101 Biking Tips

last SG · 2002-04-15T18:36:00+00:00

Frankly speaking, if I were in your situation, for my own safety, I would just move over to the left and let the vehicle overtake me for 2 reasons: 1. It's...

Imaginary SG

In view of the recent surge of motorcycle accidents, I thought it might be useful for the more experienced riders here to contribute some safety tips to the newbies.

As a matter of fact, for me, before I got my license, I did a lot reading up and asking around on the common causes of accidents and how to avoid them. To date, this knowledge has saved me several times.

Learn from the mistakes of others, you might not have the chance to make all of them yourself.

Let me start first.

1. Try not to rely on the rear brakes too much 'coz your bike will fishtail once the rear wheel locks. Get used to using more of the front brakes and a little of the rear brakes while braking.

I sincerely hope this will be beneficial to everyone, especially the newer bikers.

Bikers, please start contributing; your advice might save someone's life one day.

fp2075r SG

errrrrr... use public transport?? heheheh Very Happy
juz jokin. remeber to check chain regularly and tires too make sure its the correct pressure and also make sure its not worn. very impt.

sakaratulz SG

hmm...when raining, max go until 5th gear, 6th gear too light and also use more engine braking than normal brakes when road is wet Very Happy

------------------
to live is evil...=)

owm SG

I believe a good maintenance schedule to keep your machine at prime working condition is important to reduce potential for accidents that might occur due to machine failure like piston seizing, chain snapping etc.

Also it is important to read up and practise on defensive riding. Some good articles on riding can be found here at: http://www.msgroup.org/discuss.asp

One way to reduce one's risk of having accidents is to avoid riding early in the morning between 1 to 6am. I believe one will tend to travel much faster than normal as traffic is light and there are greater hazards posed such as motorists who might be fatigued or drunk during this time. Most of the accidents I have read in the papers usually occur during this period.

Another thing is to avoid lane-splitting when riding. Moving to the front when the traffic is at a standstill is ok but still exercise caution and care. However, never travel in-between lanes while on the move as you might just be in the blind spot of the driver at your sides. There is nothing wrong with taking up a lane for your own but do not hog the right-most lane.

Also keep a safe distance between you and vehicles in front of you and always brake earlier but lightly squeezing the front brake lever to signify that you are stopping. This is to give cars behind you ample notice to have sufficient reaction time to stop their vehicles as they will require a greater distance to stop compared to a bike.

Lastly, I believe one should wear proper attire while riding. Granted it does not look cool but I think it is better than having road rash or skin grafting. I think the basic requirement should be to wear a SNELL or DOT approved helmet, gloves, jeans and shoes. I notice people spend quite a lot on changing the aesthetics of their bikes or attempting to boost performance at the expense of their own safety gear.

Hope this helps.

Ducati996 SG

basket i buang on wet road must mention this tip?
i skidded on wet road lucky 2nd gear onli.
so avoid the damn white arrows when rain especially if you turning, i buang coz turning didnt notice the white arrow i kick 1st gear then accidentally throw clutch, the bike pull back and tyre slipped on the arrow.

------------------
RockerZ!

Noah SG

I'm relatively new here .. but I found out one thing...
Never go into a puddle at high speed. Was travelling straight at near 100 km/h. Was raining and the road was wet (knew I shouldn't have travelled that fast ... but ... well)
Saw suddenly got a lot of water spray from the car in front, but I din know better ... the next thing I knew, it felt like I crashed into a wall ... and the bike fish-tailed ... I almost fell off .... but it's the shock .... So there ...

[B]dA`boI SG

Do not lane change in a junction( as mentioned in the book) and try hard not to use the right lane on the expressway,well unless u r really in a hurry Smile

zhenzhen_11 SG

when turning a corner.. dun trottle if your rear tyre is on the white lines or arrows.. because it will slip.. be dead slow when cornering during rainy days..

as Ducati996 mention about slipping on arrows.. i also experience that b4.. but lucky the road is wet enough to stop the scratchings one my bike.. only pipe guard got scratch.. fairing ok..

as you all might notice.. there's a lot of cable works on the road nowadays.. and when they finished their work, they dont even bother to lay back the road properly.. causing a lot of uneven roads.. juz becareful travelling on these roads..

------------------
You may be fast, faster than wind, sound or even faster than light..

But you can never catch Time..

gUms SG

protective wear is certainly 1st most important thing , u spend so much on ur bike might as well spend abit more on ur safety like good helmet , also try to use a jacket those jeans type jacket would do , n maybe go to de extend on wearing gloves , but still most important thing is buy a good helmet even if it cos $500 just buy it , a hole in ur pocket is better den a hole in ur head .

sakaratulz SG

Very Happy

------------------
to live is evil...=)

Imaginary SG

Tip #10 - "Ride with Anticipation"

When you see a car waiting on the left side of the road, chances are, the driver might want to do an illegal u-turn (taxi drivers do this very often); Ride with the thought that the driver might make a u-turn anytime. Try to slow down and horn if you think it's necessary.

I heard of a guy who was knocked down by a taxi 'coz of this and he had a punctured lung, etc.

ah_tee SG

not a bad thread yeh

for me , esp when i travel on xpress ways

i always do vehicle analysis, its like u analyse the drivers around u, whether they will change lane , brake or not..

lets say ur travelling on the 1st lane, on lane 2
car A caught up wif car B n tailgating him

then most likely car A is likely to chnage lane

and lets say if ur jus close by, u might want to pick up or jus slow down to stay clear of them

^TzM 53^ SG

my best advice is... when u fall... u noe wad is hurt.. in order to learn u gotta fall... and simply obey traffic rules
i dare to say tt 90% of riders,drivers, etc do not obey rules when they haf a licence.
hence my first advice. :p

------------------
You learn to love, not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see
an imperfect person perfectly...that is love..
.... huhhh huhhh.... sim ai eh mai kao....jia li tan wa pang buey gi ahuh li bo kiam wa,wa bo kiam li!!

ah_tee SG

Originally posted by ^TzM 53^:
my best advice is... when u fall... u noe wad is hurt.. in order to learn u gotta fall... and simply [b]obey traffic rules
i dare to say tt 90% of riders,drivers, etc do not obey rules when they haf a licence.
hence my first advice. :p

[/B]

but i heard from many pple ivan sometimes quite reckless leh Razz

Yw SG

Make sure your brake lights are working.

Tap brake lights even when u r waiting to move off at the traffic junction. Simply because some drivers cant see u or sometimes they careless go bang u.
So when u see a car approaching, just tap tap tap and flash your brake lights to alert him... it helps..

Aprilia Rider SG

hmm got a few lah..
dunno how to number them.

1. rainy days becareful of drain covers. like the one on the entrance of the carpark opp cineleisure from sommerset mrt. nearly buang coz slippery.

2. expected the unexpected
read the vehicle around u. try to anticipate
what they are going to do.
prepare yourself if they do something funny.

3. donch tailgate
esp true for bikers who are waiting for the chance to go btwn cars. once something happens.... heh heh heh

4. watch out for cabs. u donch knoe wad they would do next to grab the nearest passenger.

5. if u dun feel pain, u dun learn.
true for new riders. go so fast for wad.
how much time u save ? 10 mins ?
about the time for a cup of kopi which is worth 60c. for that, u risk ur life ?
weigh the odds.

5. experience is everything.
gain ur exp. on the road before u upgrade ur bike. no point u get power bike but u got no skills to handle the bike and road experience to use it on the road.

btw: u got 2b license dosnt mean u got skills. same goes for 2a or 2.

in short: skills come before bike.

6. upgrade ur brakes. the more power ur bike got ( mainly thru mods), the better ur braking system should be. prefferably steel braided ones.

brakes are everything. if u cant stop, theres no point in moving off.

7. chk ur tyre pressure and chain - sprokets before u move off.
once i travelled half the journey before realising my rear tyre was deflated. damn it.

8. hmm cant think of any more liao... got sum more then post.

golden rule: ride as thou every motorist is out to kill u and u wont go wrong.

------------------
Lonliness, your silent whisper
fills a river of tears thru the night.

memories, u never let me cry,
and u, u never said goodbye~

Quote of the day: True Love Only Exists in the Movies

Noah SG

Before mounting your bike for a journey, pray very hard to tua bei gong …. luck has a large part to play too … You may be the most skillful rider (so wat), but that dosn’t mean the other road users are … Good Luck !!!

Ducati996 SG

hey how bout we oso include danger areas in s'pore?
i travel on kje often to skul. towards tuas left lane almost always occupied by trucks of all sizes all time of day. these trucks travel slow, bout 60 kmh, but BEWARE!!! those clowns like to overtake each other and i dont understand why coz at dat speed their pickup damn slow will alwiz cause a little slowdown in second lane some more once they clear they go back left lane same speed as the trucks they passed donno why they actualli bother overtaking. dangerous: the realli big trucks realli dont see bikers or they just dont care sometimes they swerve out suddenly to second lane with late signal!!! i advise if u on second lane travel a little outside nearer to third lane and be super alert when passing by these trucks.
i oso travelled on aye a few times lagi worse, truckers even more gangster and even more crowded. only advise is be damn careful dont try anything funny.
oh yah new riders should take the trouble to get veri used to pillion, the feeling veri different. and if ur pillion is not rider him/herself teach him/her correct stuff like sit close and keep still, they shift while u moving your bike will shift oso.

------------------
RockerZ!

nismoS132 SG

when travelling on highway, stick to 1st and 2nd lane.. dun go 3rd lanes, the vehicles are too slow, and got too many lorries etc.

and if you're going to cut traffic, always use the gap between the 1st n 2nd lane.

always signal, even if lane changing.

blindspots are good for your health.

if you're travelling slow, stick to the left side of your lane so other people will be able to overtake you.

------------------
press for NOS
--->> O <<---

Ducati996 SG

i disagree wif this leh, and last time instructor oso said shouldnt do this.
when travelling even on left most lane and slow, i think shd alwiz stick to center of lane. doing wat u suggest will encourage drivers to overtake u within the lane, and i feel this is dangerous for rider much more than the car coz lane is small he clip ur front tyre a little u say hello to the floor. by sticking to the center of the lane you force the car behind you to change lane if he wishes to overtake and this much safer coz he is not so close that he might brush against your bike. he brush u a little he wont feel anything but you biker may fall.
i oso think drivers have no rite to complain of having to change lane if wanna overtake slow bike coz its realli the rite thing to do, its safer and just coz bike small doesnt mean they are allowed less space on road, if like dat roads will paint mini lanes for bike onli like the queue at immigration. of coz if u riding slow for goodness sake be considerate stay leftmost lane.
other riders agree wif me anot ah? just wonderin.

------------------
RockerZ!