Motorcycle Safety Tips

Safety Tips

Heat Protection

Oct 30, 2019 Eagle Leather

Safety Tip of the Week Dangers of Heat Did you know that in the United States more people die because of heat than by freezing to death? In fact, excessive heat is the leading weather-related cause of death in the U.S. Heat stroke is the most serious. It happens when the body can’t control its temperature. The symptoms are similar to an actual stroke: confusion, throbbing headache, dizziness, slurred speech, low blood pressure, blue nails and lips, clammy skin, hallucinations, chill. To help, call 911 and move the victim to a shady spot. Wet them down with water or fan them. Heat exhaustion can be caused by depletion of either water or salt and is caused by extreme sweating. Body temperature rises to 104 degrees and sweating decreases. Symptoms include excessive thirst, headache, and weakness. Prevent heat exhaustion by using sports drinks that contain electrolytes. If someone has heat exhaustion: move them to a cool, shaded place; remove any tight clothing; if the person is conscious, given them fluids; use a fan or an ice-towel to cool them; consult a physician. Heat cramps are muscle spasms often triggered by working out in the heat. The cramps can affect any muscle group. If you suspect you’re having heat cramp: rest and cool down; drink clear juice or a sports drink containing electrolytes; stretch gently and massage the affected area; don’t resume your exercise routine until cramps are gone; call the doctor if cramps last more than an hour. If you’re faithfully using sunblock to prevent skin cancer, you don’t have to worry too much about sunburn. Just in case, though, if you do get sunburn: try a cool bath or shower; avoid products that contain benzocaine, lidocaine, or petroleum; if you have blisters, try dry bandages to prevent infection; if you don’t have blisters, you can use moisturizing cream; adults (but not children) can use ibuprofen for pain relief; cortisone creams can relieve inflammation. Stay safe out there! - Mike

Safety Tips

Group Riding Tips

Oct 30, 2019 Eagle Leather

Safety Tip of the Week Safely Riding in Groups The key to riding safely as a group is in the formation you use. If you ride side-by-side, you can’t swerve to the side where the other rider is. If you need to avoid a pothole, you might not be able to do that without tangling with another rider. Instead, ride in a staggered formation. The first rider uses the left third of the lane. The second rider is about a second behind him in the right third of the lane. Rider three is again in the left third of the lane, one second behind the second rider and two seconds behind the first. On roads with lots of curves, on poor road surfaces, in poor visibility, when entering or leaving highways, or in other cases where more maneuvering room is required, keep a greater distance between riders. Every once in a while, use your rear view mirrors to check on those who follow you. If someone is falling behind, slow down and let them catch up. Have a plan to regroup in case someone does fall behind. And if you’re the one who’s separated from the group, don’t speed or ride faster than your skill level to catch up. You’ll see the rest of the group at the place that was designated. If a rider drops out, don’t succumb to the temptation to just pull up the row that rider was in. Instead, criss-cross to fill the gap. Passing another rider in the same lane can be risky! Learn more about safely riding in groups by clicking here. Stay safe out there! - Mike

Safety Tips

Picnic Safety Guidelines

Oct 30, 2019 Eagle Leather

Safety Tip of the Week Picnic Safety Tips Whether it’s in the backyard or you ride to it, a picnic is a summer tradition. But, if what you eat makes you sick, that’s not a tradition. If you follow these guidelines, your food is more likely to be safe to eat. Keep cold food cold. Put it in a cooler with ice or frozen gel packs. You can pack meat, poultry, and seafood while it’s still frozen to keep it cold longer. Be sure to wrap it so the juices don’t get on anything you’ll eat raw. Cold food should be kept at 40 degrees F. or below so bacteria won’t grow. Once you’re at the picnic, keep coolers closed. You might use one cooler for cold drinks and another for your perishable food so you don’t have to open its container. Wash and dry any fruits or vegetables that aren’t labeled “washed,” or “ready-to-eat.” Keep hot foods hot—at or above 140 degrees F. Once you’ve served either hot or cold food it can only sit out for an hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees F. or two hours if temps are cooler. Stay safe out there! - Mike

Safety Tips

Tips for Long Rides

Oct 30, 2019 Eagle Leather

Safety Tip of the Week Tips for a Long Ride A day trip can be great fun, as a solo trip or in a group. You might want to go to—or from—your destination on side roads or on freeways. In either case, remember to ride sober and be sure any prescriptions don’t affect your riding. Share the road; follow at least two seconds behind another vehicle and farther in traffic, bad weather, or approaching corners or curves. Don’t let slower moving traffic and gorgeous scenery on off-highway roads lull you into complacency. Keep your eyes on the road—glance at the scenery, but don’t stare. For extending gawking and photography, find a safe spot and pull over. Do all that you can to be visible. Wear bright gear with reflective elements. Keep your headlight on, even in the daytime. Remember that motorists might be distracted by the scenery. Ride as though you are completely invisible. Stay safe out there! - Mike

Safety Tips

Toll Booth Safety

Oct 30, 2019 Eagle Leather

Safety Tip of the Week Staying Safe at a Toll Booth When you need to pay tolls, have your change (or if you can use it, your credit card) handy. Keep it in a container like a fuel tank bag or in your shirt or jacket pocket because it’s easier to get at. Get in the correct lane. If you’re in the “Trucks Only” lane, you’ll have to push your ride back and get in the correct line. Be especially wary of tailgaters as you approach the tollgate. At the tollgate, avoid the center of the lane. It’s more apt to be slick from leaked oil and other car gunk. You don’t want to take a spill with a line of vehicles waiting behind you. And, in your home state, take advantage of “automatic” passes like Washington State’s Good To Go! You’ll often save money, too. Stay safe out there! - Mike

Safety Tips

Sturgis Safety

Oct 30, 2019 Eagle Leather

Safety Tip of the Week Some tips about safe riding at Sturgis Be visible. Wear reflective clothing for nighttime visibility, but don’t forget the bright neons to be seen during the daytime. Either neon raingear or neon mesh (or both) will be a good idea. When you ride in a group, ride with people you know and trust. If you’re not sure, ride alone. The last thing you want is to be is sharing a lane with someone who’s loaded, or showing off, or just plain ignorant. If you get into a group and it starts to go faster than you’re comfortable with, it’s okay to hang back. Go your own speed. The roads outside of Sturgis, the scenic ones, are twisty; why be in a hurry? The speed limits are maximums; you don’t have to go that fast. Take breaks—either after so many miles or after so many minutes. Stretch your legs, flex your hands, and enjoy the views. Stay safe out there! - Mike

Safety Tips

Checking Your Tires

Oct 30, 2019 Eagle Leather

Safety Tip of the Week Tire Checks If you don’t have a tread-depth gauge, you can use a penny to check treat wear. Hold the penny with Lincoln’s head facing you and upside down over the tire. Stick it into a groove in the tread. If you can see all of Lincoln’s head, your tread depth is less than a sixteenth of an inch and you need new ones. Repeat this process on grooves across the width of the tire. Motorcycle tires have wear bars that become visible when you have just 1/32nd of an inch of tread left. If you see wear bars, get thee to the tire store! Check air pressure in your cold tires using an accurate air pressure gauge. Cold tires means that it’s been at least three hours since you rode the motorcycle. Under-inflated tires can overheat, wear out early, and cause unstable cornering. Over-inflated tires will give you a hard ride and cause premature tire wear. You’ll find the right tire pressure in your owner’s manual and on the bike’s chain guard, swing arm, or frame. When you check pressure and tread, you might as well look for cracked, bent, or broken spokes. To prevent catastrophic failure, tires that fail your inspection should be repaired or the tires replaced before you ride. Some people say to check tread depth and air pressure weekly, but others suggest testing every time you ride. Can’t hurt! Stay safe out there! - Mike

Safety Tips

Riding Around Road Work

Oct 30, 2019 Eagle Leather

Safety Tip of the Week Watch Out for Road Work Be sure to watch for road work. In Washington State, endangering a road worker can cost you your license. Worse yet, you might injure someone. When workers are present, fines for moving violations are double in construction zones. Construction, maintenance, and emergency operations work areas are usually orange triangles or rectangles marked with black letters or symbols. The signs might instruct you to reduce your speed, take a detour, or alert you to slow-moving vehicles or to poor or changing road surfaces. Traffic might be controlled by someone with a flag or a sign. You must obey such a person. In addition, you must yield to highway construction personnel, to vehicles with flashing yellow lights, and to equipment in a maintenance or construction zone. Remember that construction workers have their minds on their work, not on passing traffic, so it’s up to you to watch out for them. And, of course, you’ll watch out for other drivers, who will be slowing down as you near a work zone. Stay safe out there! - Mike

Safety Tips

Preparing for Anything

Oct 30, 2019 Eagle Leather

Safety Tip of the Week Preparing for Anything Nobody likes to think about it, but there may come a time when you really think you’ll crash your bike. The temptation is to “lay it down.” But, don’t do that. Always continue to ride your motorcycle. Use one of these strategies and you might avoid the crash altogether. Look where you want to go. Don’t look at the guardrail, or the oncoming vehicle, or the deer in the road because you’ll hit it for sure—that’s called target fixation. Instead look at a safer spot. Use the handgrips, not your body, to lean the motorcycle by countersteering. You turn the handlebars in the direction that seems wrong. If you press forward on the right handgrip, the bike leans right. Use controlled, incremental pressure to try to get out of the bad situation. Use both brakes. Many riders are afraid they’ll somersault if they use the front brakes. However, the front brake provides 70% of your stopping ability in an emergency. Don’t grab the front brake. Squeeze it and squeeze harder and harder until you’re stopped. If you’re unsure about using any of these techniques, take an advanced motorcycle safety course. It just might make all the difference. Stay safe out there! - Mike

Safety Tips

Taking Care of Your Leather

Oct 30, 2019 Eagle Leather

Safety Tip of the Week Taking Care of Your Second Skin Keeping your leathers in good condition, as described in the blog, not just to keep them looking good, not just to increase their useful life, but for safety’s sake as well. If leather is dried out and you take a spill, the leather will shred and not protect your skin. Bugs and oil and other junk can be unsightly and can deteriorate leather if left on it, and maybe you don’t have time to do a thorough cleaning and conditioning. Just use a baby wipe to spot clean. In fact, if you keep a box of baby wipes (unscented unless you find a fragrance you like) where you hang your gear, you can easily use them for a quick wipe-down every day. They won’t condition as well as conditioner, but they will help. Stay safe out there! - Mike

Safety Tips

Biketoberfest Safety

Oct 30, 2019 Eagle Leather

Safety Tip of the Week Heading to Daytona If you’re planning to ride to Biketoberfest®, you’ll most likely find yourself on freeways for at least some of the journey. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you leave the quiet side roads for the speed and noise of the thru-ways. Wear bright clothing. Add bright decals to your gear and bike. Do whatever you can to become more visible to drivers who may have been on the road a long while and are not as alert as they should be. Be sure to check your mirrors when you change lanes or turn and, if it’s at all possible, flash your brakes a few times before you stop or slow down. Flash your brakes when a vehicle is tailgating you and, if that fails, change lanes. Whether you ride in the left lane, where vehicles are apt to go faster, or in the right lane, where there are more trucks and more vehicles coming onto the road, stay to the right or left portion of the lane. You’ll be away from the center of the lane where oil, leaky fluids, and exhaust accumulates to make a slick surface. Trucks cause wind turbulence. You’ll be hit with turbulence when they pass you. If you pass a truck, you’ll feel turbulence as you begin to pass and then you’ll be sheltered. But when you get ahead of the truck, turbulence will blast you again. All you can do is be prepared. Stay safe out there! - Mike

Safety Tips

Halloween Safety

Oct 30, 2019 Eagle Leather

Safety Tip of the Week How to Be Safe on October 31st Halloween, when residential streets are haunted by little ghosts and goblins, princesses and magicians, is a good time to remember to slow down where children live and where they go to school. It’s dark later in the morning when children are waiting for the school bus, and it’s dark earlier at night when they may be playing one last game of hide and seek. It’s up to you to help keep them safe by staying alert and ready to stop. And keep a safe following distance behind other vehicles that might have to stop quickly. Remember to stop for a school bus with its lights flashing and stop-arm extended. Wait until children have exited and left the bus stop or crossed the street. When the stop-arm is retracted and the flashing stops, you’re ready to go. But give one last look and keep an eye out for children who might still be in the street or decide to cross. Stay safe out there! - Mike

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