Motorcycle Smarts

Book excerpt: The truth is this. Riding a motorcycle well is part skill, part willing to learn, part understanding of basic physics, and part giving a damn about your safety and the safety of those around you. You don't have to know everything about motorcycles to ride well. On the other hand, there are topics that every rider should understand in order to control their motorcycle effectively and REDUCE THEIR CHANCES OF CRASHING.This book addresses those topics. Can you reduce your risk to zero? No. Skilled riders crash and die every day when there was NOTHING they could have done to avoid it. But it is also true that under-skilled riders crash and die every day when there WAS something they could have done to avoid it. Motorcycle safety is a choice. This book isn't just for riders starting out. This is the book I would hand to someone who's been riding for decades and wants to reduce their risk of crashing. This is the book I would give my son if he told me he wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle. Mastering the art of riding a motorcycle well is about understanding and overcoming rider fear. It's about having the head knowledge of how your motorcycle works so you can make it go where you want it to go. It's about understanding why riders crash so you can avoid making the same mistakes. It's about taking ownership of your riding safety. Whether you've been riding for decades or are just starting out, if you're serious about mastering the art of riding well, this book is for you. If I didn't think I could measurably reduce my chances of being in a crash, I wouldn't ride. I believe you can reduce your chances too. - David Mixson