Riding a motorcycle on country roads presents many safety issues whilst at the same time providing the most enjoyable motorcycling rides for most leisure motorcyclists. However, there are some simple steps – explained here – which can drastically reduce the chances of being involved in an accident.

According to intensive research into motorcycle crashes carried out by The RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) the most frequent type of accidents involve either failure to negotiate bends on country roads or collisions at junctions.

Negotiating Bends on Country Roads
The most common type of Motorcycle accident occurs on country roads, with five times as many motorcycle accidents as on urban roads. Motorcycle accidents on rural roads also are likely to be far more severe due to the higher speeds involved. These kinds of accidents are often the fault of the motorcyclist, generally due to miss-judging the bend by approaching it with excessive speed. The most likely kind of rider to have this type of accident is a motorcyclist who is riding for leisure purposes; they are more likely to be inexperienced due to either being relatively new to motorcycling or by riding a motorcycle after a gap of many years.

When riding on country roads it is especially important to ride well within your abilities.  Many bends on country roads are smooth and continuous, and some will open up when you ride through them. Others bends can tighten up suddenly.

A rider may also come across many other unexpected hazards whilst negotiation a bend – including horses, farm animals or wild animals on the road. Moreover, one of the greatest hazards whilst cornering in the country is the body waste left behind by cows which have been hoarded along the road.

When a motorcyclist enters a sweeping bend a high speed the rider is somewhat committed to the line they have taken, leaving little room for adjusting the path which they are taking. It is for this reason and that bends on country roads should be taken with a considerable level of care with the rider leaving a lot in reserve. If you do find that you have entered a corner too quickly and need to tighten your path this can be achieved by throttling off whilst continuing to lean, the breaks can also be used extremely gently if absolutely necessarily. This must be done with great care and the cornering performance of the Motorbike Tyres and the bike together with the road conditions must all be taken into account when using the breaks in the corner.

Furthermore, one of the best skills a motorcyclist can learn is to be able to read the layout of the road and bends ahead. This can be done by taking notice of the line taken by trees, telegraph poles or hedges which follow the line of the road.

Avoiding Accidents at Junctions
Many motorcycle accidents on country roads happen at T-junctions or crossroads and are often the fault of the other road user. It is advisable to take considerable care when approaching a junction when a car or other type of vehicle is waiting to pull out.  By ignoring the potential hazard and passing the junction at a high speed a motorcyclist is increasing the chance of an accident occurring.

Whist approaching the junction it is always advisable to take notice of which direction the driver is looking. As you approach the junction start to slow down. If they are looking continually in the other direction and continue slowing until you are absolutely sure that they have seen you.  If evasive action becomes necessary apply the breaks with the bike perfectly upright to reduce your speed safely without skidding motorbikes tyres.

Having your headlight turned on – with the beam dipped – even during a bright summer’s day can drastically increase the chances of being seen by other road users. Although, never leave your headlight on the high beam as this will prevent other road uses being able to judge your speed whilst approaching.

Enjoying the Ride
Learning how to read the road, leaving a considerable amount of your riding ability in reserve and taking care near junctions will go a long way towards having a safe and enjoyable ride in the country.

To ride a motorcycle safely it’s always important to keep you bike maintained in a good condition and when buying your next set of motorcycle tyres remember that the handling and especially breaking ability of your bike depends greatly upon the quality of your tyres. For this reason it is always best to buy tyres from one of the top manufacturers such as Pirelli. You can find out more about Pirelli Motorcycle Tyres here.