As the snow melts away, the desire to experience the wind in your face gets stronger. Motorcyclists across the country are charging battery's, checking tire pressure, and putting a good coat of wax on their trusty steed. Making ready for that first warm afternoon, when they can get out on the highway. Harley's or Honda's, all motorcycle riders look forward to the first spring ride in the country.
Before you blast out of your driveway, a few safety reminders are worth going over. In your hurry to be the first on the road, you don't want to be the first to the hospital because you got in too much of a hurry.
We'll assume you prepared your motorcycle properly when you put it in storage for the winter. To make sure your cycle is ready to go, check all fluid levels, check tire pressures, and add some fresh gas. Charge up the battery, and hit the start button. With a well maintained motorcycle, this is about all that's necessary if you did your proper maintenance before winter storage.
The rest of your preparation has a lot to do with attitude. Being safe on the road depends primarily on how alert you are while riding, and how well you are paying attention to what's going on around you.
After a long winter, with road crews working long hours to keep the roads clear of ice and snow, there is a very dangerous residual leftover from the plowing process. That is the SAND the highway department used on roads. Loose sand is everywhere in the early Spring. Corners, intersections, main roads and side streets alike. This accumulation of sand presents a severe danger to all two wheeled vehicles.
Remember when you went into that long curve last Fall. The one where you leaned way over as you went through it. Leaning allowed you to navigate that long corner at a faster speed, plus it felt cool. If you make the mistake of leaning over and powering through that corner in the Spring, when some left over sand is still on the road, your wheels will slide out from under you. Road rash is very painful, sliding on asphalt will rapidly grind skin and meat off your body. Not a good experience.
Watch out for loose sand at intersections as well. Stopping too fast on a thin layer of sand will send you sliding into the intersection. Possibly into the path of cross traffic. If your tailgating a city bus, you may find yourself doing a face plant right into the back end of that bus.
The dreaded four wheeler, people driving cars have forgotten all about motorcycles over the past few months. Even in good weather in the middle of summer a motorcycle is almost invisible to cars. Headlights on can help, but it's vital that you ride with the attitude that everyone out there is trying to kill you. For all practical purposes they are, be it unintentional, but none the less tangling with a car is the last thing a motorcycle rider wants to do.
The inexperienced rider, new motorcycle owners will be out there in large quantities. With the price of gas reaching the stars, more and more people will be opting for the much cheaper to operate motorcycle for daily transportation. Not only should these new riders be extremely cautious as they have a lot to learn about safety, but the experienced rider can find themselves in trouble because of mistakes made by someone with little or no experience, that happens to be in their riding space.
When you head out on the road this spring, be aware. Know what's going on around you and give yourself enough space to safely navigate around dangers. Motorcycle riding is one of the best ways to experience what our country has to offer. Be sure you enjoy it safely.
