James Burleigh
Well-known member
I am by no stretch of the imagination the most experienced rider on this forum. In fact, I'm probably one of the least experienced, since I've only been riding since 2003. So my credentials for giving riding advice are thin at best.
I note, however, that since getting my Sportster back in 2003, then morphing a couple years later from a weekend hobbiest to a full-time motorcyclist, I've logged about 140,000 miles on the saddle. The vast majority of those miles (say 70% to 80%) has been urban commuting in the San Francisco Bay Area. So that could mean I've got more than 100,000 miles of rush-hour riding experience. Rush hour--a time when cage metal density and cager aggression are at their highest.
This morning as I was riding into work I figured out almost like an epiphany the single most important piece of advice I could give myself or anyone else about riding during rush hour, or I suppose by extension at any time. So based on my personal experience, the most important advice I would give is...
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Slow down.
During rush hour sh*t flies at you continually from all directions. The landscape is constantly changing, and in all directions are heavy, dense, solid metal cages competing with you for that one-car space advantage in the lane ahead or to beat everyone else to the front. Slowing down gives you the time you need to brake or swerve or just plain stay out of the sh*t up ahead.
That's all I got....
I note, however, that since getting my Sportster back in 2003, then morphing a couple years later from a weekend hobbiest to a full-time motorcyclist, I've logged about 140,000 miles on the saddle. The vast majority of those miles (say 70% to 80%) has been urban commuting in the San Francisco Bay Area. So that could mean I've got more than 100,000 miles of rush-hour riding experience. Rush hour--a time when cage metal density and cager aggression are at their highest.
This morning as I was riding into work I figured out almost like an epiphany the single most important piece of advice I could give myself or anyone else about riding during rush hour, or I suppose by extension at any time. So based on my personal experience, the most important advice I would give is...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Slow down.
During rush hour sh*t flies at you continually from all directions. The landscape is constantly changing, and in all directions are heavy, dense, solid metal cages competing with you for that one-car space advantage in the lane ahead or to beat everyone else to the front. Slowing down gives you the time you need to brake or swerve or just plain stay out of the sh*t up ahead.
That's all I got....
