Pre-Ride Techniques the Toys of Summer

PRE-RIDE TECHNIQUES THE TOYS OF SUMMER

IGNITION

RIDE SMART

An ounce of forethought can yield tons of fun all riding season long

John L. Stein

With summer comes "The Sunday Riders." We drag our long-slumbering DRs and Softails, CBs and T120s out of the garage, inflate the tires, and have at it. It’s all good in the hood. But we’re also now a half year older and so are our tires, fluids, chain, brakes, lightbulbs, helmet, leathers—and skills.

In its own way, general aviation offers similar freedoms, rewards, and hazards as motorcycling. It takes these more seriously though, requiring annual inspections for aircraft and biannual physicals for pilots more than 40 years old. I’m no fan of overregulation, but riders might do well to adopt these checks personally. Locally, last year a motorcyclist suffered some malady aboard his cruiser, veered into the center divider, and died. Perhaps his medical problem was not life-ending, but hitting a concrete wall certainly was.

And lastly, about your bros: Not all motorcyclists get the mechanical side of their ride and instead regard tire pressures, oil levels, chains, and sprockets as mysterious trivialities to be ignored. If you ride with someone like this, help them out by leading a pre-ride equipment inspection. This is a selfish service as well as a philanthropic one because if you save your amigo from trouble on the road, you’ve also saved yourself.

Here are four more pre-ride techniques for kicking off the summer riding season safely...

• GET ADVANCED TRAINING. Take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) refresher course or, if you’re aggressive, a racing or track program like the California Superbike School or Raines’ Riding University for dirt. Unless you’re a national champion, you’ll likely find that the instructors know something you don’t.

• UPDATE YOUR GEAR. Plastics degrade with time and use, so replace your helmet after five years. Then drape yourself in armored apparel and motorcycle-specific gloves and footwear. This doesn’t mean becoming Captain Dork. Done right, you’ll look cooler than ever.

• FULL SERVICE. Treat your steed to a thorough once-over. This includes a nut-and-bolt safety check, fluid changes for powertrain and brakes, a battery load test, and inspections of the chain/belt and sprockets, tires, spokes, brake pads, electrical systems, and fuel systems.

• RIDE CLEAN. Eschewing recreational substances could save your life. Maybe you can ride just fine buzzed. But can you simultaneously avoid the buzzed dude in the oncoming pickup or the texting coed? You’ve got great faculties. Choose to use ’em all.