10 Mistakes You Should Never Make While Riding A Two-Wheeler

For many, motorcycling is a hobby, for others it is a need, and for the rest of us it is a passion! Whatever be your reason for riding, it is always important to stay safe on the road. With that in mind, here 10 of the most common mistakes two-wheeler riders make, which you should always avoid.  

1. Riding without safety gears:

Are you making the cardinal mistake of riding a two-wheeler without the proper riding safety gears? Not wearing the proper riding safety gears is not only disrespecting yourself as a human being, but also Belittling people who love you and depend upon you. Always make sure to well good quality branded motorcycle helmet along with other riding safety gears such as gloves and boots along with a motorcycle riding jacket. The cost of motorcycle riding gears has become quite affordable which leaves you no excuse for not using them.  

2. Listening to music

Modern motorcycle helmets come equipped with Bluetooth connectivity options, which are meant for staying in communication with other riders especially in Group riding situations and for taking calls without stopping the bike. However, many people misuse this facility to listen to music while riding a motorcycle. This not only reduces situational awareness but also compromises your listening ability which is very important to have when you're riding in the traffic. On long distance trips, you can use the helmet’s inbuilt Bluetooth connectivity option for listening to music but only at a very low volume so that you still are you able to listen to ambient noises around you of vehicles approaching you from behind.  

3. Riding under the influence

Never ever make the mistake of riding under the influence of any intoxicating substance. In winter, it is common for many people to consume alcohol to stay warm, but doing that dulls the sensory faculties which are necessary to get proper environmental inputs and take safe decisions. Instead of consuming alcohol to say warm, drink hot beverages and hot soups which are equally beneficial and effective in keeping the body warm in cold riding conditions.  

4. Riding long distances in the night

Street lighting infrastructure have come a long way these days and there are hardly any patches especially in cities and developed towns that are left dark after sunset. Many people try to take advantage of this fact by covering long distances in the night when there isn't a hot sun bearing down upon them! But, riding in the dark is not safe especially if your mind is tired because it is natural for the human anatomical clock to wind down at night and make you sleepy. Instead of covering long distances in the night, start very early in the morning and make use of the time before midday to cover maximum distances.   

5. Riding with a tired mind

Being on the motorcycle continuously for several hours can be fatiguing for the mind. If you feel that you are losing focus on the road, and your mind is trying to take a break, end the ride for the day and take rest. In the worst-case scenario, your itinerary will be extended by a few hours but you will still be safe! If there's just a little bit of distance to reach your destination, you can take a break and have a Cup of strong coffee to rejuvenate your mind. When you're riding with a tired and fatigue mind, it becomes difficult for you to take good decisions which can jeopardize your safety.  

6. Carrying more load than the gross axle weight of the bike

Every motorcycle has a maximum gross axle weight which is the combination of the weight of the vehicle including the maximum load it can take on its axles. While going on long distance trips people often make the mistake of taking a pillion rider along with them and loading the motorcycle accessibly with a lot of luggage. Not only is this bad for the long-term performance of the vehicle, it can also compromise the vehicles ability to stop under panic braking situations. The braking mechanism in a two-wheeler is designed for high tolerances, but there's a limit to how well it can perform if the overall weight of the motorcycle is more than what it has been designed to stop. Before overloading your motorcycle, it is a good idea to check the manufacturers website and finding out the gross axle weight (GAW) of your machine.  

7. Wearing a long lace boot

Dangling pieces of cloth can be a tangle hazard especially in a high-speed riding condition. never make the mistake of wearing a boot with long leases dangling from your feet which can catch in the gear levers or on the foot pegs. Proper motorcycle riding boots do not have laces, instead they have straps that close with the help of Velcro pads which secure the boot in place without the hazard of anything dangling from the feet. If you do not have the right riding boots yet, consider tucking in the lace inside the boot to prevent it from becoming tangled with anything.  

8. Changing gears in the middle of an overtake

A common mistake people make while overtaking another vehicle in front of them is to change kids in the middle of the overtake. This results in a temperature in dip of the RPM which slows the machine down, and if there is another vehicle following you in the overtaking maneuver there's a good chance of it hitting you from behind. A more efficient strategy is to drop the gear or not and then overtake the vehicle in front of you while maintaining high RPM and then changing the gear once you are clear past the vehicle. Make sure that you do not come directly in front of the vehicle you have just overtaken and always check the rear-view mirrors before making any lane changes.  

9. Head-on close call overtakes  

Ride enthusiastically only when the situation allows you. A very common mistake many riders make in the heat of enthusiasm is that they try to overtake vehicles without first calculating the space necessary to make the maneuver. This could become fatally dangerous if you were riding in a single-lane two-way traffic road. In such a situation, you might come head-to-head with the oncoming vehicle which will never go well for you! The smart strategy here is to maintain a good gap between you and the vehicle you are trying to overtake and then checking out the road in front of the vehicle you intend to overtake. Make the maneuver after checking the rear-view mirror just be sure that no other vehicle is also trying to overtake you at the same time!  

10. Overtaking on curves

If you've ever ridden on the hilly roads of northern India (or any windy mountain road for that matter!), you will know that there are too many blind curves where you simply cannot see anything beyond just a few meters ahead of you. In such a condition, it would be highly dangerous to try to overtake a vehicle in front of you because there might be another vehicle approaching from the blind side of the curve. Do not overtake unless you see clearly for a good distance ahead necessary for you to make the overtaking maneuver. Be extra careful while riding on dark roads with no street lights.