Rumpole's FZ6 Safety Week

[Rumpole of the Bailey]

Hey, its Tuesday the 14th of September. Some people are breaking out of winter although there is still good snow down here in Aussie land. Some others are losin' Summer and winter is coming by soon.
There has been too many people injured in bike accidents lately, my mate went into hospital Friday. So I propose this:
For the next week, lets think safety and talk safety.Help the newbies.
Convert the old timers.

Thats it friends, that simple.
We represent 1% of the people who use the roads and are over represented in the statistics.

Post some of your safety tips here this week.
Anyone who has been injured lately, our thoughts are with you.

Rumpole

 

[Humperdinkel]

Great idea mate :thumbup:

Drive 10 car lengths ahead of you , NOT off the bumper of the vehicle infront of you..... Being prepared will save you lives people :thumbup:

 

[Rumpole of the Bailey]

yeah, the 3 second rule.
and how about going in to the corner slower than you come out. Brake before the corner, throttle on coming out.
That is why my mate hit a cliff and sign, by going too fast in to the corner.
Rumps

 

[mxgolf]

All the gear all the time!!

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Don't drink and ride.

If you know you are giong to have alchohol, leave the bike parked. The effects even after one or two drinks can have a dramatic impact if a situation ever occurs which requires quick mental processing and physical skills.

The effects are different in a car as you don't rely so much on your physical skills, and that's what most riders fail to understand.

 

[Wolfman]

Even before you get on the bike, always make sure your brakes are working at their very best, check tyre pressure's regularly, dont ride on worn, out of shape, or bald tyres...etc, etc..

keep your bike in good order, so it doesnt let you down in an emergency, and in the meantime, let's you concentrate on the most important task at hand...staying upright!

:thumbup:

 

[wolfe1down]

1. It's often not the hardware that lets you down, but the software. Therefore, think before you act.
2. Keep your eyes up, and your head on a swivel. Don't get tunnel vision. Look through the turn and see where you want to be...
3. Remember; you as a motorcyclist must drive not for yourself, but for everybody else. The cage drivers are often distracted by the plethora of 'stuff' in modern automobiles, so be cognisant of what is going on around you. Anticipate other drivers, and leave yourself an 'exit' in case of emergency.
4. (Hopefully never needed) Make sure you have an ICE (In Case of Emergency) number in your cellphone, so that others can contact your next of kin...

 

[ka$h]

"Always brake in a straight line, never into a corner!" Which can often be followed with "if in doubt, keep it flat out" I've had a few wobbly moments throttling off or braking into and through a corner. Experience (very little so far) has taught me to go in slower, only brake in a straight line and power through and out. How much safer (and easier) is that!!?!?!?

 

[necrotimus]

My best saftey tip is just take a minute before you get on the bike to just get your head on right. Lucky for us the safest way to ride also makes for the best rides... with a clear head.

 

[OneTrack]

Be aware that the road surface is getting colder with the approach of winter, especially in the mornings. Your tires will not grip as well as in warmer weather. Accelerate, brake and corner a little more gently than usual on the way to work. Leave just that little bit more distance between yourself and the car/bike in front.

 

[Pauly_V]

"When in doubt, throttle out!"

 

[Hoshiko]

My advice is to keep in mind that your life depends on your bike. Doesn't mean anything to be a great rider, ATGAT or any other advice you guys gave already if your bike is not in good shape.

 

[novaks47]

Great idea mate :thumbup:

Drive 10 car lengths ahead of you , NOT off the bumper of the vehicle infront of you..... Being prepared will save you lives people :thumbup:

+10000 That saved my rear hide this morning on the way to work! That, plus changing lanes to get away from a tailgater. An 18 wheeler was STOPPED just after a blind curve on the expressway. He then cut across all three lanes to get to the turn lane. I was pretty much the only one that didn't have to panic stop.

My safety tips :

1. The person in the car/suv/truck, CANNOT see you. PERIOD. I don't care if your're doing a burnout on their hood with your exhaust blasting in their face while honking your horn and are covered with x-mas lights that are blinking while wearing day-glow everything, they can't see you. Ride with this in mind, and you'll avoid lots of trouble.

2. Let the tailgater by. It's not a matter of pride, and your're not the police. Just let 'em go. Move over if safe, wave them by, whatever. Just get them off your arse as soon as it's safe to do so. Don't engage them, it's not worth the hassle or your life. They'll never learn, let them hit someone else.

3. If you think that that car might change lanes in front of you ; the car might pull out of that lot in front of you ; the car might slam on the brakes for that green light head ; they WILL. This relates to tip number 1. They either don't/can't see you, or they don't care.

4. Watch out for unexpected crap in the road! Patches of oil, gravel, some unknown liquid, whatever.

5. ATGATT!!!

 

[Ridgeback]

May seem a bit of a strange one,but try to keep off the bike with a head cold.
Your concentration is shot to bits,you feel lethargic so your reactions are all over the show and sneezing all over your visor doesn't help...

 

[ozzieboy]

I like to operate on the worst case senario plan. Before I begin to overtake I think about the what ifs. What if this guy wanders across into my lane as we go round this turn at the lights. What if this guy runs the red light as I'm trying to turn. Plan your escape routes constantly. For this you need to know exactly where everyone is.

It's not enough to watch other vehicles. You can forecast a lot by reading other drivers movements and facial changes.

 

[novaks47]

It's not enough to watch other vehicles. You can forecast a lot by reading other drivers movements and facial changes.

So true! People start looking around when they're going to change lanes and the like. I noticed that around here, if they don't look around, they WILL start to wander in their lane in the direction that they want to go while they think about it. For example, I'll see car that's suddenly wandering off to the right, and they are now hugging the line. At that point, they're going to change over into the right lane in short order. I've yet to see someone that wandered and didn't change lanes.