Rick's Riding Tips

21+ tips to help you survive riding in traffic and have a good time doing it:

Bonus Tip:  Be carefull how you hold your mouth as you ride.  I know this sound stupid, but, if you hit an unexpected bump or pothole you can click your teeth together with enough force to break a tooth or knock fillings out.

1. Assume everyone is out to kill you.  Cars especially are your enemy.

2. When crossing traffic (coming out of a parking lot, a STOP sign, a traffic light, etc.) always look left, right then left again.  You'll see the guy coming from the right, and probably be able to avoid him, but the guy from the left will kill you.

3. Be very aware of the wind blast and suction created by semi-trucks.  You can be blown completely off the road or pulled under their tires.

4. Watch out for birds and large insects in the air in front or you.  A June Bug at 65 mph hurts a lot and a bird can knock you off your bike and kill you.

5. The dog that runs after cars is a bother and danger to himself if you're in a car.  On your bike that same dog can kill you.

6. Use defensive driving techniques but modify them to be aggressive.

7. Force other drivers to acknowledge your presence.

8. Turn your head when you look around, rather than just your eyes, so other drivers see you paying attention to your surroundings.

9. Stay in a line just to the left of a preceding vehicles' left rear fender when following a car or truck.  This will place you squarely in view of their rear view mirror.

10. Turn your head and stare directly into the eyes of other drivers when passing or waiting to cross traffic.  This will help force them to notice you and tends to intimidate them so they will give you time to complete your maneuver.

11. Pass other vehicles fast.  Slow down after you pull into the lane ahead of another vehicle.  This will help force them to notice you and tends to intimidate them so they will continue to pay attention to you and not hit you from the rear.

12. If you're traveling next to car, position yourself just ahead of their front bumper.  This will place you where the driver can easily see you and, if you're on the left side, deliver all the noise your bike produces right into their side window.  This makes it very hard for them not to notice you and is intimidating so they will keep an eye on you.

13. Any time you see someone roll their window up when you're near them it's a very good thing.  That means you've been noticed and are way less likely to be hit by that vehicle.

14. If you hear some driver say something like "That damn motorcycle passed me…" smile.  That means the biker successfully forced that driver to pay attention to him rather than cut him off or even hit him.

15. Your bike is more agile and responsive that almost any car.  Use these advantages.

16. If you're on a road with no traffic play a little to learn (or remind yourself) how your bike handles and stops.  Try weaving through the white lines in the center, make big sweeping "S" curves as you drive, lock the rear brake up or anything else that helps you know your bike.  Naturally be very careful.

17. Practice carrying a passenger before you carry someone for any distance or on the highway.  Your bike will handle completely differently with a passenger (any passenger).  It takes time for someone to learn to ride as a passenger just as it does to learn to drive the bike.  Any movement by the passenger (raising their arm to point to something, twisting to look at something, etc.) can throw your balance off.  Be ready for it.

18. Slow down or stop to allow little kids and pretty ladies to cross in front of you on side streets or in parking lots.

19. Smile and tip your hat, or nod, to pretty ladies in cars.

20. Wave back at little kids.

21. Always wave at other bikers.