Top 20 Extreme Survival Guide for Motorcycle Riders

Riding in dense urban areas is not for everyone. Your enemies are many and your friends none. The list of your enemies includes bad roads, potholes, cabbies (and rideshare drivers), buses, truck drivers, old people, young people and everyone else in between. You got distracted drivers aiming right for you, so do great grannies who can barley see through their steering wheel. That 17 year old who just got a text from the hot girl in school is going to let go of the steering wheel in an instant and take his eyes off the road to see what she has to say. I have seen bikes damaging both wheels severely on Manhattan's notoriously bad roads or being hit by a young LA actress wannabe who had to make sure her makeup was perfect for that audition she was rushing to.

So, how do you survive riding your nice motorcycle in metro areas? After 140,000 spirited miles on sport and sport-touring bikes and many years of riding in US' largest cities I've compiled the following 20-Point Extreme List.

Keep in mind we're not mandating this list nor offering it as safety rules. We're merely sharing experiences in a non-PC, truly brutal fashion for a very brutal riding world. What you do with this list is entirely up to you. We take zero responsibility.

1. Assume You're Invisible
If you want to survive riding motorcycles in dense urban areas assume no one can see you. Take full responsibility for your ride. No one is going to care if you wear black or high-viz, they'll run you over or rear-end you without prejudice. Be on full alert.

2. Don't Trust Your Mirrors
If you only rely on your mirrors to make lane changes, you'll not last long on the streets. Always (that's every single time) turn your head and make sure a car, truck, another bike or a bicyclist is not in your blind spot.

3. Being in Someone's Blind Spot Can Kill You
Cars have massive blind spots. If you find yourself riding next to cars and your bike is in the area around the rear seat to the trunk of that car, you can be sure that the driver cannot see you. Get yourself out of that car's blind spot immediately.

4. Get Out of the Way of Large Vehicles
In issue 6 we posted a video of a Ducati that got crushed under the wheel of a truck because it didn't get out of its way. Yelling will not help you, keeping the bike in gear at all times and getting the hell out will.

5. Never Put the Bike in Neutral When Stopped in Traffic
When stopped in traffic always keep the bike in first in case you have to dash out of the way of a distracted cager aiming right for you.

6. NYC Taxis Will Kill You
New York City taxi drivers do not know how to drive. Most are new immigrants who never drove cars in their country and only learned to drive here just to get their hack license. They barely know how to make 90deg turns. Get the hell out of their way and never tango with them.

7. Buses & Semis Do Not See You
The larger the vehicle the less likely they'll notice anything smaller than a car. Get out of their way and don't place yourself in a situation that they may accidentally clip you or worse.

8. Road Rage Against Cars Might Kill You
Let's face it you really have no chance tangoing with drivers in cars or trucks. Even a compact can hit you and barely feel the incident. So ride smartly.

9. Watch as You Ride Through Each Intersection, Even if You Have the Right of Way
Boring right? Just because you have the right of way, doesn't mean you can zoom through intersections. Pay close attention and make sure no one is riding lights or crossing the interaction thinking it's clear, since they may not be able to see you.

10. Straight Pipes Annoy the Public and Create Road Rage
Straight pipes do not save lives, they create road rage and lower our standing in the community. It makes the public hate us more and they in turn want to run us over, as the article in our issue 7 about the Florida incident indicates.

11. Own Your Space, Own Your Lane
Don't ride on the extreme right or left side of your lane and allow cars to pull in next to you in your own lane. Own your lane, and keep cars away from your bike.

12. Use Your Horn
Don't be bashful about using your horn to get the attention of distracted drivers.

13. Splitting Lanes Will Save Your Life
Splitting lanes or filtering (where allowed) prevents you from being rear-ended by distracted drivers. Our bikes are small yes, but they have even a smaller profile from behind. We can barely be seen from the rear. By filtering and riding to the front of traffic at lights you avoid being rear-ended.

14. How Not to Get Rear-Ended
Keep the bike in gear at all traffic stops and monitor your mirrors and make sure no one is aiming for you. Be ready to get out of the way if you see a car getting too close or is not slowing down fast enough.

15. ABS Will Save Your Life, Every Single Time
ABS, or anti-lock braking system, which is available on almost all large capacity bikes today, including cruisers and Enduros is a real life saver. By not worrying about locking your front wheel, you can grab the brakes to their full strength in an emergency and stop the bike in time and still remain upright. We can't shower enough praise on ABS.

16. Cars Will Cut You Off, Just Deal with It
Since many drivers aren't trained to spot motorcyclist they accidentally will cut you off. Don't get mad and don't start a road rage, just learn to deal with it.

17. Monitor the Front Wheel of Cars for Lane Change Indication
Following the point 16, always monitor the front wheel of cars as you pass them to pre-detect their lane change intention. You'll thank us for this later.

18. Tap Your Brake Lights Before Coming to a Sudden Stop
If you are coming to a sudden stop in traffic, make sure to tap your brake lights a few times before fully engaging them (if there is enough space) to warn the cars behind you of your intention for a sudden stop. If you have no such time or road space, don't allow your bike to be stopped behind a car in a sudden stop, because there is a good chance the cars behind you can't stop fast enough and they may hit you. Try to either pull in between lanes in extreme stopping emergencies or pull to the shoulder and wait until the traffic has come to a safe stop.

19. Test the Slipperiness of a Road by Tapping Your Rear Brake
If you find yourself riding in slippery road conditions and can't gauge how much traction you have, just tap your rear brake in a straight line and see if the tire skids or if there is traction. This will help you gauge both cornering and stopping traction.

20. Develop 360 Vision
Following the above real rider experiences will help you enjoy many years of riding pleasure.