PSA to riders who have been commuting less than a year

[matjam]

Some of you started in the spring, and you're starting to get more confident, splitting lanes and getting to work and surviving

But unless you talk to some people, you may not realize a few things. And unless you are a mr smarty smart pants and somehow just know these things without anyone telling you, you'll learn the hard way, like I did. I am not smart.

The tires you got on the bike may not be great in the rain. It's going to start raining here next week. And it's going to get wetter and wetter from now. Make sure your tires are appropriate for the wet and have plenty of tread. You don't want to be running around on Supercorsas in a torrential downpour. Done it, not fun.

The road will be colder. Tires won't warm up, they will have less grip in general. Tar snakes, are even worse. You would be able to gas it as hard through a corner. Take it easy. I know, because I wrote off my Sprint GT that way back in oz.

It's probably getting dark now on your commute home. Or at least, sunset. If you're heading east, like me, you'll be a headlight with a giant thermonuclear ball of hydrogen gas right behind it - completely invisible to most people when you're splitting. Take it easy.

Nows the time to invest in some proper waterproof motorcycle gear. I can tell you that being cold and wet with an hour to get home is miserable. Don't be me.

Lastly, most of you have done a great job of moving over in the split. A couple of guys not so much. It's not a race .. if I'm coming up behind you that's not a call for you to start splitting faster. You do you, I'll do me.

My bike is lumpy at a certain speed, in a certain gear, and I might be more comfortable going slightly faster than you, or just not want to have to change gears constantly because your bike has a different profile to mine and you need to keep dropping to an almost dead stop. It's not an insult to your manhood to let someone pass. It's ok to let someone go past. I'll thank you for it, every time.

I think that's all the things that are on my mind right now. You can return to your regularly scheduled programming.

 

[berth]

You're also going to be more cold, and this can influence overall fatigue and reaction times.

 

[Matty D]

It's not an insult to your manhood to let someone pass. It's ok to let someone go past. I'll thank you for it, every time.

Good post, particularly this bit. :thumbup

 

[cheez]

Glove liners, Helmet liner (ski cap), jacket liner, heavy wool socks, thermal underwear, I use them all during the winter commute.

 

[davidji]

I'll add a couple more things:

Turn your high beams off at night. I've been seeing more and more riders using them at night. They may suck for splitting in the day as well, but they're especially bad when it's dark or partially dark.

Yes drivers may see something is there, but because of the dazzling light may not be able to tell it's a bike, let alone judge closing speed. I think the last lane splitter I saw crashed on the ground had his high beams on when he split past me.

But leave your flashers on while you split. That will draw the attention of the cops to riders other than me.

 

[Matty D]

I
But leave your flashers on while you split. That will draw the attention of the cops to riders other than me.

:rofl :applause

Ha! Nice one.

 

[budman]

But leave your flashers on while you split. That will draw the attention of the cops to riders other than me.

:laughing


Good Post matjam :thumbup

 

[R3DS!X]

Also if you haven't upgraded to a turbo busa yet, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?!?!?

 

[tuxumino]

when splitting in the dark you are just another headlight in a sea of headlights.
painted and metal surfaces are slippery when wet
cagers don't expect to see a motorcycle in the rain
car windows and mirrors are fogged over in wet weather
wet pavement increases stopping distance

 

[ST Guy]

I'll add that after the first rains, do NOT assume that dry pavement has adequate traction. When the rains start, oils and other debris and contaminants are brought out of the asphalt and up to the surface to be washed away. Eventually. But since this process takes more than awhile, what actually happens is that these oils and other slippery things are brought to the surface and then the rain stops before they're all brought up and washed away and what you're left with is a fine coating of all this stuff on the road surface which makes the road more slippery than before the rains started.

So, until we've had a lot of rain, do NOT assume dry pavement is good to go.

 

[Krooklyn]

You're also going to be more cold, and this can influence overall fatigue and reaction times.

I was stuck behind a dude last night on SB 85 where he didn't even have his jacket zipped up and was rocking Vans low-tops. Maybe that explains why he didn't notice the train of bikes behind him. :laughing

 

[ST Guy]

Oh, and really watch yourself near car washes. The patrons leave there dripping soap and other things and even in summer, the road can end up very, very slippery.

 

[East Bay Mike]

Even though I don’t commute or ride in the rain or much in the dark, thanks for the thread.

 

[dittoalex]

Best thing I did in riding was buy heated, waterproof gear.

 

[kurth83]

Great thread idea.

One of the major increased risks in the dark is not being seen.

- you look like one headlight of a car. At a stoplight, if you are first in line, you are practically invisible.
- from the rear, your taillight looks like one tailight of a car, so it is easy to be mistaken for the car in front of you, meaning an increased chance of being rear-ended at night.
- when splitting all of the above also come into play, it is harder for cagers to know you are there.

While this is likely beyond many (financial, technical, or simply motivation), I pretty much fixed this by adding a large bright (DOT compliant) light triangle front and rear.

My light triangle up front are large diameter clearwaters with amber lenses, the yellow stands out at night much more than a set of white lenses. Surface area and size of the triangle is more important than brightness from the perspective of increasing your apparent nearness, since motos appear further away than they actually are to the average cager.

Rear triangle lights are mounted on the sides of a top case, and are wired for both brake and running lights. I put a set of big bright turns back there too and polite drivers will move when they see my turns, that doesn't happen with stock turns, at least none that I've ever had.

The above lights transformed my world, most people see me coming when splitting, I don't worry as much about being rear-ended (but always have an eye on the mirror when hard braking), and I have turns that are actually useful.

The big bright brakes affect my riding technique too, I don't use engine braking in traffic, if I am slowing down, my giant bright brake lights are on, it makes a huge difference in safety.

Lastly, if you want to geek out even more (SEE and be SEEN was what we were taught in BRC/MSF), a second set of mirrors has helped me hugely. I have a set of long-stalk (slightly wide-view) mirrors that I can see over my shoulders with. The stock mirrors are aimed at my blind spots. I can see 360' at all times without craning my neck, I credit this with preventing several accidents in my 10 years of commuting.

I have seen cars merging into me, from behind, in my mirrors, and avoided them because I could see them, fantastic IMHO, but looks a bit dorky, your call.

 

[4x4Runner]

Good post and information. I’ll swallow my pride and move over if you cone creeping up behind me and need to get by. I’ll accept a certain level of risk and getting myself hurt because I feel obligated to speed up while lane splitting isn’t a risk I’ll take.

With the rain. I’ll also suck it up and drive until I’m more comfortable riding in the rain.

Since I’ve started regularly commuting and lane splitting I definitely pay more attention while driving and keep an eye out for you all.

Stay safe!

 

[XPEHBAM]

Best thing I did in riding was buy heated, waterproof gear.

+100500

 

[Whammy]

Make yourselves Mr/ Ms Smarty Smart pantses and do what is listed above.
Good thread :thumbup

 

[boney]

But leave your flashers on while you split. That will draw the attention of the cops to riders other than me.

EXACTLY.

Your flashers don't help. I can tell you're a nOOb splitter because you run them. Seriously, nobody sees them until you're past them. And then it makes you look like you're expecting everyone else to look out after your safety. Besides, while we all aspire to be seen, we dont want to fall into the trap of EXPECTING to be seen, and in my opinion, turning your flashers on only helps you feel like you're more visible and makes you more likely to fall into that trap. Take control of your own safety by riding a smarter game. Flashers are drowned out by the headlight and cant be seen well, or ot all in a cars side mirror anyway. Save the electrons.

Also, give that slower splitter a bit of time to make a plan to get out of your way. If you're in the left mirror, then the right, then the blind spot, you're gonna have to find your own way around. I'm not going to make a move to get out of your way unless I can know where you're going to be.

 

[Rob]

Protip: Your shadow points directly to people that can't see you and the longer the shadow, the harder to see you.