Sales of commercial motorcycles in South Africa for the first 10 months of 2008 were 52.7 percent higher than during the corresponding period in 2007 as commuters and businesses began to take advantage of the time and running-cost savings they offer over four-wheelers.
There are some critical differences for those who have driven a car for a number of years and are now switching their mode of transport to motorcycles. It takes some practice to getting used to these different techniques and attending a riding school does improve your chances in avoiding an accident.
You drive a car by sitting in the driver’s seat and controlling the vehicle via controls whereas you ride a motorcycle. This means that you grip and control the bike by using your whole body by moving your weight left and right, backward and forward.
The four wheels of a car are seen as a unit when steering and braking in contrast to a motorcycle where the two wheels fulfill different roles at all times. When driving a car, passengers have no impact on your ability to control the vehicle as opposed to motorcycling where a passenger plays as important a role in controlling the vehicle – this can work against the rider if the passenger is not au fait with riding techniques.
What would be considered as minor changes in the road surface to a motorist are critical factors to motorcyclists as patches of loose sand or gravel if not spotted in time can cause a motorcyclist to lose control of the motorcycle. Small differences such as a variance in the colours or marks on the road surface could mean a road hazard to a motorcyclist such as oil, brake fluid, or diesel that will need to be avoided. Regular practice of swerving techniques is important as bikers often steer the wrong way in an accident situation, including but not limited to, stray animals on the roads.
Wind is another factor that should not be overlooked when riding a motorcycle – cars are generally very wind-resistant whereas if the wind is strong enough it can actually cause you to fall off your motorcycle.
If you are an experienced motorist then force of habit will generally make you brake to avoid a hazardous situation whereas opening the throttle is often the best solution when on a motorcycle.
When driving a car the accelerator is used to accelerate the motor vehicle, on a motorcycle the accelerator is used to both speed up and slow down the bike.
The only decision you need to make about braking when driving a car is when to brake. On a motorcycle that has two braking systems, one for the front wheel and a separate system for the back wheel, the decision is a bit more complicated and the rider must know when to apply either of the systems and when they should both be applied together. Regular practice of hard braking techniques, using both the front and back brake together will stand you in good stead as many accidents can be avoided if the rider has been properly trained in hard braking techniques.
While driving a car you do not pay much attention to the shadow of your car but when riding a motorcycle you should pay careful attention to your shadow. Your own shadow stretched out directly in front of your bike means that approaching cars will be looking into the sun. This is a sign to be more cautious at intersections as you may not be visible to oncoming cars. Survival instincts work against motorcyclists in hazardous situations if they have not been trained to counteract these and react in the most appropriate way to work through a dangerous situation.
Opening up the throttle slightly is usually the best reaction in a hazardous situation whereas the natural reaction is to turn off the power which could result in a loss of control as the motorcycle looses traction.
In a hazardous situation the rider should lean forward, with arms relaxed and bent allowing him to steer out and through the situation whereas the survival instinct makes you straighten and stiffen your arms and recoil backwards.
Irrespective of how tight a corner is you must stay in a leaning position and continue to counter steer until you have managed to get through the corner. Riders often get nervous and straighten their arms, pushing against the handle bars and forget to counter steer which aggravates the already dangerous situation.
It is easier to work through a hazardous situation if you force yourself to look through and beyond the hazard. If you keep your eyes focussed on the problem it will draw you towards the problem, distracting from your ability to find a solution to the situation.
Inexperienced motorcycle drivers contribute towards the high accident ratio involving motorcycles and gaining sufficient appropriate experience is essential for all new motorcyclists. Practice fighting against these four erroneous survival instincts mentioned above by making a habit of doing the right thing when things are easy, so that when you are faced with any of these hazardous situations you will instinctively handle the situation correctly.
Considering that approximately three quarters of motorcycle accidents involve collisions with other vehicles, predominantly due to failure by the third party to detect and recognise motorcycles in traffic, making yourself highly visible to other motorists should receive top priority when riding your motorcycle. Wearing bright, single coloured riding gear will help in avoiding accidents.
Besides being a legal requirement in South Africa it is common knowledge that helmeted riders are less likely to sustain neck injuries. When purchasing a helmet bear in mind that full face helmets offer better protection than those that offer less coverage and that suitable protective gear does make a big difference in the event of an accident.
Now that you are equipped to ride your motorcycle remember to purchase adequate motorcycle insurance. Motorcycle accident repairs are expensive, if and when they are a viable proposition and replacing your motorcycle will cost you dearly if you do not have the necessary insurance in place.