienced rider to be able to put it into practise.

ps - apologies for the typos in that last post.

Rob