General advice
A rider has no car around them, so everything that protects you is either worn or ridden.
Wear a crash helmet of the correct size, complying with the regulations and fastened securely. This applies to the rider and to any passenger. A clean, unscratched visor keeps dust, insects and rain out of your eyes, and you cannot ride around what you cannot see. Strong boots, gloves and padded clothing take the abrasion in a fall. At night and in failing light, wear reflective clothing: one narrow machine is easily lost among headlights.
Keep the motorcycle in condition, because a fault a car driver would shrug off puts a rider on the road.
- Brakes effective, bearings not slack, wheels straight and true with no spokes loose or missing.
- Tyres in good condition and properly inflated, the chain sufficiently taut, mudguards firmly secured.
- A white light in front and a red tail lamp at night, with indicators, a stop light and a red rear reflector fitted and working.
- Pillion or carrier fixed firmly, and the saddle, handlebars and footrests adjusted and secure.
- An effective silencer, and no noisy acceleration. A machine of 350 cubic centimetres or more must be fitted with crash bars.
On the road, hold a regular course instead of weaving, and keep a safe following distance behind the vehicle ahead. Do not ride down the space between stationary vehicles to gain a forward position, however slow the queue is. Ride where drivers actually look, and take particular care at junctions, since a rider is the road user a driver looks straight through.