Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Rain, winter weather can be dangerous to scooters

This past weekend a scooterist in my area lost his life in a crash. Recent rain on a slick mountain road was to blame. Safety in riding is one of my main concerns when gong out in less-than-ideal weather. Often, I just skip riding if it is raining. I'm a notorious slowpoke, so you don't have to tell me twice to slow down. I've got nothing to prove; I just want to have fun getting to my destination.
Each year, Josh sends out a list of rainy weather riding tips. I'll reprint them here with some notes of my own.

Stay safe out there fellow scooterists!

1: Stay out of the middle of the lane as it is where cars drip oil and fluids making it very slippery.Very important during the first few rains.

2: As much fun as it is, try not to drive through puddles. It reduces your ability to brake and makes everything more slippery. Besides you never know how deep a hole may be under the puddle

3: Show extra caution when turning

4: Be extremely careful when riding over metal grates/plates and manhole covers they become very slippery. if you can avoid them, do so. Whatever you do don't slam on the brakes while you are going over one. Also avoid leaves as they can be slick and plentiful during fall/winter.

5: Make sure you have the proper tire pressure

6: Get a riding suit even if its one of those plastic rain slick things. The worst part about riding in the rain is getting wet.

7: Do not put your hands/gloves in plastic bags or the like as you will compromise your grip and may slip off of the bars.

8: Make sure all of your lights work, especially your taillight and brake light. Rain reduces visibility.

9: A fullface helmet will keep you dry and keep rain and road gunk from getting on your face or in your eyes.

10: An anti-fog liner in side your visor will keep your visor clear. You can also get antifog solution for eyeglasses.

11. A scooter skirt will keep your pants dry and your lower body warmer.

1 comment:

Bagel said...

Thanks for posting this April, these are great points for everyone to keep in mind. Everybody please be extra careful out there, especially when it's wet out, it's much more treacherous. Stay safe!