50 tips for motorcyclists

I thought these were pretty good (Thanks to Louisville Vintage Motorworks):

1. Assume you're invisible.
To a lot of drivers, you are. Never make a move based on the
assumption that another driver sees you, even if you've made eye
contact. Bikes don't register to the four-wheel mind.

2. Be considerate.
The consequences of strafing the jerk du jour or cutting him off,
start out bad and get worse. Pretend it was your grandma and smile.

3. Dress for the crash, not the pool or the pub.
Sure, McDonald's is a 5-minute trip, but nobody plans to eat pavement.
Modern mesh gear means 100-degree heat and is no excuse for a T-shirt
and board shorts.

4. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
Assume that car across the intersection will turn across your bow when
the light goes green, with or without a turn signal.

5. Leave your ego at home.
The only people who really care if you were faster on the freeway will
be the officer and the judge.

6. Pay attention.
Yes, there is a half-naked girl on the billboard. That shock does
feels squishy. Meanwhile, you could be drifting toward Big Trouble.
Focus.

7. Mirrors only show you part of the picture.
Never change direction without turning your head to make sure the
coast really is clear.

8. Be patient.
Always take another second or three before you pull out to pass, ride
away from a curb or into freeway traffic from an on-ramp. It's what
you don't see that gets you. That extra look could save your butt.

9. Watch your closing speed.
Passing cars at twice their speed or changing lanes to shoot past a
row of stopped cars is just asking for trouble.

10. Beware the verge and the merge.
A lot of nasty surprises end up on the sides of the road: empty
McDonald's bags, nails, TV antennas, ladders, you name it. Watch for
troublesome debris on both sides of the road.

11. Left-turning cars remain a leading killer of motorcyclists.
Don't assume someone will wait for you to dart through the
intersection. They're trying to beat the light, too.

12. Beware of cars running traffic lights.
The first few seconds after a signal light changes are the most
perilous. Look both ways before barging into an intersection.

13. Check your mirrors.
Do it every time you change lanes, slow down or stop. Be ready to move
if another vehicle is about to occupy the space you'd planned to use.

14. Mind the gap.
Remember Drivers Ed? One seconds worth of distance per 10 mph is the
old rule of thumb. Better still, scan the next 12 seconds ahead for
potential trouble.

15 Beware of boy racers.
They're quick and their drivers tend to be aggressive. Don't assume
you've beaten one away from a light or outpaced it in traffic and
change lanes without looking. You could end up as a civic hood
ornament.

16. Excessive entrance speed hurts.
Its the leading cause of single-bike accidents on twisty roads and
racetracks. In Slow, Out Fast is the old adage, and it still works.
Dialing up corner speed is safer than scrubbing it off.

17. Don't trust that deer whistle.
Ungulates and other feral beasts prowl at dawn and dusk, so heed those
big yellow signs. If you're riding in a target-rich environment, slow
down and watch the shoulders.

18. Learn to use both brakes.
The front does most of your stopping, but a little rear brake on
corner entry can calm a nervous chassis.

19. Keep the front brake covered always.
Save a single second of reaction time at 60 mph and you can stop 88
feet shorter. Think about that.

20. Look where you want to go.
Use the miracle of target fixation to your advantage. The motorcycle
goes where you look, so focus on the solution instead of the problem.

21. Keep your eyes moving.
Traffic is always shifting, so keep scanning for potential trouble.
Don't lock your eyes on any one thing for too long unless you're
actually dealing with trouble.

22. Think before you act.
Careful whipping around that mica going 7 kph in a 30-kph zone or you
could end up with your head in the drivers side door when he turns
into the driveway right in front of you.

23. Raise your gaze.
Its too late to do anything about the 20 feet immediately in front of
your fender, so scan the road far enough ahead to see trouble and
change trajectory.

24. Get your mind right in the driveway.
Most accidents happen during the first 15 minutes of a ride, below 40
mph, near an intersection or driveway. Yes, that could be your
driveway.

25. Come to a full stop at that next stop sign.
Put a foot down. Look again. Anything less forces a snap decision with
no time to spot potential trouble.

26. Never dive into a gap in stalled traffic.
Cars may have stopped for a reason, and you may not be able to see why
until its too late to do anything about it.

27 Don't saddle up more than you can handle.
If you weigh 95 pounds, avoid that 795-pound cruiser. If you're
5-foot-5, forget those towering adventure-tourers.

28. Watch for car doors opening in traffic.
And smacking a car that's swerving around some goofballs open door is
just as painful.

29. Don't get in an intersection rut.
Watch for a two-way stop after a string of four-way intersections. If
you expect cross-traffic to stop, there could be a painful surprise
when it doesn't.

30. Stay in your comfort zone when you're with a group.
Riding over your head is a good way to end up in the ditch. Any bunch
worth riding with will have a rendezvous point where you'll be able to
link up again.

31. Give your eyes some time to adjust.
A minute or two of low light heading from a well-lighted garage onto
dark streets is a good thing. Otherwise, you're essentially flying
blind for the first mile or so

32. Master the slow U-turn.
Practice. Park your butt on the outside edge of the seat and lean the
bike into the turn, using your body as a counterweight as you pivot
around the rear wheel.

33. Who put a stop sign at the top of this hill?
Don't panic. Use the rear brake to keep from rolling back down. Use
Mr. Throttle and Mr. Clutch normally and smoothly to pull away.

34. If it looks slippery, assume it is.
A patch of suspicious pavement could be just about anything. Butter
Flavor Crisco? Gravel? Mobil 1? Or maybe its nothing. Better to slow
down for nothing than go on your head.

35. Bang! A blowout! Now what?
No sudden moves. The motorcycle isn't happy, so be prepared to apply a
little calming muscle to maintain course Ease back the throttle, brake
gingerly with the good wheel and pull over very smoothly to the
shoulder. Big sigh.

36. Drops on the face shield?
Its raining. Lightly misted pavement can be slipperier than when its
been rinsed by a downpour, and you never know how much grip there is.
Apply maximum-level concentration, caution and smoothness.

37. Emotions in check?
To paraphrase Mr. Ice Cube, chickity-check yourself before you wreck
yourself. Emotions are as powerful as any drug, so take inventory
every time you saddle up. If you're mad, sad, exhausted or anxious,
stay put.

38. Wear good gear.
Wear stuff that fits you and the weather If you're too hot or too cold
or fighting with a jacket that binds across the shoulders, you're
dangerous. Its that simple.

39. Leave the iPod at home.
You wont hear that cement truck in time with Spinal Tap cranked to 11,
but they might like your headphones in intensive care.

40. Learn to swerve.
Be able to do two tight turns in quick succession. Flick left around
the bag of briquettes, then right back to your original trajectory.
The bike will follow your eyes, so look at the way around, not the
briquettes. Now practice till its a reflex.

41. Be smooth at low speeds.
Take some angst out, especially of slow-speed maneuvers, with a bit of
rear brake. It adds a welcome bit of stability by minimizing unwelcome
weight transfer and potentially bothersome drive line lash.

42. Flashing is good for you.
Turn signals get your attention by flashing, right? So a few easy taps
on the pedal or lever before stopping makes your brake light more
eye-catching to trailing traffic.

43. Intersections are scary, so hedge your bets.
Put another vehicle between your bike and the possibility of someone
running the stop sign/red light on your right and you cut your chances
of getting nailed in half.

44. Tune your peripheral vision.
Pick a point near the center of that wall over there. Now scan as far
as you can by moving your attention, not your gaze. The more you can
see without turning your head, the sooner you can react to trouble.

45. All alone at a light that wont turn green?
Put as much motorcycle as possible directly above the sensor wire
usually buried in the pavement beneath you and located by a round or
square pattern behind the limit line. If the light still wont change,
try putting your kickstand down, right on the wire. You should be on
your way in seconds.

46. Every-thing is harder to see after dark.
Even You. Adjust your headlights, Carry a clear face shield and have
your game all the way on after dark, especially during commuter hours.

47. Don't troll next to or right behind Mr. Peterbilt.
If one of those 18 retreads blows up which they do with some
regularity it de-treads, and that can be ugly. Unless you like dodging
huge chunks of flying rubber, keep your distance.

48. Take the panic out of panic stops.
Develop an intimate relationship with your front brake. Seek out some
safe, open pavement. Starting slowly, find that fine line between
maximum braking and a locked wheel, and then do it again, and again.

49. Make your tires right.
None of this stuff matters unless your skins are right. Don't take em
for granted Make sure pressure is spot-on every time you ride. Check
for cuts, nails and other junk they might have picked up, as well as
general wear.

50. Take a deep breath.
Count to 10. Smile at the idiot. Forgetting some clowns 80-mph
indiscretion beats running the risk of ruining your life, or ending
it.