Correct Lane Positioning

A common mistake most riders make, is riding in the wrong lane positions.
Riding in the correct lane not only helps in safety, but also visibility.
Check the picture below to see which of those 3 bikes is more visible to the vehicle in the oncoming lane.
Is it A, B, or C?

The correct position for a one lane (two way road) is riding in the left tire track next to the middle line (See biker A above for example.). This is called the blocking position, because it blocks cars from coming into your lane. If you were riding in the right tire track (See biker C above for example.) a vehicle behind you might get the idea to try and pass you even with on coming traffic. It would then push you towards the ditch for fear of being side swiped.

Now don't get confused when I tell you about the next lane position for 2 lanes.
If you were riding along in the left lane of a 2 lane road, you should be in the right tire track now.
See biker A in picture below for example.

This again is called the blocking position.
Never ride along like biker B in the above picture. You have no place to block, and you are in the worst spot for being visible for cars coming up behind you. Especially if you're traveling in front of another vehicle. Always travel in the far right or far left lanes. Never travel along in any of the middle lanes.

If you're not in your correct tire track when you're traveling along, cars will try to pass you in your own lane. See picture below for example.

See how that blue car in the middle is using half of the bikers lane? Yeah, not good.
I've seen this happen in the city where there were 2 lanes. There was a biker in the left lane, riding in the left tire track. (WRONG!) A car was driving along in the right lane, following a car also in the right lane. The car decided to pass the car in front, so he ducked into the bikers lane and got past both the biker and the car.
In order for that car to pass the other vehicle, he had to push that biker into oncoming traffic, which put that biker in even more danger.
If that biker had been in the right position, this wouldn't have happened, because he would have been blocking his lane.

I was riding down the highway once. It was a two lane highway, and I was riding in the left tire track in the right lane (correct). There were no other cars around except for a big truck that was coming up behind me.
He got nearer to me, and then pulled out to pass. Everything so far is normal.
As he was passing me, right when his passenger door was right beside my bike he started to pull over into my lane already. Of course being a big truck he still had the whole back of his truck to pass me still, but there was no time for that since he was only going about 5km's faster then me.
I noticed right away and pressed my breaks as I swerved to the far right side of the road to give myself more space between myself and the truck.
The truck continued to move into my lane without even noticing what was happening. By now I was already out of his way, and he was past me.
Stupid me, at the time I had panicked and should have used my horn. I'll know better for next time.

The point is. I was riding in the correct lane position, which gave me that extra room to get out of harms way.
If I had been riding in the right tire track I would have been pushed into the ditch instead.

So always remember. Right lane, left tire track. Left lane, right tire track.
An easy way to remember this is whatever lane you're in, you should be in the opposite tire track.

One last tip. Ride in the tire tracks of your lane, and position. Don't ride on the line. It's really dangerous, and you could easily get side swiped from oncoming traffic. Remember that some of those big trucks have side mirrors that stick out a lot more then we judge sometimes. You wouldn't want one of those hitting you in the face.

Ride in the correct lane positions, and be safe!

Making Yourself Visible

The number one reason motorcycles get into accidents is because the person driving the car didn't see them. It is said that 75% of motorcycle accidents are involved with vehicles.
I will tell you how to make yourself more visible on a motorcycle.

Wearing bright clothing and gear will greatly increase your chances of being seen.
If you looked quickly from one side to the other what would more likely catch your eye? A black jacket, or a bright orange or yellow jacket? I hope you answered the bright orange or yellow jacket. Our eyes are attracted to bright colors, because bright colors stand out from other colors that our eyes are used to seeing everyday. When you're riding a motorcycle with a black jacket, you blend in with everything else. You might as well be walking around in the bush wearing camouflage clothes, cause that is how visible you are.
When you wear something bright for gear (preferably jacket) or something over top of your gear that is bright, you become so much more visible.
People driving vehicles can now see you much better, and your chances of having an accident with a vehicle decrease a lot.
There are many places that sell bright gear for motorcycling, so go out and find yourself something. The more the better. You can wear a white, or bright colored helmet, a bright reflective vest or jacket, or whatever else you can think up. Keep in mind that this could some day save your life.

Another way of making yourself more visible is how you ride your motorcycle. Okay before you shut me down for ranting out how you ride your motorcycle that is not what I mean. I mean in this way. If you were coming up to street lights and it was green, you would keep moving towards the lights. There's a car coming in your direction that wants to turn left in front of you. Does he see you? Are you sure, or was that just an assumption? Don't assume that he sees you. Take control and make sure he sees you.
All you have to do is gently weave your bike back and forth a little bit. By doing that the background behind you changes, which catches the drivers attention.
This is also strongly recommended when you're following a vehicle.
Say if you were driving your vehicle and you came into this same position. You want to turn left. You see a vehicle coming so you time it so you'll pull out the second it goes by. The car is just about by, so you step on the gas to get moving and all of a sudden you see a motorcycle right behind that vehicle. Where did he come from?! All you saw was the car.

So yes, keep your eyes peeled for people that are crossing your path, and make sure those people see you before it's too late. Weave behind the vehicle you're following so that you are in the drivers sight that wants to cross your path.

Just don't go crazy with your weaving and lose control. All you have to do is make a simple small weave. Anything will make a world of difference, and might even be a life saver.

So, see what I mean by how you ride your motorcycle now? You can erase all those bad words you wanted to say from your mind now. It's not needed.

Have fun riding, and be visible!

Motorcycle Safety Gear

Anyone getting into motorcycling for the first time always ask. What gear should I get?
Okay so before I get into what gear to get let me just bring this to your attention.
When you're driving in your car you don't need to wear safety gear because your car's body is built to protect you in a crash.
On the other hand. When you're riding a motorcycle there's nothing around you that is there to protect you. You have to rely on your alertness, safe riding, and the gear you wear.
So now with that in mind here's what I recommend you should get for gear even if you are an experienced rider.

Helmet: Yeah, you saw that one coming didn't you? That's good, but don't take it lightly. ALWAYS wear a helmet. You don't want to end up in a hospital bed for the rest of your life because you blew off from wearing a helmet even just one time!
Make sure you buy a helmet that is DOT approved. The more ratings it has on it along with DOT the better. Protecting your head is the most important, so don't go cheap when buying a helmet.

Boots: Buy some motorcycle riding boots. Don't just wear runners or skate shoes. They will not protect your feet in an accident. I've seen many motorcycle accident videos where the riders shoes flew off before they even hit the ground. A lot of good they did them right?
So get yourself a good comfortable pair of motorcycle boots. After all you only have one pair of feet.

Jacket: You should always wear a jacket. Here's why. A jacket will protect your arms and upper body if you are sliding on pavement or other kinds of ground. Wouldn't you rather have your jacket torn to pieces rather then your arms or body? I thought so.
A jacket not only protects you from a fall, but also protects you against sunburns, skin cancer, wrinkles, you get the picture.
So buy yourself a motorcycle jacket, and wear it! Even on hot days. Some motorcycle jackets are designed with lots of air vents to keep you cool on hot days. So, there's no excuse not to wear one.

Gloves: Yes, even gloves are important. If you were walking along and you tripped and fell, where do your hands go? Exactly. They reach out to try and stop or slow your fall.
So what would happen if you fell off a motorcycle? The same thing. Only I hope you're wearing gloves so your hands don't get torn up. So get a pair of gloves!

Pants: Okay so here's where it gets easier on your bank account. You can buy chaps, or motorcycle riding pants. They definitely protect your legs way more then just wearing a pair of jeans, although you can get away with just them. I say it's easier on your bank account, because who doesn't already own a pair of jeans?
The only thing I will recommend is, please don't wear shorts, period. When you wear shorts there is lots of skin exposed and what happens to that skin when you're sliding along pavement at 80km's/h? Yeah, not pretty.
So wear jeans as your minimum option for riding pants.

Glasses: If you chose to wear a half helmet, or non full face, then I recommend you definitely wear some sort of eye protection. Wearing your prescription glasses are not going to cut it either. A stone or anything can easily damage your eye still. Get some motorcycle riding glasses, or sunglasses, and protect those eyes!

Okay so that's it! Please don't take any of these safety gear tips lightly. We only live once, and we have to protect our body as much as we can.

You might be saying. This is so lame. Gear looks so uncool, or gear is for wussies. Well I'm sorry to say, but you're wrong. If you're out riding with a friend. They're wearing full gear and you're not. You both get into an accident. Your buddy comes to see you at the hospital when they're trying to put all your skin back together again. Who's uncool now? How hot are you going to look in the summer at the beach with skin grafts taken from all over your body? Yeah, I thought you might say that.
Think ahead, and what it could cost you for later.

On another note. Gear nowadays looks awesome! So don't let style or pride get in the way from buying some gear.

Go out riding without the worries!

Riding in the Rain

If you're a motorcycle rider, you know that there is going to come a point in time where you are going to get stuck in the rain.
There's no need to panic, or be scared. Riding in the rain is not as scary as it sounds.
First of all I hope you brought some rain gear. Being warm and dry helps your mind to think better, and stay alert. I always try to bring rain gear along, even if it doesn't look like rain.

When you're riding in the rain, the more upright you keep your bike the safer you'll be. Don't try and touch a knee to the pavement when it's pouring rain out. This is not the time to push your limits.
When you're coming up to a stop sign or stop lights give yourself 2x the amount of time you would need if it was dry out. If you're riding with a passenger, then give yourself even more time to stop. The extra weight takes longer for your bike to stop then if you were riding by yourself.
I recommend when it's raining out that you ride the speed limit, or below a bit if you don't feel comfortable. I say a bit below, because if you're scared still going that speed then I recommend you should pull to the side of the road and wait till the rain stops. Don't try and ride down the road at 30km's below the speed limit. It's not safe at all. Cars aren't expecting it, and you could get rear ended. So please pull off the road if you don't feel comfortable.
When you're stopping use both your front and back breaks. Never use one over the other, especially in the rain. Your tire could lock up, or slip out from under you. Use your front and back breaks at a 60:40 ratio. (60 being front break, and 40 being the back break)
When you're entering a corner try and slow your speed to keep your bike upright as much as possible.
The reason I say this is because when you're leaning into a corner and your tire slips you don't have much chance to recover. Gravity takes over and you go down. When your bike is upright and your tire slips you have a very good chance of gaining control and not going down.
No one can plan what's going to happen ever. So always be prepared for the unexpected.
When you're in a corner, and all of a sudden you have to stop here's what you do depending on how fast you're going, and how much time you have to stop.
First of all if you are following the above tip to keeping your bike upright in a corner then you won't have much to fear. Simply apply your breaks 60:40 and come to a controlled stop, keeping your bike upright and wheels straight as possible.
If you weren't following the above tip and you're leaning into the corner here's what to do. You'll need a lot more road space for this depending on how fast you were going and how much you were leaning.
Bring your bike upright and put your wheels straight in line with each other. Then apply both breaks 60:40.
Yes, you may even need to go onto the other side of the yellow line in order to stop safely. Which makes you in danger of oncoming traffic. So, really it's not safe at all.
See the difference there? Exactly. That is the difference between life and death. Don't let that happen. Be the one in control.

I hope you'll enjoy riding in the rain, and ride safe!