Riding a motorcycle unveils a whole new avenue of wondrous discovery and exploration. For some roads are just a way to get you from point A to point B if you are traveling on a car. But if you are traveling on a motorcycle, roads take on a whole new meaning. It can be exciting and fun. Traveling by motorcycle is a sport. An adventurous one. Riding down a great sweeping curve, cornering well in hair pin turns or riding in the dirt, makes you feel a certain kind of rush and as if you could conquer anything after riding through some particularly challenging roads like gravel and twisty roads.
If you have tried riding a motorcycle in a gravel road you could say this kind of road is not ideal. Imagine, traveling on a freshly laid medium sized gravel road. Rocks,stones, different sized pebbles, everywhere filling a narrow road instead of smooth asphalt or concrete.
Flat tires are common occurrence if you often travel on gravel roads. You better be used to some rear wheel wobbling. Remember, that gravel makes an uneven road surfaces so traction is impaired. Braking and swerving on gravel roads make the problem worse. Just relax, maintain your speed(it is safer and more stable to be moving), easy but firm grip on the handlebars, keep distance from other vehicles and travel on the part of the road where it is less dense. Keep the face shield of your helmet locked down to prevent the little rocks from getting into your eyes because those tiny stones have the tendency to jump up as you ride over them.
After some experience riding in gravel roads, it makes you not dread at the thought of it anymore. You will not cringe at the sight of those little pesky pebbles. Just remember no abrupt braking or swerving just ride slowly and carefully.
Another challenging aspect of traveling by motorcycle is riding through curvy and twisty roads. This can be done with timing and skillful judgment both of which only come from years of riding. Ride to the outside edge to set up for the curve, then lean through the curve and follow the curve at its widest angle. As you reach the apex, throttle and speed up and then straightening up as the curve ends. And be ready for another curve. If you are just a beginner always ride at your own pace, travel through a curve at a speed which you are comfortable.
It is wise to enter curves at slower speed and throttling up at the exit of the curve. Do not lean prematurely into a curve, where you could be traveling in the oncoming lane.
If you travel by motorcycle like it or not you have to learn how to ride through interstate highways or intersecting roads. Bottom line, learn to correctly maneuver and survive urban traffic while riding on a motorcycle.. If you must get to the West Coast from Mid West or to the East Coast or if you travel in Europe, you have to cope. Put the miles in. If you want to get from Andalucia to Sevilla or from London to Blackpool, learn and spend some time on highways. You are not just going to trailer your motorcycle wherever you want to go.
Riding a motorcycle in highways at highway speed makes the weather feel more intense. Like warm feels warmer and cold is colder and wet is wetter. Gear up with the appropriate clothing. Wear multiple layer of warm clothing in cold weather and start to peel it off one by one and ventilate when the ambient temperature gets warmer. Wear gel padded motorcycle gloves to prevent hand numbness and itch as a result of vibration of long hours of highway motorcycle riding.
On busy two lane or four lane roads you and your motorcycle are going to be traveling with all kinds of vehicles in all sizes. This is the time to heightened your awareness and stay alert. You should always remind yourself to scan. Scan your instruments, mirrors and blind spots, the car in front of you and most of all scan further ahead. It is easy to get fixated by the roads or the driver directly ahead of you. So actively force yourself to scan the whole area. Anticipate what the drivers are about to do or if the car is going to change lanes. And prepare an exit or escape route if something unexpected might happen.
Be conspicuous. Wear something catchy, honk your horn, and always beam your headlights. If you ride a Harley rev up that v-twin engines every now and then.
Although lane splitting is illegal in some places, it can be done slowly and with caution. Lane splitting can be a great way to weave through traffic by riding between vehicles especially if traffic is congested. There are inherent dangers of lane splitting like, you have the tendency to over estimate the width of your motorcycle especially if your cruiser has saddlebags, cars may change lanes without signals and aggressively whipping through traffic might provoke road rage. Maximum level of caution is needed when you execute this maneuver. So these are tips on safety techniques to ride your motorcycle on whatever kinds of roads that you may encounter along the way.