Great info for great riding

Be ready for these early spring motorcycle riding road hazards

Those two dangers are…

• Potholes -- lots of them, big and small…and...

• Other drivers making erratic moves to avoid these hazards…

Where I live in New York, it has been a mean and seemingly endless winter.

I usually ride throughout the year unless the roads are covered with snow or ice. And that has been the case -- snow and ice -- since early November.

Even before snow started falling, the roads were frequently icy due to repeated cycles of rain then freezing temperatures. So I've kept my motorcycle in the garage until March.

During my first ride this year, as soon as I got onto the main, two-lane road, I started to see how much of a beating the snow and ice had inflicted on the asphalt.

Potholes marred the roads everywhere. Some craters were so deep and wide they would have bent my rims or knocked me out of control if I hit them. Others were smaller but occurred in groups I had trouble avoiding.

Then when I got onto the highway, I saw something frightening.

When a driver in front of me suddenly noticed a pothole in his path, he swerved sharply into the adjacent lane to avoid the hazard.

If I or another vehicle had been next to that driver when he moved erratically, he would have caused a collision.

Also, if I'd been following too closely behind this guy, the huge pothole he swerved to avoid would have appeared suddenly in my path. And, maybe, I couldn't have evaded it.

So here are the lessons I had to relearn during my first ride this year…

• Start off slowly and test your brakes a few times to make sure everything is working properly…

• Tune-in to your surroundings and amp up your awareness of potential dangers on the road…

• Keep an ample amount of space in all directions between you and other vehicles…

• Don't ride in the center of the lane, especially when behind another vehicle.

If that guy in front passes over a pothole or something dangerous in the road, it will emerge directly in your path…

• Train yourself to avoid target fixation. Don't focus your eyes on a hazard in the road -- such as a pothole -- which will cause you to drive right at it.

Rather...by focusing on a spot where you want to go, you'll steer toward that spot and away from the hazard...

• Until the weather remains continuously above freezing -- especially when you're riding on shaded roads -- watch for patches of ice that form overnight from snow melt and water runoff.

But, other than having to dodge potholes, the early spring is a great time to get back on the road.

Everything looks new and different at this time of the year when the trees are still bare but the temperatures are rising.

Head off to some of your favorite spots on your favorite roads while the traffic is light and many riders are still hibernating.

They're compact, easy to use and work great in emergencies. And what flat tire isn't an emergency?

They're all made in the USA.

Click here to learn more…

Please join me on my trips to popular destinations and rides down roads less traveled...

I recently launched a three-book series containing motorcycle travel and adventure stories and observations drawn from my jaunts throughout the United States and Canada.

Click here for a complete description of these books along with the road tales they contain...

Or click on any of the following book covers to go directly to them at Amazon…

I've taken all the information in my website describing riding techniques for dangerous situations and added to it in the book "High Risk Motorcycle Riding."

Here's information you can put to good use to ride smart and well prepared when you're on the road and the going gets tough.

Click here for a complete description of this book along with the high risk riding tips it contains for riding at night, in the rain, in cold weather and across long distances...and more...

Or click on the following book cover to go directly to the book at Amazon…

For a wealth of information to help you…

• Ride more safely and comfortably…

• Select gear that best suits you, your motorcycle and riding style…

• Get the most enjoyment every time you ride…

Or if you'd like a free subscription to Savvy Motorcyclist E-zine…

Visit my website at...

www.Motorcycle-Gear-and-Riding-Info.com

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All you have to do is include author attribution (byline/name of author) and the following statement...

"This information appears courtesy of Brian R. Salisbury's Savvy Motorcyclist E-zine."

with a backlink to...

www.Motorcycle-Gear-and-Riding-Info.com

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