Before riding with a heavy load, you should make sure your tire pressure, spring pre-load, air shocks, and dampers are at the settings recommended for the relevant weight.

To protect yourself against injury, you should wear a DOT-compliant helmet; face or eye protection; a jacket and long pants made of sturdy material; boots or shoes that are high and sturdy enough to cover and support your ankles; and gloves made of durable material.

Gloves designed for motorcycle riding are usually made of leather. In addition to improving your grip, gloves provide protection for a rider's hands and fingers.

When you are stopped at an intersection, use your mirrors to check for cars approaching you from behind. The drivers may not notice you until they are too close and you may need to react.

In potential high-risk areas, such as school zones or construction zones, cover the clutch and both brakes. This cuts down the amount of time you will need to react to a hazard.

The front brake of a motorcycle is more powerful than the rear brake, providing about three-quarters of the motorcycle's total stopping power. Always use both brakes simultaneously when you slow or stop.

Do everything you safely can to avoid hitting an animal in the road. If you are in traffic, however, you should remain in your lane. Swerving into another lane of traffic to avoid hitting an animal can cause you to collide with another driver. Hitting something small is less dangerous than hitting something big.

Intersections present the greatest potential for conflict between motorcyclists and other drivers. Riders should use extra caution when approaching and riding through intersections.

Wearing reflective and brightly-colored clothing is always a good idea when riding a motorcycle. Crashes occur in broad daylight and at night, so it is best to wear highly visible clothing at any time of day.

Avoid riding down the center of a lane under wet conditions. Instead, ride in the tire tracks left by the cars ahead of you. The left tire track will often be best, but this can vary depending on traffic and other conditions.

When riding, always look well ahead of your vehicle to help you anticipate potential hazards. Doing this will help you react to hazards before meeting them.

To minimize your chances of being in a crash, you should make yourself as visible as possible by wearing brightly-colored clothing when riding, even during the day.

For maximum straight-line braking, you should apply the brakes smoothly and firmly. As more weight transfers forward, more will be more traction available at the front wheel, allowing you to apply the front brake with progressively increasing force while reducing the pressure being used on the rear brake. Keep your knees against the gas tank and your eyes up to help keep yourself moving in a straight line.

Perform an inspection of your motorcycle before every ride. This takes only a few minutes and helps prevent dangerous situations before entering traffic.

A properly chosen lane position should provide a number of benefits, including an increased ability to see others and to be seen. It should help you avoid wind blasts, other drivers' blind spots, and surface hazards. Your lane position should discourage other drivers from trying to share your lane and provide you with an escape route, should a hazard arise. Choose a lane position that maximizes your space cushion.

If you borrow a motorcycle, make all of the same pre-ride safety checks that you would make on your own motorcycle. You should ride cautiously when using an unfamiliar motorcycle and allow yourself extra space when stopping.

Wearing a helmet while riding greatly improves your chances of avoiding serious injury to your head or neck in the case of a crash. A DOT-approved helmet will not restrict your vision to the sides.

Motorcyclists will seldom hear their tire go flat. Tire failure is more commonly indicated by a sudden change in handling.

Frequent mirror checks should be part of your normal searching routine. Make a special point of using your mirrors before changing lanes, when stopping at an intersection, and before slowing down.

When being passed, it is generally best to ride in the center portion of your lane. Being too close to the passing vehicle increases the risk of a collision.

To reduce the danger of fatigue when riding, dress to protect yourself against tiring weather conditions, such as wind and rain. Limit yourself to no more than about six hours of riding per day and stop for a break at least once every two hours. Avoid taking artificial stimulants since you may experience extreme fatigue when they start to wear off.

Always use both brakes every time that you slow or stop.

An expanded cushion of space is needed if your motorcycle will take longer than normal to stop. If the pavement is slippery, if you cannot see through the vehicle ahead of you, or if traffic is heavy and another driver may try to squeeze in front of you, open up your following distance.

As little as one drink can have a significant effect on the abilities that you need for safe riding. You can be impaired even if you are well below the legal blood alcohol limit. No amount of alcohol is safe to consume before riding.

To increase your visibility, you can wear clothing that is brightly-colored or that contains reflective materials. Adding auxiliary lights to your motorcycle, using your turn signals, and flashing your brake light when appropriate are also good ways to get the attention of other road users.