So, you’re looking for the best safety tips for riding a motorcycle. First off, congratulations. Knowing that getting your motorcycle licence doesn’t automatically make you safe on the road is a great start. Actively looking for motorcycle safety tips is wise. Actually practicing them regularly will make you a better rider who has way more fun on the road.

Motorcyclists are one of the most vulnerable groups of road users. That’s partly because they’re harder to see. But that’s not the full story. Loss of control, poor manoeuvres, and not adjusting riding style for road conditions are also major reasons for motorcycle accidents. The good news is, that means there’s a lot you can do to stay safe on the road. Safe riding practices are in your hands. So let’s jump right in for our motorcycle safety tips that’ll make two-wheeled motoring more fun and less frightening.

#1 Consciously practice your rider routines

Remember getting your CBT? Part of that training teaches you the basic rider routines. Observe-Signal-Manoeuvre (OSM) and Position-Speed-Look (PSL) quickly become automatic behaviours when you ride regularly. That’s great.

But it’s also a problem. Because your brain loves a shortcut. Because of this, you can find yourself going through the routines, but not taking in the information you need.

How many times have you looked at your watch or phone to check the time, but not actually seen what time it is? That’s exactly what can happen with your OSM and PSL routines. You look, but you don’t actually see. Make the effort to consciously practice your basic rider routines every time you ride. It’s a safe riding practice that is often forgotten as our CBT course becomes a far-off memory. That’s why it’s the first of our motorcycle safety tips.

#2 Practice braking

Safe braking and swerving are crucial skills to master and maintain to stay safe on your motorcycle. Keeping your rider skills sharp takes continual practice. Getting comfortable and practicing braking skills will keep you safer on the road.

We all suffer from the forgetting curve. We can minimise our forgetting curves by reinforcing memory with practice and keeping the information we need to remember relevant. What better way to do that than to practice motorcycle exercises when you ride? These two braking and swerving exercises will help. Just make sure you have a clear, quiet road before you start.

Braking in a curve

• Brake carefully with your front brake in a familiar curve on a dry day.
• Notice the way your bike behaves. (It will try to steer straight ahead.)
• Counteract this tendency by countersteering
• Practice this to find the right balance between your steering commands and braking pressure.
• Regularly go back to this exercise after you have found this balance of braking and turning pressure to embed the knowledge in your brain.

Braking and swerving

It is best to practice this skill in a traffic-free tarmacked area, like an empty car park or deserted road.

• Choose a point in the bitumen as your imaginary swerve obstacle, or place a small traffic cone at that point.
• Brake carefully as you approach.
• Release the brake gently.
• Anchor your position on your motorbike.
• Give a light steering command while following through with steady throttle control.
• Immediately straighten up with a second anchored push in the opposite direction to the first.
• Return to your original course.

#3 Adjust your style for safe riding in all conditions

Difficult road conditions range from those caused by weather to potholed surfaces or unexpected obstacles. Adjusting your riding speed and style to suit is crucial for stopping conditions on the road becoming your downfall on a motorcycle. Here’s a few tips for common conditions:

• In rain and fog, lower your speed and leave more room between yourself and other road users.
• When you notice potholes, keep your arms loose, body anchored and eyes ahead. Open the throttle a little and trust your suspension to do its job.
• Fallen branches, trees and packing pallets can be frightening, but don’t panic! Don’t lock eyes on the obstacle, look for a clear path and practice a controlled swerve. Emergency stop if there is no clear path and the obstacle is too large. Otherwise, trust your machine, anchor yourself to your motorbike and ride over it.

#4 Pay attention to the language of the road

Road rules are just part of the traffic conversation we participate in as motorcycle riders. Our speed, road position, and gestures are the nuance that helps us understand the language of the traffic around us. It lets other road users understand what we are doing too.

Riding in the centre of a lane at a safe distance behind a car helps them see that we are there in the rear vision mirror. Maintaining that position lets them know we’re not planning to overtake. Moving to the right hand side of the lane and increasing our speed a little shows our intention to pass.

All of these small signals, and more, are important. Pay attention to the gestures you give to other road users. You should also ‘listen’ to the gestures of the traffic around you too. It’s a motorcycle safety tip that isn’t often mentioned but is so important for staying safe on the road.

#5 Give yourself the space you need

Space and timing are essential for motorcyclists. You can’t muscle in on traffic when you’re the smallest vehicle on the road. Instead, you need to perfect your timing and make sure you have the space you need for your manoeuvres.

Sometimes that can mean slowing down a little to create more space ahead of you. Other times, it means choosing the right position in your lane for the approaching turn. Think ahead, plan your manoeuvres and you’ll create the space you need on the road for safe riding.

#6 Improve your visibility

Being seen on the road is one of the biggest things riders can do to improve their safety. Whether you do that with a bright and unexpected helmet cover or a simple high-vis vest doesn’t really matter. Being seen on the road helps other road users—including other motorcyclists—to give you the space, courtesy and time you need to get where you are going safely.

#7 Filter through traffic with care

Filtering through traffic is legal and even encouraged in the UK. It keeps our roads less congested and helps everyone (including those frustrated drivers) get where they want to go, faster. But you need to take care and become ultra aware of hazards.

Not all drivers know that motorcycles are allowed to filter through traffic. Some do know and don’t like it, so they’ll actively obstruct your path. Keep your eyes peeled for a clear path ahead, pay attention to your mirrors for other motorcyclists behind you, and never, ever squeeze between cars trying to block your path.

#8 Keep your passenger in the loop

Having a friend on the back of your bike doubles the fun of riding. It also changes the way your motorcycle behaves when cornering, braking and accelerating. Help your pillion passengers help you by letting them know how they should behave when they’re on the back of your bike. Let them know being a pillion passenger is an active job. They need to lean with you, hold on tight, and know how and when to communicate with you if the need arises.

#9 Find your zen

Riding when you are angry, frustrated, or overwhelmed with any emotion is a bad idea. How we feel impacts the way we behave. When it comes to safe riding, you need to behave logically and calmly. That’s nigh on impossible to do if you are anxious, angry or overwhelmed by something.

If you’re feeling out of sorts, you need to find your inner calm before jumping on your bike. Try taking three deep breaths, literally shaking it off by vigorously shaking your arms and legs, or allowing yourself to put the incident aside for later. It doesn’t matter which technique you use. Just as long as you find your rider zen before revving your engine. It’ll keep you safer in traffic.

#10 Develop your roadcraft

Roadcraft is a deep understanding of riding and the interplay between rider, motorbike and the road beneath your wheels. Roadcraft skills are developed with coaching, clocking miles and consciously practising safe riding exercises. Combined, these activities will help you evolve that sixth sense great motorcyclists have.

You might cultivate your roadcraft over time by accumulating road experience. The trouble with only relying on this is the bad habits that are also likely to creep in. Peppering your real-world experience with one to one or small group coaching is a fantastic way to boost your roadcraft skills and grow as a competent rider. Our PROskills courses pair you with police-trained riders so you can develop faster without collecting bad habits along the way.

Bonus motorcycle safety tip

Gathering motorcycle safety tips is a great start to gaining confidence and competence on the road. Putting those tips into practice is what will make the biggest difference to your road safety. Remember to keep practicing, consciously carry out your rider routines, make space on the road and in your head before you ride. But most of all, be visible, aware and engaged in what your doing every time you straddle your machine.

Your motorcycle safety really is in your hands. Choosing to be safe on the road is a great start. Carry on the journey by putting our motorcycle safety tips into practice! Be safe out there.