Coach Karan’s Corner

Now we can talk about packing. This is the biggest challenge, and many people have many different ways of packing their bikes. Again, this is my way. It works for me and has served me well for thousands of miles, but it’s not the only way, and I have refined my process over many trips.

I break my packing down into a few categories:

1. Tools
2. Gear
3. Clothes/extras

Tools: All tools should go in a tool roll, or some such, and either go in a fork bag on front of the bike, or in one of your saddlebags. They are heavy, so you want them to ride low on the bike.
Even if you have no idea how to turn a screwdriver, have someone help you put a basic toolkit together, including zip ties, electrical tape, Loctite, a few wrenches, a spare set of spark plugs, a screwdriver with exchangeable tips, and on modern bikes, make sure you have torqx and allen bits as well as flat and phillips heads. I also make sure I have some Velcro strips/straps, silicone, socket wrenches, a tire gauge. At the very least. My old bikes require that I carry more tools.
I keep my tools in my left saddle bag, along with anything else I’m less likely to need on a regular basis. The right bag, because of how the bike leans on the kickstand, is easier to get in and out of.

Gear: All of the gear listed below should go in your saddlebags. Don’t waste luggage room on things you do not have to carry in and out of the hotel room. This is gear that probably should live on your bike regardless of whether you are on a long trip or a day ride.
a. If you are serious about traveling on your bike, you need a very good set of rain gear. The jacket must have a hood, and you also need the boot covers, called gaiters.
b. I also have a set of heated gear, which I use frequently, living in Western NY. Often I leave for trips in 50-degree weather. If you’ve ever been cold on a bike, you know you do not want to start a long day of riding by freezing to death.
c. Extra gloves (you may want a pair of gauntlets, depending on the time of year and temps you are riding through.)
d. Extra glasses/eyewear – if you normally wear sunglasses, be sure you have a pair of clear glasses for dusk and night riding. You may also want to carry a cheap pair of sunglasses in case your main pair breaks or gets lost.
e. Extra layers – unless you have heated gear, put a couple extra layers in your saddlebag. If you leave the house wearing your extra layers, make sure you have left room in your saddlebags for it when you peel it off later as the day warms up.
f. Sunscreen. You NEED sunscreen. This is not the time to ‘work on your tan.’ Slather at least SPF 50 on every exposed part, and reapply several times during the day. Don’t forget the back of your neck and the tops of your ears if you are riding helmet-free.

In a windshield bag, or closer to you than the saddlebag:
a. A lip sunblock: wear it, and keep it handy. Mine is in my windshield bag.
b. Earplugs. After an entire day of riding, your ears will ring from the noise of the wind and the motor. It isn’t pleasant to lie in a quiet hotel bed wishing you could get to sleep except your ears are ringing from all day on the road.
c. Bike keys. Only once did I leave on a trip and forget my key. Fortunately, it was just an overnighter so it wasn’t a big thing, but man was I pissed at myself. Some bikes start without a key, but even so, you can’t lock your fork, or your saddlebags if you don’t have the keys for them. Don’t forget your keys.
d. Small wallet. Not really gear, but it’s far easier to stop for gas, get in and out if you have at the very least, your gas card or credit card stashed close. Either in a pocket or in your windshield bag. This keeps you from having to dig around for your purse, etc. every time you stop for gas or a drink/snack.
e. Reading glasses if needed.

Clothes/Extras: You will need a piece of luggage for this stuff. There are lots of luggage options, but I’d say get the largest bag you can find. Also, a side note – I don’t like the nylon straps with plastic D-rings that come with luggage as a rule, and I have zero trust in bungee cords – I’ve broken too many of them in life. I use Velcro straps to secure my luggage to my bike, and in thousands of miles, I have never once had an issue with a strap failing, coming loose, or causing any sort of problem. OK, that’s one little tip you can try. On to the actual packing…
a. First rule of packing: pack what you need and need what you pack. You do not have room for that extra pair of cute pumps, or six extra shirts.
b. Plan your outfits, down to socks and underwear. Be realistic and practical. Choose function over fashion. You’re on a bike – you are already badass! Check the weather, and pack accordingly. I use packing cubes inside my luggage, which are just smaller nylon bags that I can put two days’ worth of outfits in each. It is easier to pull one packing cube out to get at an outfit, than it is to dig through your luggage for everything you need. Plus you can use the cubes for your dirty clothes and the rest of your things won’t stink.
c. Re-wear any items you can. I don’t like to wear things twice when I ride because it all gets sweaty and gross, but if you can, do it. The only thing I wear more than once is a pair of Kevlar riding leggings. I love them. They are comfy to ride in, so I keep them somewhat fresh by wearing panty liners with them. Other than that, if I’m gone 8 days, I have 8 tees, 8 bras, 5-6 pairs of jeans, etc. (This is where the packing cubes come in handy.)
d. Streamline your bathroom products, hair products and makeup. Use sample size bottles for everything you can (shampoo, lotion, etc.) This is not the time to bring the train case of makeup. Pare it down. I wear a tinted moisturizer, I have a small palette of eyeshadow, mascara and brow stuff, one lip color. That’s it. I allow myself a little case that’s about 9” x 4” x 3” for all my bathroom and cosmetic supplies.
e. One pair of extra shoes. One. That’s it. You have zero room for options. I have a pair of flat sandals that I pack – after being in boots all day, it’s nice to slide into some comfy sandals.
f. Jammies, thin robe, bedroom slippers. I’ve almost forgotten these, I don’t know how many times. I always wear slippers in hotel rooms. Even the clean places… yuk.
g. One packable decent outfit. I have a long skirt and nice tee that I pack for something other than jeans to wear. It feels nice to get out of the heat, get off the bike, shower, put a skirt and sandals on and walk to dinner and have an adult beverage. This outfit takes up very little space, and has gone with me on quite a few trips. Since I only wear it for a couple hours at a time, it gets repacked for the next evening’s stop.
h. Cell phone charger. Of all the things you can forget, this is probably the biggest pain in the ass to replace. This is the first thing I pack each morning when I’m leaving the hotel.
i. If you wear glasses/contacts, be sure you bring a supply of contacts, and don’t forget your glasses!! This also goes for reading glasses, which I often keep in my windshield bag.
j. Bandannas/headwear as needed. Once I leave a helmet state, mine comes off, so I make sure I have at least a couple bandannas within reach.
k. Space for your helmet. This is where the Velcro straps come in handy. You can use them to tie down your helmet, or jacket, or whatever if you don’t have room inside your luggage. I’ve strapped my helmet to my luggage handle using the chin strap and then doubling up with a Velcro strap just in case.

There are many ways to plan trips, and you can be as detailed or as general as you want. Personally, I plan each riding day of my trip – and a lot of my trips are ride, spend the night, ride again, spend the night, etc.

For each day that I ride, I reserve my hotel room where I plan to stop. I end up with a list of destinations, hotel names and addresses, and miles for each day. I spend some time on MapQuest looking at routes, finding hotels that are on the way, figuring out the best way to chop up the miles into days, etc. If I’m traveling on a modern bike, and I’m all about getting where I’m going, I’ll do the whole trip on the interstate to cover the most ground I can in a day. I can’t do that on my old bikes, so when I do the route planning, I make sure I am using the ‘no interstates/no toll roads’ option.

This kind of planning gives me an end point for the day. I know how many miles I need to ride, and I know where I’m going to land in the afternoon. Once I check in to my hotel, I try not to get back on the bike if I can help it. I will walk to a restaurant for dinner, and then relax if I know I’m getting up to ride the next day.

Some people are OK with an open ended day, in fact they prefer it. I don’t. I also do not camp – a lot of riders pack a tent and all that, and camp. That isn’t my style, so I can’t speak to prepping for a camping trip. I like my hotels with indoor plumbing, hot water, comfy beds and electricity.

Alright, you have your route planned, you’ve got accommodations booked for each day. Now what? Let’s think about your exposure on the road.

a. If you have AAA, double check that it is paid up, and be sure you have the RV option because that gives you motorcycle towing.
b. If you ride a Harley, I’d suggest joining the Harley Owners Group (HOG). They send you an atlas that has all the dealerships marked. In case of a breakdown, you can either limp your bike or have it towed to the closest dealer. I am not aware of what options you might have with other makes, but be sure you have a clear understanding of that before you leave the house.
c. If you have a pistol permit, and you plan to carry on your trip, I suggest you call the state police in every state you are passing through. Laws change frequently, and it is your responsibility to know them. Here is a basic script I use: “Hello, my name is _. I am planning a solo motorcycle trip and will be passing through your state. I have a [full carry permit in NY and a non-resident carry permit from PA] (tell them what permit you have). I plan to carry on this trip. How do I need to handle my weapon in your state?”
They will tell you if there is reciprocity, and then they will advise you how to handle your pistol. You may have to open carry – some states require that – like Kentucky – or you may not be able to carry if the state doesn’t recognize your permit. In that case, find out EXACTLY how they want you to store your weapon on the bike and do exactly what they say.
I called through nine states in about 20 minutes for one of my trips. The little time invested is well worth it to keep you from unintentionally breaking gun laws.
d. Health and Medical Emergency Info: This is not enjoyable to consider; however, it is wise to have a health care proxy written, and carry a copy on your bike. I have a small copy laminated, and it lives in my windshield bag. I also have an ICE app on my phone (In Case of Emergency). If I ride solo, and something goes sideways, hopefully, someone will look through my windshield bag for my ID and find that document. When I ride with others, I make sure at least one person knows where that document is, just in case.
e. Other documents you should carry: your driver’s license (duh), your health insurance card, bike insurance card, registration, AAA, any other membership cards, your credit cards (duh again), anything else that someone might need to know if you are unconscious – your medical ID bracelet, for example, if you are diabetic, or have some other health issue that an EMT may need to know about.
f. Be responsible. Don’t leave that medical info at home just because you would rather not think about it, or you’re hoping it won’t be a problem.

Anyone who knows me, knows I love nothing better than packing one of my bikes, and pointing it in a direction away from my house. I LOVE riding distance. I don’t care about twisty roads, or how fast I can go. I just like to GO. Just like anything else about a motorcycle, traveling for any distance on a bike takes a little bit of extra planning. I’ll go through what I do to plan a trip – it’s not the only way, I won’t say it’s the best way. All I’ll say is that it’s my way, and for me it works quite well. If you’ve never done a trip on a bike, or if you have and it was frustrating, take what I do and adapt it until it’s what works for you.

Training for that Long Trip
First, you might want to build some riding muscle before you take on a 300, 400 or 500 mile day. If you know about how many miles you are going to need to ride in a day to pull off your trip in the time allotted, then start doing day rides that build you up to that kind of mileage. This will help you in many ways.
a. You’ll be confident that you can do the miles, and you will know how it feels.
b. You’ll figure out just how comfortable your bike really is, and figure out what you need to change to make it work for you as a touring bike.
c. You’ll learn how long you can stay in the saddle before you need to stop and stretch, rest, get a drink, etc.
d. You’ll figure out what snacks and drinks work best for you to keep your energy up and fatigue down.
e. You’ll learn how your bike handles over a long day. Or I should say, how YOU handle your bike over a long day. It gets heavier when you get tired.
f. You’ll learn where your personal threshold is for miles in a day. I get what I call ‘road stupid’ when I get too tired. I try not to be on the bike more than 7-8 hours a day, personally, because when road stupid happens, I can start doing dumb stuff – mental errors – that could potentially get me hurt or killed. I avoid that. I like my life.
So start by building this road muscle. If, as you get to the longer days, you can put at least your luggage – even empty – on the bike, that will just help you get used to riding it with the luggage.

Riding with a group can be the best or the worst riding experience, depending on two things. One – are you ready to ride in a group situation? And two – how does the group behave?

Part 1: Your Skill
Let’s look at your own skill level and preparedness first. Can you execute these maneuvers on your bike easily and with control, and have you developed these assets in yourself as a rider?
a. Quick stop
b. U-turn
c. Know basic hand signals to communicate with other riders
d. Steady throttle at any given speed
e. Steady, clean lane position without wavering
f. Use your mirrors frequently to know who/what is behind you
g. Mastered in 2-4-12 second distance assessment
h. Adept at anticipating issues and taking measures to prevent them before they actually happen
i. Ride without panic or fear

If the answer to any of the above is a NO, then my advice would be to avoid group rides with people you do not know, or have never ridden with, until all your answers to the above are YES.
If you are a work in progress, either ride by yourself until you get your skills together, or ride with one, but no more than two other riders who are more experienced. They can help you with your skills, give you feedback on situations and decisions you make, and get you to all yeses a lot faster.

Part 2: The Pack
Now, let’s get to the group behavior part. This is far tougher. I’ve ridden with experienced riders, in packs of vintage bikes, modern bikes, mixed old and new, all women, all men except me, mixed women and men, small groups, large groups, you name it. Every group has its challenges, and often you don’t anticipate what they might be till you are faced with it.

Pre-ride
Not all groups go through a pre-ride meeting where they review the route, hand signals, introduce the lead and the sweep, etc. If they do, pay attention. If you have never ridden with the group before, it is best to take a position toward the back of the pack and watch how they ride. This gives you quite a few advantages. You can see how well they communicate and ride together. You’ll see how they handle road situations, and you’ll see what kind of pace they set.

Peeling Off – When and How to Do It
If there is anything about what the pack is doing that you don’t like – whether it is riding faster than you feel you can handle, drinking more than riding, taking risks and riding recklessly, or whatever – if you are at the back of the pack, you can peel off and leave the group safely enough. However, if you choose to peel off from the group, always let someone in the group know that you are leaving. If you can catch the rider in front of you, do that, and signal that you are out. If the reason you are peeling off is because they sped off and left you in the dust, stop, text at least one person in the group that you have peeled off to do your own ride, and then go your own way.

Generally groups will speed ahead and then stop to wait for stragglers to catch up. If they stop to wait for you and you don’t show up, they won’t know why. It’s best to make sure you have told someone, but worst case a text or voicemail will do – most everyone obsessively checks their phones anyway, so it’s very likely they will get the message before too long.

Hanging with the Pack
But let’s say the group you are with is holding a steady, comfortable speed. There is a fine line between leaving enough space between bikes and leaving so much that the group gets too stretched out and people get left behind at traffic lights and intersections, or they miss a turn on a road because they couldn’t see where the pack went. So be aware of how much space you leave between you and the bike in front of you. Also, make sure that early on, you take note of whether their tail light, brake light and turn signals are working. If you are depending on a brake light to let you know when they are slowing, and the brake light is out, you could run right up their fender before you even realize it.

Be on Your Guard
Group riding requires a heightened sense of your surroundings. Yes, in some ways, you feel you can relax because you are part of a group and everyone sees you. Never count on that. And even so, you still have a microcosm of the road within your group. Everyone is making decisions as they ride, and you don’t know what the other riders are going to do in any given situation.

Communicate
Communication is very important – and you communicate in very basic ways. Don’t engine brake (downshift to slow down) without at least tapping your brakes so the riders behind you can see that you are slowing down before you do it.

Use hand signals AND turn signals every single time you turn, or change lanes, regardless of your position in the pack and regardless of whether everyone else is doing so or not. Your turn signals may not be as visible and you think, and you are communicating with all the bikes and traffic behind you, so a turn signal and a hand signal combined give you the best chance of not having a bike or car ride up your fender.

Let riders behind you know about road hazards/conditions. Point out anything that you are getting ready to avoid – dead animal, pot hole, debris, gravel, grass, etc. When you are riding in a pack, you cannot see road hazards in time to avoid them.

Most important, do not panic or make a quick, reactive move unless you KNOW you can do so without taking another bike out. Here’s a little example from personal experience. I was with one other bike, and I had GPS, so I was leading from LP1 (the left third of the lane). My partner was following me, staggered about a car length back in LP3 (the right third of the lane). We made a left turn, no problem, then my GPS called for a right turn almost immediately.

If I made that right turn out of reflex, I would have turned into my partner on his oncoming bike. We both would have gone down, and I might have lost a limb from a t-bone style impact. Instead, I hit my turn signal and gave a right hand signal, immediately throttled back/downshifted, but stayed put in my lane position. He roared past me, then I safely made the turn and stopped to wait for him to turn around and come back, which he did. Instead of us both ending up in the hospital, we continued our ride with nothing more than a “Whew! That was close!” Even so, my heart was in my throat, grateful that I’d had the presence of mind to tread water for that second it took for him to get past me.

This covers the basics. I could go on for pages about how to ride in a group, but beyond the above gets too overwhelming for a rider trying to learn the ropes. Get this stuff down, pay attention to other riders, and what they do, ask questions, and be clear about your intentions when you ride with others.

There is something wonderful about gliding through the night on a bike. You see the landscape so differently, and often the air is cooler and smells cleaner. However, dark roads can hide all sorts of traps for motorcycles, so you can enjoy a nighttime cruise, but you have to know how to do it as safely as possible.
Obviously, you do not have a full picture of what is around you because it is dark. Even on familiar roads, if you don’t see it, you may forget it is there – like that field where deer like to cross over to feed, or that really big pothole in the right side of the lane, or that driveway where you have never seen anyone pull out of before. Use the following strategies to make your night riding safe and enjoyable:
If you are riding alone, take it easy. Don’t out ride your headlights, and if you know you are going to do a good bit of night riding, I would recommend that you get a headlight that gives you the widest possible beam. Mine, with my spots as well, light up 180 degrees, and shines pretty deep into the sides of the road. With the high deer population where I live, this is critical for me.
Evaluate lane position, following distance. Whether you are alone or with other riders, be vigilant about evaluating your lane position and following distance. Again, because of the deer population, I prefer LP1 at night. This gives me a better chance to react if something does pop out of the dark and end up in the road in front of me. If this means you are riding directly behind a bike in front of you, give that bike more space, but it’s OK to ride single file in LP1.
As cars approach from the opposite direction, I may shade to LP2 just to give them some space until they are past me. To avoid being blinded by the oncoming headlights, either look straight ahead, or to the right shoulder of the road, just like you do when driving a car.
Constant inner dialog of lane position and escape paths. This is even more important to keep going when you are in less-than-desirable riding conditions – dark, rain, wind, setting sun, etc. Keep a constant eye out for problems areas ahead, know what’s behind or beside you, as best you can, be aware of your openings for escape from a situation that may unfold quickly in front of you.
Use of other available light sources. At night, any light source is valuable. Whether it’s a porch light or security on a house, a streetlight, oncoming headlights, headlights from vehicles behind you, or your own bike’s lighting – ALL of it can help you see more than you would with just your own lights alone on a dark road. Use the light of oncoming cars to allow you a good scan of the terrain ahead of you. House and business lights on the sides of the roads can also show you more than you will see with your own headlights. Be resourceful. Use everything you can to your advantage to give yourself the most information you can get about what you are riding into.
While I don’t intend to make riding in the dark sound overly treacherous, the truth is, in many areas of the country, wild animals – deer in particular where I live – start moving at dusk. Hitting a deer in a car causes massive damage. I’ve known people who have hit deer on their bikes. They all survived, with varying injuries from none, to road rash and broken bones. But their bikes were a different story. So when I say use every light resource available, it is sound advice if you ride at night.

Strategies for Gear and Approach to Riding: I don’t know anyone who truly likes to ride in the rain. Now, on a scorching hot day, riding through a quick passover shower feels great, but I’m talking real rain. Dark clouds, rain pounding the pavement, everything is soaked. That kind of rain. No one likes riding in that. But if you’re on a trip, or out on a ride and the weather turns on you, you don’t have a lot of choices. Sometimes you can wait it out. Sometimes. But more often than not, you just suck it up and roll with it.
There are a couple things you can do to make the entire experience a lot more tolerable. One, is to make sure you have the right gear, and know how to wear it. The other is to know how to approach a wet road and a wet bike. Riding technique and good judgment are everything.
Gear: There are quite a few brands of rain gear available. Ask people you know who have rain gear and who have used it – would they recommend it? How easy is it to get on and off? Is it completely water tight when you put it on correctly? Would they buy it again if they needed a new set? I have good rain gear, but even good gear isn’t completely water tight unless you zip it up all the way and use the Velcro flaps that cover the zipper.
Always get a rain jacket with a hood, and preferably elastic draw strings on it. When you put the jacket on, put the hood up, and put your helmet on over the hood. If you wear a ½ or ¾ helmet, pull the drawstrings snug, until basically the only part of your face that shows is your eyes and nose. This keeps the rain from running down your neck in the front or back, and you will stay nice and dry. Yes you will look like you are wearing a motorcycle burka, but who cares if you are dry?
Spend the 15 bucks or so to get a pair of boot covers, or “gaiters.” They have a flexible rubber sole, and they have zipper/Velcro access just like a pair of boots. Pop those on over your boots first. Fasten them tight around your calves. Pull your rain pants on and then put your rain jacket on, with the hood up as described. Now, any place the water is going to run down your body, it will stay OUTSIDE your gear. If you tuck your rain pants into the gaiters, the water will run right down and pool inside your gaiters and your leather boots. Any idea how long it takes for leather boots to dry if they get soaked with rain? Days. Seriously. Days.
I have not found a good set of waterproof gloves, so I either suck it up and wear my regular gloves, which get soaked, or I ride without gloves, which allows a little bit of rain to get inside my sleeves. Best bet, and this is something on my shopping list too, is to find some waterproof gloves or glove covers. Even better if they are a little long through the wrist, like a gauntlet, so they keep the water out of your sleeves.
Often you hear of people’s rain gear melting on their pipes. The legs in the rain pants are very wide to allow for a one-size-fits-most situation, let you slide them on without taking your boots off, and to allow the gear to fit loosely, which is much more comfortable since you may have multiple layers on underneath already. The best way to avoid a meltdown is to tie something around each pant leg to keep the loose material from flapping around and hitting your pipes. Some people use duct tape, which means you have to carry a roll of it in your saddle bag. I found some Velcro straps that have a plastic ‘buckle’ that the Velcro loops through. They are about 2” wide. Once I get my boot covers and rain pants on, I wrap the straps around each of my calves, and this keeps my rain pants from melting.
My basic rain gear – the jacket and pants – came in a drawstring pouch. It is large enough that I can slide my gaiters and the two Velcro straps into that same pouch, and I toss it in my saddlebag at the beginning of the season. That gear lives on my bike all season. I never leave home without it. If I switch bikes, the gear goes with whichever bike I’m riding that day.
Now with all this stuff on, you are going to feel awkward, and the first time you wear the gaiters, you may feel like you don’t have a lot of traction. It takes some getting used to. Take your time. Reacquaint yourself with all of your controls. They will feel different with all the covers on your hands and feet. Make sure you can turn your head left and right without restriction since you now have a hood on under your helmet.
Do not rush. Don’t rush putting your gear on, don’t rush through getting back on the road, and don’t rush your riding techniques. When you put your feet down at stops, pay extra attention to the surface for oil, but also grit and debris that may have washed across the road. Be very deliberate about putting your feet firmly down on the pavement. This can help you prevent losing traction and possibly dropping your bike.
Again, I cannot say this enough times. Do. Not. Rush.
Riding Techniques: The first thing to remember about a wet surface, is that your traction is compromised. Although it is too late once you are in the situation to actually fix any tire issues you may have, this is why riding with correct air pressure in your tires, and enough tread on them is so important. You really should check air pressure and tread depth regularly – if you ride daily, or at least frequently during the week, I’d say check air and tread once a week. If you haven’t ridden your bike in a while, be sure to check air, tread, oil, etc. before you leave the house. It is far easier to fix a problem when it’s in your garage, than it is to deal with it on the road side.
However, I digress. Traction. In rain, you do not have as much traction as on dry pavement. What does this mean in terms of riding technique?

1. In general, separate turning from braking. Slow for your turn, get off the brake and clutch, and make your turn.
2. Be extra smooth with front and rear brakes, and apply less pressure than you would on dry pavement. What does this mean? You need more distance for stopping. Leave more space between yourself and the vehicle in front of you. Begin slowing for turns, stops, exits, etc. sooner.
3. Avoid riding over or through the following: painted lines and marks on the pavement, particularly the thick, slick turn arrows; manhole covers; metal construction plates; metal deck bridges; puddles (could hide a pothole); black tar used in crack repairs (tar snakes); areas of the road that look oily (shiny, or water beads up on the surface, or you see an ‘oil rainbow’); high water of any kind.
4. Take it a little slower than usual. Don’t go so slow that you create danger for yourself on the road. Remember visibility is reduced for everyone in rainy conditions, so you want to maintain the speed limit unless all traffic is slowed by the conditions. Maintain your safety margins with the vehicles in front of you, read their brake lights so you know that traffic ahead is slowing. Keep your eyes up, and stay aware of your surroundings.
5. Once you experience rain, you’ll realize it’s not horrible, but it does require an extra bit of caution, and if you have the proper gear, and wear it correctly, you will stay dry.

Road conditions are something we deal with minute by minute every time we ride. Surfaces that we think nothing of when we are in a car, all of a sudden become treacherous when we are on a bike. Since all bikes are different – size, weight, center of gravity, horsepower, tires/tread – it is difficult to say, OK, when you are on this kind of surface, you are going to experience this with your bike. I’ve been on milled pavement and metal bridge decks with bikes that felt like they were absolutely going to slide sideways any moment. And I’ve been on those same surfaces with bikes that were stable and solid, with no real handling reaction to the surface itself.
So, you won’t know until you know. Not helpful, right?! Sorry. That’s what it is. However, and there is always a however… There are certain rules of thumb that can help you work through the inevitable situation, where you are out on this great ride and all of a sudden you hit a construction zone with milled pavement. Or whatever.
As with any situation on a bike, do not panic. Downshift or get off the throttle, and get the bike to what feels like a manageable speed to you, as quickly as you can without making sudden movements. If a manageable speed is 2nd gear, then it is 2nd gear. Avoid grabbing the front brake. If you have to brake, use your rear brake only, unless you really have to reduce speed, then apply both brakes very gently and evenly. Keep your handlebars straight, keep your head and eyes up, looking ahead. Keep correct posture. This all helps the bike’s stability, which will help you deal with this new situation.
Try not to stop on a tough surface. If you are having trouble navigating it, try to creep your way through it slowly, but if you stop, it may be harder to get the bike moving again because you need a certain amount of engine rpm and tire traction to move the bike, and you may be too uncomfortable to give the bike what it needs. If you are that unnerved, just keep going, best you can, tell yourself it will be over soon, and then celebrate when you are out the other side.
So now that the general stuff is covered, let’s look at specifics.

Potholes: Inevitable, particularly in states like my current home state of NY, and the spring reveals a whole new crop of them after the winter plow season. Best strategy – keep an eye out for them, don’t tailgate cars or other bikes, because you will not see potholes quickly enough to avoid them. Second best strategy – practice your swerves. You can quickly swerve around them most of the time.
Worst case – you can’t avoid one, or you get caught off guard. If it’s a shallow one, it may give you a bump, and if it’s the first time you’ve ever hit one, you will now know what it feels like. If it’s deep, it may feel pretty violent, but you have a very good chance of riding it out.
If you can, try to at least ride through the center of the pothole so that your tire drops straight down into it and then pops straight back up and out of it. Hitting the edge of one could send you flying if the edge of the hole just catches the edge of your tire.
Try to get your butt off the seat, because you will get a jolt from the bike dropping and then popping back up. You can bruise your tailbone and that is quite painful and takes a long time to heal.
Ride it out. There isn’t anything that you can really do in that second or two that will help you, except hang on and ride it out. Braking is not advised. Keep your bars straight, stay in control of the bike, and focus on ‘sticking the landing.’

Debris: This is a very good reason to scan as far ahead of you as possible, and not follow too close to another vehicle, even another bike. If you are following another vehicle too close, you cannot see enough of the oncoming road to deal with unexpected conditions. If you do hit unavoidable debris, depending on what it is, pull over as soon as it is safe to do so, and check your bike. Tires/wheels, chain or belt, behind saddlebags, front fork, fairings, etc. Make sure nothing sharp has punctured or torn anything – tires, oil lines, covers on brake lines, cables, etc. If it was something soft, make sure it has not wrapped around your wheel, chain or belt.

Tar “snakes”: There are a lot of nicknames for these, but I’m referring to the black tar they use to seal cracks in concrete roads. These can get slippery in rainy conditions, and greasy in the heat. Even in normal conditions, they offer no traction. Stay off of them if at all possible. Some roads seem to be covered with these buggers, and it can be difficult to stay off of them. Treat them with caution. No sudden movements. Your rear tire may feel like it is dancing underneath you. That’s the lack of traction. Make slow, gentle moves to get your bike on good pavement. Again, rear brake only, and only if you have to. Even downshifting might be too much, so if you have to slow down, roll off the throttle and allow the bike to slow itself to a speed where you are more comfortable.

If I have to choose between rough or broken pavement and tar snakes, I’ll take the rough surface any day.

Milled/grooved pavement: This is a surface that may or may not affect the way your bike feels under you. You may feel like your tires are dancing, or that they are being pulled to one side or another with the lines in the pavement. Or you may feel nothing at all, except the change in texture of the road. Again, throttle down or downshift gently to slow if needed. Rear brake, gently, and only if needed. Watch for sudden potholes, cracks and all sorts of ugly road, since the milling process removes the top layers of asphalt to reveal all the stuff it was smoothing out. Keep your head and eyes up, keep looking ahead for the best line to follow so that you aren’t swerving from lane position to lane position to avoid the craters and whatever else has been exposed.

Metal bridge decks: These can be slippery if they are wet, and like milled pavement, some bikes will react more severely to them than others. Throttle down before you cross, rear brake only if necessary, look straight ahead, keep a steady throttle, and don’t make any sudden moves.

Railroad tracks: Any time you see railroad tracks, even if the speed limit for the road is 45-55 mph, slow down. I tend to cross tracks I’m unfamiliar with in 2nd gear. Slow your approach and find the most level spot to cross. Sometimes the paths that car tires take will be more uneven than either the middle path between, or the path on either side of where car tires travel. Be aware of gravel and other loose stuff, bits of metal, debris, etc. Another reason to slow down across tracks. They are a catch-spot for all sorts of unfriendly stuff. As with all the other road conditions, back to basics: bars square, no sudden movements, rear brake preferable, if both brakes, smooth and even pressure.

Gravel: There are all types of gravel. The fine crusher run that packs down tight isn’t too bad. Use the basics: throttle down, 1st or 2nd gear, stay in the friction zone if you need to, bars square, no sudden movements, rear brake preferable, if both brakes, smooth and even pressure. Larger size gravel, loose gravel, deep gravel, and gravel scattered over a hard surface – all of these are much harder to navigate.
For the first three – large gravel, loose gravel and deep gravel – it’s best to maintain steady speed and momentum. Keep your bike moving! If you have to stop in the stuff, it is much tougher to get moving again. Stay steady and ride it out. If it’s a parking lot, try to position yourself such that you can leave without making any tight turns, or have to back up. Use a kickstand puck to keep your kickstand from sinking into the gravel, and potentially making your bike tip over.
For the last situation – gravel scattered over a hard surface – slow down. Slow and steady wins the race here. Gravel on hard surfaces will move around a lot more than gravel on gravel, and is far less forgiving. If you have to stop, be careful putting your feet down, and this is one time when I would suggest putting both feet down at the same time, while gently finishing your stop with the front brake – I know – I say stay off the front brake, but at this point, you are simply finishing a stop, not starting it – there is a big difference. Make sure you get firm footing. I tend to put my feet down closer to my bike than normal, so if my foot does slide out a little, I’ve got a chance that it won’t slide so far that I lose my balance completely.

Doubtless you have learned the basic riding skills and techniques, but there are a few things that often don’t get taught at first. Mostly because coaches try to keep the information simple for new riders. Learning to ride is overwhelming, so keeping things simple is a good strategy, but once you get the basic skills down, it’s time to start learning the finer points. These are just a few that I have picked up along the way, and they only scratch the surface. The best way to get better is to talk to other riders, ask questions, take more riding classes – there are so many classes available, depending on your interest and riding style.

Downshifting smoothly: This is the big one. Once I learned how to do this, I was a totally different rider. I knew how to drive a stick shift before I started riding, and I knew how to downshift, but I never knew this technique until I started riding. So let’s say you are in 5th gear, doing 55 mph on a two-lane, and you come to a small town where the speed limit drops from 55 to 30. Like. Now. So you downshift. If you just downshift, the bike is going to lurch and throw you forward. You can brake and downshift, but this method takes longer to get from 55 to 30.

To execute a smooth downshift, you use a quick throttle blip along with the downshift, and you can slow the bike down quickly and smoothly. Here’s how it goes. I’m riding at 55 in 5th gear, hand on the throttle and I see the Reduce Speed 30 mph sign. I pull in the clutch, kick the bike down to 4th, give the throttle a quick blip so the rpms rise gently, and I let the clutch out. Now I’m in 4th gear, and the bike is probably around 40 mph. I can apply both brakes just a bit to get to 30 mph at this point, or I can downshift once more, using the same technique, to 3rd gear, depending on my gear ratio, how quickly I feel I need to get to 30 mph, etc.

I also use this to kick down gears as I approach a traffic light. This accomplishes two things. First, I’m slowing down incrementally, nice and smooth, and I’m not on the brake, so I can still react to vehicles doing silly things in front of me, like changing lanes unexpectedly. Second, if the light turns green, I can very easily match speed with the traffic ahead of me and roll through without having to stop or ‘tread water’ on the bike while traffic gets going.

Once you get a handle on this technique, you will find so many ways to apply it.

Smooth stopping: This seems to be one of the hardest things to learn. I still get a wonky stop happening once in a while. Three techniques that work together on this one. The downshift technique above – this keeps you from braking hard, keeps the front of the bike from diving on you, and helps you maintain good control of the bike.

The second technique is that one that they preach endlessly in the MSF course: head and eyes. There is a reason they preach this. Keeping your head and eyes up keeps your body upright, which, in turn keeps your center of gravity where it should be, and prevents any pull on the bars from your arms and shoulders dropping, etc. It also keeps your eyes watching the traffic ahead, the traffic light if there is one, etc. All of this keeps the bike moving in a straight line instead of wobbling. Every time I have a wonky stop, it’s because I didn’t have my head and eyes up for some reason.

The third technique is one that you should have a pretty firm handle on if you have been riding for a while, and if you are a newer rider, it is one that you absolutely must master. It is balanced braking, with a light, smooth front brake. Balanced braking refers to applying front and back brakes simultaneously, with even pressure on both.

At the end of your stop, you will need to put a foot down. If you can balance your bike with one foot, learn to put your left foot down first, so that you can hold the foot brake with your right along with the hand brake. If you cannot easily balance your bike with one foot, you will need to take your right foot off the rear brake, and complete the stop with your front brake. This is where things can get sloppy. If you have not already been smooth and gentle with the front brake when you were applying both brakes, you are not going to be able to all of a sudden change what you have started. When you come off that back brake, you are already set up to stab that front brake too hard, and at best, you will have a sloppy, jerky stop. At worst, the front end of the bike will dive hard, and you will drop the bike. If you handlebars are turned even the slightest bit, I guarantee you, you will drop the bike when it dives.

Practice, practice, practice. Downshift smoothly, apply both brakes evenly, head and eyes up, complete the stop.

Starting from a complete stop: This is another one that seems simple enough, but can be tricky to get smooth. The one thing that can be a game changer for you is that throttle blip you learned in the downshift section. The thing that keeps a motorcycle stable and vertical, is engine rpms. A bike at idle does not produce enough rpms to keep the bike stable and vertical on its own. Clearly. You have to have at least one foot on the ground when the bike is at idle, right?

So when you go to try and get the bike moving from a complete stop, it is idling. Idling = unstable. Yes, you can give it throttle, find the friction zone, ease the clutch out, ease on the throttle, and probably take a couple steps, and get the bike moving. That works, and as you get more experience, you get better at it. Or. You can pull the clutch in, drop the bike into 1st gear, blip the throttle, let the clutch out and take off. When you blip the throttle, you raise the rpms into a zone where the bike stabilizes more quickly for you. Instead of having to take those couple steps because you are still raising the rpms by coordinating the clutch and throttle, you just skipped that step and went right to ‘go.’

Holding a bike on an incline/decline: Holding on a decline is not a huge deal because gravity is working with you. Once you are ready to take off, you just go. As you let off the brake, the bike starts to roll, and you get into the throttle and you’re off.

Holding on an incline can be tricky if you are not practiced at supporting the bike with only your left foot. If you are like me, and live in a relatively flat area, mountain riding only happens once or twice a season, so I still have to think through these skills when I’m faced with the situation. The most important thing to remember is to do one thing at a time, and don’t rush yourself. If you ride a lighter bike, you may be able to hold it on a hill with just the front brake and quickly manage the clutch and throttle without it rolling backward too far. However, that is really not the best plan.

If you are in the habit of stopping with both brakes, and finishing with just your front brake, you have a couple options. First, if you can, finish your stop with both brakes. You can release the front brake once you are stopped, and when you are ready to start up, your right hand is free to manage just the throttle. Second, if you finish your stop with just the front brake, get the bike situated, get comfortable, and then apply the rear brake and release the front brake. It’s an extra step, but don’t rush it. If you are not used to hilly terrain with stops on steep grades, they can throw you. They require a second more thought, and a little different technique.

Remember, the bike is most unstable at idle, so really take your time. Make sure you have good, solid footing – a lot of mountain roads also have a lot of loose gravel, stones and rocks scattered at intersections. Take your time, and do one thing at a time. Execute your smooth stop just like you are on a flat road. Make certain you are in 1st gear. Then get your footing. Shift the bike underneath you if you need to, to balance it with your left foot. Then get your rear brake pressed, and release your front brake. Talk yourself through it if you have to.

When you are ready to take off, keep pressure on the rear brake even as you are giving the bike throttle and releasing the clutch. That extra microsecond of brake keeps the bike from rolling backwards, and it won’t affect your efforts to move forward, because the bike needs that microsecond to get stable at higher rpm and get moving forward. Using the throttle blip is a good option here. It gets the bike out of idle quickly, and allows you to engage the clutch a little quicker. So hold the rear brake, hold the clutch, make sure you are in 1st gear. Blip the throttle as you let the clutch out. As soon as you feel the bike pull against the rear brake, release the rear brake gently. And you’re off.

Keeping a steady throttle and understanding the “taut” throttle: When you first start riding, there are so many things to master, and often you find yourself in the wrong gear because you were thinking about something else completely. Once you start getting it together, and your riding skills are turning into muscle memory, you can start fine tuning certain things. Throttle work is one of those things.

Steady Throttle: The first thing you want to work on is mastering a steady throttle. Start by trying to maintain a steady speed on the road. It may be harder than it sounds. Decide what speed you want to maintain, let’s say 35 mph, and practice keeping the throttle steady at 35 mph. Once you get this mastered, then practice it in a parking lot at a slower speed. It’s harder to do in 2nd gear at say 15 mph. But figure it out. It just takes practice. Then take it down to 1st gear with the friction zone. Keep a steady throttle and a steady mph.

Taut Throttle: This steady throttle makes everything else easier, but there is another factor – the transmission. Ideally, you want to keep what I call a ‘taut’ throttle when you ride. Imagine a rope. When it’s taut, it has tension in it, so if you tie a rope around something that you want to drag, you have to pull all the slack out of the rope before it becomes taut. Once it is taut, it can finally start acting on the thing you want to drag. If it gets too taut, the rope can snap. Not taut enough, and it is ineffective.

So apply this idea to your bike. The engine and transmission work together. Generally, you shift up to a higher gear as you speed up, and shift down as you slow down. However, you can go 35 mph in 2nd gear or 5th gear. What’s the difference? Think of the rope. Doing 35 mph in 2nd gear is like pulling that rope too tight. Now your transmission is not going to snap like a rope would, of course, but you will hear the engine wind out at high rpms, which is unhealthy for the engine.

Conversely, doing 35 mph in 5th gear may work – the engine probably won’t sound like it’s bogging down, but if you give it more throttle to speed up, the bike is going to lag, and it is not going to respond like you want it to. So there is slack in the rope.

Keeping the bike in the right gear for the engine rpm, or speed, gives you a taut throttle. It is responsive to acceleration, and deceleration. So this is where you have the rope tied around that object and you are dragging it.

Practice keeping a taut throttle. Find the correct balance between your transmission and your engine rpm. If you have a tachometer on your bike, you can use it in combination with your speedometer to help you find that balance. You will also learn to determine what gear you are in by a quick check of tach and speedo.

Why is this so important? Many, many reasons, including the following:
• You get better, and more consistent gas mileage when you aren’t winding the engine out or bogging it down. (And you don’t sound like an amateur when you ride.)
• You will naturally handle turns and curves with more skill, because you will always be in the correct gear for your speed.
• You will have the best possible control over your bike. If you are in the correct gear for your speed and you ask the bike for more speed, it will respond without any lag time. This may not sound like a big deal until you have to speed up to avoid a situation. You need every portion of a second you can get.
• You will handle hills more efficiently. If you are going uphill, and you are in too high of a gear, the bike will bog down and it may actually stall out before you can downshift into the correct gear. But if you are in the correct gear for your speed and when you hit that uphill, you can feel the bike slow, and you have time to decide whether to give it more throttle, or downshift.

Proper curve approach and exit: This is one that causes most all riders a lot of stress at first, and it’s a ‘use it or lose it’ skill. I don’t live in an area where there are lots of curvy roads. There are a few, but nothing like my friends in PA or TN, or many other places in the country. So when I hit the mountain roads, I still get nervous, and I am not a ‘natural’ at handling curves, but I do get better the longer I’m in that area, and I make sure that, above all, my technique is solid.

Any basic course will teach you that entering the curve at the correct speed, and “looking through the curve” are essential. This is absolutely true, but not all of the story. Now, knee-draggers will have a lot more to say about this subject, but we are talking regular riders who encounter curvy roads in their daily rides.

There are a few factors to consider here: speed, transmission gear, lane position, road conditions, and your overall skill level. Let’s talk about your overall skill level first.

If you are a pretty new rider, your best bet is to slow down, use LP2 – the middle of the lane – as long as road conditions allow, and work on your “press and roll” technique, keeping your head and eyes up. Look as far through the curve as you possibly can.
Things to work on:
• Keeping a taut throttle – i.e., the bike is always in the correct gear for your engine rpms.
• Getting comfortable with approaching a curve in LP1. (This gives you the best visibility through the curve.)
• Accelerating about halfway through the curve, so you exit the curve at a little faster speed than you entered it.

If you are more experienced, and have become used to curves, you are still going to slow down before you approach the curve, but you will more likely approach it from the LP1/LP3 position, (depending on left or right-hand curve) cross to LP2 as you go through the curve and accelerate out of it, crossing, finally to LP3/LP1 (again depending on left or right-hand curve), especially if a curve in the opposite direction is coming up.

So you will use an ‘outside-middle-inside’ position, as opposed to middle-middle-middle that a newer rider might use. Not only is your lane position is slightly different, but you will also begin to accelerate mid-way through the curve to keep the bike stable and actually help you come out of the lean.

Things to remember, in general, regarding curves:
• Taut throttle – if anything, put the bike in a lower gear than necessary, so you don’t lug the motor and stall in the curve.
• Lane position – entry, mid-point, exit.
• Accelerate halfway through.
• Your traction is compromised because of the lean angle.
• Stay off the clutch and brake.
• Slow down even more if road conditions are the least bit hazardous: gravel, debris, rain, potholes, etc.
• Just like riding in rain, ask the bike to do ONLY one thing at a time. Brake, then lean.
• If you hit a curve a little too fast, lean more into it. It is counterintuitive – you want to pull up – but if you lean farther into it, the bike will stick in the turn better, instead of sliding out of it.
• Always assume the curve is going to get tighter as you ride through it, unless you know otherwise.

Pulling a heavy bike off the kickstand easily: A Motor Maid taught me this trick when I commented that my new-to-me Road King was an absolute beast to pull off the kickstand. It is ridiculously simple. When you park your bike, you normally turn the bars to the left to keep it stable on the side stand. To lift the bike off the side stand with very little effort, all you have to do is mount up, turn the bars all the way to the right, and then back to straight. The bike will actually pull itself right up off the stand.

This sounds so simple, but the reality is that parking on two wheels requires a bit more thought and planning, especially for a newer rider, than it does when you are in your car. Why? First, you do not have a reverse gear. YOU are reverse. So that’s fun. Second, unless you have a center stand, your bike leans to the left on its kickstand, or side stand, whichever you want to call it. So this makes even the slightest incline or decline in a parking lot require a bit of thought as to how you are going to best position your bike.

When I know I have to park my bike, even if it’s in a lot I am familiar with, often I start planning at least in a general way how I want to enter the lot, and how I want to exit it when I leave. I do this BEFORE I even enter the lot, because it affects my path of travel as soon as I pull in. It may also influence which entrance I’m going to use if there is more than one.

I take into consideration the traffic in the lot, the turns I may need to make, and how much space I will need for them, the degree of incline, the lot surface – concrete, asphalt, gravel, a mix, potholes, patches, etc. – and where the best spot might be for my bike, so it is visible, not likely to get hit by a car, and has space around it so people in cars can open their doors and not smack my bike with the door. This is a lot of thinking, but the more you do it, the more quickly you can process the information and get your bike parked safely.

So let’s look at some of these situations:

How to pick a good parking space/position: In general, the ideal spot is a ‘ride-thru’ or ‘ride-out’ spot. If cars are parked in double rows, like a grocery store parking lot, a ‘ride-thru’ is a spot where you find two empty spaces back to back, and you ride through the first space, and park in the second space, so your bike is headed out of the space. When you come back to the bike, you start it, put it in gear, and ride straight out of the space. Perfect.

The ‘ride-out’ is one where you can easily back in to a space, and you are set up the same way as a ‘ride-thru.’

Your position in the space is also important. I keep my bike pretty much to the center of the space, left to right. So cars can easily open their doors and move around their vehicle without touching my bike.

I shade my bike more toward the ‘front’ of the space – the front being the end of the space that you would normally enter. The reason I shade my bike more toward the front is that when cars are looking for a parking space, they scan the fronts of the spaces. When they see a gap, they swing right in. Right? That’s what we do as drivers. If my bike is further back in the space, and can’t be seen in this scan, then a car might swing into my space and slam my bike before they even realize it’s there.

Dealing with inclines: If you are parking in a space that is on an incline – this is going to often be the spaces in a gas station parking lot near the convenience store – just roll into the space. It will be easy to roll out of because gravity is on your side. It’s a good idea to roll in at a slight angle to the left. Slight angle. Remember your kickstand goes down on the left side, you turn your bars to the left, and the weight of the bike is to the left. So why do you angle the bike slightly that way? It will help keep your bike from rolling, and the weight will actually push the kickstand in the ‘down/forward’ direction. Yes, you can also put your bike in gear, which also keeps it from rolling, but this is a really quick way to make sure your bike stays put, and the kickstand doesn’t fold up on you.

Dealing with declines: You want to turn the decline into an incline. No good comes from parking a bike nose first headed down a decline. First off, you cannot secure the bike from rolling off the kickstand. Second, even a slight decline can be very difficult to back a bike out of, and you may find yourself asking for someone to push you out. So you want to back into a decline space. Once you are backed in, do the exact same things you would do in an incline space. Park the bike slightly to the left, leave it in 1^st gear.

City parking – on street: Riding in a city can be pretty high stress, with denser traffic, buses, pedestrians, one-way streets, sometimes cobblestone or brick surfaces, very often deeply grooved roads, construction zones. It can feel somewhat claustrophobic to ride in a city, so ‘beast mode’ is essential. There are more things in the landscape that work to make you even less visible.

That said, parking can also be a challenge. If you go into a lot or deck structure, it’s pretty easy, but street parking can be interesting. Mostly, you are going to be parallel parking, and the biggest thing you have to be concerned with is being very clear about your intentions to park, so that the vehicle behind you doesn’t make a sudden move that you don’t expect. This is far more likely in a city situation where everyone is just over dealing with traffic and frequent stops, and they are less patient. The quicker you can get out of the line of traffic and into a parking spot, the better.

So for parallel parking, you want to signal clearly as soon as you possibly can. If there is no traffic behind you, parallel park pretty much like you would in a car. Pull up beside the car in front, and walk the bike back and to the right, until you are parked diagonally in the space. You can do one of two things. You can roll all the way back until your rear tire touches, or almost touches the curb, or you can simply park diagonally in the space. Be sure to center your bike so that the cars in front, and behind, have room to get out of their spaces without smashing your bike up. And park diagonally enough that you have very good visibility when you go to pull back into traffic. Always think about how you are going to leave when you are parking. That way, when you come back to the bike, you have set yourself up for success to safely pull out of your space.

If there is traffic behind you, and you have room and time to park as above, be clear about your intentions, and do it that way. If you have a vehicle breathing on your rear fender, best thing is to signal and pull into the space, but pull just inside the left edge of the space, keeping your bike parallel with the curb. When you can, cut the bars hard to the right and back it in at an angle.

It may take a little more work to get the bike positioned correctly, but doing this gets you out of the moving traffic, and in my opinion, that is preferable. Also, I find it is sometimes easier to do tight maneuvers like this with the engine shut off. So I would put the bike in neutral, cut the motor and jockey it into position.

Parking with a group of bikes: This is also much tougher than it should be, mostly because not everyone is on the same page with parking strategies and skills. Also, this is hardly ever discussed if there is any sort of pre-ride meeting. It really should be, because one of the biggest dangers, especially in group riding, is getting in and out of gas stations and parking lots, but especially gas stations. Whoever organizes the ride should take the size of the group into consideration, and choose gas and food stops that will accommodate the entire group easily. Much of this is out of your control, but be aware of these factors, and maybe ask about the stops before you just hop on and go.

When you ride with a group, it’s always best if you can all park together when you stop; however, parking lots aren’t always configured such that this can happen. If a lot is very tight, if the surface is not bike friendly, or if you are at the back of the pack and there ends up being no good, solid spot for your bike, look for a lot nearby where you can park safely, and walk to meet the rest of the group. Chances are, others will follow you. I suggest that, whenever possible, group ride stops should be on the right. Turn right going in, turn right going out. The right turn is the safest turn you can make on a bike, and in a group, even more so. If you are looking for an alternate spot to park, try to get one such that you will be making a right out of that lot to merge with the rest of the group as you are all leaving.

So let’s get to actually parking. Assuming the leader has chosen the destination wisely, there is plenty of room to roll in as a group. The leader should roll in first, and establish the path of travel through the lot and end with their bike parked so they can easily roll out when it is time to leave. Everyone should follow the leader’s path of travel, and line up their bikes so that everyone can roll out in a line and resume their staggered formation when it is time to leave.

How you line up will vary, depending on the situation, but if you have a good leader, they should make it apparent how they want the group to line up. On a group ride, the last thing the leader wants to do is ‘collect people’ when they are trying to pull out onto the road. Parking should be easy in, easy out. The easier you make it for the leader to lead, the better and safer experience everyone will have.

Something I see often is that if there are spaces against a curb, riders don’t ride close enough to the curb to get into a good parking alignment with the rest of the bikes. Then you have bikes pulling past bikes, the last bikes in line stopping and waiting, sometimes the very last bikes will be stuck on the road waiting to get into the lot. This is all really dangerous stuff. You should be able to ride pretty close to the curb, let’s say it’s on your right, then slow down, turn your bars hard left, pull through the space a little ways, and then roll back, putting your bike at a close but comfortable distance from the bike that was in front of you and just parked. At a certain point, the last bikes will have to pull past the parked bikes and back into their spaces because they will run out of curb.

Pulling in and out of gas stations can get chaotic very quickly. Some riders need gas, some don’t. You have other vehicles to contend with. And my favorite, those concrete swells around the gas wells in the lot. Those can ruin your day pretty quickly if you aren’t paying attention. You also have to watch for gas and oil spills particularly around the pumps, and the ‘kitty litter’ they put down to absorb spills is treacherous. Ideally, the bikes that need gas should go through the pumps all in the same direction, so bikes aren’t crossing bikes trying to pull away from the pump.

The bikes who do not need gas, and the bikes that do, but there was not room at the pumps, should try to gather in one spot, away from the pumps, out of the main traffic pattern of the gas station, and wait. As pumps clear, those who need gas pull in from the same direction as the previous bikes entered – again – avoid bikes crossing bikes. And the bikes leaving the pumps pull over to the waiting group. Try to keep your group chaos to a minimum. Be orderly, and organized, and you reduce the chances for accidents.

In any of these situations, you will find some of the same basic issues previously discussed. You will find inclines, declines, less than ideal surfaces, etc. If you have already figured out your strategies for these, all the better.

Parking in a ‘car’ space: This has already been addressed in the other sections, but it bears repeating. When you park in a car-sized space, put your bike in the center side-to-side, so that cars on either side of you can more than easily open their doors without smacking your bike up.

Position your bike more toward the front of the space, so that cars trolling for an open space can see your bike easily and not think it’s an empty space, and hit your bike when they swing into what they think is an empty space.

You can easily park two bikes in one car space, but there is a good way to do it, and many other ways that aren’t so great. With two bikes, park them facing the same way, to take advantage of the kickstand lean. Regardless, keep the bikes toward the center of the parking space, just like parking a single bike, but shade to the right of the space slightly because both bikes are going to lean to the left on the kickstands. Pull one bike farther through the space, so it is close to the front of the parking space – probably closer to the front that if you were parking in that space by yourself. Leave the other bike further back in the space. If you do this right, you should be able to park the bikes pretty close together, and each rider still has all the room they need to dismount.

This strategy covers all the bases. Bikes are safely parked, can be seen by trolling vehicles, and are far enough from the sides of the space that parked cars won’t hit the bikes with their doors.

When I ride, especially on the highway, I go into what I call “beast mode.” Although it sounds aggressive, it is not. It is the idea that I own the patch of pavement, AND the safety buffer around me, at all times. I own it, I control it, and I will not give it to you. The way I got to this mindset was doing the following things.

What if vs. If/Then: Navigating traffic is probably the biggest stressor to new riders. You feel invisible, vulnerable, exposed, inadequately coordinated. What if you dump the clutch? What if you drop the bike? What if, what if, what if? First thing you want to do is work on your basic skills until you eliminate most of those skill “what ifs” from the list that plays through your head.

The next thing you need to do is replace the” what if” dialog with “if/then” dialog. For example, instead of thinking: “What if the car stopped at the stop sign ahead on the right doesn’t see me and pulls out in front of me?” Change the dialog to: “I just moved to LP1 to make myself more visible to that car stopped at the side street ahead on the right. If the car doesn’t see me and pulls out in front of me, then I’ve got my brakes and clutch covered, I know I can either swerve to the right, use the right shoulder if I have to, and hopefully pass behind him, OR I am going slow enough to do a safe e-stop, OR there is nothing oncoming, so if the car pulls out and then sees me and stops, I can swerve into the oncoming lane and pass him.

Practice this dialog any time you are in a moving vehicle. Whether you are driving your car, riding as a passenger in a car, but especially when you are on your bike. Eliminate “what if.” Replace it with “If/Then.”

Lane position / following distance / blind spots: Lane position is everything when it comes to being visible. You can wear the brightest colors, and have the loudest pipes, but if you are not in an effective lane position, or worse, if you are camping in a vehicle’s blind spot, you may as well be a gnat. As you ride, you take in the ever-changing situation. Your If/then dialog should be running constantly as you ride. Note your lane position – can the vehicles around you see you? Are you in a car or truck’s blind spot? Can you see the driver’s face in their side mirror? What is your following distance in relation to your speed? Remember the 2 second rule? Where are your outs if a vehicle makes an erratic or unexpected move? What lanes are open?

The 4 and 12-second distance / clues to proactive riding: One of the biggest factors in feeling like you own the piece of pavement you are riding on is being able to anticipate traffic movement well ahead of time. As you look at the vehicle immediately in front of you, shift your attention to the vehicles in front of that one, then down the road as far as you can see. What are you seeing? Are brake lights lighting up? Are the rear ends of cars popping up? Is it only one side rising or dipping, like there is a bump or dip in the road, or both sides, indicating a quick brake application? As they go over bridge transitions, are the cars bouncing, indicating that you better get your butt off your seat before you approach?

Put yourself in the side mirror of the car in front of you. If you pass a vehicle, don’t dawdle. Get past that vehicle smoothly and quickly. Be prepared to move from LP3 in the left lane to LP1 in the left lane if that vehicle decides to come over into your lane while you are passing because somehow, they did not see you.

If you are passing a line of cars, treat each vehicle individually. Pass one. Reestablish your visibility, pass the next one, etc. Never assume that a line of cars is going to remain a steady block of vehicular steel for you to pass. Within that line of cars, there will be drivers who want to get OUT of that line and get around in front. Be wary of quick moves in that line. If you are passing the entire line, each driver does not have a lot of time to see you, so between when they decide to make a move, and when they (maybe) head check your lane, you could be right where they want to put themselves.

You can get a great deal of information off the back ends of the vehicles in front of you. Use every bit of information you have access to at all times to tell you what the road is going to throw at you. I cannot stress the value of this strategy enough. It has saved me time and time again. Even better, if you are in an unfamiliar area, run a GPS app on your phone (you should seriously consider a handlebar mount for your phone for just such a purpose). I mount mine just beside my right mirror, so it becomes part of my mirror sweep. Running a GPS app, even without a destination punched in, will show you the traffic patterns that are coming up. That way you don’t have to guess at which side the exit is on, how sharp a curve is going to be, what lane to be in for the highway exit coming up, where the intersection for that road is, and how far away you are, etc. This is a huge information source for you.

Armed with all of this information, you become a proactive rider. Translation: beast mode. You are in control of as much of your ride as is humanly possible. Yes, there are still situations that you cannot anticipate or control, but you have reduced that to the smallest number of situations possible.