Riding a motorcycle is a lot of fun but can also be dangerous. Use these tips to stay safe on the road all year long.

Stay Safe on Your Motorcycle All Year Long

Riding defensively comes naturally to most experienced motorcyclists. While anyone can suffer an accident on the road, motorcyclists are at more risk of coming out injured. Because of this, it's so important that you are always alert and prepared to avoid the following road dangers.

Don't Drink and Ride

As the holiday season approaches, you may be more tempted than ever to ride home on your motorcycle after having one drink at a holiday party. What's the big deal, right? It's only one drink. While you may have only had one drink, that's enough for your reaction time to be slowed down and your judgement to be impaired. These effects can increase your chances of being in an accident, especially when combined with inclement winter weather. If you're planning on drinking, leave your motorcycle at home and look for safer transportation.

Stormy Weather

Weather conditions don't only affect the roads, they can also affect your abilities on your motorcycle. Wet weather in the form of a rain storm or even a snow storm can leave you feeling cold, uncomfortable, and unhappy. Wet clothes, cold wind, and other drivers splashing you can all turn into distractors. Your visibility may be reduced and drivers may be too focused on the road to even notice you. Combine all of that with slick roads and you've got yourself a very dangerous situation. To avoid these dangers, check the weather before leaving your house. If you're expecting rain, it's best to leave your motorcycle at home. If you do get caught in an unexpected storm, pull over and wait it out so that you can get home safely.

Drivers Changing Lanes

Despite the lane changing technology many new vehicles include and their basic knowledge of road rules, many drivers still change lanes without looking. Whether it's out of habit or a last minute decision, doing this can result in disaster for them and the people they share the road with. Unfortunately for motorcyclists, if they happen to be in a car's blindspot, they usually end up losing. To prevent a serious accident or injury, do your best to stay out of cars' blindspots. Stay alert, pay attention to drivers' signals, and look out for cars that are drifting into another lane without signaling. Another way to stay safe on the road is by properly maintaining your motorcycle. To start, be sure to give your motorcycle a synthetic oil change in San Diego, CA at regular intervals. To find a great synthetic oil for your motorcycle, contact Synthetic Oil Inc at (800) 653-0323. You can also check out their full range of AMSOIL Oil products in their online shop.

Opening Car Doors

We've all heard of a cyclist getting injured thanks to a distracted driver opening their car door without checking for oncoming traffic. The truth is cyclists aren't the only who can get injured in these types of situation. Motorcyclists may actually suffer more serious consequences if they run into a car door because they tend to travel at higher speeds. While riding through city streets, avoid this road danger by riding in the interior lanes of traffic as opposed to those closest to the curb.

Debris on the Road

Debris on the road can make driving and riding dangerous for anyone. Motorcyclists, however, can be in more danger because their motorcycle can slip, slide, and go down. Loose items like gravel and dry leaves are especially dangerous because they can cause you to lose all traction. While traveling down a road that is covered in items like gravel, twigs, leaves, or even snow, slow down until you feel safe. This is especially important while turning since you are more likely to lose traction in these cases.

Dealing With Sudden Stops

Whether you drive a car or ride a motorcycle, you're likely not a fan of having the car in front of you make very sudden stops. If you don't have enough time or space to stop safely, you'll have to slam on your brakes and hope for the best. For motorcyclists, it may be more complicated. The majority of their stopping power is in their front brakes, which means sudden braking can cause their front tire to lock and may even throw them off their motorcycle. Antilock brakes can reduce the chances of this happening, but your best bet is to always have plenty of space between yourself and the car in front of you so that you can safely come to a stop no matter what.

Synthetic Motorcycle Oil in San Diego, CA

If your motorcycle is ready for its next oil change, be sure it's a synthetic oil change in San Diego, CA. Learn all about AMSOIL's synthetic motorcycle oils by contacting Synthetic Oil Inc at (800) 653-0323. Their oil experts can recommend products like AMSOIL's 20W-40 Synthetic V-Twin Motorcycle Oil.