Harley Man says
Control for safety
To learn how to control direction, speed or balance, you’ll need a lot
of practice. However, this manual will suggest some ways to keep control
of the motorcycle and avoid accidents.
Body position
To control a motorcycle
well, your body must be in
the proper position.
Seat. Sit far enough
forward so that your arms
are slightly bent when you
hold the handlebars without
having to stretch.
Hands. Hold the
handlegrips firmly. This
helps you keep your grip if
the motorcycle bounces. Start with your right wrist down. This helps you
keep from accidentally using too much throttle.
Knees. Keep your knees against the gas tank. You will keep your
balance as the motorcycle turns.
Feet. Keep your feet firmly on the footpegs. Firm footing can help
you keep your balance. Don’t drag your foot along the ground. If your
foot catches on something, you could lose control of the motorcycle.
Keep your feet near the controls, to get to them fast if necessary. Also,
keep your toes up. If not, they may get caught in between the road and
footpeg.
Posture. Sit fairly erect. This lets you use your arms to steer the
motorcycle rather than to hold yourself up.
Turning
New riders often try to take curves or turns too fast. When they can’t
hold the turn, they may cross into another lane of traffic, go off the
road, or panic and brake too hard, causing a skid and loss of control.
Until you learn to judge how fast you can safely take a curve, approach all turns with caution. When turning, use the following steps for better
control:
Slow. Reduce speed before the turn. Keep speed down until you
complete the turn.
Look. Use your head and eyes for directional control. Look through
the turn to where you want to go.
Lean. To turn, the motorcycle must lean. To lean the motorcycle,
push on the handgrip in the direction of the turn. In other words, push
left, lean left, go left, push right, lean right, go right.
Roll. Roll on the throttle through the turn. Maintain steady speed or
accelerate gradually. Avoid decelerating in the turn.
Higher speeds and/or tighter turns require more lean. In normal
turns, the rider and motorcycle should lean together. In slow, tight
turns, lean the motorcycle only and keep your body straight
