History UsefulNotes / MotorcycleSafety

** Unlike licenses for cars, a motorcycle permit is almost as good as a license, so you can buy a motorcycle (within limits) to use as practice.

* If you have a passenger, it's up to you to ensure of their saftey and protection as well. Inform them of what to do when riding.

* '''Buy a new, certified helmet and wear it any time you ride.''' In the US, road legal helmets must have a DOT approved logo somewhere. Old or inadequate helmets (especially those that have been in a crash before) will not protect your head in the event of a crash. If you ever plan to let anyone else ride with you, buy a second helmet that a passenger can wear. There are organisations that destructively test helmets and give them ratings on their protection - more expensive does not always mean better protection - so do your research before purchasing. A more stringent safety standard is the Snell rating, so if you buy a helmet with both DOT and Snell certification, it will be safer than just DOT rating.
** The helmet must fit comfortably snug around your head to protect it. Too loose and you could end up "crashing" in your helmet. A general rule of thumb is how easy it is to fit your fingers between your cheeks and the padding. If it slides in easily, it's too loose, if you can't or it's uncomfortably tight, it's too tight.

* You may want to invest in some hearing protection. If it's not loud engine noise, it's the wind noise that may be loud enough that long term exposure will permanently damage your hearing. Make sure that it doesn't block too much sound that you can't hear important things like horns and emergency vehicle sirens.

* It's important to ensure the motorcycle is good to go before riding. From the MSF, they developed a six step method called TCLOCS

*** It is important to note that plenty of people will dismiss this advice, and will even advise newbies otherwise, under the idea that a powerful engine can only put you in trouble if you actually let it express its power. According to this rationale, you should get a more powerful bike and just keep it low-powered in the beginning, so as to avoid getting bored of it once you level-up. '''This is bad advice''' for a number of reasons, among which the geometry of powerful bikes being much more aggressive and less forgiving, the ''extreme'' temptation of opening up on the engine when you're not yet capable of handling it, and various other non-obvious pitfalls that can get you when you're not expecting it. (Just to name one: if you hit a sizable bump on the road the handlebars will slightly rotate in the trasversal sense. If you're not prepared with your hand the throttle handle will stay in the same place. The net result is a rapid power fluctuation; on a very powerful engine, this can cause the bike to wheelie and/or dump your ass on the road, possibly breaking your tailbone at minimum and ''definitely'' crashing the motorcycle.)

** Slow down ''before'' you enter the corner. Roll off the throttle, brake gently, or downshift. Either way ''slow down''. If you brake reasonably normal during a turn, the motorcylce has a high chance of loosing balance.

* Riding on a motorcycle typically isn't the most comfortable thing in the world, unless you take a cruiser with all the bells and whistles. As such, try not to ride for long periods of time in one go. Usually after an hour of riding, you should stop somewhere and walk around for 15 or so minutes.

* Take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (or non-US equivalent) course. Not only is it usually a requirement for a motorcycle endorsement, but they teach the fundamentals of motorcycle riding in a controlled environment, rather than busy city streets.

*** It is important to note that plenty of people will dismiss this advice, and will even advise newbies otherwise, under the idea that a powerful engine can only put you in trouble if you actually let it express its power. According to this rationale, you should get a more powerful bike and just keep it low-powered in the beginning, so as to avoid getting bored of it once you level-up. '''This is bad advice''' for a number of reasons, among which the geometry of powerful bikes being much more aggressive and less forgiving, the ''extreme'' temptation of opening up on the engine when you're not yet capable of handling it, and various other non-obvious pitfalls that can get you when you're not expecting it (just to name one: if you hit a sizable bump on the road the handlebars will slightly rotate in the trasversal sense. If you're not prepared with your hand the throttle handle will stay in the same place. The net result is a rapid power fluctuation; on a very powerful engine, this can cause the bike to wheelie and/or dump your ass on the road, possibly breaking your tailbone at minimum and ''definitely'' crashing the motorcycle).

* '''Wear appropriate clothing EVERY time you ride''' - ATGATT (All The Gear All The Time) is the rule. This means proper motorcycle leathers (possibly with "armour" inserts) or strong fabrics like Kevlar, proper padded riding gloves, proper motorcycle boots together with your helmet. Even "strong" fabrics like denim will provide very little protection in an accident and shorts, t-shirts, flimsy shoes or anything loose or flowing that might get caught in the moving parts of the motorcycle is a very stupid idea.

# There is no substitute for proper safety training.

So you just got (or you saw a media depiction of and want to ride) a CoolBike? Unfortunately, the media often won't show the downsides and risks of it or the proper and safer ways to ride a two-wheeled motorcycle, dirt bike, moped, or similar.

# Do not try any stunts, especially in public roads.

* '''Buy a new, certified helmet and wear it any time you ride'''.In the US, road legal helmets must have a DOT approved logo somewhere. Old or inadequate helmets (especially those that have been in a crash before) will not protect your head in the event of a crash. If you ever plan to let anyone else ride with you, buy a second helmet that a passenger can wear. There are organisations that destructively test helmets and give them ratings on their protection - more expensive does not always mean better protection - so do your research before purchasing. A more stringent safety standard is the Snell rating, so if you buy a helmet with both DOT and Snell certification, it will be safer than just DOT rating.

* '''Buy a new, certified helmet and wear it any time you ride'''.In the US, road legal helmets must have a DOT approved logo somewhere. Old or inadequate helmets (especially those that have been in a crash before) will not protect your head in the event of a crash. If you ever plan to let anyone else ride with you, buy a second helmet that a passenger can wear. There are organisations that destructively test helmets and give them ratings on their protection - more expensive does not always mean better protection - so do your research before purchasing.

*** It is important to note that plenty of people will dismiss this advice, and will even advise newbies otherwise, under the idea that a powerful engine can only put you in trouble if you actually let it express its power. According to this rationale, you should get a more powerful bike and just keep it low-powered in the beginning, so as to avoid getting bored of it once you level-up. '''This is bad advice''' for a number of reasons, among which the geometry of powerful bikes being much more aggressive and less forgiving, the ''extreme'' temptation of opening up on the engine when you're not yet capable of handling it, and various other non-obvious pitfalls that can get you when you're not expecting it (just to name one: if you hit a sizable bump on the road the handlebars will slightly rotate in the trasversal sense. If you're not prepared with your hand the throttle handle will stay in the same place. The net result is a rapid power fluctuation; on a very powerful engine, this can cause the bike to wheelie and/or dump your ass on the road).

* Before you ride again, make sure your bike is in operable condition and any damage to it that could make it less safe is repaired, and buy a new helmet.

* '''Be visible'''. Wear bright, reflective clothing, keep your headlights on (most motorcycles won't let you turn them off anyway), turn the high beams on during the day (though there's some debate if this is necessary/a safety hazard), and use your signals to convey what you're doing.

* Don't ride if you're tired, drunk, under any medication that impairs your ability to think or make quick decisions. You need to be alert at all times on the road.

* '''Wear appropriate clothing''' EVERY time you ride - ATGATT (All The Gear All The Time) is the rule. This means proper motorcycle leathers (possibly with "armour" inserts) or strong fabrics like Kevlar, proper padded riding gloves, proper motorcycle boots together with your helmet. Even "strong" fabrics like denim will provide very little protection in an accident and shorts, t-shirts, flimsy shoes or anything loose or flowing that might get caught in the moving parts of the motorcycle is a very stupid idea.