Little things I've learned from riding a while...

[Capt. Steubing]

You a farmer Hickey? Good points about the farm machinery, also take into consideration that lots of farm equipment may not be in the best mechanical shape, and things like brakes and lights may not be in the most optimal shape, so expect the unexpected around the "farm" type trucks. When you come up to someone moving cattle on the road, slow down, and pull straight through the herd, don't swerve around, and don't honk your horn, that is when cattle will do unpredictable things, again, straight through (don't worry, they will move) and nice and slow, and be prepared to stop. I've seen people do the god-damned dumbest things while moving cattle, getting out in the middle of the herd to take pictures, honking, driving 3 MPH for like an hour :

My first driving lesson my dad gave me still holds true: Look at drivers(cagers) heads. That can tell you what they are paying attention to. It is true that they can look at you and not see you, too many bicycle accidents have taught me that. But you can also tell if they are paying attention at all. When I drive, Im constantly keeping an eye on what others are paying attention to.

[monstertex]

A good one to remember, especially in stop and go traffic is to look through the windshield of the vehicle in front of you, not at the brake lights.

[cookiemonster]

[quote=DucatiTech ]
My first driving lesson my dad gave me still holds true:

My little tip for the day... Monsters are notoriously short on storage space, and you may not always want to carry a tank bag or back pack so everything you need has to be in your pockets. I always soaked a wash cloth in windex and kept it in a zip-loc bag in my jacket pocket for cleaning the bugs of the helmet shield.

Another point, never leave your cell phone in a tank bag. When you crash, you might not be near your bike, the bag might not be near the bike, and you may not be able to walk to find it! Keep it in your pocket.

[Hickey]

Originally Posted by Capt.Steubing

You a farmer Hickey?

Yep. Grain farmer in central Illinois. I've never seen a motorcycle vs. farm equpiment accident yet, and I hope I never do. It is bad enough with just cars -- these almost always invlove serious injury if not death of the car driver. I'd say most of these accidents come in one of two forms. Car driver misjudges the speed and rear-ends the farm machine. Car driver fails to notice that the farm machine is about to make a left turn and decides to pass at that time. Both of these have ugly consequences.

In the last few years it seems like there are getting to be more of these accidents. The car traffic on many of the rural roads around here has been increasing. More and more people moving to nice little houses out in the country and commuting to work, I guess. I don't have a problem with that at all. I just wish everyone out there on rural roads would be more cautious, farmers included.

[Markus]

Leaves on the road are slippery. Wet leaves on the road are like ice.

[mostronero]

Never assume the driver/rider in front, behind and to your sides knows how to drive/ride. They may think they do but they really dont.....

Choose your riding buddies well, if you dont know them well or dont trust them then dont ride with them, its better to ride alone then to get caught up in some one else's shenanigans

If you are not enjoying your ride, stop riding. You are not forced to finish your journey.

Time only exists on a race track, when you are on the road, whether your 5, 10, 30 or 300 minutes late it makes no difference providing you get there safely

leather is stiff until it is worn in

broken ankles are the most frequent injury in bike accidents, wear proper riding boots

focus on the road and not the pretty girls who are on the sidewalks

going to the beach is no excuse not to wear proper riding gear, nor is 40 degree celsius heat

Cops dont like bike riders, be nice when around them in traffic

[yellowdog]

Originally Posted by AndyK

Just pretend everyone else is trying to kill you.

That's EXACTLY what I do!! LOL!!

[Uncle_Duck]

Originally Posted by Michael Moore

If you see debris in the road, increase the distance between you and the car in front, and watch for more. The morons of the world who don't secure the loads on their trucks will often deposit several "presents" over the course of a few miles, so stay alert! Note that this doesn't hold true for mattresses. The brain-dead fools who tie these to the roof of their car with twine usually only have one to kill you with.

If you're behind a truck that looks like it has a bunch of loose stuff blowing about, get as far away as you can. Don't wait for that trashcan to blow out of the truck bed.

I can vouch for this!! Keep that high visual thing going all the time. If hadn't been looking three or four car lengths ahead while pulling onto a freeway I NEVER would have seen the 15' ladder in the middle of my lane. This happened to me twice in two weeks!!

Also, remember to check your mirrors every five or ten seconds (cops recommend every few seconds according to traffic school days ;p ). Nothing quite like suddenly realizing there's a cop or a Hummer breathing down your pipes ...

Uncle_Duck