“Motorcycle registrations in Minnesota are at an all time high, up 89% in the last 10 years. Local instructors have had to double motorcycle training courses to accommodate the increase.”
This says nothing of places like California, Texas, the mid-west, and other locations around the nation with pleasant weather conditions and good roads. Considering that gasoline will continue higher, with some pundits targeting a top price of $7 per gallon by next year, converts to motorcycles may become a trend of unforeseen levels.
But that isn’t entirely a good thing.
As a former rider myself, one thing is consistent in every state of the nation. Drivers in cars and other 4-wheel vehicles are as much, if not more, dangerous to those on 2 wheels as every other issue combined. So for all those new motorcycle riders I want to mention a couple of things to keep in mind.
Car drivers tend to change lanes and make turns without ever using blinkers or hand signals. It’s one of the bigger problems. They just turn and assume everyone will know what they are doing. They don’t take into account the stopping distance of a motorcycle, nor the potential danger in having to serve out of the way.
Car drivers don’t look for or recognize motorcycles. It’s almost like you are invisible. I can recall a couple of times when a guy with his wife and kids drove up along side me on a highway in the same lane. I was on the left side of the lane to avoid the oil on the highway, and to allow drivers ahead of me the ability to see me in their mirror. I wasn’t turning or swerving in the lane. So he thought the extra space was just meant for him to drive along side me, maybe a foot way. My comments changed his mind, thankfully, but had anything had caused my bike to move over I’d have been the one hurt.
Infrequent rain in some areas brings up lots of oil on the road. This happens a lot in California, especially in the Los Angeles area. The first rains of the spring/summer season brings up lots of oil from the traffic and makes for slicker roads, especially if you are in the center of the lane.
Car drivers invariably never get your speed right. As such they will turn or cross in front of you, or pull out, just in time to hit you or cause you to swerve. See the change lanes section above.
So if you are a new motorcycle driver I would suggest getting lessons. Take a defensive driving course. Wear bright reflective clothing. Keep an eye out on what cars ahead of you are doing, not just the one in front of you but 2 or 3 cars up.
Given these things I’m sure you will love the freedom and virtual feeling of flying that a motorcycle provides even more than the gas you will save. Just drive safe and please don’t try to impress anyone on the road.
As I was once told by an older biker named Preacher out by Fallbrook California,
“No need to impress them. They are in the car looking up and out at us. They want to be us. So why drive faster or crazy?”
And I’m sure other experienced motorcyclists out there have a few thoughts and tips for new drivers as well. Please leave a comment to help the newbies out. It’s one road out there and we all can enjoy it together.
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