Tip: Riding by sight and anticipation.

[beyond]

Another quick tip for newbies or less experienced riders to help you survive out there.
Familiarise yourself thoroughly with your bike so you know where every control is and adjust everything so that it naturally falls to hand.

Once you know where everything is you should never have to take your eyes off the road when you need to do something with the controls etc.

1. Never take your eyes off the road when riding and only glance at your instruments when you are riding straight. A split seconds inattention is all it takes to find out if your bike is any good off road.

2. Watch the road surfaces at all times for tar, white lines, gravel, cow leftovers, bumps, lumps etc. Scan as far ahead as you can and back towards your bike picking the ideal line. Sometimes you cannot pick the correct line as often the rippling corrugations or melted tar lines are right on the best line.

3. Without taking your attention off the road before you, use peripheral vision to scan ahead as far as you are able seeing where the road goes, if anything is on it several bends ahead, if you can see where the road goes.
At times you may notice a tractor turning out of a gate, or a car coming towards you or someone acting strangely way ahead. Always be scanning.

4. Expect the worse and act like every other road user, farmer, pedestrian, wildlife, rural delivery driver and trucker is out to get you. No need to be paranoid but always be asking what if that truck took that corner to wide....have I got room to move? What if around that blind corner is a broken down car in the middle of my lane... can I stop in time? If I'm leaned right over into a corner and discover cowshit on my apex line, can I counter steer quickly enough and still have room to drop back into the corner.

I don't want to complicate this but keep alert at all times and watch exactly where you are going and as far ahead as you can. be prepared to take evasive action at all times.

[Leyton]

........ +1

[toycollector10]

For all your keen observations about how to do this and that, my prediction, from what I've seen on the internet, is that you are going to video your own death. Sorry about that, it's just what I feel. Slow down, save it for the track. Regards, TC.

P.S. Four bikers down in a group against a milk tanker exiting a blind corner last week in the Waikato. One DOA. Sad but true. So, if you're so prepared and everything, are you really prepared to meet your maker? NOTHING can prepare you for the instant that takes your life.

Get a grip on your riding and slow down, be more of a role model than you are at present. You've got it all wrong in my opinion. TC.

[beyond]

For all your keen observations about how to do this and that, my prediction, from what I've seen on the internet, is that you are going to video your own death. Sorry about that, it's just what I feel. Slow down, save it for the track. Regards, TC.

P.S. Four bikers down in a group against a milk tanker exiting a blind corner last week in the Waikato. One DOA. Sad but true. So, if you're so prepared and everything, are you really prepared to meet your maker? NOTHING can prepare you for the instant that takes your life.

Get a grip on your riding and slow down, be more of a role model than you are at present. You've got it all wrong in my opinion. TC.

Ermmm.... just giving some (I thought) helpful tips to give newbies a better chance out there. Why does that warrant another lecture about "I'm next"
everytime another rider goes down. No one needs to live under that sort of curse.

What have I got wrong in your opinion???

Words fail me at times when I read response posts like this that have nothing to do with what I am posting????!!!!!

P.S Furthermore I have slowed down considerably over what I used to ride like prior to 2/12/06

[reofix]

beyond is on the staying alive plan ... i read and reread his post ... all good advice ... i do 25k a year on my bike and his advice is all well put... and almost exactly what i think are the keys to getting home alive everytime!

[SixPackBack]

Another quick tip for newbies or less experienced riders to help you survive out there.
Familiarise yourself thoroughly with your bike so you know where every control is and adjust everything so that it naturally falls to hand.

Once you know where everything is you should never have to take your eyes off the road when you need to do something with the controls etc.

1. Never take your eyes off the road when riding and only glance at your instruments when you are riding straight. A split seconds inattention is all it takes to find out if your bike is any good off road.

2. Watch the road surfaces at all times for tar, white lines, gravel, cow leftovers, bumps, lumps etc. Scan as far ahead as you can and back towards your bike picking the ideal line. Sometimes you cannot pick the correct line as often the rippling corrugations or melted tar lines are right on the best line.

3. Without taking your attention off the road before you, use peripheral vision to scan ahead as far as you are able seeing where the road goes, if anything is on it several bends ahead, if you can see where the road goes.
At times you may notice a tractor turning out of a gate, or a car coming towards you or someone acting strangely way ahead. Always be scanning.

4. Expect the worse and act like every other road user, farmer, pedestrian, wildlife, rural delivery driver and trucker is out to get you. No need to be paranoid but always be asking what if that truck took that corner to wide....have I got room to move? What if around that blind corner is a broken down car in the middle of my lane... can I stop in time? If I'm leaned right over into a corner and discover cowshit on my apex line, can I counter steer quickly enough and still have room to drop back into the corner.

I don't want to complicate this but keep alert at all times and watch exactly where you are going and as far ahead as you can. be prepared to take evasive action at all times.

Good post Beyond.
Would add that I have found lining up my mirrors with both the side of the road [preferably line marked] and the centre line is a great way of staying in my lane.
I use my peripheral vision and 'feel' my lane. Give it a try, it took me a bit of practice but the difference with accurate lane placement was measurable.
Oh and the 'I'm invisible' routine works a treat. My black bike was being serviced today and I was given a sparkling orange Z750 as the shop bike-I had both a van and a truck try to kill me within 10 km........that kinda reinforced that regardless of efforts to make your bike and person visible fuckers still see straight through you.

[CB ARGH]

Excellent tips mate, spot on!

[Katman]

I know exactly where toycollector is coming from.

I've been pleased to see Paul's recent posts giving tips to surviving on a bike but if they end up being followed by more of his wanky "look how fast I can ride" videos then he is clearly only paying lip service.

I suppose only time will tell.

[Tony W]

I think this is very sane and real advice for anyone out there on the road.

The second poster, Toycollector10, seems to be judging you on some previous "form".

There is nothing in this post that advocates speeding.
The post warns to look ahead and be aware.

This is important advice at ANY speed.

[mattian]

Thankyou !! these kind of posts are excellent for us noobs. Sharing your experience with us is something none of us take for granted. Keep up the good work bro !!!!!!

[98tls]

Good post Beyond.
Would add that I have found lining up my mirrors with both the side of the road [preferably line marked] and the centre line is a great way of staying in my lane.
I use my peripheral vision and 'feel' my lane. Give it a try, it took me a bit of practice but the difference with accurate lane placement was measurable.
Oh and the 'I'm invisible' routine works a treat. My black bike was being serviced today and I was given a sparkling orange Z750 as the shop bike-I had both a van and a truck try to kill me within 10 km........that kinda reinforced that regardless of efforts to make your bike and person visible fuckers still see straight through you.

I hear that,my TL is a very bright lamb shit yellow kind of colour impossible to miss you would think,sadly not it seems.Best when in traffic to as you say ride as though you are invisible.

[McJim]

For all your keen observations about how to do this and that, my prediction, from what I've seen on the internet, is that you are going to video your own death. Sorry about that, it's just what I feel. Slow down, save it for the track. Regards, TC.

P.S. Four bikers down in a group against a milk tanker exiting a blind corner last week in the Waikato. One DOA. Sad but true. So, if you're so prepared and everything, are you really prepared to meet your maker? NOTHING can prepare you for the instant that takes your life.

Get a grip on your riding and slow down, be more of a role model than you are at present. You've got it all wrong in my opinion. TC.

Not sure I understand the pertinence of this post to this thread, if the post is good then the post is good - continual character assasination of the poster is just going to get YOUR opinion impugned.

[Bute]

sound post m8 , dont know why some people are flaming you but this is very informative and usefull for most riders ...me for one cheers

[SixPackBack]

I hear that,my TL is a very bright lamb shit yellow kind of colour impossible to miss you would think,sadly not it seems.Best when in traffic to as you say ride as though you are invisible.

Strange huh??.....and yet very few people pull out on me black bike?...go figure!

[sAsLEX]

Sometimes you cannot pick the correct line as often the rippling corrugations or melted tar lines are right on the best line.

I would say the correct line on the road is the safest one, not the one that works on a track.


But yes, very good post.