Equipment requirements by state
Planning a long trip traveling through more than one state? This is a great resource and will save a lot of googling: Click here for a list of State by State equipment requirements.
Planning a long trip traveling through more than one state? This is a great resource and will save a lot of googling: Click here for a list of State by State equipment requirements.
10 minute video on the basics of group riding:
The first United Nations World Youth Assembly for Road Safety was held in Geneva, Switzerland in April 2007. The Motorcycle Industry Council was asked to provide information on helmet use, and in consultation with Motorcycle Safety Foundation produced this video… (READ MORE)
Last fall I did something I almost never do. I left in a hurry and took my motorcycle. The previous night I had done some work on the bike which necessitated removal of the seat. I carry a spare helmet… (READ MORE)
It occurred to me this morning that “gearing up”, the actual act of dressing to ride, serves to focus a rider’s mind to the task at hand. It’s akin to dressing for battle. You are, after all, entering a situation… (READ MORE)
“All The Gear, All The Time”. Not this guy. Not that I endorse this but it is entertaining…
Commuting can get hairy at times and there are situations and roads that call for me to use my high beams during the day for safety reasons. In general I don’t but in the case of 4-lane roads with traffic… (READ MORE)
I’ve gotten into the habit of tapping my brakes when I have traffic behind me and I’m about to initiate a turn or there’s congestion or an obstruction ahead. Motorcycle turn signals are entirely too small and hard to see…. (READ MORE)
On the way home I noticed another situation that can get ugly in a hurry. The car in front of me was waiting to turn left on a 2-lane road with traffic approaching in a 4-way intersection. In that instance,… (READ MORE)
One evening I was headed home through a mall shortcut I take that keeps me away from a large, dangerous intersection. A driver ahead of me and to my right was waiting to pull out into my direction of travel…. (READ MORE)
There are different schools of thought on whether or not to put a bike in neutral at a stop light. I ordinarily stay in gear. The only time I go to neutral is when the person behind me has come… (READ MORE)
When pulling up behind someone at a light I always take notice of what they’re doing. Are they on the phone? Are they looking for something in the car? Are they eating? I do the same with people next to… (READ MORE)
During my commute I’m always on the lookout for large, slow moving trucks (box trucks, semis, cement trucks, etc.). The reason is people commuting don’t want to get stuck behind them and as a result will often change lanes without… (READ MORE)
I had another occasion where a light turned green and rather than pulling right out, I waited a second or two while clearing both opposing lanes visibly before proceeding. Sure enough a car coming from the side, ran the light… (READ MORE)
Many years ago I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation beginners’ safety course with my brother Dave. During the classroom portion we divided into groups, read the manual and took turns answering the questions as groups. We covered how to tackle… (READ MORE)
When my father died suddenly I asked my brother to keep his eyes peeled for a motorcycle that looked safe and only cost a few hundred dollars. I’d thought about learning to ride for years and my father’s passing sort… (READ MORE)
There’s only one way to steer a motorcycle: countersteering. We all learned it in the safety course. “Push left go left, push right go right.” The physics are simple enough, to initiate a turn you must initially steer in the… (READ MORE)
I needed gas on the commute this morning so I pulled into the local “pump and munch” to fill up. While looking for an open pump I slowed to let a pedestrian cross. As I did a car began backing… (READ MORE)
July 22 was one of the hottest days of the summer. I believe the temperature was nearly 100F. During my commute home I found myself following a fellow rider on a Kawasaki Vulcan. We road through Plumsteadville, Pa. together. As… (READ MORE)
I’ve mastered the ability, out of necessity, to shift while never removing my thumb from the horn trigger. This skill has been developed over a period of years of commuting on 4-lane roads. It seems today’s drivers are too preoccupied… (READ MORE)
My name is Bud Miller, I’m 58, a senior CAD designer/I.T. Manager/CAD Manager/Surveyor, mobile app developer and licensed F.A.A. drone pilot by day and also a moto-journalist. A bit about my history: I took up riding in 1998 after my… (READ MORE)