How to Ride Your Motorbike Safely

Below we've compiled a list of the three most common causes of motorbike accidents to show you how you can decrease the risks involved.

• Cornering on country roads

On a warm, dry day, heading towards the country to enjoy a long, winding ride is common amongst bikers. Of course it's a lot of fun leaning into those corners that seemingly never end, and you can do so safely, as long as you are travelling at an appropriate speed. It is better to overestimate the sharpness of a turn and accelerate as the bend unravels, rather than travelling too quickly into a turn and then having to decelerate sharply to make the turn as it tightens. The road will offer you clues about the sharpness of the corner, so take particular notice of the tree line, the path of telegraph poles and of course the road markings.

• An uneven road surface

A motorbike accident can be avoided by ensuring you ride according to the conditions and the road surface. Potholes are one example, with roads particularly becoming uneven during and after icy winters. Along with potholes, you may also encounter manhole covers, uneven or loose road surfaces, petrol, diesel and oil leaks and painted road markings.

The risks resulting from uneven road surfaces can be reduced significantly by taking a few precautionary measures. You should check your tyres regularly to ensure they are inflated to the pressure recommended in your handbook. The tread depth on tyres should also be checked to ensure you are within legal limits. If the tread is bare then change the tyre. The cost of a tyre is far preferable to having to make a motorbike accident claim further down the line to compensate you for injuries you have suffered and damage caused to your bike.

Cut your speed on roads you have not previously encountered. It is important you have the time to react to, and manoeuvre around, any road hazards that may be in your way.

• Accidents involving other vehicles

A shunt can be the fault of a third party or the biker themselves, but there are a number of ways of reducing the risk of such an accident occurring. Firstly and most importantly, do not travel too closely to the vehicle in front. You need time to react if anything out of the ordinary should occur. Make sure that the distance separating you is sufficient for you to be able to stop in, and if a vehicle behind is travelling too closely, give yourself more room in front to compensate.

• Proper care of vehicles is important

You need to understand the proper care of your vehicle is quite important, and this can be done by using motorbike covers. These help to protect bike from various harmful things.