tips when commuting on a motorcycle

Motorcycles are a form of "transportainment" - they are exhilarating and fun when going out for a leisurely ride or touring on weekends/vacations. However, the overall feel is a bit different for the commuting rider.

just another day in the city

Instead of open highways, sparse flowing traffic, spare time, and a relaxed attitude - the conditions are usually contrasted when commuting with city streets, stop and go traffic, limited time, and stress on the rider.

Here's a few tips for those of us who commute with our cycles.

#1 - Give yourself plenty of time.

If your commute on average, is 20 minutes - leave 30 minutes before you need to be at your destination. Taking the pressure off being late will greatly reduce your stress. Remember, shit happens, and if you do not have additional time to accommodate for unforeseen or inconvenient scenarios, such as, weather (eg. rain), traffic jams, bad luck of hitting every red light, etc - those scenarios will compound to your frustration. If you leave yourself some extra time to account for those types of situations you will not be as stressed and you will still arrive on time.

#2 - Take what you need, leave what you don't.

When traveling to and from work - only take the necessary cargo you need. You may find that you want a change of shoes, shirt, or pants when you arrive at the office. If possible, leave these items in your desk, office, or locker so you do not have to carry them back and forth during your commute.

For items you must take to work each day such as a laptop, tools, sacked lunch, etc - a motorcycle backpack is one of the most versatile and practical way of carrying such cargo. Backpacks specifically designed for motorcyclists differ in a few ways from ordinary luggage backpacks. The Joe Rocket Jet Pack Back Pack for example has a helmet holder and a reflective strip to make the rider more visible to other drivers. Other packs such as the Icon squad laptop motorcycle backpack has a laptop specific compartment and a helmet bag to easily store your helmet when walking around.

Joe Rocket Jet Pack Back Pack

#3 - Give yourself some space.

Riding in slow traffic can be challenging because in order to keep the bike balanced upright you need a certain amount of forward momentum. Couple this with the clutch work required and you have a formula for frustration. To mitigate this, leave yourself plenty of room between you and the car ahead of you. When doing so, you will have to also make sure that other drivers don't see this as an opportunity to get in front of you. Don't be pressured by this and if someone cuts into your space - let them. To make sure cars see that you own the entire lane - weave left and right to assert the fact that this is your lane and you intend to use it.

#4 - Go with the flow

When riding in traffic it is best to go with the flow and keep the same speed as the other drivers around you. The reason for this is that it is harder for other drivers to see you as another vehicle if you are moving slower or faster than the rest of the traffic around - you will end up sticking out and other motorists will not be able to make the automatic distinction that you are another vehicle.

#5 - Avoid the friday night fight

Something freaky always seems to happen on friday's - and not just on the 13th's!

Most people after a strenuous work week have all of this built up energy that they are just aching to release once the work day is done on Friday afternoon. Whether they are going camping for the weekend, out to the bar with their friends, or just heading home to sit and watch T.V. - drivers get that much more impatient, fearless, and well -dumber.

Avoid the "Friday night Fight" by getting on the road earlier or later than the typical rush hour times.

Tips to remember

When commuting on your motorcycle always give yourself plenty of extra time to get to where you need to go, only take what you need and use proper cargo carrying spaces such as a backpack designed for motorcycle riding, leave plenty of room between you and the other drivers around you, and go at the same speed as the traffic around you. Avoid rush hour traffic on Friday's and be aware that traffic patterns change on the heels of the weekend. If you follow these steps your commute will be just as enjoyable as a ride out on the open road.