How To Ride A Motorcycle In The City

How do you ride a motorcycle in the city? It’s a challenge that I’ve grown more accustomed to after several years of living in the city.

The most feared of all creatures out there (to us riders at least) are cagers. And, even worse and becoming more apparent, are cagers texting on their phones! Add to that thousands upon thousands of cars bottle necked into a small urban environment and you have considerable odds stacked against you as a rider. Growing up riding in a mostly rural hometown before texting existed did not prepare me for riding amongst this newfound mass of humanity.

As with any riding setting, riding at safe speeds, having an extremely keen set of eyes and an elevated sense of awareness are most important. You must approach the city roads with the mindset that you do not exist to cagers around you. Expect the unexpected, anticipate someone cutting you off, and know that someone behind you isn’t paying attention when you come to every stop sign and red light. This last bit I can attest to as I was bumped (luckily only bumped) twice last summer within a 1-month span. Now my eyes are GLUED to my mirrors every time I decelerate or come to a stop.

What about the space around you? It’s all fair game in the city, and if someone thinks they can fit in front, behind or next to you to get home 0.001 seconds sooner then you better believe they are going to go for it. And that guy/gal next to you, even though you’re not in their blind spot, is likely going to switch lanes without looking. You simply need to anticipate these types of poor decisions from others so that you’re prepared to protect yourself. One trick I’ve quickly developed in my few years of city motorcycle riding is keeping a watchful eye on a drivers mannerisms – a lot of times a drivers body English will dictate their next move moments before it occurs. We all know in this game the difference a split second can make during an emergency evasive maneuver so try to anticipate their move before they make it.

Another tactic you can use is to plan ahead and find routes that are relatively traffic-free, or that include less dangerous areas. The less people and cars you’re around in the city, the better. The more you ride your motorcycle in the city, the better feel you’ll have for what roads work best at what times and how you can avoid putting yourself in too much peril.

I’ve covered just some of what we can do as riders, but what about our gear and machines? First and foremost wear your safety gear, ultimately that’s up to you, but if you’re concerned about being safe you should gear up. Bright colors aren’t for everyone, but jackets with reflective strips and bright colors will help you be seen, especially at night and on dreary days.

Lighting can be immensely helpful. My bike is currently outfitted with stock lighting, but over the winter I intend to add LED lighting to brighten myself up a bit. The look and brightness of LEDs just can’t be matched, and I wonder just how long it will be before manufacturers jump on the LED train straight from the factory…

Lastly, I am a firm believer in being heard. I opted for a pretty serious head pipe setup on my bike (you can see in my other posts) that may not be for everyone, but any sort of aftermarket exhaust will help you be heard. I will blip my throttle with the clutch in and they know I am there every time.  If that doesn’t tickle your fancy then I suggest buying a new horn like the Denali Soundbomb, which I installed in less than an hour on my last bike and was louder than the car horns!

At the end of the day we take a risk everytime we throw a leg over the saddle and hit the road. There are many road enemies in cities, but the vehicles around us are the most dangerous. Every road is going to have potholes, tar snakes and manholes that we must pay attention to, but its typically the cagers who pose the biggest threat because we can’t control what they do. Keep those eyes peeled and ride safe out there, friends!