First few tips for safety

Be seen

• Wear brightly coloured clothing and helmet, particularly if your bike is a dark colour.
• Ride with your headlight on on dipped beam, but make sure it is properly adjusted, if it dazzles other road users they may well misjudge your distance and speed.
• Ride where other road users can see you, don’t hide behind the lorry you are about to overtake and make sure you take up a position at junctions where you are visible to others.

See what is going on around you

• Take up a road position where you can see well ahead, keep towards the outside on bends, don’t move in to the apex until you can see well ahead, stay well behind vehicles ahead so that you can see alongside them, move around on the road to make use of the visibility open to you.
• Look at side roads as you approach junctions, take advantage of gaps in hedges or of your height to see over hedges, look headlights or reflections of headlights at night.

Use the messages from what you see to read the road

• Buildings ahead, a possible 30mph limit, traffic and pedestrians.
• A cluster of traffic lights ahead, a possible junction or roundabout.
• Grass or hedge clippings at the roadside, there may be a tractor or workmen around the corner.

Are you a good motorcyclist?

These ten top tips can make the difference:

1. Never overtake at junctions.
2. Never overtake on unbroken white lines or on bends.
3. Don't be tempted to squeeze through between an on coming vehicle and the one you are overtaking.
4. Always wear a full set of good quality protective gear.
5. Keep out of the of the blind spots of vans and lorries - if you can't see their mirrors they can't see you.
6. Never overtake on the inside of other bikes, especially on bends.
7. Always leave a two second gap between you and the vehicle/bike in front.
8. Slow down on the approach to bends.
9. Don't do wheelies or stoppies at bike nights that may put other people in danger - it could also jeopodise the future of those events.
10. Never try to make another rider or driver jump by passing as close as possible to them.

 If you would like more tips look at Johns Tips

John has been motorcycling for more years than he cares to remember, the last 27 years of them as an observer for the Lincolnshire Advanced Motorcyclists, plus a dozen or so more years before that. For the last 12 yearshe has been the chief observer for Lincolnshire Advanced Motorcyclists.  In that capacity he expects the candidates that he assesses before they go on to take the advanced motorcycle test to have reached a high standard of riding. A good motorcyclist should be able to make good progress by being able to blend effortlessly into the traffic, poetry in motion as certain riders would describe it, quietly, controlled and without any fuss. See Johns Tips for what he expects of them and for a few tips to help you ride safely to a high standard.

Please note that any views expressed in this web site do not necessarily accurately represent the views of the North Lincolnshire Motorcycle Forum or the individuals or organisations that are members of the North Lincolnshire Motorcycle Forum.