What every vehicle driver needs to know about motorcycle riders

Before becoming a motorcycle rider, I never really considered motorcycles on the road before. I mean, I saw them; I knew they were there.  But I never thought much about them or the people riding them.  Now, not only do I take note of riders everywhere, I actually drive my car more cautiously around them. Here’s why.

It takes incredibly little experience to legally ride a motorcycle.

To ride a motorcycle in Maine. there are two paths:

  1. Attend an 8-hour course and pass a written exam to get a motorcycle permit. You can be as young as 16, and you don’t have to have a driver’s license yet (although you do need to have completed a driver’s ed course).  To upgrade your permit to a motorcycle endorsement you do have to have a valid driver’s license, you must pass a road test at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
  2. Attend a 16-hour course and pass with a written test and a skills test at the end of the course.  This will earn you a motorcycle endorsement on your valid driver’s license.

What does this mean for you?

  • Be aware that the riders around you may be inexperienced.
  • Give riders plenty of space to maneuver.
  • Don’t tailgate or otherwise intimidate or distract riders; it adds more stress.

Motorcycles are hard to see.  Sometimes invisible.

Two-wheeled vehicles are hard to see.  My instructors told numerous stories about cars pulling out in front of them, despite eye perceived eye contact.

I’ve experienced this myself.  Just recently, I witnessed a driver turn left in front of me without a blinker.  This same car veered off the side of the road for a yard sale, only to get right back on the road…just as I had narrowly finished passing it.  In both cases, the driver never saw me at all.  As riders, we stay hyper-aware of the cars around us and proceed cautiously.  I encourage drivers do the same.

Recommendations to drivers:

  • Come to a complete stop at intersections and stop signs (rolling stops make motorcycle riders crazy)!
  • Before you pull into traffic, look in BOTH directions.
  • Look again….and look again before putting out.

Rain makes roads slick.

Have you ever noticed motorcycles pulled off on the side of the road in the rain waiting under an overpass?  It’s not just because riding in the rain is uncomfortable.  It’s also because the rider is waiting for the grime and oil on the road to wash away.

Dry roads become slick quickly with a little water, creating conditions that’s like riding on soap.  Slick roads makes it more challenging for a motorcycle’s tires to grip the road.  It also makes it slipperier for a rider’s feet to maintain traction on the ground at a stop.

Recommendations for driving the rain:

  • Don’t follow motorcycles closely.
  • Be patient when riders take their time coming to a stop.

Motorcycles are more stable at high speeds than low speeds.

Counter-intuitively, motorcycles are more steady and stable at high speeds than low speeds (due to the gyroscopic effect).  On the flip side, motorcycles are harder to maneuver at slow speeds, particularly curves and corners.  I found this true in my riding course: accelerating around a big circle was way easier than cornering the bike in a tight u-turn box at slow speed.

New riders struggle with corners because slow speeds make bikers harder to turn, plus they are still working on the muscle memory of riding-coordination (braking, shifting, and accelerating as needed).

What does that mean if you’re driving a car?

  • Be courteous
  • Be vigilant
  • Again, be cautious and patient

Summer is in full swing.  It’s impossible to miss all the motorcycles on the road, and they will endure on the roads between now and when the cold weather sets in again (which hopefully won’t be for a looong time).  In the meantime, let’s all stay aware, remain courteous, and share the road!

Jennifer Hooper

About Jennifer Hooper

In 2014, I rode on the back of a guy's Harley all summer long. That one season sparked a personal interest that prompted me to learn how to ride a motorcycle myself. I attended a Harley-Davidson Riding Academy class in April 2015. (You got it...I'm a newbie!) Follow along at HerHarley.com.