We all have bad habits, such as mindlessly scrolling through social media, biting nails, procrastinating, and whatnot. However, as a motorcyclist, you need to be more aware of your bad habits and make a conscious effort to replace your rather dangerous habits with better habits for your own safety and the safety of others.
Having good motorcycle riding habits is equal to having a proper foundation upon which to build your motorcycle riding skills.
Do Not Heavily Rely On Your Rear Brake
The first habit that you must let go of as a motorcycle rider is the improper use of the rear brake. If you heavily rely on your rear brake, you should know that it can put your safety in jeopardy. On the same note, you cannot forget that your rear brake exists.
Nearly eighty percent of your motorcycle’s stopping power relies on the front brake – so you should learn to use the rear brake effectively to decrease the time it takes you to stop your motorcycle and boost your braking ability.
Use The Front Brake More As A Newbie Rider
Now, if you have just started riding your motorcycle, you should know that as a beginner, you should focus on your front brake – at least for the beginning. Rear brakes are perfect for slow-speed things – you can learn to bounce both of them in emergency situations.
However, stopping on the rear brake can make you slide and get into an accident.
Learn to Use Both Brakes in Conjunction for Stability
The best thing you can do for your safety is to learn to use both brakes in conjunction for stability. When the rear brake bites onto the brake rotor effectively, it slows down the momentum of the tire. Subsequently, less momentum is forced onto the front of the motorcycle, which will prevent you from diving or slipping while keeping both tires in contact with the pavement.
All you need to do is to learn how to blend rear and front brakes. Soon, you will start to notice that if you brake correctly, you don’t have to deal with a front-end dive.
Brake while Slipping the Clutch
An effective thing to do is to drag the rear brake while slipping the clutch, as it will allow you to operate your bike very smoothly at low speeds. This is an effective maneuverability in parking lots as well as tight, slow-speed turns.
If you, as a motorbike rider, rely too heavily on the rear brake – you are essentially losing out on all the stopping power that comes from the front brakes. This habit is common among people who come from the world of dirt bikes.
Front Brakes Are Perfect for Emergency Situations
Some riders think that using the front brakes in emergency situations might immediately cause them to go down. Why, you might ask? Because they heard a story where someone crashed when trying emergency braking while trying to avoid an accident with a deer.
No matter what you have heard or watched in the movies, using the front and rear brakes at the same time is one of the best practices for efficient braking and putting your motorbike on stop. Nonetheless, suppose you still get into an accident where it hasn’t been your fault. In that case, you should contact a lawyer, such as the Huntsville Motorcycle Accident Lawyer, if you reside in Huntsville.
What the motorcycle accident lawyer will do for you is they will hold the at-fault party responsible and get you the insurance coverage for your medical bills.
Practice Throttle Control
Another bad habit that some motorcyclists have is poor throttle control. There are several examples of poor throttle control, such as looping your motorcycle or losing control in the form of whiskey throttling. Usually, this bad habit comes from a complete disregard for the throttle itself.
A new bike rider with bad throttle needs to practice before taking the bike on the roads, as bad throttle results in floppy and imprecise movements. You can panic and lose control of your bike. We all know that panic never leads to anything good.
Bad throttle control usually happens in low-speed situations or in traffic that is not moving forward the way it should.
How to Control Throttle?
The best way to practice and gain control over the throttle is by getting familiar with the throttle response of your motorcycle within a controlled environment. If you have bought a relatively new bike version, your motorcycle might be fuel-injected and can have odd quirks in the throttle response.
So, it is in your best interest to feel the throttle and practice with throttle control in low-speed situations. Trust us – the more familiar you are with your motorcycle, the more control you will have over it, and the less the risk of getting into an accident will be.
Once you start to feel comfortable with the throttle response, you will be able to move more quickly and increase or decrease your throttle input according to road conditions and other circumstances.
Practice Clutch Control
Mastering your bike’s throttle goes hand-in-hand with your clutch control. On that note, many new bike riders can develop a bad habit when using their clutch. They might shift badly with the clutch as well as not master the friction zone.
If you are a new rider, you might struggle with fully engaging the clutch or leaving the clutch partially engaged. Using the clutch efficiently is absolutely crucial for slow-speed maneuvers. This is the point where slipping the clutch in the friction zone will allow you to minimize yet smooth amounts of power to the rear wheel.
On that note, new riders can be unfamiliar with this practice and, hence, face difficulty when maneuvering their bike at slower speeds. If you have the clutch lever too far out, you will be at the risk of stalling or moving forward too quickly – depending on your throttle input.
Nonetheless, having a strong familiarity with your clutch is also crucial when effectively shifting gears. Again, the best thing to do is to become familiar with your bike’s throttle and clutch before taking your bike onto the roads.
