Surviving The Morning Traffic with Twitchy Motorcycle Gloves

Well this seems to be about as much fun as watching paint dry!

But, bear with me! This is important. Road survival will never be as good as doin' a stand up wheelie, but stayin' alive is rather important because without it we wouldn't be here! Get ya motorbike gloves ready because...

You've just rolled out of bed twenty minutes late, swallowed a bowl full of marshmallow fruit loops, thrown down a long black thick enough to stick to the back wheel and pulled on your gloves as you hit the morning rush hour chaos. As the caffeine hits your fuzzy mind, you think..."right, watch out for school kids!" Frazzled parents with road rage are causing havoc. They look at you with jealous conceit and swear obscenities at you because you're on a bike and you don't do queues!

You've got experienced hands inside those motorcycle gloves, so now, it's time for some serious filtering. Now that your morning cup o' tar has hit ya, you're watching the traffic like a hawk because filtering can be dangerous when the car next to you moves only a couple of feet to have you off! Don't watch the car itself...watch the driver's head through his rear window...that'll move before the car does...and watch his front wheels too...because they'll move before anything else!

Guide your motorbike gloves around parked cars with drivers in them...Sure as eggs, they'll get out just as you pass, so, give them a door's width. Buses are classic for pulling out in front of you because they reckon they have to get the kids to school on time! And hang back a bit at gas stations and the 24 hour bar. Someone is sure to pull into or out of them without even looking at you.

And remember, keep your motorcycle gloved finger on the trigger of your front brake. It can save valuable seconds when you need to throw out the anchors! Enjoy yourself with leather on hand as everybody else around you gets frustrated!


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How NOT To Buy A Lemon

When you plunge into the misty world of used bikes, are you prepared to haggle?

My first pair of motorcycle gloves were welding gloves and I was given them. My first bike cost me $250 and I handed all of my hard earned school-holiday earnings over without even checkin out the bike, it looked too good! I also bought it at night, when it looked real good...the next day when it was parked in my parents driveway, it didn't look too good. But I didn't care because it was MINE!

Your motorbike gloves were clean when you bought them...your new bike should be very clean. Be wary of a dirty bike...the owner is slack. If it is clean, check all those hard to get at areas to make sure the owner has not just given it a quick wipe. Take a torch with you when inspecting.

You may have bought your motorcycle gloves from a dealership, but do NOT assume that a motorcycle in a dealership is any better from the one being sold round the corner.

If the bike has two wheels, a set of handlebars then you are half way there! It should steer okay in both directions. When you screw it open with your motorbike gloves, check that the motor is running smoothly and does NOT blow smoke. Speed is all about stopping! Hit the brakes and if you don't stop and are still alive to tell the owner that you won't be buying it, then don't buy it!

It's all a bit stressful but if you want to satisfy your wallet, then get a qualified mechanic to do it for you. That way you can buy yourself that extra pair of motorcycle racing gloves with built in protector!

Twisting Your Motorcycle Gloves & Going Round The Bend on a Roundabout

What’s the difference between a “roundabout”, a “traffic circle”, a “traffic island”, a “rotary” etc etc?

Answer: Nothing!

They are all designed to drive motorcyclists crazy! Scratch your head with your motorcycle gloves. First, you have to change direction twice to go straight ahead! Second, if you are turning left (US) you are forced to the right, before having to swing to the left. And third, you are forced to ride through off-camber parts of the road…designed to drain rainwater away. Speaking of rain…forget about them in the rain and/or quick changes of direction. Add a mixture of spilt diesel, gravel and a few painted lines, and you have a recipe for chaos!

It’s easy to see why town planners on your local council love them. They don’t cost anything to run. Eliminate the need for traffic lights. Put a garden in the middle with a bit of furniture around it and a palm tree. Great! Then you can’t see what’s coming! Besides that, pedestrians seem to think that roundabouts are a free-for-all to cross anywhere and sit in to watch the traffic go by. And motorists seem to like to straddle both lanes (if multi-laned) because they are too busy looking at the ornamental grass in the middle. And truckies towing a trailer will generally take up all lines to get a turning circle and wipe out most of the hedging, as well as you along the way.

The US is adopting the British style of modern roundabouts by introducing the mandatory “Give Way” rule for vehicles entering. Even Chevy Chase would find it easy. Remember him, in the movie European Vacation getting stuck in the middle of a roundabout, in London until after dark.

Anyway, think of it this way…the constant radius corners are excellent for leaning, keeping your line, getting your knee down and twisting your motorcycle gloves out of these chicanes!