Does anyone have any freeway riding tips? I live in SoCal and have about 2000 miles under my belt. With gas prices getting so high, I want to start riding my 696 to work. I am really comfortable riding locally but still am a little intimidated on the freeways.
I was leery at first as well. Situational awareness is the key. Keep your head on a swivel and pay attention to the drivers around you. The most likely thing to go wrong on a freeway is someone cutting you off/changing lanes into you.
Watch your following distances... if you have to drop anchor suddenly, no one else on the road can stop as fast as you, including the guy behind you.
The wind can get pretty gnarly around 18 wheelers and they have very large blind spots. Pass them or stay behind them.
Make sure your visor is locked down before you look over your shoulder to change lanes when going 70-80. [bang] [bang]
If it's the sustained speed and/or wind that bothers you, you will get used to it after a ride or two at speed.
I almost always ride in the far left lane. That way you only have inattentive cage drivers on one side trying to kill you.
Don't tailgate. Leave enough room to stop. It's more for the guy behind you than for you.
Let tailgaters by if you don't want to go that fast.
Never ride beside a car. Either ride in front or behind the car in an adjacent lane to you. Pass quickly.
Don't panic if someone moves into your lane. It usually isn't anything a little twist of the throttle won't fix.
Personally I think freeway riding is safer than surface street riding. Everyone is moving in the same direction, no side streets, left turns, etc.
Quote from: Timmy Tucker on March 16, 2011, 08:29:43 PM
The wind can get pretty gnarly around 18 wheelers and they have very large blind spots. Pass them or stay behind them.
+1 on the wind...just be ready, no biggie.
I pass big rigs if at all possible, and I
never ride close to them (even behind them and one lane over). If they shred a tire (not all that uncommon) while you're behind them it could ruin your day in a hurry.
Good stuff in here already that I won't repeat other than to reiterate that following distance is your friend, and that freeways IMO are safer than city streets. It's good that you're asking about it, but you'll find that it's less intimidating than you imagine.
- Mentally, it's important to be kinda zen. Don't let people enrage you and don't ride angry. I find that I have to consciously tell myself this at the beginning of every freeway ride (cuz I'm a rage-filled douche). If you have a "<shrug> Meh, whatever" attitude about the dumb shit people do around you, your commute will be infinitely more pleasant. And it'll be safer.
- I, too, ride in the far left lane. However, I try to ride in the middle or even on the right side. Crap on the road winds up on the left side of the lane.
- It's easy to zone out on the freeway. We all do it. But try not to give in. And don't ride with only one hand on the bars. You'll be surprised how quickly the mattress appears in the middle of your lane out of nowhere.
- Get ready to apply throttle rather than brake for hazards. More often than not, speeding up is the safer course.
- Along those lines, if something is in your lane and you can't get around it in time, whack the throttle open. It's your best chance of not crashing. I know that's counter intutitive, but tell yourself that over and over again.
- Wear earplugs. Seriously.
- Dress like you're going to the track. Freeway speeds are fast, and if you come off your bike in anything other than full leather or textile, it's gonna be a problem.
Are you gonna be lane sharing? Because that's a whole separate thing.
Thanks everyone for the info. I work nights so I am lucky enough to go opposite the flow of traffic. I don't think I will be lane sharing but who knows. The only thing I am still skeptical about is the roadwork at night. I did a little trial run for about 10 miles today and had no problems it actually does seem safer not having to worry about cross traffic or someone blowing a stop side and nailing you [bang]. I'm sure the local [leo] will be pulling me over once I get back into my city as they usually assume the worst when you're out at 2-3 A.M.
Quote from: Triple J on March 17, 2011, 11:36:56 AM
Don't tailgate. Leave enough room to stop. It's more for the guy behind you than for you.
Let tailgaters by if you don't want to go that fast.
^
This is a biggie.
In general check your six every now and then. Be aware that in a panic situation you can stop a lot faster than what ever is behind you.
And never ever ever assume that a car knows you are there. Even the guy right behind you. Even the guy beside you you just made eye contact with. "That guy won't merge I know he saw me." No. No he didn't.
And a big +1 to everything Spidey said. Especially that part about him being a rage filled douche. [cheeky]
Overall riding on the freeway is pretty damn safe. You will get used to the wind and speed pretty quickly. Just stay alert and you'll do fine.
sac
/I keed, Spidey, I keed
Quote from: awall41 on March 17, 2011, 06:18:55 PM
when you're out at 2-3 A.M.
Be
extremely attentive. There seem to be way more morons and drunks out in the middle of the night. Personally, I don't ride after dark on Fridays or Saturdays...and never when its too late.
give 18 wheelers huge amts of distance... next time you see one, put yourself in their viewpoint and you'll notice that even if something bike sized was within 15ft of the cab, it's pretty hard to see due to the height they sit at. i never really thought about it before till i took my msf with a guy who drove them. he told me that it's almost impossible to see bike if they are anywhere near the cab and it's best just to make sure you're either ok staying way behind or passing really fast.
and be careful and be ready to get that buffeting from them... depending on the wind, it will either pull you into them or push you away.
Quote from: Timmy Tucker on March 16, 2011, 08:29:43 PMWatch your following distances... if you have to drop anchor suddenly, no one else on the road can stop as fast as you, including the guy behind you.
Please do not believe this! Unless you spend a lot of time practicing stops from high speeds, you're unlikely to match just about any car with antilock brakes and most cars that don't have them. You cannot count on being able to stop faster than the cars.
And it's worth saying another time to avoid being next to other vehicles. Stay in the gaps. When you have to pass a car in the other lane, creep up on it, then accelerate past and slow back down once you're past the car. That way, if anybody decides to make a sudden lane change without signaling or checking for you, you won't be in a position to get bumped by them.
I agree that freeway riding is about the safest (and most boring) you can do - there are no cars making left turns into you etc. Just keep your eyes open, ride with the flow of traffic - not speeding like crazy though traffic or acting as a road-block and you'll be just fine.
I've found that CA freeway drivers are among the best in the country when it comes to awareness of motorcycles. Also, as I'm sure you are aware lane sharing is legal in CA. You should look up the rules but traffic has to be below a certain speed and your speed can only be greater than that of traffic by a certain amount. I've forgotten the numbers, but they are pretty low. Most riders fudge this quite a bit. In general no one hassles you as long as you aren't stupid. Splitting is safe, but only if you pay very close attention and are very comfortable with your bike and know exactly how wide you are:)
Be aware that experienced (and/or stupid) riders may split a lot faster than you. It is consider polite to move over and let faster-splitters by, also take care not to pull out in front of another rider who is already splitting. I actually had a guy on a monster do this and nearly hit me a couple years ago (near SB).
As far as stopping distances go our bikes, with an expert rider will stop about the same as a sports car on good tires and quite a bit quicker than a sedan on all season tires. Of course it takes a pretty good rider to get a bike to stop at its full potential so don't count on out-braking cages. A few cages with good brakes and sticky summer tires will out-stop a bike no matter how good the rider.
Have fun and be safe!
I think our transition from throttle to brake is so much quicker then a driver moving the foot over from gas to brake, that the initial slowing down is much quicker, even if in test conditions a car may outbrake an average rider.
I think the danger of someone rearending you is greater than you rearending a car... but if traffic stops and does catch you not paying attention, remember to look where you want to go (between cars or to left of traffic in left lane) versus staring at the car stopped in front of you.
And I have no good rational or data for this one, but I think there are two safer ways to go on the highway... with the super slow traffic in the right lane (just watch for merging traffic from onramps and people diving several lanes over to get off offramps), or towards the left and moving faster than most/all traffic. It's the middle speeds and lanes that get dicey.
Remember things bouncing like little pebbles may be quite large rocks... so wear gear.
If there are pavement transitions you want to go over them as upright and at right angles as possible... so don't ride right next to a lengthy height change and try to climb up it (remember catching tires on curbs on a bicycle as a kid?)
At that time of night, no need to lane-share and if the need came up, I probably wouldn't do it just because the people that would otherwise be wide awake are not.
+1 on the ear plugs, especially for any distance. Without them, it gets annoying and fatiguing.
in addition, i look at car around me and check what the driver is doing, their mirrors. but then i still dont trust that and even their signals. I will even keep an eye on the cars front tire.
on large intersection, i cross light along with a car. Cagers do not see you and may come onto you doing a left turn on a light. I even slow down at times until a car is alongside me to cross the light/intersection. Hope that makes sense.
Stay relax,focus and be a little bit ahead of the traffic.
I understand your hesitation about driving So-Cal freeways. I too live in ventura county and found that riding my bike to work cuts my commute by quite a bit...and makes the day pass faster in anticipation of hopping back on that seat for a nice ride home. I think that most of the aspects of freeway riding were covered here...but i figured id add a few of my experiances sense we are looking at the same type of traffic.
First...i have found that cages stop way faster then me on my bike....especially at high speed....the last thing you want to do is lock up your brakes and put yourself into a slide... ive had a 60mph to parking lot insident on the 101...and trust me...i was slower braking...the only thing you can do is stop at a safe speed(but as quickly as possible) and aim inbetween the cars...or if you can..towards the in/outside shoulder. You will get a little adrenaline rush...and probably tell yourself...OH SHIT...but u will come out just fine...
Truckers are an issue....they cant see you...and their presense around you can be dangerous...remember that because your on a naked bike wind distribution around your body is different then on a bike with fairings to make you more arrow dynamic. the wind buffering from the truck can be pretty scary...so my advice....tuck to the tank...hammer the throttle...get past him. ...he will be thankful that he didnt run over you...and you wont have to worry about random wind gusts changeing your line on the road....
adding to the issue with the lack of fairings...at higher speeds you will notice that you a more affected by the wind then your buddy on his crotch rocket....however if you are riding alot on the freeway you can invest in a fly fairing for your bike like i did....still looks sexy on the bike...and most people dont notice that its aftermarket until i tell them...and then they love it that much more....they are short so it doesnt make your bike look goofy...but they add a decent amount of wind protection for your chest...and angle the wind over your head....i found it to be a great investment...and u can pick one up from monsterparts.com for 80-120$...so not bad...and the nice part about monsters is the fact that with your foot position its not too uncomfortable to lay on the tank to get a little more aerodynamics when the wind picks up....and sometimes riding by the coast on a windy day...you will notice that you need to do this or get blown around like a bobble head....
lane splitting isnt as scary as it seems...and having a nice monster with loud pipes helps...most people hear me coming and move over...which is super nice.. [thumbsup] but just be smart about it...and keep an eye on what the drivers are doing... [moto]
Make sure to be careful if your driving at night though because you cant see road hazards as quick (wood, tire rubber, mattress's...etc) and hitting something at 70mph may leave you flying through the air wondering what the hell just happened until you meet the cold dark pavement....so make sure you have a powerful light so you can see the debris in the road....and also so other people in the road can see that your there....
[bow_down] DUCATI!!
earplugs on the freeway for sure! [thumbsup]
my first time ever riding a motorcycle on the road was putting the first few miles on my new m696 last year. I was downright scared to go faster than 55 the first few rides. Take the time to get used to your bike and your route. Not recommending this but after a month or so on the bike i opened her up a few times on the freeway to get used to the higher speeds/wind factor on the freeway. Over time you will become more comfortable with the wind/high speeds of freeway traffic.
if anything, TAKE YOUR TIME and ride only at speeds you feel comfortable with. im new to the forums and also to riding in general. i managed to put 6k miles on from july - november last year and reading through some of the threads on here from more experienced riders definitely helps [beer]
All good tips...
If you have friends that have more experience than you (and don't ride like douche canoes) I'd say ask them to ride with you a few times. Of course, slab riding isn't exactly the most fun, but if they're friends, they'll suck it up in the interest of you being safer and becoming a better rider.
awall41... Are you still coming up to DIMBY? If you're riding up, let me know. I'm on the way for you and can show you some fun little back roads. [evil]
MonsterInDark... Where in Ventura County do you live? I'm in Moorpark. I'd be happy to take you out and about if you'd like... [thumbsup]
[bacon]
Quote from: SacDuc on March 17, 2011, 07:21:33 PM
And never ever ever assume that a car knows you are there. Even the guy right behind you. Even the guy beside you you just made eye contact with. "That guy won't merge I know he saw me." No. No he didn't.
^+1
Always and I repeat ALWAYS assume cars don't see you. I ride with the mentality that I am invisible to all the drivers.
practice situational awareness in your car also. Use your motorcyclist eyes to reevaluate traffic, look for exits, ways to get out of being boxed in, invisible spots, hazards, count off following times, etc. I find in highway commuting, a 3.5 second following time gives me more than enough stopping time and 2 seconds is a minimum. Cars WILL jump into that gap, so don't get angry. As Spidey said, feel the zen and ride.
And next time you buy tires, be sure to get a nice set of dual compounds if you're going to be slabbing it a lot!
In San Antonio there is a lot of trash on the roads, yesterday I saw a nice grease gun in the middle of the road. A while back I saw a bag of cement, I've seen aluminum ladders, shipping pallets, all kinds of crap. A car or truck can run over a lot of stuff by centering it between the tires. Will you have enough time to stop or swerve if something appears underneath the car you are following? I usually do not ride in the center of the lane for that reason.
My preferred riding position is far left of the left lane. That way I only have to worry about cars on the right, plus if one moves over on me I'm already almost out of his way. Also being on the far left allows me to see past the guy in front of me, and look for upcoming obstacles.
A great tip a friend told me a few years ago. If you are boxed in or passing watch the front tire of the car next to you. The driver may not signal before pulling into your lane and the slight turning of the cars front wheel may be your only warning that the driver is coming over into your space. Noticing the turning of the front wheel has given me the split second I need to get out of the way many times.
Of course it should be a rule never to let yourself to ride next to a cage but it happens sometimes, especially during rush hour.