Safety, any experience that might prevent a spill or any road accidents.

joebgd

joebgd

XS650 Junkie
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I've been reading allot on here lately and I just wanna share something to be aware of and would like any one else to add.
I had did allot of work on my bike the first couple years I got it. One thing I did was change the handlebars and grips which both were fine, actually I want to go back to the old "roto tiller bars" on my 80 Special. For my street cruising I like them allot better...
Point is I changed the grips which originals are strong as can be ,still. The new ones the ends started blowing out real quickly. I was turning off my block and next thing u know I'm down spinning on the street engine revving. It was just morning so it was damp and idk for 100% that this is what happened, I was going slow due to the damp road, due to the end of the grip blow out they were definitely walking inn. I think the grip rubbed on the switches and when I rolled off the throtle it didn't spring back. It just stayed spun the tire and came out from under me like it was on ice. A little embarrassing but I've seen a video of a guys head getting crashed like a grape cause a box truck didn't see him on a left turn I believe it was.

ANY information or experience any one could share to Keep us safe no matter how obvious or easy it may seem to you please do share.
 
The only reason for the end of a grip to fail that I can think of is that the bar must have extended past the throttle sleeve end. If this is installed wrong the bar end can cause the throttle to stick.

Grip length should also match throttle sleeve length.

City streets can get very oily, especially when it rains. Toll booths and intersections can be like ice.

Scott
 
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Old tires, 5 or 7 years, the compound changes, get new ones. Check tires often for sidewall cracks, I've had deep sidewall cracks appear on tires less than 2 years from DOT manufacture date, Bridgestone Spitfires, three of them.

Scott
 
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+++1 on that Scott!!

You cannot anticipate an emergency situation - but you can be prepared for one and wearing the proper gear is the best way to do that.

I was trained to ride by an old Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) motorcycle copper and he was very strict about certain things (like those below). He told me that as person operating a small vehicle, you must ride with a prudent mixture of caution and aggression. Don't let anyone take YOUR lane - unless they really insist and then plan ahead so that you have a safe place to run and hide. Don't give them a chance to get you.

He told me to ride my motorcycle like I am flying a fighter plane in a combat zone - always look around, never stare at the same spot for more than a few seconds and have full situational awareness. Here are a couple of examples of what I mean:
  1. I watch very carefully behind me if someone is passing me - and as they approach, I gently move toward the lane boundary on the side on which they are passing to ensure that they swing out a little wider and give ME all of MY lane. That way - if they engage hipster @sshole mode and try to clip the corner of my space, I can quickly move back to my centreline and they don't hit me.
  2. Another trick I use is: when going through an intersection, always try to be beside something big. People on the cross-street might not see you or even the red traffic signal in their direction, but they're unlikely to miss a big semi-truck or a city bus - and if you are hiding behind / beside the bus - you will be safer.
  3. Pay close attention to what is going on in the cars around you: is someone yapping on a phone? ..are two people having an animated discussion? If so - honk your horn a couple of times to get them focused back on the road. Surprisingly, a couple of toots usually has their head snapping around to look and see what the heck is going on - and that is good for you.
  4. When taking off from a stop, your feet should be on the pegs as soon as the wheels begin to turn and when coming to a stop - your feet touch the ground just as the motorcycle stops moving. NEVER ride along with your feet off the pegs - that is a surefire way to spot a poorly trained rider because if you hit a rock or a pothole, your ankle will be destroyed.
I'm sure I will think of more tips - and I'll continue this post when/if I do.

Cheers,

Pete
 
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Read/watch a twist of the wrist 1&2. Better body position gives more grip, and more grip is good.
 
In my area intersections are now being built with wider lanes. Sounds great but not for motorcycles. This lets cars make left turns at a higher rate of speed without slowing down much. So, a motorcycle comes to a stop sign, the vehicle behind the motorcycle squeezes between the motorcycle and the shoulder of the road because the lanes are now wider, a vehicle comes from the right of the motorcycle and vehicle stopped at the stop sign and makes a left turn at a high speed because of the wider lanes and doesn't see the motorcycle because of the asshole that squeezed into the motorcycles lane.

To avoid this I try to keep to the center of the lane at these stop signs to block vehicles from taking my lane, but these lanes are so wide now they will still crowd you on either side. In my younger days I was known for kicking dents in car doors, and being chased by drivers with dented doors.

Scott
 
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Yup - I was riding with my buddy one day in about 1980 and we were cut off by a lady in a big sedan. She came really close to creaming my pal.

We caught up with her at the next intersection and he jumped off his bike, stormed up to her open window and asked her, "Lady - did you see us back there?" She said, "Yes, but I have a hair appointment and I'm in a hurry."

Without another word, he reached in through the window past her, shut off the car and grabbed the keys out of the ignition and tossed them waaaayyy out into a field of tall corn - and then he turned to her and said, "while you're enjoying this bright sunny afternoon looking for your car keys, you can think about how important your hair appointment is relative to our lives."

Not very nice....but I'll bet she thought about motorcycles with much more focus then next time she saw one.
 
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Stay off the paint! I saw a dude wipe out thru a intersection in redmond Washington. The crosswalk was solid paint. No grip.
Stay off road snakes. The dot uses a tar patch on cracks in the road.
Ride slightly faster/slower than everyone else. That insures you will never be in a blind spot too long.
Dont sit in nuetral. If you are lucky enuf to see the box flying up behind you, being already in first can get you out of the way.
 
fredintoon said:
Hmmmmm,
ATGATT, keep your head on a swivel and always remember that while 97% of car drivers can't see you the rest of them can and they want you dead.
Click to expand...

Fred....the milk of human kindness by the drop In every vein! ...but yup, I do agree.
 
angus67 said:
Stay off the paint! I saw a dude wipe out thru a intersection in redmond Washington. The crosswalk was solid paint. No grip.
Stay off road snakes. The dot uses a tar patch on cracks in the road.
Ride slightly faster/slower than everyone else. That insures you will never be in a blind spot too long.
Dont sit in nuetral. If you are lucky enuf to see the box flying up behind you, being already in first can get you out of the way.
Click to expand...

YES - totally agree about the paint. In Europe and more particularly the U.K., I have found that they use a great deal of paint to mark pedestrian crossings, parking zones, roundabouts, fish & chip shops, tea and crumpet emporiums....etc. etc. and I don't know how bikers there can stay vertical with all that slippery stuff on the road and the rain they get.
 
Avoid large intersections all together, If I happen to get stuck at a left turn light or even a red, sometimes (usually) I just go to avoid sitting there like a pool ball ! For me its all about route planning. Avoiding traffic & people. Now on highways , faster than others is usually the safest ! :agree:
 
No matter how poor you are, PAY ATTENTION to everything! Situational awareness can and will save your ass. Sparks in the road behind a pickup in Montana, could be a flying hitch, don't panic, think and react (could have reached out and grabbed it). Crest a hill too fast and then see the stop sign at the intersection with State Line Highway between Kansas and Missouri at the bottom of said hill, look for the soft spot to crash if need be but, ride like you really want to stay upright (it worked). Make certain that your bike is in "Tip Top" shape; good tires, working suspension, brakes front and rear, no cracks in frame, functional front end, etc. All of this melded with riding experience helps, BUT...
 
Lots of young rookies here in Calgary. Its easy to tell how little experience they have on bikes. The drive really fast. Quite often I see them race by me and brake hard, as they stop behind cars at a red light. They stop as close as they can get to the back bumper of the vehicle ahead of them, and then immediately put the bike in neutral. Both bad things to do. I stop a safe distance back from the next vehicle, and keep my bike in first gear. You need to be ready to move quickly if someone attempts to back up..................they may just drive over you, and claim they never saw you.
 

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