The Other Side Of Riding: To the streets

An Ideal Sunday Morning would be with you and your mates riding down the winding roads of the countryside, along the canyons, besides the river path, around the lake and tearing it down the motorway. The best part of the trip would be the secludedness, the empty roads bearing only a few souls who share anything but the same destination. Riding in such roads broadens your mind and allows you to gaze at what mother nature has to offer at the comfort of your two wheels, it rather makes you feel like there`s more to life than the urban rat race we live in. But nevertheless riding in the city does have its ups and (a lot of) downs.

To start if your more of a showboat than the city is the place to get your A- game on. But if your new to riding in the city or rather uncomfortable or nervous, then this is the blog for you!

Riding in the city does pose its own set of problems majority of the vehicles are for instance big cars.

Dealing with traffic, gripping that tight-ass clutch for hours altogether can make your commute back home a burden. So here's some way that will help in your journey through the concrete jungle.

if you didn’t know it by now, congratulations: you own an invisibility cloak! No matter what you do to increase your visibility to others, there will always be drivers who won’t see you. You can have modulating headlights, reflective tape and jacket, and heck you can wear a spinning yellow light on top of your helmet. But, you must still ride as if you’re invisible.

Out there are those who are committed to riding in the city, whether by necessity, for the thrill of it, or both. First of all, if you choose to ride in the city—whether it’s for your daily commute, errands or even just to see the sights—there’s no need to be intimidated, but you do need to think ahead and never stop thinking throughout the ride.

Spend less time admiring the custom paint job on your tank and more time searching for ways out of trouble should trouble come to find you. Take advantage of your motorcycle’s size and nimbleness—relative to hulking cars. Braking hard isn’t always a great solution.

One of the principles I ride by is “Be Unhittable.” What does this mean? It means ride fully expecting drivers to not see you and positioning yourself to be more visible to any driver that can possibly ruin your day.

Positioning is important: try not to ride adjacent to cars. You should always ride in the front line of vision of the driver behind you, not in their peripheral vision. Often people fail to use their turn signals, or even fail to check their blind spots.

There have been medical studies which suggest motorcycles are “not seen” by car drivers who are turning left because humans don’t perceive motorcycles as a threat, compared to the size of the car they are in.

WHILE RIDING ALONG ALWAYS PICK A LANE

One sign you’re not paying enough attention to what’s around you? A car suddenly passes you and you weren’t even aware it was there.

Heating of motorcycle engines

Nothing heats up an engine faster than sitting idly in traffic. Without flowing fresh air, a bike’s engine, whether it be air or liquid-cooled, starts heating up rapidly. Such heat then radiates around the engine and into your body. A bike is small and nimble; use this to your advantage and keep the bike moving so that the air can do its job and cool the engine.

A well-maintained engine is an engine that runs just that little bit cooler. Change your oil when your manufacturer recommends it, and if your bike has a radiator, make sure it is flushed when you start to notice that your bike’s temperature rises faster than normal.

Engine coolant sometimes boils when it overheats, and such boiling makes it less effective at dissipating heat, which leads to a slippery slope whereby it is gets worse and worse over time.

It’s not just your radiator or engine that needs fresh air, your body may need it too and simply spreading your knees apart while moving means that fresh air can hit your thighs!!

We’ve seen aggressive riders, or what we like to call stupidity. You might be the fastest, but you’re also the least protected. Don’t be afraid, however, to ride with assertiveness. Use your signals, even your hands, and move confidently when it’s safe—and without hesitation.

Things to do which might cause overheating in traffic

1. Useless revs.

2. Shooting ahead of the traffic showing off the acceleration.

3. Not keeping the coolant filled.

4. Not getting the motorcycle serviced on time.