Motorcycle city riding safety tips guide highlights:<\/strong><\/p>\n Since riders can finally wake up their winterized bikes now, it\u2019s no surprise that May is Motorcycle<\/a> Safety Awareness Month. Admittedly, a significant portion of that awareness is making sure drivers see riders, rather than plow into them. But riders have safety responsibilities, too, and no, getting louder pipes isn\u2019t<\/a> one of them. And whether you\u2019re a beginner or a veteran, if you plan on riding in a crowded city, keep these motorcycle riding tips in mind.<\/p>\n\n If you retain nothing else from this list of motorcycle riding safety tips, remember this: you are invisible. There are blunter ways of putting it, but every rider has this idea drilled into their heads from day one. And virtually every other tip on this list flows in some way from it.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just that drivers don\u2019t pay attention to motorcyclists<\/a>, though that is a significant safety problem. For one, cars, trucks, and SUVs have significantly larger blind spots than motorcycles, partially thanks to built-in safety features. Because bikes are narrower and shorter than cars, they can easily disappear into those blind spots. Add in an over-reliance on driver-assistance systems<\/a> and you have a recipe for crashes.<\/p>\n Furthermore, even if a motorcycle is clearly visible at an intersection, drivers often fail to mentally recognize its presence. It\u2019s the size disparity thing again, which also causes many drivers to underestimate the bike\u2019s speed. This is particularly noticeable at T junctions, which interfere with human binocular vision and thus our depth perception. And this can all happen at open intersections\u2014imagine coming out of a blind alleyway.<\/p>\n Hence why the most important motorcycle safety tip is acting like you\u2019re invisible. Scan far down the road, not just to pick out obstacles, but identify where oncoming cars might get in your way. Know where vehicle blind spots are; stay out of them and within sight of car mirrors. Also, use your turn signals religiously as well as the brakes when slowing down so your brake lights turn on. And always have potential escape routes planned in case you need to dodge suddenly out of the way.<\/p>\n RELATED: Can You Legally Run Long Red Lights on a Motorcycle?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The good news is that more blind-spot monitoring<\/a> and pedestrian detection systems are picking up motorcyclists. But as noted earlier, even the best tech can\u2019t prevent every crash, hence why assuming you\u2019re invisible is a key motorcycle safety concept. However, there are ways of increasing your visibility, which is what these next lane-related motorcycle riding tips are about.<\/p>\n Unlike cars, bikes are small enough to move within a lane. Changing positions like this isn\u2019t just for lane splitting and filter, though. Because bikes need to lean and countersteer<\/a> to turn at speed, lane position is also tied to performance and handling. And it\u2019s also an important safety consideration.<\/p>\n Firstly, changing your lane position makes your motorcycle a moving object, which human eyes pick up more easily than static ones. It also makes your bike appear bigger. So, if you move your bike around, the drivers around you will notice you better. Secondly, varying your position like this lets you see around obstacles and gives you more time to react to things, Motorcyclist<\/a><\/em> explains. This can also give you more escape routes.<\/p>\n In addition, while you should be scanning the road ahead and around you, examine the road itself, too. Potholes, debris, and oil slicks aren\u2019t just annoying, they\u2019re also hazards that you should avoid. Just make sure that avoiding them doesn\u2019t put you in harm\u2019s way. Remember, you\u2019re invisible.<\/p>\n This next motorcycle safety tip isn\u2019t easy to follow in the tight confines of urban gridlock, but it\u2019s very helpful. And not just on a motorcycle, but behind the wheel of a car, too. This tip is about your following distance<\/a>.<\/p>\n You likely know not to follow a semi-truck too closely so the driver can see you. But increasing the distance between you and any other vehicle also significantly reduces the chances of a collision. That\u2019s because it gives you more time to react and more space to slow down without hitting them. And all these things are vital if you want to safely ride a motorcycle in the city.<\/p>\n Your minimum safe following distance varies based on your speed, but it\u2019s kind of hard to use a yardstick on a bike. However, you don\u2019t need one. When the car in front of you passes a fixed landmark, start counting. If you pass that landmark within the next two seconds, you\u2019re too close. This is the two-second rule, though it\u2019s more of a minimum motorcycle safety guideline. So, at higher speeds, especially if your bike lacks ABS, you might want to increase the distance.<\/p>\n As a Chicagoland native, I understand how difficult it is to keep a two-second following distance in a car, let alone on a bike. But it\u2019s absolutely worth trying to maintain.<\/p>\n \n\n
The #1 most important motorcycle riding safety tip? Ride like you\u2019re invisible<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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To stay visible, watch the road and vary your lane position<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The two-second rule can be one of the most difficult, but helpful, motorcycle riding tips to follow<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Before riding in the city, practice these motorcycle brake safety tips in empty parking lots<\/strong><\/h2>\n