Motorcycle Safety Primer

[Jeff Cobb]

Originally Posted by Sir_Angus

So is this the first in a series on motorcycle safety? How about some how-to articles on counter-steering, emergency braking, etc ... ?

Originally Posted by Sir_Angus

Uh, your article was crap because it didn't cover intergalactic landspeeder racing ... As a 10 time multiverse champion, and devilishly handsome I might add, I've never snogged a gronkel. Except for that one time I did but I was drunk so it doesn't count. Motorcycle.com should ensure its writers have slept with as many aliens as I have before "typing" an article about a topic that has nothing to do with my eventual post. What's the point of tripping the rift if you forget sunscreen ...

I woke up feeling satirical that's my only excuse for the above mayhem ... Good read, Jeff.

Don't fret, we'll soon have a 10-part series on countersteering and emergency braking for intergalactic landspeeders.

Actually, the safety primer is not part of a series that I know of, just a single article.

Thanks for the comments, Sir_Angus.

[A Star Ride]

I don't expect we'' hear from "bob" again. It would make anyone look foolish to defend some of his statements. I read through his site the other day, was really tempted to pick it apart, but did not have the energy.

[Squid Killer]

Nice read. Not too long for those with short atten...oh look, a bird!

It was nice to see a pic from the Total Control class (one that I teach) and mention of other classes and books.

A thought....I like to think of gear a little different than others. I wear it every time I ride no matter what. I don't wear it for crashing though. I use it to give me every advantage it can offer like visibility and warmth and keeping the sun off my skin allowing me to stay focused longer and ride better. It reduces wind noise, cuts down on glare, ect. You know all this stuff. I believe that if I wear real motorcycle gear for those reasons, then if I have a crash I am set for it by default. Since we aren't always crashing but we always can use gear for the other things and reduce the chance of going down in the first place.

[trenttheuncatchable]

Yeah, I'd rather have the sun beat against my lid than against my head, too. And good mesh jackets flow so much air that it's silly not to wear one in the heat. One more thing: if you've ever had a car/truck kick up a rock, that should convince you to wear gear (especially a helmet) if nothing else does.

[The_AirHawk]

Originally Posted by trenttheuncatchable

Yeah, I'd rather have the sun beat against my lid than against my head, too. And good mesh jackets flow so much air that it's silly not to wear one in the heat. One more thing: if you've ever had a car/truck kick up a rock, that should convince you to wear gear (especially a helmet) if nothing else does.

A bee in the face at ~45 hurts. At 60-70mph highway-speed, it becomes a bullet....

[A Star Ride]

Originally Posted by The_AirHawk

A bee in the face at ~45 hurts. At 60-70mph highway-speed, it becomes a bullet....

I hit a dragonfly once at 60-70-ish. It bruised my shoulder about big arround as a golf gall. Shortly after that I put a windshield on it.

[Jeff Cobb]

Originally Posted by Squid Killer

Nice read. Not too long for those with short atten...oh look, a bird!

It was nice to see a pic from the Total Control class (one that I teach) and mention of other classes and books.

A thought....I like to think of gear a little different than others. I wear it every time I ride no matter what. I don't wear it for crashing though. I use it to give me every advantage it can offer like visibility and warmth and keeping the sun off my skin allowing me to stay focused longer and ride better. It reduces wind noise, cuts down on glare, ect. You know all this stuff. I believe that if I wear real motorcycle gear for those reasons, then if I have a crash I am set for it by default. Since we aren't always crashing but we always can use gear for the other things and reduce the chance of going down in the first place.

Yes, this and above are good points. I have mentioned this line of thinking in another article about gear, but unfortunately not this one.

I've hit big bugs (or they hit me). Big rain drops can also sting, and last year I had a small tree branch swipe across my full-face helmet in a strong windstorm. Didn't bother me a bit because I had the helmet on, but it sure would have if I was like (what seems like) most riders in my state with a bandanna and sunglasses on.

[Squid Killer]

Thats reminds me. A few weeks ago while riding to work I saw another rider on the side of the road. I was looking to see if he broke down or crashed. It turned out he was riding on the freeway without any gear on and a big rock hit him in the face. He was lucky it wasnt an eye but he was bleeding really bad. Blood was all down his neck and all over his pants and he was trying to apply pressure to a pretty deep cut.

[Sir_Angus]

Originally Posted by Squid Killer

Thats reminds me. A few weeks ago while riding to work I saw another rider on the side of the road. I was looking to see if he broke down or crashed. It turned out he was riding on the freeway without any gear on and a big rock hit him in the face. He was lucky it wasnt an eye but he was bleeding really bad. Blood was all down his neck and all over his pants and he was trying to apply pressure to a pretty deep cut.

I'm all atwitter ... Did he bleed out or what? Did you stop to help or decide he didn't deserve help since he rode unprotected?

[Squid Killer]

He said he didn't want any help. So I rode off. I didn't see anything in the news about a really pale guy passing out while riding on the freeway. This could have been a normal day for this guy too. He seemed kind of dim.