5 most common mistakes to avoid on a motorcycle
Content
Lack of attention, poor road reading, overconfidence ...
Tips for Beginners and Helpful Reminders for Professionals ...
No one ever drives constantly in optimal safety conditions or at the top of their form and know-how. If newbies are particularly concerned about these tips, seasoned bikers may, in all their self-criticism, not be tempted to ignore them ...
Mistake # 1: drive through the pumps
You have drooling on your face, you feel able to "punch the time" along this little road that you know so well, or you saw a "hare" and you try to follow it ... Well, sometimes you have to think twice before taking such an attitude because you have to separate the concept of absolute speed (the one that puts you under the ticket ... or not) from the concept of relative speed. Because in some sections, limited to 70 km / h, some turns can hardly be done at a speed of 50 km / h, and the real question is to define your own comfort zone. This area is the moment when you are driving without being tense, in full ability to anticipate, without being influenced by reflex actions that can sometimes go wrong ... To stay in your comfort zone, you must not be tempted by the environment (this series of turns beautiful, but am I sure that in the background, there she will not suddenly close?) or other bikers and leave your ego aside. In short, you have to be honest with yourself.
Mistake number 2: incorrect foresight of the move
Entry point, exit point, rope point, grip, speed, braking, lowering, engine brake: you must consider the parameters to make a clean turn! Not to mention Plan B (unexpected gravel, little traces of moisture, diesel casting, in short, a clutch change, not to mention the funny reactions of their studded tire machine, cut-off frame rear buckle and original fork oil) that should be applied quickly ...
You can admit: we all in turn made mistakes of gratitude, we almost pulled everything straight, we all went out at least once a little (a lot, passionately, crazy ...) wide, very wide, too wide. The best way to safely make a turn is to have the widest possible angle of view at all times, which means positioning yourself out of the lane for left turns and slightly in the center of the carriageway on the right. And have enough foresight in terms of braking and gear ratio so that you can then quietly wind up with a small stream of gas.
Mistake number 3: poor reading of the road and its whims ...
A good biker should never be surprised. Whether on the road or in the city, a great driver must be able to constantly interpret all the parameters of his environment. The Anglo-Saxons prepare schools for this: it is called "defensive driving" and consists in constantly scanning what is ahead of you at a short to medium distance, looking for possible consequences and anticipating the action to be taken.
Example: A small adjacent road looms to the right, and you can't see what could lead to it from behind the farmhouse. Instead of risking being surprised and dealing with reaction times that add a good second to your stopping distance, evaluate this signal and position yourself on the braking controls. Or even slow down a little. Thus, any signal must be interpreted: how the cars in front of you will react. If you see two cars following each other and the second has a difference in speed, it could be because it will debug even if it hasn't turned on its turn signal. So, of course, it takes concentration and can be nervously exhausting, but it's the safest way to stay on your path. The importance of the role of the gaze in driving a vehicle cannot be recalled enough.
Mistake number 4: based on the principle that you've been seen
A few years ago, the defense movement (which was not always in a good mood) of motorcycle users adopted this slogan: "Motorcyclists do not die, they are killed." Of course, this contradicts a recent road safety clip, which implied that the biker only got into the forest when the weather was fine. However, the FSFM had in mind that the main cause of the accident was a collision caused by a third party who did not see the motorcycle. The example of Kluch's death, unfortunately, is probably the most symbolic of them all.
So never start with the principle you sawespecially in this turbulent period when motorists start buying cars with their "connection" as their first purchase criterion. Do not confuse speed and draft in your maneuvers, check well when overtaking, check a retro car in front of you, has its driver seen you and does not pass the ball to the head at an intersection, if there are doubts about the attention of a vehicle that is likely to cross the road in front of you, even if you have priority and the other has a stop.
Even stopped at a red traffic light, check that the car is not in a hurry, this car may not have seen either the red light or you. It doesn't just happen to others. In the editor, the editor-in-chief also had the right to “sorry, I didn't see you” when there was a red light.
Mistake number 5: being - too - on your right
And all of this brings us to the final point: the biker is, by definition, a fragile creature. Of course, he must be well equipped under all circumstances. But even if you are on the right, when the car burns you out, when it burns the right priority or red light, there is not only one fool in history (of course, the offending driver deserves a nice flogging with nettles), but also two, because it is you who are in plaster, and it is your motorcycle that has a front wheel built-in
So, of course, when we see the behavior of some "motorcyclists" (often in the south and in Paris), who emphasize their fragility and rush to everything, allowing themselves to yell at others, we want to remind them of some Darwinian theories, according to which do not survive. the strongest in the mouth and the most adaptable.
