It’s hard for a rider to walk into a motorcycling get-together without walking away with some piece of advice on how to ride better and safer. However, some of these nuggets of wisdom aren’t as helpful as they claim to be. It’s Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month and your motorcycling attorneys are going to help you stay safer on our Colorado highways. Here are some common motorcycle myths that need to be busted.
6 Dangerous Motorcycle Myths You Need to Know About
- The Front Brake Will Toss You, Don’t Use It– If you grab too much front brake too quickly, there’s a chance your front wheel will washout. However, this is no reason to never use your front brake. Smooth inputs into your front brake lever will prevent washout every time. Plus, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) teaches that the most effective way to stop your motorcycle is to use both your front and rear brake at the same time.
- Never Think About Crashing, It Will Make You Crash– Being mentally fixated on crashing can be a distraction, which can cause you to crash, but that’s no reason to never think about crashing. Thinking about a crash can help you focus on the dangers of the road. This will keep you fully aware of road conditions and dangerous drivers that share the road with you. Just don’t get carried away.
- Loud Pipes Save Lives– Do loud exhausts get you noticed by drivers that would typically not notice you? The answer is, probably not. Every situation is different, but there are a few things you can count on. The loud sound from exhaust pipes is usually focused behind you, meaning traffic ahead of you probably won’t hear you no matter how loud your pipes are. Modern cars also have a lot of sound deadening, including state-of-the-art sound cancelling systems. Rely on loud pipes at your own peril.
- Surface Roads Are Safer than Highways– No they aren’t. In 2007, a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study found that 91 percent of all motorcycle versus vehicle crashes happened on non-interstates. Turns out 6 out of 10 motorcycle versus car collisions happened on urban roadways that year.
- Motorcyclists Only Wear Leather Cause It Looks Good– Leather does look good, but that’s not why riders wear it. Leather resists cuts, scrapes, and abrasions better than just about any other material. Yep, it out performs most textiles, including Kevlar, and it also insulates against the elements rather well.
If You Are About to Crash, Lay Your Bike Down– By the time you think to lay your bike down, you’ve probably already crashed into whatever has popped out in front of you. Plus, why would you want to crash your bike twice? That increases the chances that you will get injured. Instead, try to brake and bleed off as much speed as you can. As the old saying goes, if you had time enough to low side your bike, you had time enough to stop.