As I was riding in and around the Steamboat Springs area this past weekend, I was enjoying the many twisties my route presented me. I love the long sweeping corners with consistent radius’ but occasionally you are going to have those decreasing radius corners that you are unable to see the other side. I was contemplating my “what if”…
All of us have fears. It’s normal and necessary for survival. It is our reaction to that fear which will determine our fate. On two wheels this reaction is no different. Fear can kill you – it leads to riders panicking and making critical control mistakes or worse yet, taking no actions at all. It leads to self-doubt that…
Over the years of working in my profession, I have always been taught to play the “What If?” game while on-duty. This strategy forces one to actively think about their current strategy to react or respond if something bad should happen right at that moment. Hence, what if this happened, what would I do? I try to apply this…
The surrounding area roads in our great state of Colorado are some of the most technical in the country; so it’s with this in mind that I want to address proper cornering techniques. Almost 50 percent of all motorcycle accidents are single vehicle crashes. Of these, a large percentage are the result of improper cornering techniques. Many of these…
I have been a little lax in my posting of monthly safety tips, so here is my latest…“Reading Vehicle Language” Motorcycling in general is a risky activity. As a rider, we need to stay focused on those risk mitigation strategies that will help keep us safe. Over the years, I have talked about several things riders can do to…
I’m sure many of you have heard stories of riders colliding with objects, vehicles or just running off the road when they had plenty of space and time to avoid hazards and negotiate the roadway. Many of these riders were victims of “Target Fixation”. Many riders make the mistake of looking in the direction the bike is currently traveling….
After riding all week in the bi-polar Spring season of Colorado, I figured a tip on wet weather riding would be appropriate. Most motorcyclists obviously do not prefer to ride in the rain, but if you spend a lot of time on the bike, it will be inevitable you will have to deal with wet road conditions. However, with…
Another great post by Kevin at MCrider. Here he discusses five skills every motorcyclist needs to develop: head & eyes; following distance; slow speed maneuvering; emergency braking; cornering. Please take a look and ask yourself are these five skills something you possess. If not, why? Remember, Ride to Live and Live to Ride!! Check out his vast library of…
Great advice on avoiding collisions with wildlife. MCrider is a wealth of great Motorcycle Safety information. I encourage all to take a look at his site. Until next time, Ride Safe!!
Your motorcycle is one of the most NEGLECTED items in the risk mitigation process – yet any rider who ignores this vital point, out of complacency, laziness or some idea of being “so experienced” that they can lessen its’ impact is fooling him or herself. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation teaches us the acronym T-CLOCS in conducting the pre-ride inspection…
