Motorcycles for Everyone! Well, almost…

I want to share with you a little bit about my philosophy of motorcycle ownership and driving in contrast to cars and other vehicles.
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I really believe that driving a motorcycle is an awesome way to improve your life experience… and even saves you a lot of money in the long run.

What? You don’t believe motorcycles are safe? There’s some truth to that, but really a motorcycle can stop much more quickly than a car, accelerate more quickly away from danger and turn more quickly away from danger.

But yes, in an accident, people on motorcycles are more at risk of injury by a much greater factor.

However… let me say this… If you are of sane mind and you purchase a motorcycle to use as transportation to get from one place to another place - you can likely do so for many, many years without having an accident.

You as the motorcycle driver can be in control of what happens to you on a motorcycle nearly all the time.

Here’s the thing…

You can’t drive a motorcycle like you’re
used to driving a car or other vehicle
and have the same level of safety.

You just cannot.

On a motorcycle you MUST drive very, very defensively… without ego… without assuming anything about what the cars around you WILL do. You must always be compensating for everything going on around you - to keep yourself out of danger. There are motorcycle riders that do this - drive VERY safely, and do so over many years. In doing so they are reaping the benefit in many areas… number one they are having more fun.

Do you have any idea how fun it is to ride a motorcycle? Most people would say it’s fun. For me, it’s incredibly fun and second only to maybe bodyboarding or running or cycling through the forest. It’s THAT fun. Secondly you are saving money over having a car (gas and expenses). Thirdly you are smarter for having not succumbed to the mind control of your TV, friends, co-workers, magazines, and radio advertisements that are telling you to buy the biggest and most expensive vehicle that you can possibly afford (or beyond what you can afford).

So, to review… buying a motorcycle and riding it instead of a car is:

More fun.
Less expensive
Smarter.
Can be almost as safe as driving a car.

I really believe #4, and the reason is that I understand that most motorcycle accidents are the result of 1 thing:

The driver of the motorcycle because he or she is driving as if in a car… and not made enough adjustments for driving the motorcycle safely (defensively).

It’s a fantasy in a lot of people’s minds that motorcycles have the same rights on the road as larger vehicles. It’s an ideal that they’d like to believe, and some insist on it as they drive… and they end up in horrible accidents.

It’s quite incorrect to say that motorcycles and other vehicles have the same rights on the road. Being correct according to laws means nothing, if in reality it’s false.

If you drive your motorcycle like you drive your car, you likely will die or be seriously injured. When you drive your motorcycle you must drive like you are on a 10 speed on the freeway. VERY cautiously. The power of the motorcycle may fool you into thinking that you’re stronger, faster, untouchable… but all it takes is one deep pothole or dog to run into your path and you may die. In a car you’d be fine. To drive safely on a motorcycle you will need to DRASTICALLY alter your concept of driving. If you’re used to driving a motorcycle in a certain way then this new, safer way of driving may not seem pleasurable when you first begin to drive very defensively. Suddenly, you’re not equal… you’re the little guy in the big game on the road.

This is what I mean when I talk about driving a motorcycle defensively…

Realize this… someone driving a car, truck, van, SUV, or motorcycle around the city is in a state of flux in the area of “control”. One can drive in a reckless way and have about 10% control over the vehicle and whether it will be involved in an accident during any moment while driving. 90% of control will go to the other factors - external factors.

These external factors that govern your safety, but which you have no control OVER are:

road surface
lighting conditions (sunshine, dusk, reflections, shade patches)
weather conditions
stray animals
quality of the vehicle you’re is driving
other drivers’ driving abilities, actions, reactions to your hazardous driving
quality of their vehicles (brakes tip-top?)
obstacles in the road
and others I’m sure I haven’t listed

The 10% that the hazardous driver controls is affected by his own actions, reactions, the condition of the vehicle, weather, road surface, lighting, and other conditions.

Even if you max out your 10% and are driving the best you possibly can at 10% of total control in the equation - you can die or be injured quite seriously in an accident because 90% of the whole equation is out of your control.

You’ve GIVEN 90% of the control to external factors…
In doing so you can easily die.

It’s that simple.

On the other hand, it’s VERY possible to drive a motorcycle with 90-95% control and give only 5-10% of control to other drivers. When you drive ultra defensively, you can do this. As you drive your motorcycle you’ll need to be constantly assessing the entire equation… all the possibilities that could occur. Your own possibilities as well as everyone elses. You’ll need to assume NOTHING about what other drivers and pedestrians SHOULD do - and instead, be aware of what they COULD do. The two are at different extremes obviously.

There are motorcycle drivers that think they drive defensively and yet still are broadsided by another vehicle. To them I say you were not driving defensively ENOUGH. Take NOTHING for granted… the actions a person driving a car is capable of are many… yes, most of the time they will do something in the accepted or usual way… and in a car, we ASSUME a lot. We can assume a lot more in a car because we’re not going to die for assuming some things. On a motorcycle there is much, much less that we can assume. If we assume the driver of another vehicle will do something - we may die for it. Simple as that.

You must not assume.

Driving a motorcycle completely defensively is NOT a stress free adventure. It’s not easy-riding in a careless and hapless way. Especially in city driving. You’ll need to be very aware of everything around you - front, sides and back. You’ll need to be ultra aware of the road surface - is there sand, dirt, pebbles, gravel, oil, other liquid on the ground? You’ll never assume that someone sees you before they pull into traffic in front of you - NEVER. You’ll adjust as if they are going to jump out in front of you and be ready for it. In short, you’re ready for ANYTHING the other drivers might do. In this way you are retaining control over your own safety.

You’ll need to slow down as you approach an intersection - just by common sense. There are people that blow through intersections… you’ll not assume that this intersection or any other is one that someone won’t blow through. You’ll slow down when you’re unsure what a car or other vehicle is doing in front of you and maybe just get out of the way if you see something strange in behind you. You’ll be the one that is constantly adjusting your position, speed, direction. You’ll need to adjust 100% and not expect someone else to adjust at all. By compensating for another drivers EVERY move, you’ll retain the control over your safety. By keeping 95% of the control over the entire situation around your motorcycle you are keeping yourself safe.

I wasn’t so sure that I’d adjust easily to driving a motorcycle in Thailand. I’ve done so now for 3 years. I’ve had no major accidents, though one time I did skid into the bumper of the car in front of me as I assumed something. I looked back to my left for a split second to see if there were any motorbikes in that space so I could pull left a bit and go around the car in front of me that was driving a little oddly - frequently hitting the brakes for a reason I couldn’t ascertain.

As I glanced left the car stopped and I skidded into it, my hands coming off the motorbike’s handlebars and I dinged up the back of the new car. I left deep scratches in the metal and even poked something through the plastic of the bumper. We exchanged numbers and my girlfriend called later and we straightened it out when they got an estimate from the shop. $50 USD covered it. Wow, nice to be in Thailand. In America I’d have owed about $300 USD, possibly more.

I was traveling about 15 km/hour when it happened. That’s 9 mph. I was almost thrown over my handlebars because my hands couldn’t hit the brakes fast enough and the motorcycle stopped only when it hit the back end of the car. So, at 9 mph the force was so great my arms weren’t ready to brace my body from flying over the handlebars. That’s SCARY to me. It should be to you too.

I thought I’d be fine even at 20 mph. Not anymore. It gave me even more respect for driving at slower speeds. At 20 mph my face could have gone through their back window, I’m sure of that.

So, this incident was the catalyst for long thoughts about how to drive a motorcycle with the ultimate safety level.

I came up with the 100% control idea. I’m not saying that nobody has come up with this same idea, only that when I thought about it - this is what I came up with. It’s not a novel concept, but how to implement it - might be. I haven’t done a meta search among all the theories about how to drive safely… only came up with my own. If you can add to it - please write a comment or a separate email and I’ll add to this post with your information.

I decided that the 100% control necessary to avoid all accidents was impossible, however, something approaching 100% IS possible and must be practiced to drive a motorcycle safely - whether in Thailand or the USA… or anywhere really if one cares about being safe on a motorcycle while enjoying the rush and money saving aspects of motorcycle ownership.

These are some variables in the equation of “Driving a motorcycle safely”. The variables are changing all the time and as a motorcycle rider one MUST be aware of everything on this list and how it affects the equation. You must strive for 95-100% safety for you.

your skill level
the skill level of drivers all around you
your level of intoxication or sobriety
level of those driving all around you (driving late at night or on the weekend nights will put you at greater risk of these killers)
road surface
wind intensity
traffic density (number of vehicles on road where you are)
condition of your tires, brakes
condition of tires and brakes on all vehicles on the road
obstructions in your line of vision (parked cars, trucks, anything)
special conditions (road construction, accident, etc)
speed of your motorcycle in relation to others.
speed of all traffic around you.
traffic lights - proximity.
stop signs - proximity.
blind spots behind you
roads you are blind to that intersect with your road (usually covered with bushes/trees)
lighting conditions (dawn and dusk are bad - the eyes are adjusting, bright sunlight causes glares)
color of your motorcycle and clothes you’re wearing - visible or not?
Reflective patches of clothing or on your motorcycle - visible?
Quality of your helmet, shoes, pants, jacket, sunglasses, visor, gloves
weather conditions (wind direction and consistency, rain, ice, snow, sleet)

There are so many other variables in the big equation but you know the one thing that applies well to giving you control back over your safety?

Slow down. Not abruptly, just slow down to a speed where the factors above have less influence over the total equation that adds up to your safety on the motorcycle.

Most motorcycle drivers want to drive like cars. Some take minimal steps to drive defensively… but how many take ALL the steps necessary to ensure their safety? Why not? Carelessness and not understanding that they need to always have a maximum of control over the situation and not assume anything about other drivers and how they should or usually act in certain situations.

Part of the problem is that people that buy motorcycles are going chiefly for the thrill of driving them. It’s amazingly fun to drive a motorcycle fast around curves where you know you are safe - and have checked out the area before hand. It’s such a thrill to go from 0 to 100 mph in a few seconds, faster than a Porsche and for tens of thousands of dollars less. It’s such a rush just to drive at 50 mph on a highway and feel the wind ripping through your hair… it gives one a feeling of freedom… of carelessness… of being alive that is hard to replicate. How many of you can pedal your bicycle at 50 mph?

You need a motorcycle to experience it.

Getting a motorcycle is an awesome alternative to driving a car or other vehicle… there’s nothing like it. Until we get skateboards that float on air, this is what we have for the ultimate in transportation adventure.

When done safely and when driven every minute in total awareness of the things mentioned above… the variables in the equation add up to more control and hence, safety as you drive.

How to have an AWESOME experience owning a motorcycle:

Enroll in multiple motorcycle driving safety classes.
Never drink and drive a motorcycle, not even half a drink!
Wear the best safety clothes made. Choose the top of the line helmet, nothing less.
Start out small (there are some 250cc bikes made, start with that or less if you can find one)
Move up to bigger cc bikes only when you’ve mastered the smaller bikes. Really, there’s no reason to go bigger than a 600cc. No good reason at all.
Choose a motorcycle that can be SEEN. Reflective tape, stickers, and a color that is bright and visible - bright yellow, green are good choices.
Don’t drive a motorcycle at night - really, there are just so many unseen hazards - potholes, animals, wet roads, ice on the road, gravel, and not to mention that it’s difficult for other drivers to see you on the road. Alcohol consumption among drivers is at it’s peak during evening and night time as well.

Best of Life,

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Note: I’m seated on my friend’s Yamaha Mio, a small 115cc motorbike / scooter that are all the rage in Thailand (Asia). They go fast enough (70mph / 110 kmph) and are very easily maneuvered through traffic. They stop very quickly and accelerate rather well too.