Mar 30, 2025 | Accident prevention, Motorcycle
Most riders try to avoid rush hour. The amount of cars on the road makes for an unsafe ride, but also for a unenjoyable one. Because of the heavy amount of traffic on the roads at this time, motorcycle riders have an extra responsibility to themselves to be extra cautious of others on the road. Sure, everyone should be paying attention to their surroundings, but as we know, that sometimes doesn’t happen. We have a collection of helpful tips for rush hour riding.
Rush Hour Riding: Tips for A Safe Trip
Be Ready to Brake
Braking quickly is an easy way to get into an accident, small or large. If you are ready to brake at any moment, you will be much more ready for whatever happens. It’s not uncommon for traffic to come to a screeching halt. Rush hour riding means preparing for anything to happen.
Watch for People Turning
When people coming the opposite direction on a two lane highway want to turn left (directly in front of you), they will probably do so last minute. This could mean they cut you off. Like previously mentioned, being prepared and alert is the only way to stay safe in these situations. Rush hour riding requires much more thought and preparation, since the road is wide open for you!
Keep an Eye Out
Watch out for others on the road. If you see someone driving dangerously, try to avoid being near that car if you can. Many times drivers assume rush hour is a lawless time where rules don’t apply. You can also spot drivers who have distractions most of the time! If you see the driver next to you is on their cellphone, try to safely pass. Rush hour riding can be dangerous if you are not aware of your surroundings.
To conclude, the main thing you can do for yourself when you are rush hour riding is just watch out for others on the road. While, yes, they should be watching out for you, too, often times they are not. Keep your brakes ready and your eyes open.
Mar 23, 2025 | Motorcycle, Motorcycle Accidents
Riding a motorcycle can be an invigorating experience. However, when motorcycle crashes occur, that experience can quickly become dangerous and deadly. After all, mistakes and accidents can always happen. But, when you’re aware of the dangers around you, you might be able to take precautionary measures that might reduce your risk. That’s just what we’re here to do…
Motorcycle Crashes: Common Causes
Lane Splitting
Maybe you’re stuck behind a slow driver on either side. You have plans and places to be. So, you decide to ride the line and split the lane. However, in lane splitting, you put yourself at a high risk of danger. When you cross into this area, you are quite often in the blind spot of the vehicles around you. Therefore, when they don’t take the time to check those blind spots before merging, you are at risk of a motorcycle crash.
Driving Under the Influence
This one typically goes without saying, but it’s absolutely worth the mention. Motorcycle crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers made up a full third of all fatal bike accidents according to the NHTSA. Riding drunk, just like driving drunk, puts you at major risk of DUI, injury, and even death. While these factors are well-known to most drivers, the danger is that much more when you’re riding a motorcycle and more susceptible to the elements and roadway issues.
Speeding
Speeding is one of the top 3 causes of motorcycle crashes. We understand that feeling. Wind in your face, the open road, and that freeing feeling of flying down the roadway. However, the higher rate of speed, the higher rate of impact. While this is true of any vehicle, it is especially true of motorcycles. As we mentioned previously, you have less protections in place on a motorcycle versus a passenger vehicle.
Car Doors
This one might come as a shock, but car doors can actually lead to a hearty list of injuries when it comes to motorcycle crashes. Think of this scenario: You are driving down a two way street in a neighborhood or metropolitan area. There are cars parked on the side of the roadway which you aren’t giving too much of your attention. Next thing you know, someone whips open their car door and you go barreling into it. Alternatively, maybe you swerve to miss it.
In either scenario, you have the high possibility of sustaining serious injuries. In one, you slam into the car door at a decent rate of speed. There is broken glass, you’ve flown through the air, and potentially landed in traffic. In the other scenario, you might have swerved into another vehicle, fallen into oncoming traffic, or laid your bike down. No matter the specific situation, motorcycle crashes are likely to happen.
Feb 9, 2025 | Motorcycle
If you ride motorcycles, you know that group motorcycle riding can quickly become one of your favorite pastimes. It’s just you, like-minded people, and the open road— what could be better than that? Group motorcycle riding is a fun to do, but not all car drivers see it that way. In fact, many Americans that own passenger cars think of riders as reckless people on the road. On the other hand, riders are responsible people who just want their share of the road. Because of the bad stereotype against motorcyclists, car drivers often do not fully share the road with them. At any rate, when motorcyclists ride in groups they are at risk because cars can drive aggressively around the group.
Group Motorcycle Riding: Kicking the Stereotype
Seeing a group of motorcyclists should not become a headache for any other vehicles on the road. However, many cars remain intimidated when a large group of riders take to the road. In turn, they might slow down, speed up, block you out, or begin to drive aggressively. When riding in groups, riders generally stay in a formation, and only pass other vehicles individually. Sadly, car drivers may try to break the group up by not letting another rider over. If a car begins to drive aggressively, it can be a potential threat for riders.
Adjusting to potentially aggressive drivers
Although we cannot control what car drivers do, we can control how we react to aggressive driving. No doubt, group motorcycle riding is safer than riding alone. However, with aggressive drivers, it is best to break formation if a car drives dangerously. Although it may disrupt the enjoyment of the ride, safety is always a priority. It only takes one car driving with aggression to cause a wreck that ends with serious injuries. In other words, it is important that safety is still a priority while also enjoying the group ride.
Accounting for the driving habits of others is difficult, and cannot always be accurate. However, these small adjustments might just be the thing that saves you, or your riding buddies, from a potentially severe accident. So, drive safe, have fun, and keep an eye out. You never know what might lie on the road ahead when group motorcycle riding.
Jan 12, 2025 | Motorcycle, Motorcycle Accidents
Braking with a motorcycle can be a difficult thing to do. The process is much different than braking in a car. In a car all we have to do is press the brake, and all four tires respond in harmony with one another. But on most motorcycles, the front and rear brake use separate controls. Each control operates a wheel. And a wheel can easily lock up during a hard brake. Being that a motorcyclist never knows when they will have to use the brakes abruptly, this can be a safety problem. A wheel that locks up instead of braking can cause a serious accident. In some cases the impact of a locked wheel will throw the rider from the bike. Therefore, an anti-lock braking system for your motorcycle is a good safety option.
Anti-Lock Braking System Pro’s
1. How They Work
In short, an anti-lock braking system works by measuring wheel speed. Typically, a wheel speed sensor send signals to the anti-lock system. From those signals, the system can judge whether the wheel is about to stop.
In that case, the system uses that information to rapidly adjust the pressure from the brake cylinder on the brake caliper. This reduces pressure if a lock up is about to happen, and increases the pressure again once the bike has gained traction once again.
2. Benefits of Anti-lock Braking
There are many safety benefits to having an anti-lock braking system on a motorcycle. Studies show that the rate of deadly crashes is thirty-one percent lower on a bikewith an anti-lock system. When tested on a track, riders stopped quicker with the anti-lock system. In addition, the required braking distance also improved to a shorter distance.
As far as feeling the brake system goes, the anti-lock braking system does not affect normal braking. It is only issued in a time of emergency. Furthermore, the system comes as light as one and a half pounds. So, as you can see, an anti-lock braking system can go a long way in giving you added protection behind the wheel of a motorcycle. We encourage you to explore your options, and ride safely.
Dec 1, 2024 | Motorcycle, Motorcycle Maintenance
When you have a recreational vehicle of any sort, you are probably going to need a tool or two from time to time. Owning some of common motorcycle repair tools that are get regular use will help for future projects or adjustments. After all, you don’t want to have to take your motorcycle into the shop for every little thing, do you?
Motorcycle Repair Tools: Commonly Used Equipment
Torque Wrench
A torque wrench comes in handy all of the time, making it a must-have for your tool box. This wrench works on everything (not just motorcycles) and helps keep you from stripping or breaking your bolts. A torque wrench is also one of the motorcycle repair tools that will keep you from over-tightening your bolts.
Breaker Bar
Almost opposite of a wrench, you’ll need this to loosen bolts. This tool should be used with great caution, as it can sometimes lead to rounding off fasteners. The breaker bar can be one of your best motorcycle repair tools, or it can be your worse enemy. The key to being successful with this tool is to learn how to use it properly first.
Magnetic Stick
A magnetic stick is a moveable, sometimes extendable, magnet. That’s all. This tool helps in garages, in homes, in cars, and anywhere you might lose small items. This is another of the motorcycle repair tools that you can use for things other than bike repair.
Screwdrivers
Having a full set of screwdrivers can really be a lifesaver. Since screws come in all sizes, screw drivers are not one-size-fits-all. This set of motorcycle repair tools will save a headache when you keep missing the screw because your driver is too big!
Other Items
Other items that are handy to have are things like extra oil pans, drop cloths and rags, and disposable gloves. Gloves will really come in handy (pun intended) when doing work on chains and other parts of the bike that have thick lubricant. The plus side is, most repair tools also serve other purposes.
To finish this off, we will just say: yes, you need to add these tools to your collection. Having your own motorcycle repair tools will save you a ton of money when it comes to doing simple work!
Nov 26, 2024 | Motorcycle, Motorcycle Accidents
It’s important to protect your body while riding your motorcycle. Your bike leaves your head, limbs and skin exposed. That means losing control of your motorcycle can result in your skin ripping across the pavement. While road rash isn’t the most dangerous of motorcycle injuries, it’s still important to know how to treat it.
Road Rash Treatment: Avoiding Infection
Wash Your Hands to Wash the Road Rash Wounds
When tending to road rash, it’s important to wash your hands. If you’ll be touching the wound, you want to be careful not to transfer germs. Even when you can’t see them, your hands carry plenty of germs and bacteria. So, it’s important to wash them to prevent transferring the bacteria to your wound and causing infection.
Remove Debris
After washing your hands, work to remove the debris from the wound. In most cases of road rash, there may be pebbles and dirt left in your scratches. Removing this can be a delicate process–especially if your wounds are still sore. Therefore, you may want to use a tool like tweezers to be precise. However, you need to make sure to clean any tools before using them. Just like your hands, tweezers and other instruments can carry germs to your wound.
Change the Bandage
When treating road rash, it’s important to keep things as clean as possible to prevent getting an infection. One way to do this is by washing your hands and cleaning the wound. But another way to do that is to make sure to keep the bandage clean.
For the most part, it’s okay to change your covering twice a day–morning and night. However, if your bandage becomes wet or especially dirty, it may be a good idea to change it quickly. By keeping your covering clean, you are taking another step to prevent any infection.
In short, treating road rash is important because the wound can become infected. If that happens, a few deep cuts and scratches can become a serious injury that needs medical treatment. So, be sure to treat your wounds quickly, cleanly, and with care.
