Motorcycle Safety Tips

A collection of some best practices

This Motorcycle Safety Tips list covers many broad topics related to motorcycle riding. No single page will tell you everything you need to know but we hope this list will start your search for the best and safest riding for you. 

Motorcycle Safety Tips

The Motorcycle

  1. Always Perform Pre-Ride Safety Checks
    1. Perform a T-CLOCS inspection (Tires, Controls, Lights, Oil, Chassis, Suspension).
    2. Controls – brakes, clutch, switches, horn, signals, throttle
    3. Chain/Belt – tension and lubrication
  1. Get Your Motorcycle Ready to Ride with Pre-Ride Adjustments
    1. Check and adjust tire pressure
    2. Test the throttle, clutch, and brakes for responsiveness and proper ergonomics. Adjust if necessary.
Helmet for motorcycle riding safety

Motorcycle Gear & Protection

  1. Know Your Helmet. Wear Your Helmet.
    1. Below are the major helmet safety certifications and testing standards, ranked from lowest to highest. Understand your helmet’s certification and decide which level of testing meets your needs.
      1. DOT (FMV3SS 218) – Basic minimum standard, least stringent.
      2. ECE 22.06 – Stricter than DOT, with more impact tests and environmental conditioning.
      3. SHARP – Not a certification but a supplementary rating system for ECE helmets.
      4. Snell (M2020D/M2020R) – More rigorous than DOT and ECE, with additional penetration and roll-off tests.
      5. FIM – The most stringent, designed for professional racing and high-speed crashes.
  1. Gloves Are So Important
    1. Motorcycle Gloves are designed to protect your hands during an accident and improve comfort while you ride. Choose your level of protection and look for these features.
      1. CE Level 1 & 2 impact protection
      2. Abrasion resistance
      3. Perforation
      4. Multi-stitching
      5. AVOID: Non-Motorcycle Gloves – work gloves
        1. There are many types of protective gloves for various uses but motorcycle gloves uniquely meet the demands of riding (and crashing from) a motorcycle.
  1. Not Any Jacket Will Do
    1. Same as gloves, motorcycle jackets are designed to meet the unique needs of riding a motorcycle. They follow the same design and projection goals as motorcycle gloves. Here are some things to consider and look for when choosing a motorcycle jacket
      1. Back protector – must have. Often purchased separately
      2. Shoulder and elbow pads
      3. Abrasion resistant fabric
      4. Ventilation
  1. Splurge on a Crash Protection Airbag
    1. We often say, dress for the slide, not the ride. But some protective gear can limit mobility, which is essential for motorcycle riding. That’s where airbag vests come in—they remain uninflated until a crash is detected, deploying in the crucial moments between impact and the crash itself. Originally developed for racing, this technology is now available to street riders through products like the Dainese Smart Jacket, offering an unprecedented level of protection.
  2. Make Yourself As Visible As Possible
    1. High-visibility (hi-viz) motorcycle gear boosts rider safety by making you more noticeable to drivers, reducing the risk of accidents. Bright colors and reflective materials improve visibility in low light, bad weather, and traffic. A hi-viz jacket, helmet, or vest helps you stand out, keeping you safer on the road. Read more from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
  3. Wear Your Motorcycle Boots
    1. Motorcycle boots protect your feet, ankles, and shins from impact, abrasion, and twisting injuries. Unlike regular shoes, they offer reinforced soles, ankle support, and slip-resistant grips for better control and safety. Wearing proper riding boots reduces injury risk in crashes and enhances stability on the road.
Defensive motorcycle riding

Defensive Riding Strategies

  1. Search, Evaluate, Execute When Riding
    1. Search: Continuously scan your surroundings—traffic, road conditions, and potential hazards—by looking ahead, checking mirrors, and maintaining situational awareness.
    2. Evaluate: Assess potential risks, such as distracted drivers, road debris, or sudden lane changes, and determine possible escape routes or actions to avoid danger.
    3. Execute: Take decisive action, whether it’s adjusting speed, changing position, or braking, to maintain control and avoid hazards safely.
  1. Always Assume Drivers Don’t See You
    1. Drivers often miss motorcycles due to blind spots, distraction, and size. Anticipate it, stay calm when it happens to you, and be prepared to avoid drivers when they don’t see you.
  1. Use A Safe following distance
    1. Maintaining a safe following distance gives you time to react to sudden stops or hazards. Use the two-second rule—pick a fixed point ahead and ensure at least two seconds pass before you reach it after the vehicle in front. Increase to three or more seconds in bad weather or heavy traffic for extra safety.
  1. Take Extra Care In Left-Turn Scenarios
    1. Cars turning left, crossing oncoming traffic, is one of the most dangerous scenarios for motorcycles. Due to the size of a motorcycle, drivers often misjudge the speed and distance of motorcycles. Be prepared to avoid cars turning left in front of you with braking, or swerving and always have an emergency exit through intersections. Read more about Where Motorcycle Accidents Occur.
  2. Be Predictable
    1. Riding predictably helps drivers see and anticipate your actions, reducing crash risk. Use clear hand signals, avoid sudden moves, maintain a steady speed, and position yourself visibly in your lane. Always signal turns and lane changes early to stay safe and prevent accidents.
Road and Traffic Safety for motorcycles

Road & Traffic Awareness

  1. Watch for distracted drivers
    1. Distracted drivers are a major threat to motorcyclists, often failing to see bikes due to texting, eating, or in-car distractions. Watch for signs like swerving, delayed reactions, or drivers looking down. Stay out of their blind spots, give them extra space, and be ready to react to sudden moves to stay safe.
  2. Use Hand Signals
    1. Hand signals make your intentions clearer, especially if your blinkers are small, dim, or unnoticed by drivers. They add visibility and ensure others see your lane changes or turns. Using both hand signals and blinkers together improves communication and reduces the risk of accidents.
  3. Watch At Intersections
    1. Intersections pose a significant risk to motorcyclists, with a substantial number of accidents occurring in these areas. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 35% of fatal motorcycle accidents happen at intersections.
Ride like a professional motorcycle rider

Ride Like A Pro

  1. Be Smooth With The Brakes
    1. Train yourself to always go to the brakes gently and then apply increasing pressure. Grabbing your brakes too quickly can cause you to lose traction. Good tires on a motorcycle can take a tremendous amount of pressure when slowing down a motorcycle, but you have to build that pressure progressively. This takes practice so get out there and train your braking hand to squeeze gently before applying a lot of pressure.
  2. Be Your Own ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System)
    1. Most modern motorcycles are equipped with ABS, which will prevent you from locking up your wheels when braking. A skilled rider can stop the motorcycle faster than ABS by preventing the wheel from locking up using progressive braking pressure. Practice threshold breaking – the line between engaging ABS and stopping as quickly as possible so you are prepared when you need it. Learn more about braking from the Army’s Dynamics Of Stopping Motorcycle Module.
  3. Practice Trail Braking
    1. Many riders have heard the advice “don’t touch your brakes in a corner.” Frankly, this advice is uninformed and leaves riders severely unequipped to handle hazards that may arise while in a corner. The best riders in the world use their brakes all the way through a turn until they are back on the throttle. They do this by Trail Braking. Practice this braking technique so that you can avoid running wide and dodge hazards that may be in your path.
  4. Learn Your Lean Angles
    1. The further you lean, the faster you can go around a given corner radius, but not all bikes have the same lean capabilities. Cruisers can typically lean between 24 – 32 degrees, while sport bikes can lean up to 45 degrees. Knowing, and being comfortable with the limits of your motorcycles lean angle capabilities can help you handle situations where you might need to adjust the radius of your turn in an emergency. Learn more from Team Arizona!
Get more motorcycle training

Training: The Best Riders Have Coaches

  1. Always Ride With An Endorsement
    1. To legally operate a motorcycle on the road, you need a motorcycle endorsement on your drivers license. To start getting an endorsement, schedule a 2-day course with a state-approved school to learn about traffic laws, safety, and operating your motorcycle. This is critical when beginning your motorcycle career. Get started on the Colorado DMV’s website.
  2. Continue Training On Your Motorcycle
    1. There are many advanced riding courses around the country. The best riders in the world work with coaches to continually get better. No matter how many years you have been safely riding a motorcycle, getting advanced training is always a great idea. Schools like Motorcycle Rider Training Center offer a many great options for improving your skills.
  3. Become A Muli-Discipline Rider
    1. Riding off-road gives you the opportunity to explore losing traction, overcoming obstacles, a ton of other challenges that will make you a better rider no matter what you throw a leg over. Look for training, like from our friend Kandi, to start learning how to ride off-road.
    2. Do you want to go fast in the safest environment possible? Nothing will help you master your brakes like coming into a hairpin corner at full throttle on a race track! Check out Yamaha Champ School or High Plains Raceway if you want to learn to ride at the limits of speed on the asphalt.
  4. Find Good Information
    1. There are some great resources (and not-so-great ones) online for where you can get really solid information about being a safe rider. Again, our friends at Yamaha Champ School have an entire e-course you can sign up for that takes you through their curriculum about how to operate your motorcycle-“Like A Champion.”
    2. There is great information for free on YouTube by some incredible riders. Find your favorite personality and start a playlist to learn even more tips about riding. MC Rider, Motojitsu, and Doodle On A Motorcycle are just a few of our favorites!