Four tips for a safe riding summer
Heads up: No matter who is at fault in a car-motorcycle collision, it's always the biker who loses
Every biker on the planet cherishes summer's first sunny day. The first day sunshine hits bare bitumen is always the best day of the year. It's also probably the most dangerous.
The cagers — that would be anyone driving anything with four wheels — aren't used to us frolicking among them, not to mention that we're not at our practised best. And do those brakes feel mushy? Perhaps in our eagerness we didn't even take time to check our tire pressure. Whatever the case, you are extremely vulnerable. The oldest lesson in motorcycling is that no matter who is at fault in a car-motorcycle collision, it's always the biker who loses.
So, with 48 years of (so-far) accident-free street riding — and, yes, I knocked on wood as I wrote those words — here are my top four ways to get through a summer of twowheeled hijinks unscathed.
BE SEEN
It bears repeating that the No. 1 reason cited for cars colliding with motorcycles is that drivers didn't see them.
Anything you can do to increase your conspicuousness will greatly improve your chances of being seen and acknowledged.
I've tried all manner of tactics to increase my presence on the road, from wearing bright reflective clothing to using a headlight modulator (essentially a relay that constantly flashes at about four cycles per second) on my lowbeam headlight to catch oncoming traffic's attention. I am now convinced the best solution is an auxiliary LED driving light with Selective Yellow lens. Not amber (i.e. the colour of your turn signals), but Selective Yellow.
Originally invented by the French amid the turmoil just before the Second World War when the government wanted to be able to quickly distinguish French cars, the bright yellow light is an attention-getter even on the sunniest days. Position them to form a triangle with the standard headlight — mounting them on your bike's lower crash bars about half a metre apart is ideal. If a cager can't see you with this blinding compendium of illumination, they need to be taken off the road.
I went the high-end route with Denali D4s mated to the company's Selective Yellow lens kit, but you can get similar, lower-cost items on Amazon. Forget “loud pipes” — it's bright lights that save lives.
BE PREPARED
Depending on the jurisdiction and the specific study, it has been found that up to 50 per cent of car-motorcycle collisions result from a car cutting left across a motorcyclist's path. After being seen, the best protection from the seemingly inevitable is being prepared. Virtually every time I cross an intersection with a car waiting in — or approaching — the left-turn lane, I “cover” my front brake lever.
That is, I place my two dominant fingers on the brake lever and use the ring and little fingers to maintain throttle control.
The time saved — about half a second — in releasing throttle, spreading fingers and then grasping the brake lever works out to a whopping eight metres at just 60 kilometres an hour. That can mean the difference between becoming a hood ornament or simply cursing at yet another car driver's stupidity.
Two more things worth noting here: First, you should also be confident in the use of your motorcycle's front brake.
It generates anywhere between 70 and 90 per cent of your maximum braking ability.
Using only the rear brake will extend your stopping distance, and “laying her down” (deliberately crashing the bike supposedly to avoid a collision) is just an old wives' excuse bad bikers use when they panic and crash.
Secondly, in a panic situation — where you might be inclined to grab both brakes with a little too much enthusiasm — anti-lock brakes are worth their weight in gold, and are the primary mechanical safety hardware in motorcycling.
BE PROTECTED
Hopefully, it goes without saying that you should be wearing protective clothing.
A helmet is a no-brainer — and also a legal requirement — but anyone serious about their safety should be fully clothed in protective gear.
Genuine motorcycle gloves — with both scaphoid and knuckle protection — are essential because the first thing you'll do when you come off a bike is put your hands out to break your fall.
Ditto motorcycle boots with rigid ankle protection.
The newest motorcycle-safety technology is wearable airbags. Only one motorcycle has ever been equipped with airbags — Honda's Gold Wing — and the option has not been popular.
Manufacturers are finding it easier to build inflatable protective devices into the jackets we wear. Originally expensive and bulky, the latest versions are compact, (more) comfortable, and border on being affordable. My favourites are the non-vest version of Dainese's Smart Jackets, but there are products from Alpinestar, Klim, and Helite that all do an admirable job of protecting your back, torso, shoulder, and even the neck area if you get launched skyward. They are the most important development in motorcycle safety equipment since the helmet.
BE SOBER
Another seemingly obvious admonishment is not to drink and ride. Besides making you more vulnerable, riding a bike takes significantly more skill than driving a car.
Simply put, if you consume any alcohol at all, you shouldn't be riding at all.
Many motorcyclists — even, sadly, some who read this article — will ignore this advice.
I will leave them with perhaps the wisest words I have read regarding motorcycle safety: “There are old riders and bold riders. But there are no old, bold riders.”