Riding a motorcycle may seem exciting and sexy, but it comes with many risks that make safety a major concern.
If you thought that driving a car was dangerous, imagine how much more intense a motorcycle is. Getting in an accident as a rider means that you have no protection to mitigate how much damage is caused.
Becoming a safe and confident rider is essential to preventing an accident and enabling you to continue riding. Because of this, you need to know what to look out for and what you need to do to keep yourself safe.
To help you keep enjoying the breeze and freedom of riding, we’ve outlined some excellent safety advice below.
Pick a Bike That Matches Your Skills
One of the most important tips for a new rider is to pick a bike that matches your skill.
The thought of riding a motorcycle can be extremely enticing, but not just any bike will do. What’s better than the biggest, strongest, fastest bike around?
While powerful bikes are certainly nice, they come with way more bike than you could handle. This is particularly relevant for newer riders because you don’t have enough experience to control a powerful motorcycle.
Riding is a skill that takes several years to hone and even after that, there’s no guarantee that you’re ready for a powerful bike. A lot of power can be tempting and it becomes easy to make a mistake or drive recklessly.
Riding a bike can be dangerous, so you need to buy one that requires less skill to control. This means a less powerful motorcycle with slower acceleration and smoother handling.
You’ll begin to appreciate this once you get more practice under your belt and it will make you enjoy a better bike even more should you want one down the road.
Always Wear Appropriate Equipment
You should also make a point to always wear appropriate equipment.
There are two primary aspects to this; your helmet and the protective clothing that go along with it. Both have essential purposes that can help mitigate the extent of an injury.
While it might be tempting to ride without a helmet so that you can feel free with the wind in your hair, you have no protection should you get into an accident. You need to anticipate the worst and do your best to help in this situation.
Motorcycle accidents are very scary, but they’re almost always deadly when a helmet isn’t involved. Helmets save lives and this is something that you don’t want to learn the hard way!
Your protective gear is also important. Ever heard of the saying: dress for the slide, not the ride? This means that you should wear clothing that keeps you safe should you fall from your bike for any reason.
You might not need it on most of your riding trips, but it’s the one time that you don’t that you’ll regret it. Failing to wear protective gear will lead to road rash, lacerations, and broken bones.
One last consideration of this is that your protective gear should make you easily identifiable. Consider bright colors to make you stand out, even during darker hours of the night.
Be Wary of Any Road Hazards
Another critical safety tip is to be especially wary of any road hazards.
Road hazards are problematic for any vehicle, but they’re more severe for motorcyclists. Cars have a larger body, which gives them more stability.
Stability is critical when dealing with something that affects how your vehicle handles. Any slight change on a bike is serious and can quickly cause you to lose control.
Because of this, any road hazard can lead to an accident if you aren’t careful about avoiding it. A simple pothole can disturb your balance and send you flying.
Make sure to pay close attention to the road and be ready to avoid anything that will affect your ride.
Ride Defensively At All Times
As a final suggestion, you should ride defensively at all times.
A car accident is certainly dangerous, but a motorcycle accident is almost always serious. Bikes offer little protection against an accident, so avoiding one is your only way of staying safe.
Because of this, you should ride defensively every time you get on your bike. Expect other drivers to make mistakes and be prepared to react accordingly. Always be watching the road and anticipating danger.
Other drivers won’t be looking out for your safety, so it’s entirely up to you. Bikers tend to have a bad reputation amongst drivers, so you need to be particularly cautious to ensure your safety!
Don’t rely on anyone else to keep you free from harm!
Closing Thoughts
New riders face a daunting task of braving the road on two wheels. As exhilarating as bike riding is, it’s incredibly dangerous and you need to prioritize safety above anything else.
A few tips for making this happen include picking a bike that matches your skills, always wearing appropriate equipment, being wary of any road hazards, and driving defensively at all times.
While you can’t always avoid an accident, you can significantly reduce your risk by emphasizing safety. This is a necessity for a hobby that comes with dire consequences for failure or mishap from other drivers.
Riding can certainly be enjoyed, just make sure to put safety first!