Scooter Safe Riding Discussion

Riding Skills and Safety

Some Stuff I Didn't Know

Before I bought my bike, I investigated whether this was a good thing for me to do. Could it be done safely? Is there a "smart" way to go about riding, or is it nothing more than a big crap shoot? I concluded that riding, while not as safe as driving a car, can be approached wisely by being conscientious about things such as good riding skills and being aware of what things can go wrong and how to avoid them. I also concluded that ignorance can get you into serious trouble, in ways that a little knowledge would have easily let you avoid.

I'm not trying to present some sort of detailed riding skills presentation here. I simply want to encourage people to make sure that 1) they have learned how to control whatever bike they may be riding, 2) they know what they should be trying to do with that control, and 3) that they are not proceeding on false assumptions. I'm going to share a few examples of concepts of which I was unaware when I started out. I won't try to provide thorough explanations, but these can all be easily learned about (see the Resources section of this page).

1. Counter steering: push left, go left...push right, go right. It seems counter-intuitive, but it's the only reliable and simple way to cause the bike to lean. Understanding this leads to confidence when making turns at speed. Not understanding it can lead to uncertainty, taking corners wider than intended, potentially encroaching into other traffic lanes, and "failure to negotiate a curve" (which shows up on too many police accident reports).
2.Straight line braking technique. Too many people assume that proper braking technique is about avoiding too much front brake use, to keep from getting thrown over the handlebars. Big, huge misconception...the front brake is where most of a bike's stopping power is. Just as important is HOW you apply it: squeezing the brakes, building force up over about a half second to a second, to allow time for load to transfer forward onto the front tire.
3. Lane position, or where to put your bike in the lane to best manage vision, visibility to others, control, etc. I had zero understanding that this was even an issue.
4. Swerving. A scooter or motorcycle is much more maneuverable than a car, especially when it comes to dodging obstructions on short notice. A rider can easily and quickly swerve around obstacles, IF they understand the control inputs. When an obstacle suddenly appears, it can be the difference between hitting it, and "merely" having a close call.
5."Layin' the bike down": generally not a good idea, because once you're down you'll be slowing down a lot less than if you had stayed up and on the brakes (though I can think of a couple of instances where it might be better to go down). The fact is that the rubber of a bike's tires will slow you down significantly faster than if you intentionally put the bike on its side and slide down the road. If you're possibly going to hit whatever it is, it's usually better to stay upright and on the brakes to slow down as much as possible. By "layin 'er down", you simply guarantee an accident by causing it yourself, and if you hit the obstacle, you'll do it at a higher speed sliding on the ground than if you had stayed up.

And the list goes on. Target fixation, safe intersection behavior, edge traps, dealing with animals, etc.

Here are some ways that I and others have used to learn and/or improve riding skills:

Take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Basic Rider Course. This is a two or thee day course, about half of it spent on a range on small, easy to control motorcycles putting concepts into practice. I've heard numerous folks, including many who had been riding for years, tell of how much they learned in this course.

Read the book Proficient Motorcycling, by David Hough. I first read it, like others, by checking it out from the local library. I now have my own copy, as well as the followup book by the same author, More Proficient Motorcycling. This is an excellent resource, which many folks take the time to read each year at the beginning of the "riding season" as a refresher.

Read a summary of the Hurt Report, which is a study performed by Dr. Harry Hurt some 25 or so years ago. It examined a large number of motorcycle accidents, breaking down a lot of various factors. There were some findings that are very educational about accident causes and riding approach. The summary is a fairly quick read.

Spend time perusing motorcycle safety oriented web sites and forums, such as:

Master Strategy Group's Motorcycle Safety Forum, and their riding Tips Page.

Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Center web site

Beginner Biker's forums.