Road Skills, Tips and General Information on Motorcycling
Whether you are new to biking or a seasoned veteran, please be assured that there will always be something you can learn. For a short while at least, we hope to bring a few tips that may help in improving your skills and knowledge. All information given, has been, or will be taken from the Police Rider's Handbook, The Highway Code and such other authoritative works.
Bike Safe
Over time, all of us develop bad habits that can place other road users as well as ourselves, in dangerous situations. Whatever your skill level, it is highly recommended that you take a course with any one of the many organisations that will bring you up to a higher standard. One of the best known is Bike Safe, which is run by many police forces. Courses last for one or two days at a moderate cost that can be worth pure gold! Usually in a very informal course, a police officer will guide you through a few basics, while assessing your skill levels. He will then show you how to raise those skills. At the end of the course you will receive a certificate which some insurance companies will accept to offer a discount on your premium. That has to be worth the small cost! For further information, type "Bike Safe" into your browser, and see for yourself how easy it can be; alternatively, check out the other organisations such as ERS, RoSPA, IAM &etc. You won't regret making the effort!
Look Before You Leap... or... A Common Error!
We all know - or should know - the essentials on an approach to, and exit from a roundabout, such as being in the right lane, right gear, signalling and, of course, scanning for potential hazards.
The Police Rider's Handbook gives a very good rundown on all this, but omits what might be an important point to consider - something I suspect that many of us have either witnessed, or worse, experienced, and probably many times.
The image on the left shows two riders (and it could be two vehicles of any kind, and even two people not remotely connected). For the purpose of this article, I'm looking at two bikers who have arrived at a roundabout. Both will naturally be continually scanning and awaiting their turn to enter the roundabout. They're in the correct lane, their positioning is fine, and they're both giving intention of turning right.
The first rider sees an opportunity and begins to move forward, only to realise that the blue car has not really left him enough time to complete his entry. The second rider has also seen the opportunity, as well as seeing the first rider move off, so he also begins to move forward. Because this second rider is still looking to his right, he hasn't noticed that the first rider has stopped short, with the resulting, horrible crunch as he ploughs into him! It shouldn't happen, but it happens!
Perhaps the blue car had initially been moving slowly, or was moving too fast, or had begun accelerating, or the first rider had made a misjudgement. Whatever the scenario, Rider Two most certainly did the wrong thing by not ensuring his entrance to the roundabout was clear. We have all been in that situation where sound judgement and action is critical; sometimes we think the way is clear, then have to act quickly if/as/when the situation changes.
This scenario applies not only to roundabouts, but at every junction, Halt or Give Way sign.
With group riding, it's normal practice for riders to "bunch-up" at roundabouts and junctions so as not to take up valuable road-space; but it's on occasions such as these that "The Crunch" can happen. Don't let it happen to you!
The Police Rider's Handbook gives a very good rundown on all this, but omits what might be an important point to consider - something I suspect that many of us have either witnessed, or worse, experienced, and probably many times.
The image on the left shows two riders (and it could be two vehicles of any kind, and even two people not remotely connected). For the purpose of this article, I'm looking at two bikers who have arrived at a roundabout. Both will naturally be continually scanning and awaiting their turn to enter the roundabout. They're in the correct lane, their positioning is fine, and they're both giving intention of turning right.
The first rider sees an opportunity and begins to move forward, only to realise that the blue car has not really left him enough time to complete his entry. The second rider has also seen the opportunity, as well as seeing the first rider move off, so he also begins to move forward. Because this second rider is still looking to his right, he hasn't noticed that the first rider has stopped short, with the resulting, horrible crunch as he ploughs into him! It shouldn't happen, but it happens!
Perhaps the blue car had initially been moving slowly, or was moving too fast, or had begun accelerating, or the first rider had made a misjudgement. Whatever the scenario, Rider Two most certainly did the wrong thing by not ensuring his entrance to the roundabout was clear. We have all been in that situation where sound judgement and action is critical; sometimes we think the way is clear, then have to act quickly if/as/when the situation changes.
This scenario applies not only to roundabouts, but at every junction, Halt or Give Way sign.
With group riding, it's normal practice for riders to "bunch-up" at roundabouts and junctions so as not to take up valuable road-space; but it's on occasions such as these that "The Crunch" can happen. Don't let it happen to you!
Traffic Cop Tips
There are many useful tips available for bikers, but how many are you aware of? We've placed a few here, provided by our "Tame" Traffic Cop (TTC). Some have been culled from the Police Rider's Handbook (PRH). Most are pure common sense. All are worthy of note. Firmly fixed in your mind, they may even save your life.
TTC: Winter Riding: It's now a proven fact that severe cold has a greater effect on a rider's ability than being slightly over the drink -drive limit or even fatigue. Always wear adequate cold-protection clothing.
PRH: Cold weather is Dangerous; as the body's core cools, the rider becomes sluggish and loses attention. Keep heads, hands and feet well insulated. Avoid clothes that make you sweat, as sweat removes heat when it evaporates.
TTC: Always be mindful that in winter, grip levels can be greatly reduced. When riding on wet roads always avoid any road paint, and metal manhole covers, as both have virtually no grip whatsoever. As these cannot always be avoided and you have to ride over them, try and do so while the bike is upright, on a neutral throttle, and try to avoid using your brakes.
TTC: Road Surfaces: The most vital skill a road user can develop is first-class observations - especially road surface conditions. Diesel on the road is often greatly exaggerated by many bikers. Although problems do exist, most diesel spills can be avoided by developing and employing good observational skills.
PRH: At hazards such as roundabouts and junctions, tyre deposit and fuel spillage often make the road surface slippery, precisely at the point where effective steering, braking and acceleration are needed to negotiate the hazard safely.
TTC: Reading the road: One of the greatest pleasures of biking is travelling along twisty roads. There will be many occasions when a biker is travelling along an unfamiliar road, so a good sound way of assessing an approaching bend is to look for the disappearing point. As you approach a bend, this is the optical illusion - the point where both sides of the road meet. If this point moves steadily away from you, you should be able to negotiate the bend at your current speed; just ensure you have selected the correct gear for that given speed (the correct gear would ensure a sharp response from the rattle). If the disappearing point remains static, or at worse is moving towards you, your speed is too high to safely take that bend. Brake firmly, whilst the bike is still upright; and when the point begins moving away, select the correct gear for that speed, to take the bend safely. On unfamiliar roads, good advanced observation pays dividends; for example, if there are telegraph poles along the side of the road, they can assist in showing you where the road goes, and the severity of the bend.
TTC: On country roads especially, look for animal droppings on the road surface, and assess how fresh it looks, as there may be a herd of animals around the next bend. Even one cow's droppings, for example, can spell a serious problem for a bike.
TTC: Target Fixation: This is a common problem for any rider/driver; The rider (for example) sees a hazard ahead, and stares at it! Invariably, the vehicle will hit that hazard. Committed to a bend, the rider spots a hazard on the road surface (mud, loose gravel, animal droppings) and stares at it. 9 times out of 10 the vehicle will hit that hazard. The golden rule is to always look where you want the vehicle to go, and steer in that direction; and when negotiating a bend, always look beyond for the exit, and never fix your sight on the bend's apex.
TTC: Winter Riding: It's now a proven fact that severe cold has a greater effect on a rider's ability than being slightly over the drink -drive limit or even fatigue. Always wear adequate cold-protection clothing.
PRH: Cold weather is Dangerous; as the body's core cools, the rider becomes sluggish and loses attention. Keep heads, hands and feet well insulated. Avoid clothes that make you sweat, as sweat removes heat when it evaporates.
TTC: Always be mindful that in winter, grip levels can be greatly reduced. When riding on wet roads always avoid any road paint, and metal manhole covers, as both have virtually no grip whatsoever. As these cannot always be avoided and you have to ride over them, try and do so while the bike is upright, on a neutral throttle, and try to avoid using your brakes.
TTC: Road Surfaces: The most vital skill a road user can develop is first-class observations - especially road surface conditions. Diesel on the road is often greatly exaggerated by many bikers. Although problems do exist, most diesel spills can be avoided by developing and employing good observational skills.
PRH: At hazards such as roundabouts and junctions, tyre deposit and fuel spillage often make the road surface slippery, precisely at the point where effective steering, braking and acceleration are needed to negotiate the hazard safely.
TTC: Reading the road: One of the greatest pleasures of biking is travelling along twisty roads. There will be many occasions when a biker is travelling along an unfamiliar road, so a good sound way of assessing an approaching bend is to look for the disappearing point. As you approach a bend, this is the optical illusion - the point where both sides of the road meet. If this point moves steadily away from you, you should be able to negotiate the bend at your current speed; just ensure you have selected the correct gear for that given speed (the correct gear would ensure a sharp response from the rattle). If the disappearing point remains static, or at worse is moving towards you, your speed is too high to safely take that bend. Brake firmly, whilst the bike is still upright; and when the point begins moving away, select the correct gear for that speed, to take the bend safely. On unfamiliar roads, good advanced observation pays dividends; for example, if there are telegraph poles along the side of the road, they can assist in showing you where the road goes, and the severity of the bend.
TTC: On country roads especially, look for animal droppings on the road surface, and assess how fresh it looks, as there may be a herd of animals around the next bend. Even one cow's droppings, for example, can spell a serious problem for a bike.
TTC: Target Fixation: This is a common problem for any rider/driver; The rider (for example) sees a hazard ahead, and stares at it! Invariably, the vehicle will hit that hazard. Committed to a bend, the rider spots a hazard on the road surface (mud, loose gravel, animal droppings) and stares at it. 9 times out of 10 the vehicle will hit that hazard. The golden rule is to always look where you want the vehicle to go, and steer in that direction; and when negotiating a bend, always look beyond for the exit, and never fix your sight on the bend's apex.
