101 (maybe more) Golden Nuggets of Advice (From Newbies to Not-So-Newbies)

Ok so we didn't manage to fill up our [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] but thankfully it did out number the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

So how about sharing your golden nuggets by filling up this thread wikipedia style - Feel free to 'improve' others existing suggestions (please don't abuse this).

Advice can be about anything (Thundercat specific or Biking in general) - If this improves someone's thinking / riding / knowledge then it is worth doing.

Some of these will be teaching your Grandma to suck eggs to you but might be "Eureka" to someone else. Hopefully everyone can contribute at least one. Here is a couple to start with.....

1. Assume that all other road users don't see you, and either won't stop, will pull out, u-turn without warning or indication - Adjust your position and speed accordingly. Everyone agreeing that "Well the biker did have right of way" isn't much of a consolation.
2. Corners - Brake in a straight line before the corner. For corners turning to the left it is best to take up a position more the right of your lane as this allows you to see more of the road ahead and vehicles coming the other way will see you sooner. For corners to the right it is best to take up a position more to the left of your lane for the same reasons as before. Make sure you pick your road position taking into account road conditions and width. i.e Don't head for the gravel and pot hole just to get a better look at the road ahead OR be in the middle of the road on a tight single track corner with big hedges all around.

When taking corners, to take Ross's point further, take advantage of the other side of hte road if it is safe and appropriate to do so. You can get yourself a clearer view of the road, get an early sight of any approaching traffic (and let then get a good look at you), straighten out the bend a bit so the cornering forces are reduced and you don't have to adjust your speed as much (and are therefore more efficient). Only do it if there is no chance that you will be caught out by an unsighted vehcile, or will breach a solid white line or other forbidden road markings etc.

Take advantage of bits of the road that you are entitle to, again if safe and appropriate. For example, hatched areas that are bound by a broken white line - help yourself! Just stay out of the ones bounded by a solid white line. Also, you can filter to the front of a queue when traffic is waiting at a pedestrian crossing, but you must not overtake the vehicle at the head of the queue.

Learn to blip your revs on down-changes. When done right it makes the shift smoother and gives your gearbox, clutch and tyres an easier life, as well as reducing the risk of a rear wheel lock-up. It takes practice to do this when braking, but after a while it become second nature.

If you're approaching a side turning and a car is waiting to pull out, are you sure they have seen you? As Ross says, assume they haven't but you can increase the chance of being seen by moving in across your lane. A bike is a small target to see and at a distance it doesn't appear to get much bigger as it approaches, therefore it doesn't stand out from the background - then all of a sudden it appears to be on you and you have just pulled out in front of it. If you swerve across your lane you have introduced a lateral movement which a driver is more likely to see, and hopefully react to.

Always ride within your comfort zone, This especially applies when group riding as there is a peer pressure to keep up (usually in testosterone fuelled males ) Once you step outside of your own personal limits you are a passenger rather than in control.

If you buy one of those "security" tax disc holders with the hex bolts, don't lose the teensy tools they come with.

Unless you regularly perform microsurgery on nano-robots, you'll never find a spanner and hex key small enough.

One thing I always do is ride with my main beam on. Even in the car I have my lights on. Main beam or sides and front fogs.

And following in from Ross & Weasleys post my "instructor" on bikesafe highlighted the benefits of dividing up your side of the road into 5 lanes. 1-5 from the left hand side.
Normal riding. In lane 3-4
RH corner Lane 2
LH corner Lane 5
Plus they highlighted the benefits of smooth riding. Not nailing it up the straights and anchors on for the corner!

Panzerbuilder wrote:One thing I always do is ride with my main beam on. Even in the car I have my lights on. Main beam or sides and front fogs.

Not sure this is the best idea - plod can (and will) pull you over for it, and it also dazzles other road users. Small cars like Minis and sports cars are particularly prone to being dazzled by unnecessary full beams and oncoming front fogs.

Highway Code wrote:114. You MUST NOT

use any lights in a way which would dazzle or cause discomfort to other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders

use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves to avoid dazzling other road users (see Rule 226)

In stationary queues of traffic, drivers should apply the parking brake and, once the following traffic has stopped, take their foot off the footbrake to deactivate the vehicle brake lights. This will minimise glare to road users behind until the traffic moves again.

The tips on lane positioning are really helpful though. There's a decent bit in the Roadcraft book about it but I'm too lazy to look it up at the moment - you've already covered the basics

Actually there's another good tip - treat yourself to a copy of Motorcycle Roadcraft. Less than a tenner on Amazon, and choc full of excellent riding tips.

(time for me to dig my copy out for a bit of a refresher!)

Check & adjust tyre pressures regularly. Differing temperatures can alter the pressure by as much as 4 psi if one day it is 20 deg then another day is 10. A few psi difference alters the handling dramatically as well as the wear rate of the tyre.
Paul.

R2D2 wrote:Actually there's another good tip - treat yourself to a copy of Motorcycle Roadcraft. Less than a tenner on Amazon, and choc full of excellent riding tips.

(time for me to dig my copy out for a bit of a refresher!)

another good one is 'Not the Blue Book' - the Blue Book being the above book! - its written by an ex plod motorcycle instructor (and traffic cop) and is a really handy little book you can either read it or use it as a reference.

and as for my little nugget - i've pinched it from the book - approaching junctions etc 'aim to go but plan to stop'

Prefer video's to book's

I managed to subscribe to 'AdvancedBiker' on youtube a while back and think his videos are pretty good and informative

Check out the link here [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

This particular one is on corners.
Unfortunately there is a short ad at the start of the video.

Probably worth having a look at the most popular ones (most viewed button link)

Cheers
Rosco