Some ideas for helmets.

So is my husband. None of that helped him when he was struck from behind while stopped at a red light! Thankfully he wears full protective gear head to toe, and remembered to let go of the bike when it went screeching out from under him. Walked away without so much as a bruise. It could've been so much worse -- a motorcycle cop was killed in exactly the same way, when he was thrown into the intersection and hit by oncoming traffic. KEEP THE SHINY SIDE UP! :D

I love your idea about the brake light on the back of the helmet. I had no idea there was any such thing. I'll have to look those up and see about getting the hubster to use one. He also got a strobe adapter for his headlamps, which I also recommend.

If you do plan on riding with a passenger, especially on a longer road trip, I cannot recommend an in-helmet intercom system more. We took the bike up Pacific Coast Highway from Los Angeles to San Francisco a few years ago, and it was a godsend to be able to talk to each other along the way.

Enjoy!

A guy here in the KC metro area was just killed by being rearended. It does happen. I check my mirrors when stopping to see if it looks like the person behind me isn't aware.

Most importantly in that situation is never to take your bike out of first gear, don't ever get to close to the car in front of you, and every time I stop I am looking for a quick escape spot next to or between the cars in front of me. That way if someone comes in to quick I can move to that spot quickly. You will see a lot of guys come to stops in those situations and put the bike into neutral. Don't do that. I also always stop to the far right of any vehicle so that I am looking right into their side view mirror and they know I am there.

Don't forget that pedestrians may be blind to you too. I was almost hit by a motorcycle when I was a kid (it was completely and totally my fault, but still.)

the only time i ever dropped mine was in a parking lot.....i was a winter rider, and there was frost on top of my back tire. i gunned it out of the parking spot, and it high sided me. came down on my shin and gave me a 'massive hematoma'

one time, a bee flew up my shorts, and I NEARLY fell off when it stung me.

my advice, since that seems to be the theme here......watch the eyes of the cage drivers in the side mirrors, and expect that they will do the most fucked up thing at the exactly wrong time, and plan your escape route.....constantly.

otherwise....enjoy that ride, baby!

Most of that is irrelevant when you're the first vehicle in line at the light, which my husband was. Being in first or neutral would also have been irrelevant.

None of that changes the importance of the tip. It is important to have a place to go when at a full stop so hopefully you can glance in your rear view mirror and bale if you get the chance.

Here is another tip from a pretty cool blog.

http://demenshea.com/blog/?p=1138

Good stuff, all of that. Keep it comin'.

Gonna buy me one of those keychains!

Els, has anyone mentioned that you'll shoot your eye out yet?

Tip from a biker: keep an eye on the head of the person in the car in front of you. You may notice them leaning down to tune the radio, texting, something stupid like that, and you know to steer well clear.

Keep 3 to 4 seconds from the rear of any vehicle in front of you. More if you are traveling at higher speeds. I will watch a car pass a stationary object on the side of the road and count, One Thousand, Two Thousand, Three Thousand, Four Thousand and see how long it takes for me to pass it. If I am faster on it I try to slow.

I also shift from the right to the left depending on how traffic is in front of me. If there are few cars or cars moving slowly I tend to the right so that on coming cars can see me before they try to pass the cars in front of them, which would put them in your lane coming at you. If the on coming traffic is light, I tend to the left so the cars you are following can see you.

Every time you approach an intersection with cars waiting to enter, or an area with cars waiting to turn into the traffic, cover your front break and rear break with your hand and foot respectively in anticipation of the need for emergency breaking. Continually scan and always expect them to do the unnatural and unexpected. Assume they can't see you, always.

What a pain in the ass. I'm not getting one of these things.