Bike Tips: Town Riding

By: Greg Hudson

Enter the dense, congested inner-city streets, just you and your motorcycle. The tactics you need are listed below. Knowing them can spare you the trouble incurred through ignorant slip-ups in the city.

Three Lanes and an Indicator

The over-heated city worker has no patience, especially when looking for parking. If you find yourself on either the left or right side of a three-way lane, bare this in mind. Commonly, the driver in front of you will spot an empty parking bay. Not thinking to indicate, hell swerve towards it without checking his mirrors.

In addition, an oncoming car thats indicating their intent to turn means nothing more than that the indicator bulb is working. Avoid assumptions when it comes to little flashing lights!

Likewise, make absolutely certain you turn your own indicator off. Drivers think youre turning left or right when in fact you intend to go straight. Before you know it, youre T-boned!

Filtering Between Lanes

Cruising up to the robots through the cars is one of the benefits of biking in town. When cars are side-by-side they keep the gap between them and theres no danger of a motorist cutting across you, just watch out for their mirrors!

The danger lurks where a car, especially a taxi, has a chance to take the gap. Again, indicators mean nothing here. This is a tricky one to judge, best go slow!

Friendly Folk!

Junction friendly folk like to give way to each other out of courtesy. Its those you go, no Ill go moments you should look out for.

Kak in the Street

Youll find all manner of things in the streets of town. To name a few: bottles, plastic bags, drunk bums, vendors at the stop streets and other nasty trip-ups. Oh and dont forget motorists who throw things out of the window while moving. AKA cigarette butts!

Thievery

Either park your bike where you can see it or stick your license disc under your seat. People steal your disc and have a license plate made to match. Guess who gets their speeding fines! This happens frequently in town.

Roundabout Now!

Take the opportunity to use the vehicle next to you as cover when pulling into a roundabout. Any car to the right of your cover car will be safely out of range.

Live to ride, ride to live!

About the Author



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