More than two-thirds of the time when cars and motorcycles crash, the driver  causes the wreck, not the motorcyclist. Most of the time, the driver didn't see  the motorcycle. Here are some tips for motorcyclists to help them stay visible.

1. Don't assume a driver can see you. The primary precautions are:  helmets with retro-reflective materials; bright, contrasting clothing;  fluorescent vests.

2. In 23 states, motorcyclists must keep their  headlight on at all times. It is a good idea everywhere.

3. If you can't  see a driver's face in his rear-view mirror, he can't see you, either. Be aware  when you are in a blind spot.

4. Use your turn signals and don't make any  sudden moves.

5. The most likely situations for a wreck:

A car  turning left in front of you.
A driver changing lanes or turning when you  are in his blind spot.
Road hazards (potholes, standing water, railroad  tracks) that make drivers do something sudden or unexpected.

If riding a motorcycle, use the following checklist to assess  your
"Preparation to Ride": -Do you have the proper endorsement on your  license to operate a motorcycle? -Are your motorcycle registration, state  inspection, insurance and base stickers current? -Do you have and use all the  REQUIRED personal protective equipment:
DOT or SNELL approved helmet

Long trousers

Long-sleeved shirt (minimum Requirement)

Jacket designed for the motorcycle rider (preferred)

Full-finger  leather gloves

Hard soled shoes with heels that protect the ankle

Protective eyewear

If the bike has been stored for an extended  period of time, prepare for operation using the procedures provided in your  owner's manual.

Before each ride, remember the pre-ride check:  lights/horn, tires/wheels, fuel/oil, cables, and suspension.

Remember  that tire pressure is a critical part of suspension. Inflate to manufacturers  recommendation.

Remember that it's been several months since you've  ridden your motorcycle. Regardless of your experience, it will be necessary to  re-sharpen your physical and mental skills.

Be cautious!

Start off  slowly and practice your riding skills. Use an empty parking lot before to  taking to the streets. Get considerable solo experience before taking on a  passenger. Have them wear all the protective equipment and the same clothing  specifically designed for motorcycling. Don't forget their safety briefing.  Again, it's a good idea for both of you to get comfortable in a parking lot  before street riding. Practice in a parking lot with your passenger until you  are comfortable with the critical accident avoidance skills of braking,  cornering and swerving. Don't forget that you are responsible for their  well-being. Above all, remember that alcohol in any amount, excessive speed, and  lack of training/experience are each singularly deadly when applied to  motorcycling. Combined, they are a sure-fire method of becoming a traffic  statistic.

Watch drivers heads and mirrors
Watching the head movements of drivers  through their windows and mirrors is an excellent way to anticipate sudden  moves. Most drivers won’t lunge left or right without first moving their heads  one way or another (even if they don’t check their mirrors).

Trust your  mirrors, but not totally
Your bike’s mirrors can be lifesavers, but they  don’t always tell the entire story even if they’re adjusted properly. In  traffic, always buttress your mirror-generated rear view with a glance over the  appropriate shoulder. Do it quickly and you’ll add an extra measure of rear-view  and blind-spot knowledge to your info-gathering tasks.

Never get  between a vehicle and an offramp
This sounds almost too simple, but drivers  who decide to exit at the last minute kill plenty of riders each year. The  simple rule, then, is to never position yourself between a vehicle and an  offramp. Passing on the right is generally a no-no, but in this day and age it’s  sometimes necessary. So if you do it, do so between exits or  cross-streets.

Cover your brakes
In traffic you must often react extra  quickly, which means not fumbling for the brake lever or pedal. To minimize  reach time, always keep a finger or two on the brake lever and your right toe  close to the rear brake pedal. When that cell phone-yakking dorkus cuts across  your path trying to get to the 7-Eleven for a burrito supreme, you’ll be  ready.

Be noticed
Make sure drivers and pedestrians can see you, even  from a distance. Ride with your high beam on during the day (as a courtesy, turn  it off when sitting behind someone at a light), and wear brightly colored gear,  especially your helmet and jacket. Aerostich’s Hi Vis yellow suits and jackets  aren’t just hugely conspicuous, they’ve also become fashionable, so now you  don’t have an excuse.

Be ready with the power
In traffic, ride in a  gear lower than you normally would so your bike is ready to jump forward  instantly if asked. (Not everyone rides open-class twins, after all.) Doing so  gives you the option of leaping ahead instead of being limited to just using the  brakes when that pickup suddenly moves over. The higher revs might also alert  more cagers to your presence.

Traffic slowing? Stay left (or  right)
When traffic slows suddenly, stay to the left or right of the car in  front of you. This will give you an escape route if needed. It will also help  keep you from becoming a hood ornament if the car behind you fails to stop in  time. Once you’ve stopped, be ready”clutch in, your bike in gear and your eyes  on the mirrors. You never know.

Practice the scan
Constantly scanning  your entire environment while riding”from instruments to mirrors to the road  ahead to blind spots to your left and right rear”keeps you aware and in touch  with your situation, and therefore better able to react. Dwelling on one area  too long ”watching only behind or in front of you, for instance” is just begging  for trouble.

Left-turn treachery
When approaching an oncoming car  that’s stopped and about to turn left, be ready. Your brights should be on so  the driver can see you (during the day), but don’t rely on this to save you.  Watch the car’s wheels or the driver’s hands on the steering wheel; if you see  movement, be ready to brake, swerve or accelerate, whichever seems best for the  situation.

Study the surface
Add asphalt conditions to your scan. Be  on the lookout for spilled oil, antifreeze or fuel; it’ll usually show up as  shiny pavement. Also keep an eye out for gravel and/or sand, which is usually  more difficult to see. Use your sense of smell, too; often you can smell spilled  diesel fuel before your tires discover how slippery the stuff  is.

Ride in open zones
Use your bike’s power and  maneuverability to ride in open zones in traffic. In any grouping of vehicles  there are always some gaps; find these and ride in them. Doing so will separate  you from four-wheelers, give you additional room to maneuver and allow you to  keep away from dangerous blind spots. And vary your speed. Riding along with the  flow can make you invisible to other drivers, especially in heavy  traffic.

Use that thumb
Get into the habit of canceling your turn  signals often regardless of the traffic situation. A blinking signal might tell  drivers waiting to pull into the road or turning left in front of you that  you’re about to turn when you aren’t. So push that switch a few times each  minute. Better to wear out the switch than eat a Hummer’s hood, eh?

It’s  good to be thin
A huge advantage single-track vehicles have over  four-wheelers is their ability to move left and right within a lane to enable  the rider to see what’s ahead. Whether you’re looking to the side of the cars  ahead or through their windshields, seeing what’s coming can give you lots of  extra time to react.

More than one way out
Yeah, motorcycles fall  down. But they’re also light, narrow and hugely maneuverable, so you might as  well learn to exploit their strengths when things get ugly, right? So don’t just  brake hard in a hairball situation. There’s almost always an escape route.  Swerving into Mrs. Smith’s front yard could be a lot better than centerpunching  the Buick that turned left in front of you. Always have an escape route planned,  and update it minute by minute.

Running interference
This one’s easy,  and we’ll bet most of you already do it: Let larger vehicles run interference  for you when negotiating intersections. If the bonehead coming toward you from  the left or right is going to blow the light, better they hit the box van next  to you, right? For the same reasons, don’t lunge through an intersection as soon  as the light turns green. Be patient, and use the vehicles next to you as cover.

There are many ways to secure your motorcycle to prevent theft.

The best  deterrent is to utilize more than one security measure; the more a thief has to  defeat, the less potential for success.
Always keep the ignition  locked.
Secure your motorcycle to a fixed, or anchored object, or another  motorcycle.
Park in a secure and well-lit area. If in doubt, do not park  there.
If your bike is not garaged, keep it covered; non-name brand covers  are preferable to prevent advertising the type of bike that lies beneath.
Limit the amount of time your bike is left unattended, or  unsupervised.
Vary your routes and routines to prevent being followed.
Use a high quality lock and chain. Secure the chain through the bike frame  versus the wheels which can be easily removed.
Consider adding a motorcycle  anti-theft, or security system.
Despite all of your precautions, if your bike  is stolen contact the police and your insurance company immediately.

PICTURE THIS: The weather is nice and you are out on your bike or cruisin in  your auto and decide to go show some love at an event.
Who is responsible  when you go down or crash after you have left the event?

Liability  Issues: Commercial servers: Forty-three states and the
District of Columbia  have laws on the books or case law (law that comes about through a court ruling  rather than an act of the legislature) that hold commercial servers of alcohol  liable for the harm caused by their intoxicated patrons. Some of the laws have  limitations. According to a hospitality industry insurance specialist, although  hospitality establishments have instituted risk management techniques to  mitigate liquor liability litigation, claims are still a problem. Among the  recommendations made in the specialist's January 2005 market report were to  strictly measure the amounts of alcohol served in drinks to discourage  “regulars” from frequenting establishments where drinks are stronger,  encouraging drinking establishment employees to report any accidents that may  involve the establishment and conducting thorough post-accident  investigation.

Social Hosts: Thirty-three states have enacted laws or  have case law that permit social hosts who serve liquor to people who  subsequently are involved in crashes to be held liable for any injury or death.

This link has a chart updated in January 2007 with a per state  liability.
http://www.iii. org/media/ hottopics/ insurance/  drunk/

Alcohol Equivalence The alcohol content of a standard drink of  beer, dinner wine, or distilled spirits (either straight or in a mixed drink)  are equivalent. 1 To a breathalyzer, they are all the same.
Knowing about  equivalence can help you drink in moderation. 2 For example, you won't be fooled  by the misleading term "hard liquor," which implies that drinking distilled  spirits leads more quickly to intoxication than other alcohol beverages.
Tips  for Drinking in Moderation
Know your limit. If you are not sure, experiment  at home. Also, experiment with the Drink Wheel, which is very informative.
Eat food while you drink. Food, especially high protein food such as meat,  cheese and peanuts, will help slow the absorption of alcohol into your body.
Sip your drink. If you gulp a drink, you lose the pleasure of savoring its  flavors and aromas.
Don't participate in "chugging" contests or other  drinking games. 3
Skip a drink now and then. Having a non-alcoholic drink  between alcoholic ones will help keep your blood alcohol content level down, as  does spacing out your alcoholic drinks.
Keep active; don't just sit around  and drink. If you stay active you tend to drink less and to be more aware of any  effects alcohol may be having on you.

Beware of unfamiliar drinks. Some  drinks, such as zombies and other fruit drinks, can be deceiving as the alcohol  content is not detectable. Therefore, it is difficult to space them  properly.Remember. ..
A glass of white or red wine, a bottle of beer, and a  shot of whiskey or other distilled spirits all contain equivalent amounts of  alcohol and are they same to a Breathalyzer. A standard drink is:

A  12-ounce bottle or can of regular beer
A 5-ounce glass of wine
A one and  1/2 ounce of 80 proof distilled spirits (either straight or in a mixed drink)
BE AWARE AND BE WARE!!!

Tips for people who want to ride on back of a motorcycle with a friend.
 
Riding on a motorcycle can be one of the most fun things you do, so below are some tips on how to make riding with a friend more enjoyable. 
 
1. Wear clothing that will give you some protection in the unlikely event of a spill. As a minimum, you should wear the following to protect your skin:
 
* Footwear that protects your feet and your ankles  - no flip flops or stillettos ladies!
 
* PANTS because you like your skin on yor legs right?  Plus exhast on motorcycles re very hot, you don't want to burn your leg so ladies that means NO SHORTS OR SKIRTS!
 
* A leather or textile jacket that zips up to your neck..I know its hot in the summer but think of how hot the pavement is.  (I recommend it for long rides)
* Gloves - every passenger should wear them, it will be easier to hold on to a tank instead of your bare hands, plus you will save someone's paint on their tank from getting scratches from your rings.
* HELMET - always wear a helmet even if you are in a state that has a no helemt law.  Make sure your helmet is fastened correctly & fits you securely, a helmet should fit you snug you should not be abe to twist it around, if that occurs you need a smaller size for sure! The person riding you can show you how to fasten your helmet right if you are new to motorcycles.
* On hot sunny days, one trick is to wear an extra large white shirt over your jacket. It will reflect a lot of heat and help keep you cool. Don't wear anything loose and floppy (like a long scarf or big legged pants) that could get caught in the rear wheel, sprockets, drive chain or belt, or any other moving part of the motorcycle. You could injure yourself, and might cause an accident.
 
2. Before you attempt to get on the motorcycle, make sure that the passenger footpegs are down. Don't try to "Dukes of Hazard" th motorcycle! ha! Get on the Motorcycle from the left side, make sure the rider is on the motorcycle first!  Make sure you don't touch the exhaust pipes, they are extremely hot & will leave an ugly boo boo on your skin.
3. When you are on back of the bike make sure you keep your feet on yor footpegs at all time, you don't want to get your foot tangled up in the rear wheel or chain.
 
4. Place your hands on the tank or o the rider's hips.  You want to make sure you are in touch with the rider's movements at all times. Keep your weight centered over the motorycle, try not to move around alot  when you  the rider has stopped because you will throw off the rider's balance **Remember the rider is holding the bike up & you, so you don't want to move alot to throw that balance off or you will be on the pavement**
 
5. Motorcycles turn by leaning , not by steering like a car. So the best way for you to ride on the back is to look over the riders shoulder always in the direction of the turn.  By you doing that  you will automatically put your weight right where it needs to be for the rider to go into the turn safely. DONT lean the opposite way the rider is leaning that is a MAJOR NO-NO!
 
6. When the rider is braking, it causes a forward weight transfer. If the rider is forced to break hard, you will be forced against the rider, and you will start to slide forward on the seat. Don't freak out just try to keep back away from the rider. Resist sliding forward by pushing your feet down on the pegs & pushing your hand against the tank.
 
7. You need to be alret of your surroundings, because if your rider has to make a sudden stop or swirve you need to be ready to hold on & go along with the rider.
 
8. You can also look out for any animals that may run in the road, if you see something coming towards you don't freak out, just tap the shoulder of your rider & point at the animal so the rider knows what is going on.
 
9. Last but not least have fun & enjoy the ride.  Just know that you are a big factor on the bike's balance & look out for any road hazard's..BE ALERT while riding on back with a friend!
 
Thanks & have a great ride!