Safe City Riding Tips for Motorcycles

If most of your commute happens within city limits, then trying to get to work and around town in your car can be cumbersome and expensive. However, public transit and simply walking can be time-consuming. The perfect in-between solution for you might just be a motorcycle. Bikes offer a compact, quick way to travel around, but when you’re riding alongside bigger vehicles, you’ll need to take some safety precautions. We have provided some tips for safely riding your motorcycle in a big city to help you out.

Defensive Riding

Just as defensive driving is an important part of getting behind the wheel of a car or truck, you’ll want to use some basic defensive riding tactics to help you get around the city on your motorcycle. Especially in busy downtown areas, you can’t assume that all drivers are going to see you. Accidents often happen because a vehicle driver simply didn’t see the other motorist.

In general, keep some space between you and other cars, as even the most focused and safe drivers can lose you in their blind spots. For all the times you are visible to other commuters, help them see you better by wearing reflective clothing and using additional lights as necessary.

Spotting Dangerous Conditions

Part of defensive riding is knowing how to spot and avoid dangerous conditions. Any time you’re looking at a patch of road that could make you lose traction, you’ll want to proceed with caution. This could mean wet or oily patches, debris, construction plates, or potholes. Avoid the worst of these issues if at all possible, or at the very least, slow down enough that you won’t skid over them.

With all this in mind, you should be ready to hit the road. If you still need the right motorcycle to get you where you need to go, visit St. Charles Harley-Davidson® to check out what we have available right now. You’ll find us in St. Charles, MO, where we serve all those in St. Louis and St. Peters.