RIDING TIPS

10 Insider Secrets of a Safe Motorcycle Rider

“Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul.” – author unknown

Statistics suggest that you are 10 times more vulnerable on motorbike than driving a car.

To make your riding experience enjoyable and safe follow these Insider Secrets to Safe Riding.

1. Keep your thumb on a horn when riding in busy traffic. There are many drivers on the road who oversee anything smaller than a car and so they also tend to oversee motorcycles.

2. Expect all other drivers to make mistakes so you are mentally prepared to react quickly to unexpected circumstances.

3. Ride outside of driver’s blind spots. That means riding either behind or in front of other vehicles (making sure that you can see their mirrors)

4. Overtake swiftly and cautiously. Turn your head instead of relying on your rear view mirrors only.

5. Allow one meter distance from parked vehicles in case someone opens the door. This rule applies to both motorbike and bicycle riders.

6. Ride in between cars slowly and only when they are stationary. Take your feet off the pegs and keep them slightly above the road surface to keep the balance. Once the traffic lights turn green and cars start moving stop and wait for the drivers to let you into the lane.

7. In the rain take a great precaution in bends as they tend to be extra slippery. Use both front (40%) and rear (60%) brakes very gently without sudden changes. You can brake harder if your bike is equipped with ABS.

8. Deeper puddle of water can make your tires float above the road surface. This creates a higher risk of falling due to loosing contact between the tires and road surface. When riding through puddles of water keep your motorcycle straight upright.

9. Any smooth material such as metal drain lids, dividers on the bridges, road surface light reflectors or even road traffic signs (markings) are very slippery when wet.

10. Sand, gravel, washouts from driveways, oil or diesel spills and other debris on the roads may be difficult to see.  You might find them near building sites and road works. Drive carefully around such places. Be especially careful while riding at night.

And remember: Concentration and focus are the most important aspects of road safety.

Written by Rado Trenciansky

To get your bike professionally serviced/repaired/maintained/fixed without paying an arm and a leg (in and around Brisbane) click HERE

Responses

  1. Thank u for the work done on my kymco …… I have never met a more kind soft spoken, emphatetic and knowledgeable mechanic as yet ……

    • You are very welcome Alex. I appreciate your kind words.

  2. I sent a message earlier …. Would need help to lower seat height of kymco 350 downtown 2022 model thanks Alex boscosandra@tediffmail.com 0422652374

    • All done Alex. I trust your scooter is now more enjoyable while riding lower to the road. Ride safe

  3. Hi Rado, I am wanting a service and fairing reinstall on my 2009 Suzuki Burgman. Can you send me an email with your contact details and I can give you a call, many thanks Peter

    • Hi Peter. I have just replied to you via email. Speak to you soon

  4. Rado is the man with the smarts with anything on wheels. He totally fixed my 50cc Znen Cruise in under 15 mins – which was not starting and my colleagues had a go to try and fix it the day it broke down. Rado is a professional and is very approachable. He answered all my questions in layman’s terms as I’m more of a computer geek and I have limited knowledge on motor vehicles. Thanks to Rado, I now, somewhat have the basic diagnostic skills to troubleshoot the basic moped problem. Will surely spread the word to others if they have vehicular issues, and will definately service my little white beauty with Rado in near future.

    • It has been a pleasure meeting you Shank. Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate it.

  5. Hi Rado.
    It was great to catch up again on the weekend, and the ride in your ar was awesome ! I am extremely happy with my GS500E after the service you gave it. I went on a 160k ride on it today and it was just great. Cheers.

  6. Hi rado.
    I have been trying to contact you but I get a message that your phone number os disconnected or changed. I want to talk to you about getting some work done on a 1997 Suzuki GS500E that I have bought recently.
    Plkease contact me. Regards
    Kevin

  7. Hi Rado.
    I sent a text last Thursday but maybe you didn’t get it as I did not hear back Have you changed your phone number?
    I need some work done to my VN750 and would like to have you do it if you can
    Cheers.

  8. Hi Rado, you are hands down the most honest reliable bike mechanic i have ever come across. Thanks for servicing my bike and the great tutorial on the basics of maintainace, however i think i will be leaving all the servicing needs to you.

    • You are very welcome Jason. Thank you for your feedback and for your kind words. I appreciate it. ☺

  9. Hi Rado
    Thank you for servicing my Yamaha R3. It is refreshing to meet someone who is not only knowledgable, but also honest and genuine.
    You were so helpful and thorough in explaining everything. My bike now runs and feels smoother after the service. And thank you so much for noticing the defective clutch cable!

    I would definitely recommend you to my friends and will be in touch for the next service and when I have any questions.

    Cheers, Harvinder.

  10. G’day Rado thanks for servicing my Yamaha 650 cruiser, and thank you so much for teaching me how to carry out an oil change and filter . You took the time to explain things to me and the follow up information yo have provided . I will recommend you to all my friends and will be in contact with you for my next .

    • You are very welcome Brad. I am glad that you were happy with the service I provided and I appreciate your feedback. Thank you and stay safe.

  11. Hey Rado

    Thanks so much for your help over the past week or so with my KLX400. The difference between before and after you casting your precise eye over it is phenomenal. It runs and rides unbelievably better now. I can’t thank you enough for instilling confidence back in my secondhand bike purchase for a trip to Cape York next year. And your customer service, flexibility and after sales service/advice are a breath of fresh air.

    Thanks again mate

  12. Hi Rado, Thanks for servicing my scooter. Its running smooth now – awesome!
    And thanks for ordering the lead lights, it’ll be much better to ride at night.
    Anyway, i’ll definetly recommend you to anyone – its a great job.
    Cheers, Nikko

    • Hi Nikko. Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate it. Speak to you soon when LED bulb arrives. Rado

  13. Hi Rado, Thanks for fixing my bike, you have done an excellent job. It was a real pleasure to see a true professional at work. I will recommend you happily to anyone I know and I hope to see you again when the next service is due. Thanks again 🙂

  14. Hi Rado,

    You Worked on my black and tan 2004 Vespa ET2 50 some time ago. I don’t know if you remember by you had drill a hole in my exhaust so the engine could breathe to get me going again. Anyway that being said, I’m not too far away from giving it to you give it a massive overhaul except I now have x2 ET2 50’s both made 2004 and I only want to give them to you to restore them. I’ve been buying parts from SIP Scooter shop in Germany over the last few months so when I’m ready I can give you 2 boxes with all the new body parts. I’m replacing all the plastics( lights, fenders, buttons everything) and I want to get them both painted. while the motors are out I want you to give them both an overhaul and also anything else that needs to be done while we’re at it. both Vespa’s have low 20K on them.
    I have to order and receive some more shipments from Germany then I can give everything to you. I’m wanting to have both scooters on the road by winter (ish).
    what’s the best way to do this ? I’m sure you’ve done this many times.
    can you give me a rough ballpark on what this project will cost and how long it takes. I hope you want to take this on ., I don’t want to go anywhere else.
    looking forward to hearing from you
    Sean.P

  15. I want to give positive feedback for Rado as he provided excellent service and helped me with my request quickly and professionally. Thank you so much and keep up the excellent work!

  16. I had my scooter serviced by Rado. He gave me heaps of helpful hints about maintenance and general care. The service Rado provides in my eyes is incredibly unique, it was so refreshing to deal with an absolutely genuine mechanic. Even though he taught me to service my own vehicle I would send it back there in a heart beat.

    Cheers Rado, you provide a first class service.

    Jarrah

  17. HI Rao=do,
    Thanks so much for the service and for taught me how to do it myself.

    I highly recommend Rado to anyone that wants any mechanical work done on their bike.

    Thanks

  18. Hi Rado.
    Just wanted to thank you for another easy dealing with my Benelli Pepe. As always your service was great, and very reasonably priced. I very much appreciate your patience with explaining repairs to me and indulging my curiosity. As a result, I can make many smaller repairs myself.
    I cannot recommend you enough.
    Cheers
    Jessica

  19. Hi Rado.
    Many thanks for finding and fixing the electrical fault in my BSA Bantam. It was also a pleasure to meet you once again. I have managed to get the small 6v 1.5w bulbs needed for the speedo light and pilot light so all is good now.
    Hope you enjoyed the magazine. Hope to see you at the club soon.
    Cheers.
    Kevin Franklin. Durack

  20. Rado had a look at my 2nd hand Yamaha XVS 650 for me, to sort out some minor issues. He was on-time, and had a wealth of tips and advice. He quickly sorted out the things I was concerned about. Very happy with the service.

    I’d definately recommend him.

    Kevin

  21. Hello Rado,

    thanks again for servicing my Honda CBF250 today. I enjoyed your tutorials – while I’m sure that I can now do the basics myself, it was enjoyable watching your professionalism and passion for motorbikes at work so I’m sure I’ll be back!

    I certainly highly recommend Rado to anyone that wants any mechanical work done on their bike.

    Rado, it was a pleasure, thanks

    Fulton

  22. Hi Rado,

    This is the guy who came in to fix my new indicators, mirrors and the levers on my Red Hyosung GT250R. it was a great job buddy. i really enjoyed hanging around with you while fixing it and also loved your great tips on how to look after my bike. will definitely get back to you if I or any of my friends needs help.

    Regards
    Prem

    • Thanks for your feedback Prem. I appreciate it and am glad that you were happy with the service that your bike received. Stay safe

  23. Hello there, I am so excited I found your site, I really found you by error, while I was researching on google for something else, Anyhow I am here now and would
    just like to say kudos for a fantastic post and a all round thrilling blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to go through it all at the moment but<bI have saved it and also included your RSS feeds

  24. Hi Rado,
    Just wanted to let you know that you have made an enormous difference to the handling of my bug. It is going very well, all spark problems solved, and it feels much more stable and secure on the road. Many thanks!

  25. Hi Rado
    Thanks so much for getting my Vespa running again, im going to get you back some time soon to fix the breaks and give it a service, which it badly needs, thanks again, your work is second to none 🙂

  26. hey rado,

    thanks for fixing my scooter mate it runs really well. i have another problem though my exhaust has brokin off at the flange i was wondering if you know of anywhere that i can get a whole new one.

    • Hi Trent,

      You are welcome. I am afraid I don’t know of anyone who would supply new exhaust for your scooter.
      I suggest you take the exhaust off, go and see any car mechanic who has got MIG welder set and can weld it up for you. It will cost you a fraction of the new exhaust.
      All the best and stay safe.

      • And if you don’t know of any welder in your area I can weld it up for you in Ashgrove. Regards.

  27. Hey Rado

    Thanks again for popping out to do my 1000km service. My scooter is riding much better and with tips you gave me I feel much more confident maintaining it myself now. I’d definitely recommend you to my friends, and I do!

  28. Hi Rado,

    Once again my little Bug Bandit is back on its wheels. As I mentioned today it seems better than ever! Thanks for your excellent help and guidance.
    Cheers,
    Matthew

  29. Hey Rado,

    My Susuki GSX 250F feels awesome it is way more responsive and much smoother than before may even be getting a few more K’s out of a tank due to the service. Will definitely Return in the future a job well done! i have also referred you to my father for his bike as well (Suzuki GSX750 ES), thanks again.

    Andrew

    • Hi Andrew. I am glad to hear that your bike runs well. Thanks for your feedback and recommendation. I appreciate it.

  30. Rado,

    Thanks heaps for the great service experience today for my SYM 50CC scooter. The ride home was perfect, plus I enjoyed learning a bit about how to look after my bike. Will definitely be back. Great value!

    Cheers,
    Jake

    • You are welcome Jake. I hope you will never need my services again and in case you do you know where to find me. With Regards

  31. Hi Rado,

    Thanks for servicing my bike, it is running fantastically well now. Also, I’d like to thank you for the your customer service – you took the time to explain things to me and make sure I knew what you were talking about. I’ve never got that level of interaction from the main dealers.

    Cheers!
    Nick

    • You are welcome Nick. I appreciate your feedback. Stay safe and upright.

  32. Hi Rado,

    I tried to contact you today because my Scooter has some problems related to the front light. Please could you give me your address in order to get there? Maybe tomorrow? I am Carlos, the guy who lives in Ashgrove

    Cheers mate

  33. Dear Rado

    Yo replaced the chain and sprockets on my VFR 800 Honda on the street whilst I was at work thus saving me taking the day off.

    Your work was excellent, and you are very approachable and practical.
    Once again thank you for a good job well done.
    Gordon

    • Thank you Gordon. I appreciate your feedback and trust that this set of sprockets as well as the chain will last longer that the previous one. Be well and safe.

  34. G’day Mate, We really enjoyed your company and friend-ship on the BONALBO ride.
    It was the best “Group” ride that I have done in a very long time.
    I have posted some pix on the Meet-up site.
    Please apologise to ( Uri ) for the spelling of his name. What a nice guy – I would hate to offend him !
    Our best wishes from Fred n Chris

  35. Hi Mate,
    I am going to give someone your website because they have a royal enfield and I said if anyone can tune it you can.
    Cheers Dean.
    Ps we should catch up for a ride soon

    • Hi Dean,

      Thank you. See you some time soon.

  36. Hi Rick,

    I am happy to have a look at your Jawa. Where are you located?

  37. Hi Rado,

    I hadn’t looked at your blog page until now & realise that you are into Jawas.
    I also have a 1974 CZ175 – model 477 currently about 95% restored, just need to sort out some wiring problems & I will be looking at registering it for the road.
    Cheers Rick

  38. Lyn Wrote:

    Hey Rado I fixed it yesterday it was a 2 second job only because you showed me around the bike which I’m gratefull for.

  39. Hi Lyn,

    You are very welcome. In regards to idle. Sorry I should have let the scooter run for longer before I adjusted it. Idle usually increases when the engine warms up.

  40. Hey Rado thanks again for servicing my Aprillia and teaching me about the bike I now have a greater understanding on how it works . The idle is a little bit too high, but I now have the confidence to sort it myself which I would never have attempted before !!! So thanks for the great customer service. Lyn.


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