Being a new rider all over again I learned how fast things can happen on a motorcycle. This may be old school but I think it's important. It was to me.
I learned never to trust the ground you put your feet on when you stop. I was dead stopped and placed my right boot on the ground to steady the bike. The concrete had a very thin layer of fine dust, it was like trying to to steady myself in an oil slick. I caught myself and the bike just in time.
Things happen fast on the highway when you become distracted. I was cruising on I-10 and began to fiddle with my chin strap. Within seconds I had drifted over to the shoulder of the road. If my front tire had dropped off and hit the soft grass I would have been screwed. I caught that one too.