To commute by motorcycle like a pro, follow these 10 tips. (Photos by Mark Tuttle and the author)
The 26th annual Ride to Work Day has come and gone (it was on Monday, June 19). While we applaud and support the efforts of the nonprofit, all-volunteer effort to promote the virtues of using ?motorcycles and scooters for transportation,? what we really need is for more motorcyclists to commute to work on a daily basis, not just once a year.
The great thing about motorcycle commuting is that you get to add at least two motorcycle rides to every work day, plus the bonus of occasional head-clearing rides during your lunch hour. But riding to and from work on two wheels is demanding. Rider staffers commute every day and we deal with rush-hour traffic, gridlocked freeways, frenetic city streets and crowded parking lots, as well as occasional close calls, bouts of bad weather, flat tires, unexpectedly empty gas tanks and?mercifully rare?accidents. As with motorcycling in general, being prepared, thinking ahead and keeping your ego in check go a long way toward making commuting safer and more enjoyable. So, without further ado, here are our top tips for motorcycle commuting like a pro.
1) Stick Out Like a Sore Thumb
The gear is so bright, I had to wear shades.
Commuting is not the time to try and look cool in your black leather jacket and matte-black helmet, which makes you all but invisible to today?s distracted, smartphone-addicted drivers. The smart move is to make yourself as con...