The Best Advice I ever got...Please contribute

[Bubba]

Respect your bike 'cause it damn sure won't respect you! Always keep your head on a swivel.

[Upi]

Don't do anything I would do...

[cooperS-V9C]

the best advice i have so far is

take the MSF class

never ride with a passenger unless you are comfortable

countersteering is a godsend

and finally

if you are ever wondering why a car almost pulled out in front of you, or actually did, check your signal and make sure you didnt leave that blinker on

i know ive done this several times where i thought the driver was crazy, then looked down and i was signaling

[airforce1]

Good stuff guys!
How about
"Preflight your ride (and the rider)"

[jeffs99vulcan]

Expect the unexpected...

ROFLMAO! That has to be the biggest cheese ball line EVER!

But hopefully that makes it stand out... So the next time you're coming up to that intersection and your light turns green, maybe you'll remember this cheesy line when you're wondering which of the two cars coming from the right and left are going to try to run the red... or both... or where you'll go if they do...

[airforce1]

Hey Jeff,
How about:
Always look ahead as far as you can, especially on curves!
"sand happens".
BTW, what did you use to polish that case?
It looks great!

[BruceH]

Best Advice Advice: boots no shoe lace loops, no hats.

I said to my biker brother-in-law last weekend, "I've been riding for over 50 years, and aside from dirt bikes which I seem to almost enjoy crashing, I've never crashed a road bike yet. Have you?" (knock on wood!)

He answered, "shoestrings or hats ever cause a problem?'

I said, "Almost fell over at a stoplight one time when a shoelace loop caught on a peg and if hadn't have broken, I'd have flopped over on the hot tar for sure".

He said," Yeah, happened to me once too."

I said,"the hat thing, yes. One time I was cruisin' in town, not wearin' my helmet and a wind gust flipped my baseball cap off. Instintively I grabbed for it, but caught my shirt sleeve on the mirrror, which twisted the handlebars sharply. I flew half way over the handle bars and kinda hung there while the bike bounced over a curb and across a guys lawn and then right through a small hedge, and finally flopped over harmlessly on a lawn next door".

"Were you hurt?"

"Just my pride".

"How about the bike?"

"Not a scratch."

Then he said, "Last year my neighbor died! He was riding and his wife was on a bike too, right next to him. She says that his hat flew off and he just automatically reached real quick to grab it. She thinks he caught his hand or jacket on the brake lever or mirror and the bike flipped. He was able to tell her what happened before he died, right there, on the road."

Apparantly, she was lucky not to have gotten tangled up too, because he was in front and to the left of her.

Enough said, those are two freaky things that can happen.

P.S. Great riding to you all. Keep 'er upright or ride 'er like a surfboard. Bruce

[07Ninja250]

"Don't squat with your spurs on".

[RobotRider]

This is what I told my 17 year old son when he began to ride.
First you must understand what the stakes are when you ride. Any accident could end or forever change your life. Your State of mind when riding is critical. You must be in a highly focused state of mind from start to finish. You must be thinking faster and clearer that the killer cars and oblivious motorists you share the road with. Pay close attention to the "body language" of any vehicle in your field of view. Don't hang out in their blind spots. Skills sharpen with practice and judgement develops with years of experience and honest evaluations of all close calls. Once you have the trajectory and potential threat of every moving object in your field of vision plotted, then it is time to read every inch of the road that your 4 square inches of rubber are about to roll over. Any junk you roll over any manhole cover 2 inches lower than it should be any pothole could ruin your whole day. Live in the moment when you ride. FOCUS Every mile ridden has something to tell you about the other motorists, the road, your own bike and even yourself.Enjoy riding.It's a hell of a way to get around.There is nothing like it.

[airforce1]

Hey Robot Rider...
If your son listened to what you told him, that's impressive!
If he heard what you said, that's great.
What you shared with him is great.
Want to give him a lasting and loving gift (in addition to the most important gift you have already given him) for right now?
Get him a motorcycle safety class.
Any 17 year old will listen to the trainer in a formal situation more than he will listen to his own dad. (Sad, but true.)
The lessons from the class could save his life and he will benefit from the experience as long as he rides!
Best wishes for a happy riding experience for him!

[BruceH]

....make sure your kids don't learn the hard way...MSC is definitly a must. When I was a kid 50 years ago, in a small town in Montana, traffic was not like it is today. It's a potential "meat grinder" out there. Choosing where and when to ride is almost as important as knowing how to ride. The course is there to help and it has saved a lot of lives. Best wishes to you and yours.

[MrLee]

I absolutely agree every thing you said...
keep all 6 eyes open.. the 2 in back,
the ones on each side, and the 2 in front!..
Keep it vertical, MrLee

[RobotRider]

Originally Posted by airforce1

Hey Robot Rider...
If your son listened to what you told him, that's impressive!
If he heard what you said, that's great.
What you shared with him is great.
Want to give him a lasting and loving gift (in addition to the most important gift you have already given him) for right now?
Get him a motorcycle safety class.
Any 17 year old will listen to the trainer in a formal situation more than he will listen to his own dad. (Sad, but true.)
The lessons from the class could save his life and he will benefit from the experience as long as he rides!
Best wishes for a happy riding experience for him!

When he bought his 1987 Kaw EX 500 and then tried to wriggle out of taking the course, I told him that I would disable his bike ( pins thru the spark plug wires should do the trick) until he successfully completed the course. It did not come to that. A well placed threat can sometimes achieve results as good as the drastic action contemplated.

[House_of_Dexter]

Practice makes perfect...and practice emergency braking at 25 mph...because you stop at the same deceleration at 65 and 25 mph...So do it at a safe speed...

[VicFlo]

Respect the bike or she'll kill ya.

[6ZeroZeroR]

Stay humble. Arrogance + motorcycles = death!

[fb0226]

#1- The Golden Rule
#2- Murphy's Law
#3- Every action has an equal and opposite reaction

[freezeradio]

If you were going to let someone ride your bike,.....And they ask you what the gear pattern is,..... Don't let them ride it !!!!!

[HoopleHead]

If you can't see the other driver's EYES, he can't see you at all.
bonus... Just because he's signaling a right turn doesn't mean he is going to do that. Even in heavy traffic, wait for the space before you pull out, don't rely on the opportunity just because someone is signaling right turn... voice of experience, except I was on a bicycle at the time.

[WolfV900]

Look where you want the bike to go.

AND

READ PROFICIENT MOTORCYCLING. It will tell you everything you will need to know as a beginner rider obviously take the MSF but read this aswell. I can not put into words how much this bike teaches you, I've read it atleast 3 times and always go back to it for refrences.