Statistically the freeway is one of the safest places to ride. I guess because of no intersections and fewer deer. But if you do go down at freeway speeds its not going to be pretty.

Ken,

Get one of David Hough's books...I prefer More Proficient Motorcycling.  He has a lot of tactics for safe riding in traffic.

Always, always, expect drivers to do something dumb that will get you hurt.  Ride totally defensively.  Make yourself as visible as possible, watch for bad road surface, and be ready for every driver to drive into you.  Be aware of trucker's poor range of visiblility in their mirrors and stay out of their way.

Duane wrote on 08/11/09 at 12:10:07:



Lane position is important for safety. Riding on the right side of the right lane invites people to encroach. If a car faster than you passes on the left & someone faster than them wants by, they might just swing over at you to clear the bumper of the first car. When I was riding 10 speeds in traffic I would take enough of the lane to force them around me & not let them pin me on the curb, because if I was just a foot or so off the curb, they'd fly by me & not even hang a wheel in the other lane. ( Talking about 4 lane roads. 2 lanes were a bit harrier, had to watch them a lot closer) & for the record, while I was on a bicycle, I wasnt, by any means, a slow moving vehicle. If I was in traffic I was moving at or near the speed limit & above it sometimes. If I was needing a break I'd hit a residential street & cool down, then get back on one of the more main arteries thru town & run with the cars.

In town it can create a situation where people pull out in front of a rider because they couldnt be seen by the driver, sitting at a stop sign. In Odessa, I pulled out in front of a guy on a bike. He was hugging the curb & there were trees & shrubs near the road. From where I was sitting, at a stop sign, he was invisible. After the near miss, I followed him home. I asked if that had ever happened before & he said he had nearly been hit there several times. I explained how it happened & that if he had been out by the center line, I could have seen him. I bet he changed his lane position.

Talking about semi's, if you're ever beside one and you hear a tire slapping get the hell away immediately. Even if you have to back off and slow down do it. Semis will throw recaps, especially this time of year with the heat and the recaps will do all kinds of nasty things to a motorcycle rider. The recaps can lock your front wheel up, even break your neck if they hit you just right. I was pulling my boat and a semi threw a recap and it hit my boat and severely damaged it. I cringe when I think what could have happened if I had been on my motorcycle.

Quote:


what's up serenity, I guess the wind could be nice when your whackin balls around. I haven't done any golfing since I've been in Kansas.

I'm in Clay Center, stationed at Ft Riley. I've been here about 3 years and the open roads are nice for riding between May and about the end of September. The winds are the worst this time of year so it is a trade off for warm sunny days. I will be down in Alabama till the end of September and I am taking the bike for sure.

Another thing to realize is a truck recap does not have to hit you to cause serious damage. If you run over one ( they are hard to see at night on an asphalt highway) the recap can lock your front tire up. At highway speeds that can hurt.

Ok ,dumb question ,but I'm pretty brave on those type,at times....

If you weighed the bike down any,would that help?(to make it heavier)

Would it make a difference at all.



(Seems bill has answered this before but all I remember is something compared to a bag of sugar...I have CRS sometimes)