Something every rider enjoys is improving their skills and learning new ones. Becoming a better rider gives you an enormous sense of achievement, and it only helps you enjoy your riding all the more.
Given the impressive power-to-weight ratios of bikes, good acceleration is one of their most important performance features. It's also hugely enjoyable and, despite the myths, a very effective safety tool when used correctly.
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In good conditions, and without a passenger or heavy load, you can't expect a bike to stop in less than 12 metres from 50 km/h or 40 metres from 100 km/h.
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Observation, anticipation and generous following distances should make the need for emergency braking rare. Keep your skills sharp by practicing emergency braking, when the road is clear ahead and behind.
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You don’t have to be the next Fred Astaire to ride a motorcycle well but the position of your feet is important.
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Let's get straight to it: the gear you select should always be appropriate for the speed you are travelling, as well as the road, weather and traffic conditions.
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Riding through heavy city traffic is a chore for some, a god-send for others. Even if your usual riding is on country roads, knowing how best to ride in heavy traffic will come in useful some day. Urban riding can be fun, so long as you stay super alert and wary of other vehicles.
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Coming a cropper in low-speed manoeuvring isn’t just embarrassing. You don’t want a big heavy motorcycle (possibly with glowing hot exhausts) falling on you, for obvious reasons. And the cost of repairs can be eye-watering. Here’s how to keep you and your machine upright.
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Continually turning round to check on following or overtaking vehicles would take your eyes off the road ahead and be distracting. That’s what your mirrors are there for, to be aware of what’s behind. Use your mirrors before any manoeuvre.
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With a motorcycle’s acceleration and manoeuvrability, and a good view over and around other vehicles, you can make good progress through traffic. But passing other vehicles, and being passed, is always a source of potential danger. It’s essential to get it right.
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Your smaller size compared to cars gives you quite an advantage on the road, particularly when the average lane is wide enough for you to take different lines.
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It’s not all about adhering to posted limits. Speed is one of the most important factors in riding technique. It affects pretty much everything else, from braking and cornering to overtaking and how your pillion feels about the ride. Here are some things to think about.
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Even the largest of bikes is smaller and harder to spot than the smallest of cars. Making matters worse, people who only drive cars often don’t understand what it is like to be a motorcyclist.
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You are exactly the same as Valentino Rossi. You (probably) have two arms, two legs, two eyes and that incredible thing, the human brain. So what makes Rossi, and other top riders, so brilliant at controlling a motorcycle?
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