One habit you HAVE TO BREAK to be a better rider...

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My girlfriend’s Dad said “ Better late in this world than early in the next”.

I continue to believe that this is the most valuable motorcycle channel on YouTube!

When I learned to drive, my dad taught me to look as far up the road as possible and watch the stuff between there and me with my peripheral vision. He also taught me to watch two cars ahead for brake lights, not the one in front of me. Those lessons have saved me bacon many times. Thanks, Kevin.

You overestimate my walking speed. But i appreciate the confidence! In a lot of ways, I ride my bike the same way i drive my kenworth. More space, more time.

For me, when it comes to blind corners I always say: when I can’t see 👀around, slow the bike down, then once I’m in the clear, hit a higher gear! 👍

Road strategy is important, it also requires awareness.

Rode for 43 years. Our highways are mostly 2 lanes, 2 way traffic. Rode in 40 degree weather and hit black ice, at 60 mph. Put both feet down, hit the kill switch and skied the bike to the gravel shoulder, got traction, lost a heel on my boot! After my heart stopped beating at 100 bpm, rode the shoulder for a good ten miles, before I got back to dry pavement. Going home from work one foggy morning, there’s 8 headlights coming toward me, a semi passing another, didn’t panic, rode between them, but the backwash from both trucks were trying to suck me into a whirlwind, I pushed hard on the handle bars to keep straight. Pulled over and had a cigarette. I was 67 when I hung up my helmet. Picked up an old Honda last year, just to rebuild it…..nostalgia maybe.

So hard to do, on a bike, in a car, or even walking. Coping with old age includes not looking at your feet when you walk. Look farther out is true there, too.

Great video, buddy. I have to mention on a side note, I’d been shopping helmets a long time. Have always ridden for years with only a bandana, and without incident praise God, despite my dad always reminding me, “in the USMC they new the importance of wearing a helmet” where dad proudly served, later he always wore a helmet enjoying his Harley. I went back and rewatched your video upgrading from your RF1200 to the RF1400, followed your lead and bought the RF1400 and absolutely love it. Will take time to get used to it, but wanted to thank you for that video; put me over the edge to get mine ordered finally. Dad would have given me a fist pump👊🇺🇸😂 It’s about dang time! Thanks again buddy, love your content.

Excellent guidance. Even when following other bikes in a group ride, I consistently slow significantly more than other riders if I can't see through the curve. Not being able to see through curves equals surprises and surprises equal problems, something to be avoided.

I had an experience recently that somewhat relates to this. I was in California, halfway through a 7,200 cross country from PA to CA and return, riding down a two-lane road in a fairly rural area. There was a line of cars in the opposite lane stretching a half mile or so due to road construction. I noticed a truck with its left turn signal on and a short gap in front of it where it had obviously held up traffic for a short time trying to find a gap in the traffic in my lane in order to make the left turn onto another road. I was in the lead of the cars that had just been released by the flag man and was running about 45 MPH when I saw that truck flash his headlights. Now, in most parts of the US, that means that someone is saying I see you and yield to you, but apparently not in California. I always cover my brakes and exercise extreme caution when approaching a car that is waiting to make a left turn across my lane and that paid dividends this day. Within a second or two of flashing his lights, when I was maybe 5-6 car lengths from him, the truck decided to make the left turn in front of me. Thanks to having the brakes covered, being ready for a dumb move like that, great BMW ABS brakes and years of braking practice, I was able to virtually come to a stop just as the truck was clearing my lane. I’m not bragging, but I would bet that at least 80% of the riders on the road today would have hit that truck. If you aren’t mentally expecting the stupid move and have the brakes covered and ready to go, you could easily lose half of those 5-6 car lengths just in recognition and reaction time and that would not have allowed sufficient distance for most motorcycles to stop from 45 MPH. Looking far down the road and observing what is going on and, more importantly, anticipating what might happen at any instance is a very useful survival skill for anything, but particularly for motorcycling.

Vision strategy, YES!! As a young rider, fresh out of the MSF course required by the base on which I was stationed, I went for nice day ride with some more seasoned riders. One of the older gents in the group came up to me at a break and tole me he noticed I was squaring off the curves (like the 50-Pense example), and told me that's one thing the MSF did not teach - how to scan the road and look through the turns. He walked me through a few examples and on returning to the road, I immediately noticed an improvement in my turning techniques - simply by looking ahead as far as I could see through the turns. I practice this technique to this day - some 40 years later. Thanks!

Very good comment! Also looking "thru a corner" makes it easier to tilt the bike enough for a smooth turning.

As a former roadracer and trackday enthusiast who has received track instruction over the years, looking way ahead through the corner and "staying ahead of the track" is one of the most valuable lessons one can learn. Look at photos of roadracers approaching (or within) a corner and the rider's head is clearly turned and looking through the corner. Also, when exiting a corner onto a straight, looking way down the straight while still in the corner "opens up the track" allowing you to get on the throttle earlier for a better drive down the straight. These skills are directly transferrable to street riding.

Downhill the braking distance gets longer. Don't just practice brake on the level. Uphill is reduced. Get the speed off on the part with the best gradient. Camber also. Downhill bends often have a camber that isn't in favour if you go in too quick.

I see a lot of videos aimed at helping new riders “not look like a noob”. Thank you for making videos that aim to actually help us survive that critical early stage and actually become experienced riders, and not just look like experienced riders.

I needed this. I'm so guilty of not looking far enough up the road. Thanks for the words of wisdom and knowledge. Stay safe, brother Kevin

That is one advantage of learning to ride as a pre-teen. One learns to adapt to speed early on while the brain is still in heavy learning mode and I believe that has served me well. I know several riders who came to motorcycle later in life and they never seem to attain the skills and comfort on a motorcycle that I take for granted. Not that a later in life rider can’t attain those skills, but I suspect it is much harder and it seems that many never get there.

Back in the day, before power steering and power brakes, you had to look much further up the road while driving.