The big advantage motorcycle riders have...& few take advantage of.
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- čas přidán 2. 09. 2021
- This week we talk about an actual aspect of riding a motorcycle that car drivers do not have. Use this to your advantage on every ride.
#motorcycle #motorcycletips
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I know you hear this every day but thank you for your videos.... I am a 53 year old new rider... And the confidence of youth has left me...lol...So now I am constantly Looking for ways to improve... Thank God I found your videos because I could point to at least 3 videos that improved my riding and maybe saved my skin.... Many thanks for sharing your experience my friend
Ordered mine. Thanks for the reminder 🇺🇸🏍
MCrider how do you ride a custom cruiser that's lowered uses a car tire in the rear end and is modified with 6 inch extended forms
@@keithadams812 . Yeah you get that . The Bulletproofness gets shot off over time . LOL .
I’m all over my lane when I ride. Whatever puts me the furthest away from hazards, or makes me the most visible.
Finally, “fluidity”…someone actually gets it. You would not believe how many so called instructors have said to me to “always” ride left of center. I’ve been a licensed motorcyclist for 50 yrs this year and have practiced this fluidity you mention for all of that. Thank you for bringing it up and affirming what I knew to be true all along. Now, I am out the door for a ride, as up here in Alberta we have this thing called winter which will be rolling upon us very soon.
Also my 50th anniversary of licensure, and longtime fluidity rider. Probably part of the reason we are still around.
Thank you both for sharing your perspective with a newer rider!
Are you a solo rider ?
I’ve never heard an instructor say that
This video gets my vote for being in the category of “essential rider skills.”
True for most of the videos on this channel. Kevin does an outstanding job.
So true
That's something I love about riding a motorcycle. Because the lanes are made for very large vehicles, I tend to have buckets of space to work with. On that same note, in tight city streets where I sometimes have to navigate my ride, the size advantage really helps because I can position myself in preparation for an idiot-related-event.
Mr. Kevin I would like to thank you for all the info you've put out there for new riders. I myself am new. I've been riding on a permit for almost a year now. I go for my road test today 9/3/21. I am now confident in my ability to ride safely. I've seen all your videos and can sometimes hear you when I'm riding lol. I've practiced my butt off. Again sir, thank you so very much.
Did you pass? I hope so!
"How to best see and be seen?" Great question and fully agree with it as the guide for fluid use of the road. Excellent video lesson!
Lane position is everything. When one is aware of lane position, it soon becomes automatic to be in the right place at the right time. Like most things on a bike, practice makes perfect!
Youda best, Kevin!!😎
I think one of the most important things I took away from my first couple of motorcycle lessons was when my instructor said to me “you are legally allowed to use the entirety of your lane, don’t be afraid to move around to give yourself an advantage in the conditions you’re printed with”
you are legally allowed to ride wherever you need to go to avoid being hit - lines or no lines - dont trap yourself inside a lane and end up getting creamed
Great tips. I'm a newrider at 51 and I actively use lane positions, it does keep me tuned in for the entire ride. Can't zone out and that's the last thing i ever want to do.
I love your videos Kevin. You are a very thoughtful individual that takes time and effort into saving a lot of us riders from trouble. I appreciate you man.
Good morning Kevin! When I started riding again after a 30 yr break, my new riding 'mentor' kept changing lane position quite often. He would even weave back and forth to get the attention of an inattentive driver. At the time, I thought he was a little hyperactive or just plain crazy, but now know the method to his madness. 😎
He was a smart man. ;)
Changing your position and adjusting your speed and being aware of 360 surrounding is crucial. Intersections are always a high caution area.
Thanks for making us think about our riding tactics.
As always, yours is the voice in my head when I ride. Thanks a lot for this content.
Thanks Kevin, I am certainly not as alert to changing lane position as I should be. One thing I have always been very sensitive to however is finding the grip in the wet. In the UK, on minor roads, that often means riding between the wheel tracks of the 4 wheeled traffic. The wheels tend to squeeze out the tarmac when it gets soft in the summer and that can be very slippery when wet. Between the wheel tracks usually has surface gravel still embedded in it and is more grippy.
It's good to see that without being told to do so that I was already practicing those very precise techniques. I look forward to watching your tutorials on how to safely ride motorcycles. Thanks!
This video is what I do, because of your teaching.
Appreciate you, you are a life saver!
Kevin
Thanks for your continued support of us fellow riders. Appreciate your time and knowledge of this dangerous hobby.
You are welcome, our job as riders is to make it less dangerous...and I think we are getting there. ;)
This confirms to me that I've been 'doing it right'. On a two lane road with a line of approaching traffic I often move to the center or right side of the lane to be seen easier and hopefully deter any drivers from popping out in front of me to pass the slower oncoming vehicle. Approaching an intersection with a vehicle waiting to make a left turn (or entering a position to make a left turn) in front of me I'll either move to the left most lane position if I'm part of a line of traffic, or I'll waggle (move from side to side) in the lane to create horizontal motion if I'm the lead or the only vehicle traveling in my direction. I'll do similar things at intersections for vehicles waiting to turn either direction.
Excellent video Kevin,this is so true, I must imbed this tips in my brain...thank you!
Ride On
Lane position for the conditions is a great topic Kevin. Whether you are in the city and there are parked cars (oh those opened car doors) or if there’s a semi coming up next to you or in the other lane on a two lane road, being seen, where should I enter a blind curve, soft shoulders, etc. So many factors we can adjust for, and sometimes have to. Blessings on your day Kevin.
I've noticed a few things that may have a bearing on the road position question. First off I'll mention that the vast percentage of my travel is done on rural 2 lane roads. I can't remember that last time I traveled on a freeway because I don't live near any. That said I have noticed that more and more and more and more drivers are drifting across the centerline into my lane. In a typical 10 mile trip I will encounter this lane drift 3-4 times. Thus I am extremely hesitant to travel anyway near the centerline for fear of being hit by oncoming vehicles. What's the cause of this lane drift? Hard to say. Most folks I talk to blame it on cell phone use but I tend to think it's a combination of wider vehicles and poorer driving skills. Whatever the reason traveling nearthe centerline in my area may well cause a rise in your life insurance premium!
This is essential information. What's been surprising me lately is watching these videos, and then going for a ride and thinking about these things, and realizing how much of it I've been doing w/out actually realizing I'm doing it.
Yet another excellent vid. The most important aspect of your advice here is encouraging active thinking whilst riding. There is no one right answer in any scenario, only good, best or better options. So if you are a rider that thinks about lane positioning whilst riding, you are a step ahead already. Ride strategy and road awareness will always trump rider skill in importance. And here's the clincher... active thinking whilst riding not only lowers risk but doesn't detract from the riding enjoyment! 😀✌️
Absolutely great video. As you spoke I watched you choose your lane position and I do much the same, moving right when being passed on the highway, left when needing to see further ahead and when passing by an entrance ramp. When I went on my big summer ride this year of 1500 miles I truly came to understand why these are good things to do. I ride my own ride as a rule and sometimes I prefer to stay in the right lane and be the slow traffic. I do this for many reasons but in all honesty I can see the country I am riding through more easily when slowing my pace. In Montana and Idaho I went over some mountain passes where the speed limit is 80 mph. When a Semi passes you going 80ish + being in that far right position is a game changer there was more than once I was literally sucked to the left side of my lane as the semi passed. While some of this I could mitigate, I could not eliminate the physics of vacuum. Just one example of why this is not only good advice but also a necessary skill. Thank you Kevin
Excellent topic and much needed advise. Thank you!
Great advice. Another advantage of moving within those three positions in your lane is increased visibility. The lateral movement helps keep you noticed by surrounding motorists. Thanks Kevin.
Good point! I should have added that in the video. Thx
thanks again for your informative and to the point riding guidelines
Your presentations always make sense. Logic Rules!
I’m about the same age, also ride a cruiser and also wear a hi-visibility coat in order to make sure I’m seen.
Same here. I wear a bright yellow reflective vest. It ain't purdy but if it makes that one driver turning left see me then it's worth it.
I wear one of those as well. Helpful. But if you're in the wrong lane position, not even flashing lights all over your jacket is going to get a car to see you if their view is blocked by other traffic. So lane position allows them to have a view of you, the high-vis jacket (hopefully) catches their eye so they actually register you in their brain.
Not to argue down a jacket similar to mine (which is white and high-vis/reflective)... BUT keep in mind, I've been in a bright white, long wheel-base Cargo Van... and other traffic didn't see me. It's happened just as often in daylight as night-time... AND both with and without the lights on...
"Hope" is not a skill in crisis avoidance nor mitigation.
I do everything I do on the road with my top priority to SEE FOR MYSELF absolutely as much and as far as I possibly can. I spend spare time (not long... think about 20 minutes a day) studying crash videos and replaying them until I see where and how most crashes could be avoided all together or mitigated at the very least, rather than just blithely laughing off "idiots in cars"... AND I study the patterns of traffic even nearby that signals something ongoing ahead...
If I can deduce by the next guy's actions that something is coming up in a half mile or more, it's still PERCEPTION and processing my tactical choices to resolve it BEFORE I have nothing but "crunch time" to do or die...
I still put the effort to be seen... It's just a second priority, albeit a close second. ;o)
there are two aspects to riding
before you get on the bike you do everything you can to make yourself highly visible - both your bike (paint color, lights...) and yourself (riding gear). If you get knocked off your bike, esp at night, you do not want to look like a large black Hefty trash bag lying in the road. Always check your lights before your first ride of the day.
WHILE you are riding its different: Ride as if you are invisible.
This is not a contradiction. Obviously you are not really invisible, and all the things you do before you get on your bike helps MOST people see you sooner.. But some people are not looking where they are going. Some drivers are only looking for other cars and trucks and literally do not 'see' anything else. Some drivers are DWI, incapacitated, and some might be having a stroke, fallen asleep, or might be dead with the cruse control engaged. In a modern car all the safety features can allow you to be in a collision that totals the car and you walk away with only bruises. On a motorcycle we cannot play that game...
So when you are riding you must have the mindset that you are moving between stationary object and moving objects, and your only goal is to not be hit, and to not hit anything.
When you start to think about where the other driver might be looking, what they might be thinking, you are getting pulled down a fatal path. I have see cars and trucks rolling down driveways and down roads with NO ONE in the vehicle. Blow your horn, weave your bike, flash your headlights, rev your loud pipes all you want, there is no one in that vehicle to respond!
That requires a much higher level of attention and awareness of what is around you. 1 in 4 drivers in the USA will be in a serious accident during their life, total the vehicle, and most likely will not be seriously injured or killed.
We have to be better, or we are dead. WHILE you are riding all your attention has to be on maintaining a safe path between everything else.
There are things you can do to reduce the risk, by reducing the complexity of the soup you ride in. Choosing a 2 lane road over a 4..6..8.. lane road gives you less vehicles to keep track of and avoid. Riding at night, or in the rain, makes it more difficult....
The cuts to different cameras while he's talking really help to get his point across.
I understand what You say about seeing through a curve...but I strongly lean to riding to the right of the lane due to cars crossing the yellow line in a curve. I have learned alot from watching Your videos and will continue to do so ! I appreciate Your testimony!
agree with this one. locally we quickly change from back roads to highways, so being aware of being seen and seeing ahead and behind, is always in my thoughts.
Watching your videos saved the life of my wife and myself. I was leading a small group. My dad, my brother, his wife and a great friend. We hit a construction zone and we were sent into the opposite lane. Going around a blind sharp corner I was as far right as I could go. Somehow a vehicle slipped past the traffic control folks and I was faced with a potential head on collision. I didn't panic and was able to turn my bike into the work zone lane and avoided a serious crash. The group followed and we all made it without injury. Kevin thank you for your efforts and teaching. I applaud you sir. You are doing a great job.
Excellent thanks for posting! Using the right side of a lane helps oncoming traffic see you when they think about passing slower vehicles. Most cars follow too closely to pass safely and dart out. The safest way I’ve learned to pass (from emergency vehicle driver training) is stay far enough behind to see when to safely accelerate PRIOR to entering the passing lane, which minimizes the amount of time you spend in it. Some people don’t realize the farther you are behind a vehicle, the farther you can see the left lane ahead without crossing the center line. Sometimes it’s not even worthwhile to pass. After all, how many times have we passed a car only to have them meet us at the next clump of traffic? Also, if legal to do so use high beams during daylight hours-we are more visible and saves low beams for darkness.
I started on a Honda CT70 in 1972 on trails and making my own. I quickly learned there is no straight line when riding. Road conditions determine how and where I position myself and it changes constantly whether on back roads, city streets, or an interstate. 50 years of riding- now on a Goldwing- someone (besides me) FINALLY points out this skill. Seemed obvious to me but observation tells me it isn’t. Thanks for bringing light to this important aspect of safe riding! Stay safe.
Another great informative video Kevin we never can learn to much as riders 👍🏿💯
Well done. Clear and concise.
I think fluidity is the best description for riding. I am constantly looking down range and adjusting in the lane for better vision. The riads and conditions we ride in are fluid, ever changing... we must be the same to keep the advantage as close to the bike as possible. Fantastic video
Essential reminders. Thanks Kevin!
Tips are very useful, will definitely keep in mind next time I am on the road
Totally agree 👍 Thanks for the video!
Excellent segment! In the past 45 years I've ridden nearly 1 million miles on streetbikes. I'm constantly using lane positioning to my advantage. To a degree,our actions as motorcyclists, dictates how vehicle drivers react to us. I use various techniques to freeze traffic turning in my lane as I go by,and what I call a fade. When two or more vehicles approach from the opposite direction on a two way road,I'll fade to the right of my lane so that the oncoming vehicles that invariably tailgate and speed,can see me.
Lane position is an essential skill to have! Ty for the video
Thankfully you can now safely ride over all of your lane. I remember when the center part of the lane would be darker because of oil left behind from cars with down draft tubes for crankcase ventilation. This was especially dangerous after a light rain that did not wash it off! Tires are also much improved! Thanks Kevin for all your good tips!!!
Number 1 for me is obstacle avoidance. Number 2 is see and be seen. Great video, this covers the very basics.
Thanks. Great info, you did a super proffer job.
Right with you there Kevin in the UK that just what I do but obviously on the opposite side. Thank you for another interesting video
Good stuff Kevin. Too bad most of the folks that need this information probably aren't watching. Ya know what they say about a horse and water. Keep the good stuff coming.
I usually ride just right of centerline; “left side of my lane”. I agree it is the best place to see and be seen as well as giving me the biggest area to a make a move away from deer, dogs and raccoons that decided they needed to cross the road in front of me. I also liked how you moved left and quickly passed the idiot who pulled out in front of you. I always try to keep a cushion of space around me. One of my biggest worries is people tailgating me. Most drivers don’t realize they need much more room to stop than a motorcycle does.Thanks for all you do to help keep us safe!
After hitting a deer at 70 mph I definitely have added the possibility of critters coming from my right to my strategy. I now usually will opt for the passing lane going up a hill if traffic allows. In wooded areas etc. I don’t generally hug the right side of the lane after the deer incident.
Totally agree with this line of thinking. Certain lane positions in certain situations give the motorcyclist advantages which can increase safety and help avoid close calls and collisions.
Thanks Kevin! God bless.
Great topic. I usually ride left of center (when alone) unless a situation calls for a move. Not only can I see better up the road, vehicle tires will hopefully pick up any nails and such that may cause a flat.
Very good advice. When riding between two cars on the highway, you don't want oncoming or adjacent drivers to think there is a gap there. Position yourself close to the other lane so you can be seen.
On the freeway, position yourself so you can be seen in the side mirrors of the cars ahead of you in the adjacent lane.
Well said.... It amazes me that this isn't a natural instinct for everyone. I guess it demonstrates how fixed people like to be in their mindset. And tying into this is the one reason why I hate riding with other bikers, even if you don't know them, they seem to want to ride right next to you like your their road buddy, having little realisation that they're taking valuable escape space and cutting down the usable safe area by 50% for both of you, massively increasing the risk.
Great video Kevin. Where I live, I consider road position as well as lane position. Both are helped by the following. I live and ride in the Sierra Foothills in California. I all too often have had to react to not only the road traffic which I see from my lane position, but to animals near or on the road which are seen from my road position. The difference is that lane position refers to where I am in my lane and road position refers to where I am in my lane and where I am on the road that allows me to see not only traffic, but the deer, bear and small animals who live along my routes. With regard to road position, I maintain a very, very long following distance so that I can see the both sides of the roads well beyond any traffic ahead of me. Many motorcyclists feel that a 3 second gap is sufficient. In my riding area, I'm not comfortable unless I have a lot more time than that in the gap. This provides me with good vision of oncoming traffic and both roadsides.
Excellent. Thank you.
👍👍 Good talk Kevin. Thx.
Good instructions! Safe ride all!
Thank you for this excellent video.
Great topic!
Spot on 👍
Kevin, you ride EXACTLY like I do, or you me😁
Usually, I ride left 3rd of the road like yourself until a semi come up behind or towards me then, I go to far right to avoid wind buffeting.
That is, unless I'm coming up on a blind curve. That case, I also decrease my speed to allow more reaction time just in case.
Even with other vehicles, coming or going, I move towards right side of my lane. How far depends on how may vehicles I can see coming and if I'm on passing lanes.
Sometimes, multiple car scenario, I go far right near the line to make sure some brave soul decide to pass and NOT see me coming at them...believe me, it happened to me more than once even at far right side of my lane.
Thank you for your video and totally agree with the two very important questions the rider must continue to ask themselves. How well I can see? and how well others can see me? Answers to both of these will determine your position.
Thanks, Kevin. Appreciate it.
I am a little timid also when it comes to oncoming traffic. On The right curve I get left as far as I’m comfortable with which probably is on the line between center and left. I’m also a little timid going to the left if there is no shoulder on the right. Glad you did this video. Something to work on. I’ll always be learning.
Kevin, I tend to adjust my lane position so I can be seen, over my being able to see further down the road. Since I ride more in city traffic, the threat from those who can't see me is far higher than the threat of me not seeing an obstacle ahead. Probably 40:1. On more rural roads, I revert to your see over seen paradigm. Because ... deer
My lane position is rather like my eye position, always moving, always changing! An additional point is that road irregularities dictate regular repositioning to avoid potholes, detritus, oil, gravel etc. so if we stick religiously to the left or the right we won't be as easily positioned to avoid these hindrances.
You described my own thought process as well. It's why I keep a generous following distance; I want to see what's coming and have plenty of time to react to road hazards. I try to keep as far back as I can without upsetting the vehicles behind me. There are some crappy stretches of road where I have to pretty well dance all over the lane to avoid that paint shaker feeling. I stay in the left lane position when approaching an intersection with a dirt road especially on a curve. Rocks and dirt inevitably get dragged out onto the pavement and present a hazard.
It's all common sense to me honestly but I do see a lot of riders who don't get some of it. Thanks again bud. I watch your stuff all the time.
Wow why was I not subscribed? I am now! I might also add that riding in the tire tracks of the vehicle in front of you is often favored because: If there is an obstacle/debris in the road like a short piece of a 2X4, a dead animal, or many other possibilities the driver will center the obstacle. You will not see it until it passes under their car. Of course the distance behind that you've provided yourself comes into the conversation here too so... if you've crowded yourself in this respect for any reason, riding in the left or right position (not the center) becomes very prevalent/preferred. Safe riding all: Robert
Well stated! See and be seen!
Thanks again a lot of good info.
I always try to maintain a bubble around me on the Hwy or local streets when possible. I will speed up or slow down so I have no cars around me, and I try to see as far ahead as possible to avoid any craziness. And in my city (las Vegas). There is a lot of craziness.
Ride safe everyone
excellent post!
Well said. My thoughts exactly. I don't remember if you mentioned it in the video, but this is also important because of road hazards and potholes, etc.. If you are not used to moving in the lane, you might just eat that big pothole or dead skunk in the road because of not being used to changing lines and being fluid in the lane. Useful comments. Thanks.
Two lane road I often move to the right side of my lane so that vehicles behind the lead vehicle see me faster as i have had a couple close calls of vehicles abruptly pulling out to pass. I stay far right if i suspect a second or multiple vehicles coming from the other way. I will flash my brights if i see someone dipping out to see if its clear for them to pass. I like your advice Kevin.
flashing your lights signals you are surrendering your right of way, YOU will yield and let them go
STOP DOING THAT
You should only flash your bright if _you_ are intending to pass as an alert to the vehicle in front of you.
A part of my lane position strategy is to do my best to leave an open distance, when at all possible, all around me. That means not only keeping a good following distance, but trying to keep a bubble behind, and next, to me.
Thank you MC! These videos really keep me thinking on the road! Is that the Yamaha Tracer?
Spot on! there is no one position... it all depends what's around you! great tip! 👍
Exactly!
Great video. I’m a new rider and I really like to watch getting on the freeway or freeway riding as I am still anxious about it. I’m in California and there are so many people on there darn phones.
I'm glad you started with the" just left-of-center" default rule because I see too many videos where people recommend "just right of center" & I don't like that!
I love the ride-a-long vids too!
Take care!
But those riders started on a Chineeeeze Scooootah and they still ride like sh.. t.
I think just left of center is the most visible position on the road...that is why I choose it.
So Kevin…. How do you like the Rocket 3? I’ve had my GT one year now and I still find it amazing every time I ride. Thanks to you, I am able to ride with more confidence and awareness than ever imagined. Thank you!!!
For the vary reasons you stated are why I don't ride in groups. Few riders really do vary their lane positions to favor your survival and joy in the ride. I really dislike when another rider decides to run up and ride side by side with no room for lane obstacle avoidance or safe spacing.
"Who's going to try and kill me today" My mindset while riding.
two conflicting states of mind:
Im invisble
vs
they are trying to kill me
I guess it could be both
the ones who can see you are trying to kill you.... LOL
Good advice, pay attention!
Spot on. Nuff said
I agree 100% with what you are saying. The guys I ride with also adhere to this.
Each person has his complete lane without ever having to wonder in case of unexpected manoeuvre needed.
I do not ride in tight staggered group rides. In my opinion it is the most unsafe
Great info !!
Thank you!
Thanks Kevin great video.
Glad you enjoyed it
thank you from Pakistan. Love your great videos for better, safer riders
If you’re looking as far out as possible, you already know where you’re bike needs to be.
This causes a fluid motion through the lane, and if they don’t teach in motorcycle safety courses, they really should.
Great vid
The debate about the country road lane position is an interesting one. Like you said, a lot of guys ride far to the right, almost to the shoulder, to avoid the threat of a head-on collision. That is understandable. My philosophy is different. I ride to the left, close to the center line, for the simple reason that it gives the maximum amount of pavement to either side for you to maneuver if an animal runs out. If you're right next to the shoulder, you have a lot of leeway to the left but almost none to the right, and riders that leave the road have a poor survival rate. When traffic comes head-on, I move more to the center.
"Two questions every motorcyclist needs to asking themselves; How well can I see, and how well can I be seen?" Best thing I've heard in a very long time. Thanks for the reminder. And now, questions for the people who gave this presentation a thumbs down. Were you neglected as a child, dropped on your head at birth, or perhaps a graduate of the Gary Busey school of riding? (Inquiring minds want to know)
I move around alot! Not only does it make me a moving object - easier to see against the lights or grills of the big vehicles around me as that motion catches people's eyes - it's fun!
Take those 'school zone' or 'ped xing' labels, they're your own slalom course to train swerving at different speeds. Not to mention potholes! And you can shoft to the right to avoid oncoming or passing trucks, to the left to get visibility on an upcoming intersection, and to plot your weay peeking around the bushes and parked cars like they're the dragons' tail but ya know, with cyclists and pedestrians.
I like this, it’s something you have to develop with experience. Picking which position and why. I might pick a different position from you. Because I was concerned about something different. Sometimes it’s visibility but sometimes it’s a potential hazard. I wish to avoid.
Sometimes I use HOV lane. I pick my position to stay further away from the slower congested traffic. So I can see better for when someone comes into my lane.
Or I might change lanes because I am passing an on ramp.
Some of it applies to driving or riding, just giving your self more time to react, JIK
Sometimes I pick the dry bit.
Sometimes I see a cyclist or a pedestrian on the other side of the road. So I pull over into lane one JIK the oncoming car crosses the center line to give them space. Or maybe I should have slowed down or eased off the throttle.
More than one way to skin a cat.
Fortunately There eyes glow in the dark.
Our local bike trainer told me about a local fatal crash that happened at night.
Biker riding along highway could not be distinguished from following car because, through bad luck of alignment, the bike looked like it was one of the car's headlights. Car driver assumed they had a clear distance to cross the highway and went across straight in front of the bike.
Lesson was, consider a slight weave across the lane when approaching uncontrolled highway intersections to make your light move and so be more noticable (note Oscillating front facing lights like bicycles use, are illegal for motor vehicles here and might be where you are). Alternative is flashing going to high beam but that might be seen as a signal to the car to go.
It's these kind of safety hints you can pick up through formal training, not just the physical skills.
Absolutely, motorcycles have more wiggle room to see and be seen -- and also to maneuver within the lane to avoid car drivers encroaching on our space, positioning strategically behind a vehicle at stops to avoid being rear-ended, etc. In many ways, because of this, I feel safer (to a degree) on my bike than in a car.
I agree 100% with moving your position to create the safest view and to be viewed. Never ride in ones blind spot as I see this to often.
I do also believe in LED headlamp to be seen much easier and when approaching a possible situation simply be flashing your low to high beam to a Alert other drivers of your presence. Some bikes have continues flashing headlamps.
The other thing is when riders are not considerate of vehicle drivers and move way to fast upon them.
I also have a dual air horn on my bike. Whenever I see anyone on the phone, I lay on my horn and give them a friendly middle finger wake up wave. Remember, people driving cars for the most part are not paying attention. Riding a bike makes me a better car driver.
Be safe and remember, Better lookers live longer !
too funny!
they are looking at their cell phones
and you are looking at THEM and blowing your horns
and flipping them off
Instead of looking where YOU are going
the irony!
there are 7 billion people on Earth
you wont live long enough to teach them ALL how to drive LOL
"On a motorcycle YOU ARE the crumple zone." That is such a great line. Too bad it is so true.
No airbags or seat belts either. It's like being on a two-wheel school bus.
It was interesting to see you move to the right when transport trucks were coming up from behind on your left. That would make it more likely for the truck driver to be able to see you as well as lessen the force of the wall of air that those big trucks push in front of them. I pick up something new every time I watch one of your videos.
...plus I get away from them asap, (think retread peeling off)
When choosing your road position remember the acronym SSV - Safety, Stability, and Vision in descending order of importance. Position for maximum vision, e.g. to the outside of the lane on the left side on a right-hander (I'm in the UK so read this as driving on the left), unless this adversely affects your stability or safety, in which case you change position to maximise stability first, e.g. avoiding the edge of the road if it is potholed, and then for safety, e.g. moving position inwards if there is a junction or field entrance on the bend where a vehicle could emerge into your path.
Just came back from New Mexico and at times I found middle to right part of lane better for curves because even though visibility was better, I was afraid of cars coming around curve and crossing lane