Tips for Riding a Motorcycle in the City

Рет қаралды 9,888

Күн бұрын

This week on MCrider let's talk about some tips for riding a motorcycle in the city.
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Пікірлер: 83

@beepbop6697 7 ай бұрын

I commuted into the office every day for a few years by motorcycle. Practically every trip had a car pulling out in front of me (driver looks right at you and they don't "see" you). My advice: absolutely do not speed, drivers do not expect a vehicle to be excessively speeding in these conditions and it is very hard to judge distances to a small motorcycle. Second tip: expect every car at every intersection (and parking lot entrances are intersections too), to not see you and blindly pull out in front of you. Be ready for this, for every vehicle -- constantly keep drilling "what if" scenarios in your mind and be ready to act when a car pulls out in front that you've already predicted was a possibility. Whenever a car pulled out in front or cut me off, it was basically a non-issue because I had already predicted them to do so and was prepared to act accordingly. I've never been in a collision, but could easily have been in many instances if I wasn't prepared.

@JackTRyan 7 ай бұрын

We can literally be caught in the middle in the urban environment. I ride the speed limit to anticipate those pulling out in front of me or to maintain my buffer zone, and then somebody inevitably gets on my tail, distracting me somewhat from looking for hazards ahead.

@1103-alienchic 7 ай бұрын

Thank you! Very useful insights!

@AMERICAFIRST54 7 ай бұрын

You and I think almost exactly the same. You must have quite a lot of riding experience.

@beepbop6697 7 ай бұрын

@@AMERICAFIRST54 watching McRider and Dan the Fireman on KZbin helped quite a bit with the situational awareness skills, they take all the credit. I've been riding before KZbin existed, and still try to learn something new every day. Ride safe! 🏍️

@rggoodie 7 ай бұрын

One of the first things I was taught in a Police Motorman course was the definition of what a Green Light means. The only correct answer to this question is "the Bulb is working". If you assume it means safe to go - you put yourself in Harms way. Treat a green light like an uncontrolled intersection - looing for hazards and be aware of your surroundings - It will make you more aware and a safer rider. The next time someone ask you "What does a Green Light mean? Remember the only correct answer is "The Bulb is Working!" Ride Safe.

@user-gil-e 7 ай бұрын

Agreed! Green does not mean go. It means go when it is safe to go. Traffic already in the intersection or jumping lights, needs to clear first.

@SteveM-o4n 7 ай бұрын

Excellent way to think of a green light. So much opposing turning traffic views an orange light as a signal to speed up through the intersection, often even realizing that they cannot get through before the light turns red

@chickenfriedrice2932 7 ай бұрын

You are an asset to the motorcycle community. My sincere thanks for all you do.

@dahjo13 7 ай бұрын

In my experience, riding in the city is exponentially more dangerous than riding on a interstate. On the interstate everyone is going the same direction and there is no intersection or cross traffic. Very low chance of pedestrians crossing roadways

@markwhatley9955 7 ай бұрын

You’re right, in theory. I ride in the same area as Kevin. But I won’t ride on the freeway for love or money. The issues range from poor pavement conditions, construction everywhere, excessive speeds, aggression, road rage, tailgating, road debris…I could go on. I drive thousands of miles every year on urban freeways, and I can assure you that there is no upside to freeway riding.

@mckracker-853 7 ай бұрын

As always, valuable information. I've been riding since the mid seventies I'm never too old learn something new 👍

@lanesaarloos281 7 ай бұрын

Rode first motorcycle, Cub 50 in '62. Thought I knew it all until seeing MCrider. Doing parking lot exercises opened old eyes. Thanks.

@hydrogen.jukebox 7 ай бұрын

5:00 An important part of being seen in blind spots is your lane position, and I wish more people would talk more specifically about this. If there are 2 lanes going one way up the road, the difference between being in the inside lane position close to where cars' mirrors are angled are leagues better than if you stay in the outside in an attempt to give yourself some distance. Skyoom has a video (called "Ride like you're invisible") about this where he talks about what he calls "riding scared", when someone hugs the outside lane position and is much more likely to be in a blind spot.

@frostfox1208 7 ай бұрын

Stopped at a red light, I like the way the rider in video allows a car to be the first to move ahead when the light turns green. Smart

@barrybell121 7 ай бұрын

I have been watching your videos for the whole journey of my bike riding. Your education has been invaluable to me, and allowed me to survive London riding with all its adventures. Thank you for everything and congratulations on your excellent Channel.

@Dogatemyhomework927 7 ай бұрын

Kevin, this is so important.. even if we know these things, we should hear this before every ride!! 💯👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

@grahambulch5063 7 ай бұрын

On a scooter: Observe, slow down, buffer. Ken Whitehouse of Honda Australia said it best and his advice has stood me in good stead as i celebrate one year today riding in city traffic. I watch all your videos Kevin, your words too have helped keep me safe One thing...other motorcyclists and scooterists can be a big danger too. I saw the aftermath of a collision between two scooters in Barcelona the other day. Luckily no more than their belongings were scattered across the road.

@robertwhitemoto 7 ай бұрын

Kevin, thank you for your continued contributions to our safety. Cheers from Frisco.

@SMKreitzer1968 7 ай бұрын

Thanks Kevin, great show today. Some good tips to be aware of.

@jeffmannes6079 7 ай бұрын

Love ya Kevin. God Bless you. This week's topic brought me back to years ago riding in New York City Manhattan at night, also during the day in traffic, and through the stinky Lincoln Tunnel. Thanks.

@Thefuturelooksbright13 7 ай бұрын

I live on the North Shore outside of downtown Chicago about 20 miles All my life when I drive my car or my motorcycle in Chicago it’s a lot less stressful because people are actually paying attention to driving. It may be aggressive, but that’s OK when I’m up in my home area the suburbs I got the soccer moms riding around in the vans and the Land Rovers , texting on their cell phones yelling at the kids they’re not paying attention. I feel much safer driving downtown Chicago than I do suburbs as long as I get shot.

@Johnny_Shadow 7 ай бұрын

Good comment.

@mortondavisproductions7578 Ай бұрын

Great idea. Thank you for your pointers on how to ride in different environments. I would rather ride on the hi-way any day. When it is wet out, be especially careful when crossing over anything that is metal such as manhole covers. When you drive over a bridge, treat both ends of the bridge as an intersection... give car drivers lots of room because there is a lot of lane changing on both ends of the bridge... Every time I go on a ride, I go to my favorite parking lot and practice turns, emergency stops, U-turns, and anything that I can think off.

@terryfitzpatrick5602 7 ай бұрын

Excellent channel with some very important riding tips and guidance. I'm way up there in age and have ridden off and on most of my entire adult life starting back in the late 60s. Still riding although my ride is now a Maxi Burgman scooter. Spent a number of years riding police bikes, rode many bikes from scooters, adventure bikes to Goldwings. This advice channel is a must watch by all riders. That's if you want any chance to ride as long as I have. One rule all riders should repeat to themselves while riding, "treat every vehicle out on the road as though they are driven by blind folks out to kill you...' Stay safe and continuously refresh and practice your riding skills and safe ride rules.

@tedmartinus3878 7 ай бұрын

Been riding since '81 and still watch your videos... In my gun safety classes the instructor always says, no matter how many classes you attend, you will always learn something new/different. Same goes for riding, I'm always learning... Thanks for the channel.

@marekstawicki8811 7 ай бұрын

Well done Kevin! As always!!!

@Johnny_Shadow 7 ай бұрын

You probably read this in the comments all the time, but this info is pure gold in your vids

@williamwintemberg 7 ай бұрын

Ok! So here's my 2 cents. I consider dancing on the parking lot and situational awareness on the street of equal importance. If one finds themselves using parking lot skills too often, they are probably lacking in situational awareness. If someone has good situational awareness but lacks avoidance and stopping skills, they need more parking lot practice. For me, I try to use situational awareness, so I don't need to use parking lot skills. But there's always the complete unpredictable or missed cue where parking lot skills rule the moment. This is why I consider the two equal.

@kencurtis228 7 ай бұрын

TY for Sharing

@billlyl3725 7 ай бұрын

This video spurred me to sign up for a rider safety course this weekend. Happy Father’s Day and thank you!!

@zwilethunyathi6681 7 ай бұрын

I find your content presentation very educative please don't change the way you present your information.. Many thanks from South Africa

@SlipperyJack60 7 ай бұрын

I had a wake up call a couple of days ago. The lights went from green to amber as the car in front got to them. I thought 'Oh it'll be ok, I'll sneak through with him' and I started to speed up a bit. Unfortunately, the car did the correct thing and stopped. I had to use those brakes, the abs came on and I stopped 1.5m behind him. All good. However, it might not have been like that if I'd been a bit closer, and I might have ended up on his back seat. More ready to stop next time.

@erniecolussy1705 7 ай бұрын

Thank you for taking responsibility. We all make mistakes. We all need to own up to our mistakes. KZbin is so full of riders and drivers blaming other for their own mistakes.

@TooFarWest1 7 ай бұрын

Once I got my endorsement and began riding more urban surface streets -- and from learning from channels such as yours, I've become an even better car driver.

@j3tztbassman123 7 ай бұрын

4:30 I was out on my mountain bike in a storm last night, had to ford three flooded roads that would have swamped my Harley, one of those roads had no alternative routes.

@ArtD2368 7 ай бұрын

Another exlant video great advice I really like the crumbly pot hole very cool

@timothyforsythe3155 7 ай бұрын

I live in a town of about 10,000. You would think there isn't much traffic. But being a county seat there is more traffic than one would think. Yes there is a big difference between city and country riding much more hazards riding in town. As always thanks for the great tips. You helped this 69 year old guy a safer rider.

@parolajd 7 ай бұрын

Really enjoy your videos. I live in Bangkok Thailand, we have way more issues driving in Bangkok than most other cities but everything in this video holds true but if you want to have more fodder for your videos come to Bangkok and we will go for a ride...lots of fun.

@erniecolussy1705 7 ай бұрын

I think it was in the early 1990's that MSF switched from SIPDE to SEE. As you said SEE stands for search, evaluate, and execute. SIPDE stands for search, identify, predict, decide, and execute. (It is still used by some other riding and driving classes.) They actually mean the same thing. The evaluate in SEE is intended to include predict. I kind of prefer SIPDE because it seems like a lot of people forget about the predict being part of the evaluate.

@eddcurry501 7 ай бұрын

Well said information in the video

@pipersall6761 7 ай бұрын

Thank you sir.

@guzziman 7 ай бұрын

Great video, would be great if you can add one for high winds tactics, I know you have an older video on that, but maybe a refresh, as some of the country areas one might need to ride for hours in heavy gusty winds. Thanks !

@JackTRyan 7 ай бұрын

Excellent topic. I couldn’t think of any more hazards to add but as you said, your listing isn’t all inclusive. Here in Saint Paul, some of the sewer covers are embedded almost 4” down and are impossible to see on shady roads. Worse, they are often in the left of center lane position, which is exactly where I try to ride (to see ahead, see around, be seen by oncoming traffic and in the rear view mirrors. Also, I appreciate that red lights don’t physically stop cross traffic but it is super scary to see some of these people-ignorantly or even intentionally-blow through red lights at intersections.

@lovetoflylovetofly3843 7 ай бұрын

Awesome!

@rosslangerak8361 7 ай бұрын

One of the most dangerous situations in urban traffic is when there is a line of stopped traffic next to an open lane. At any time, one of the cars in the backup may decide to change lanes. If they do that in front of you, you must be prepared to stop, Or, if there is a gap in the stopped traffic, there is a good chance someone wants to enter the roadway through that gap. You must watch for the gaps and be prepared to stop.

@PetrolJunkie 7 ай бұрын

I agree that riding in the city is more dangerous but the worst potholes and cracks have been in highways lately. There is one in particular that I've reported multiple times that cars swerve around and they will swerve into my lane if they see me coming because apparently I'm small and I should give them the extra room in my lane. I know it's there so I move to the edge of my lane knowing that swerve is probably coming as well.

@koolaidkitten 7 ай бұрын

One thing I deal with in the city vs the highway is stray dogs. I always run into stray dogs that wanna chase next to me and often times come up on me head on.

@NoFrictionZone 7 ай бұрын

What Yamaha is that in the thumbnail? Great stuff as usual. Thank you!

@tracyt4327 6 ай бұрын

I would consider myself experienced. Been riding for 50 years. BUT I have vowed to myself I will never ride through Ft Worth on I20. I have been lucky so far. However, it would be just a matter of time. Those drivers are crazy!

@3GingerCats 7 ай бұрын

In New Zealand, particularly in Auckland, there are so many people who have come from countries that have a very poor standard of driving ability and even worse license testing, and they get their dodgy license transferred to a New Zealand license without ever getting tested. and the result is people who can't grasp the idea of looking before changing lanes or even indicating before they move from one lane to the next, & driving so slow that they aggravate others who change lanes very suddenly to pass them. It makes for a horrendous number of unsafe lane changes at speed. and guess where the motorcyclist are... running up the line between the cars who change lanes without indicating or looking behind them. this is especially bad during the afternoon peak period of about 3 hours, during which time the is often very bad sunstrike. and yes, during this time it is MUCH safer to be in the suburbs going through all the intersections!

@sarablackwolfdancer9359 3 ай бұрын

The main reasons I choose to avoid freeways with my motorcycle are: 1) my windshield keeps the wind from blowing me backwards, but it creates a great deal of buffeting (rather like a continuous gong) over 45-50mph 2) my motorcycle is only 500ish pounds and any wind can make it shudder pretty badly, 3) the freeway closest to me has terrible road surface and 4) I have seen a lot of really stupid behavior by motorists on my state’s freeways, almost as bad as in town if not worse. If I had a bigger and more comfortable motorcycle and it had a windshield that didn’t beat me up, I might try it though.

@hoopscorner6458 7 ай бұрын

Been riding for over 50 years. A few things do is only ride from 10 am to 2 pm and then get off the road before traffic picks up. Do not ride on Fridays. Do not ride at night or in rain. My insurance provider said will get dinged if ride at night including car as said if you do ride at night turn off GPS tracker. Always ride like your invisible.

@grantodaniel7053 7 ай бұрын

Doesn't sound like you get much riding in then... 😅

@hoopscorner6458 7 ай бұрын

@@grantodaniel7053 now that 70 years young 3 hour bike ride is enough to put a smile on my face and go home and rest. Road bikes as main transportation 40 years ago but no cell phones back then and people looked out their windows.

@Johnny_Shadow 7 ай бұрын

@grantodaniel7053 😅😅😅😅😂

@kidlatazul 7 ай бұрын

What do you think about filtering/lane splitting? I'm talking about in restricted circumstances only, when traffic is stopped or barely moving. It's not legal where I live, but I think it should be. I saw this work very effectively last year in Bangkok, where space at the front at major intersections is reserved for motorcycles and scooters, who then filter to the front when traffic is stopped. I think filtering in these conditions should be safer for riders and promote better traffic flow.

@clemc5457 7 ай бұрын

Lane filtering has been legal in Arizona for over a year now. The primary reason is to avoid rear end collisions. I’ve done it on occasion and have no issues. It took the cars a while to adapt but now they move over and make room for me if they see me in time. It’s only legal if: 1. There are two adjacent lanes going in the same direction. 2. The posted speed limit is 45 MPH or less. 3. Traffic is stopped. The motorcycle may only filter between the two adjacent lanes and at a slow and safe speed. I’m usually just 5MPH or so and only do it when there’s plenty of room between the cars. I ride a big bagger and don’t feel comfortable doing it a lot of the time. How do I feel about it? Grateful.

@hoopscorner6458 7 ай бұрын

@@clemc5457 Also live in Ariz and lane filtering is cool but most times do not use it as people in cars get pissed and can get shot. Had a few cars roll window down and yell at me waving a gun. Not cool .

@grantodaniel7053 7 ай бұрын

@@hoopscorner6458Thank God I don't live in the US! 😳

@erniecolussy1705 7 ай бұрын

@@hoopscorner6458 How much of a media education program for educating the public about the change in the law has there been? I wonder how many of those driver know that it is now legal. I wonder if some of them know it is legal but are acting this way anyways.

@kidlatazul 7 ай бұрын

@@hoopscorner6458 [sitting here, shaking my head in disbelief] What kind of person threatens you with a gun for lane filtering? Plus it’s legal. Did you report this to the police, or is threatening people with a gun just normal behavior in Arizona?

@rickdixontn 7 ай бұрын

All great points, but the one thing you left out unless I missed it is - don't speed in city traffic. Number one rule to be seen is don't speed. I believe one of the major reasons cars don't see motorcycles is that many riders dart around in city traffic. Go the speed limit or less in city traffic and your visibility increases.

@ralphcantrell3214 7 ай бұрын

Freeze it at exactly 2:08 : I have ridden anywhere I've wanted to go on the city streets, backroads and highways of this country for 50 years and probably 500K miles without ever having tangled with a car or truck, and that is not from their lack of trying. And I absolutely would not ride in traffic like this. If I happened to unexpectedly run up on this "cluster" of traffic, I would immediately pull off the road and wait for it to pass, or simply call a friend to come and get me in a truck. There are some circumstances where a motorcycle just can't win for losing, and bumper-to-bumper, stop-and-go urban traffic at rush hour tops that list for me. Even a slight "bump" by a distracted cager can be devastating to a motorcyclist, and in my opinion the chances of it here are just too great ...but that's just me. 👍 Edit... HOWEVER, my attitude might change if they ever allow lane splitting where I reside, as that would level the playing field. 😎

@bissellsmith8690 7 ай бұрын

Good o'l 7th street in Fort Worth. The problem isn't there Kevin...it's in another mile - actually downtown. Daily visitors staring at phones trying to figure out where they are downtown...is the real issue. 7th street doesn't have that much. People not realizing they are going the wrong way on a one way. I get my hair cut over there on 7th by the Montgomery Plaza......I live downtown...and I ride my motorcycle there all the time. Lastly we in Texas took out cameras...and Texas drivers have gotten way too aggressive. I walk my dog downtown, when I'm not at the Lake House in Granbury....and on my average walk (2x a day through all of downtown)...some non-downtown resident rides through a red light not once, but maybe 4-5 times on a 1 hour walk. Wkly I see people turn left from the middle lane...another huge hazard. Additionally state law is you CAN NOT enter a cross walk if any pedestrian is in it...yet cars are always looking for a way to squeeze in between walkers. Lastly, on the other end of bad motorcycles....motorcyclists daily blare their pipes through the city and ask you know Kevin...loud pipes don't save lives....loud pipers are about "Nepoleon syndrome". Look at me, hear my pipes, listen to my trashy music.... Nightly around 9:30 to 10:30 a group of motorcyclists come downtown and ride around at fast speeds doing wheelies. Amazing. Not 1 or 2, but 10-12 of them in a group...then they drag race down Lancaster usually from East to West. The intersection of Texas and Taylor...notice the circles in the middle of the 5 way intersection.....guess what they do in that circle nearly everynight....next to City Hall - which is now the police station. So bad behaviors are EVERYWHERE.

@danboyd6180 7 ай бұрын

What kind of Yamaha is that in the thumbnail. I just got a svartpillen in February and it reminds me of my bike

@dougfreeze 7 ай бұрын

I'm surprised that not many people talk about going through intersections with 'blockers'. I call them blockers (a football reference), also known as cars. If at all possible, I'll slow down or speed up to go through an intersection near a car. They are seen better than a motorcycle is so it makes sense for me to do that. Also, if I'm all alone out there and approaching an intersection with a sketchy-looking car about to turn in front of me, I'll put my high beam on and start slowly swerving left and right in my lane to get attention. Do people really not do these things, or am I being paranoid?

@kencurtis228 7 ай бұрын

What is your Opinion on a 2004 Yamaha V Star 1100 Classic Silverado?

@kennethcole1551 7 ай бұрын

I had a sportster I rode it, new York city when some guy came to a red light and hit me broadside. I was able to stand up on the right foot peg. How did knock the bike out from under me the only reason I had time to do that. What is the speed limit in New York City is 25 miles an hour I was going down Broadway past Madison Square, Garden I haven’t taken the motorcycle Into the city since and I don’t intend to That was in 1976

@eddycurrent413 7 ай бұрын

I slow down to 20 through all intersections

@kencurtis228 7 ай бұрын

What Summer Riding Jacket do you recommend?

@JackTRyan 7 ай бұрын

I just picked up a Hi-Viz Icon mesh jacket with D30 armor for $158, close out priced, from Bob’s Cycles online. I used to use a black mesh jacket but have since moved to a city and wanted to be seen.