I live in corn country. A big hazard is that when the corn gets tall, you can't see other vehicles approaching at intersections, and of course they can't see you. Deer come out of nowhere when the corn is tall, so I keep my head on a swivel. Deer also tend to be in groups, so if one crosses the road, several others may be behind it. Ride safe, folks!
As a mail person,before I retired,I pulled up to a T in the road.corn was so tall,I sat for a moment ,could hear the tractor.but he couldnt see me and tried to turn on the road I was on! That combine didnt leave me much space to hide! Luckily he stopped.
Here in PA, deer are far and away the biggest hazard to motorcyclists. My wife and I just returned from a 7,200 mile round trip from PA to CA and back. After we left PA, we only saw 4-5 road kill deer all through the southern states and southwest states and back through the Midwest. We saw 5 dead deer within 50 miles of crossing the PA border on the way home. I was always looking for wildlife and cattle in the southwest as they had lots of signs for such, but we only saw a few cows along the road and nothing else. In PA, we have few signs for deer, but tons of deer so one has to be vigilant.
I live in Washington state. I use to live in Pennsylvania. Whitetail deer and other small deer are much more nervous than larger deer like elk. Whitetail are much more likely to jump in from of vehicles. Don't treat Whitetail deer whitetail like elk. Slow down much more if they are within 80 feet of the road.
I see a new whitetail on the sides of highways all along SE Pa/Philly Bucks Co area weekly. Just on the 15 mile drive I did for two years back and forth from Philly to Princeton via I95/295, roughly one corpse every 4-6 miles. That was just PA
One thing you didn’t mention was watch out for more gravel, dirt, and grass on the road as well as slow moving equipment and vehicles. I’m a farmer as well and I’m on both sides of it. I’ve seen a few fellow motorcyclists come up way too fast on me when I’m in a tractor when coming around a corner or over a hill and struggle to get slowed enough to keep from hitting my implement I’m pulling at a brisk 24mph on a 55mph road.
At night the Amish horse buggies have taillights that can be easily mistaken for car taillights. Be constantly beware of how fast you are approaching vehicles in front of you. One of them may be a slow moving horse buggy or farm implement with taillights that look car taillights.
I live and most ride in fairly rural areas and I still prefer my Garmin GPS in addition to a phone. I always have the map and database available independent of cell service. I no longer carry paper maps as backup, but generally roughly memorize my route each morning so I have a decent big picture perspective in my mind as to general directions and major routes.
Australia - you covered us well too, exceptions: not all corners are speed rated coming off main roads, beware of bad roads, beware of farmer Joe turning out infront of you with vehicle or truck, pick your gaps wisely when underpowered. Keep breaking yourself from zoning out on long rides.
Ive been riding for 50 years and agree with everything mentioned in the video and the comments. I live in a rural area and our county only has two gas stations and not one stop light. We do however have plenty of animals. I have hit rabbits, squirrels, snakes, a raccoon, chicken and 4 deer. You definitely need to slow down considerably early morning and early evening
I hit a deer on a motorcycle back in the 70s when I was still a young and resilient teenager. 50-ish years later, that experience is still on my mind every time I ride.
There’s tons of deer here in the Nashville area and it makes me nervous every time. I’m not used to it since I moved from Fort Worth TX a year ago and there’s no deer there in the metroplex area.
Hey, I think you should make one of these series about riding in extreme weather conditions very heavy rain fog, cold weather that kind of thing and it would be cool if you could talk about dealing with powerful wind while riding because I ride and all of that too
Tire repair kit saved my butt a few years ago, had a fence staple make TWO holes in my tire I had to plug! Plugged, filled with a CO2 inflator kit and got to the next gas station to fill pump my tire up and get 80mi home. All part of the experience!
I moved to the country 20 yrs ago.Its a whole different world out here for motorcycles.The biggest threat are animals I would say.I live in a town of less than 500 pop.Not even a traffic signal.I love it
I love remote roads. The Alaska highway was great fun as was my recent ride on US 50 “The loneliest highway.” That is my kind of road! I think we rode 120+ miles and passed fewer than a dozen cars.
Yeah, I really don’t think I need cruise control on my motorcycle as far as speed creeping up. It’s not a problem. The top speed of the motorcycle is like 55 to 60 maybe faster if you’re going downhill so the speed can only creep up so much.
Me, in U.K.: Oh come on - cell service? Yeah, you may drop down to 4G, or even 3G in somewhere like the Highlands. But heck, just find a McDonnalds with free wifi or something. Meanwhile, in America: "Warning: No gas and nothing but death for the next 400 miles. Fill up now. Call loved ones. Pray"
I have a first responder friend in Nashville and he told me that on country roads, he has seen a few motorcycles wipe out due to gravel on the roads at corners. This can come from driveways, trucks, etc. Just another of the many hazards to look out for.
Once i was following my partner who had her hair in a single braided stand. A hawk circled and swooped in toward the braid and only pulled away when she raised her hand.
When I have travelled in remoter areas, I always have a paper map and a real compass, so I can triangulate my position from landmarks (if any). Curves on unfamiliar country roads are not hazardous just because of excessive speed, but also because of drastically reduced sight distance. An animal or a farm vehicle suddenly appearing in front of you on a curve can be a heart stopping moment - and I'd add especially on curves with what in England is called adverse camber (the opposite of a banked curve). I was headed home through the country one lovely summer afternoon after work. I was just tooling along on a fairly twisty bit of road, when all of a sudden, I got the feeling of my mother hugging me... she'd been dead for two years. I slowed right down and coming around the next bend, there was an accident in the road. I probably would have negotiated the accident site OK at my former speed, but since I had halved my former speed, encountering the crash site was trivial.
I live in a farming community. Keep a watch out for agriculture equipment. Think about the time of year it is. Spring, farmers are moving equipment to plant. Late summer to early fall they are harvesting. Summer is hay season. On the other side of that curve or hill may be a large slow moving piece of ag equipment.
Horse crap on the road is my biggest daily road hazard the other is Amish buggies or plow teams. I like to ride dirt roads too. But the Buell is quiet so I don't spook horses. The Amish kids wave to slow down the few times I have taken wife's sportster to work.
I ride a Honda Valkyrie and every time I get gas I reset my odometer to 0. When I get around 120 to 130 miles on the odometer, I start looking for a gas station. I’ve gone to reserve only one time on that bike.
On my Valkyrie, I turn my trip O.D. back to zero when I fill up and when it reaches around 120 miles, I start looking for gas. My reserve runs out at about 155miles. This has worked for 27 years.
@@MCrider One time I was crossing Colorado on I-80S (now I-76) from North Platte, NE. Got to a gas station near Sterling, CO running on 3 cylinders. That's how I know. I was running over 80 so got poor mileage.
I now ride slower get better mileage. The main tank holds 4.3gal, reserve is 1gal. So if you know your mileage at a given speed, you can calculate how far you can go on reserve.
Likewise, my Victory Vegas 8-Ball fuel warning runs out at about 260 km (160 miles), so I use my trip meter to fill up at 200 - 220 km. Much rather to be sure... 👍🇦🇺
One other thing to look out for is livestock. Many times out in east central Colorado you might find a cow standing or sitting in the road, just hanging out. Colorado Free Range laws state that if you kill a farm anilmal other than on an interstate highway, you're liable for the cost of the livestock. The Antelope are much smarter, but the young ones can be squirreley, even the wild turkeys are smarter than the cows 😂
Nearly bought a nice newer Fazer two years ago.. My mother promised me some of my brothers money after he was murdered in town by a drug dealer.... and left a ton of money. Still do not know how much. not seen mother since putting his bones in the ground, she broke the promise to me "do not worry, I will give you some..." "Some" is more than ONE, Yes? Anyway.. I Believe in Jesus/Azuez/Yahshua etc.... My second fav' quote is Luke 2;4 on about the shepherds taking care of their flocks by nite and The Angel of the Presence Gabriel comes to tell of the Birth of the Messiah...The Angels sing the praises... WELL! That would be spring time, Yes? It would not be mid-winter, So Why do we celerate His birth then? With the crucifixion in the spring? ITS ALL BACKWARDS.. Used to be very religeous, going every sunday and evan midweek etc.. Do not believe the Church' has ever told us the whole truth.. ITS all Roman BS. Not the essential truth hidden in the Goddspells etc.. Just man is too corrupt... ALL have sinned... Few acknoweledge the truth.. God Bless'd...
I take SPOT on every mountain climb, cycle race, hike, walk, boating, and YES Motorcycling. You can get extra insurance for evacuation everywhere in the world via helicopter. Best of all...my wife...when I'm cycling in another country can check her phone and know exactly where I'm at. When I used to climb mountains around the world...the whole family could stay informed and in more recent versions "in contact". SPOT is awesome, but I also use LAND and SEA on my motorcycles for theft...I can always see if my bike is stolen where it's and even if in other countries. I can go on a vacation and check my bike status at home from my phone. A bit like RING. Several yrs ago...a movie came out called I think 72hrs about a guy that went hiking and had to cut off his arm....as an avid hiker/climber I couldn't get past...how dumb this was. Had he had SPOT....w/in 30min he'd have had a full crew of people to help him...and helicopter service waiting. Don't go anywhere in the country / wilderness w/o SPOT.
ANYWAY Kevin.. I have put an LED light on the back of my 98 Fazer FZS600. Got the rear lights to work but blew the fuse and I think the relay with regard to the indicators... So will be taking her to the bike shop to get them to sort it... After 6 years of riding my 600cc 95 horses Roadkillr, Thought it would be a good idea to check my valve clearances. Well happy to spend the £120 for the bike shop - Dog motorcycles in Burnham-on-Sea SW - to do them, all "within tolerance... Plus Darren, the bike tech also sorted my slow leak on the front tyre. He dismounted and remounted the tyre, so good to have that finally done. I do have a TPMS on her, my third set, and keep a small air compressor on board, along with a toolkit, tyre kit and first aid kit. Always wear full gear; Biker jeans with pads etc or a nice pair of Buffalo leather jeans, only cost £20, with braces though. I have several pairs of gloves, sometimes these do not fit right so the end up on ebay where have sold them. My helmit is fairly cheap modular, pilot style with sunvisor built in. And my boots a kinda punk style with buckles and velcro closure, full leg, almost to my knees... Have never worn trainers (do not evan own a pair of trainers) But do wear safety boots now and then, they are my daily footwear, what with walking the dogs and they last several years... Thanks Kevin for coming to my inbox... Sorry cannot share on facebook, they have updated and its now inpossible to share thanks from SW UK. Greg Gilbert on facebook should u want to see my Roadkillr...
Hi again Kevin...m Having trouble with my eyes, have blood in the eyeballs, so only one is working right... Really bad headaches stopping me from riding.. Been Having trouble with my eyes for 6 moons, I cannot get the eye drops in... Was in A&E two weeks ago. They gave me a ride there in an Audi A4, but wouldn't give me a ride home... I was totally blind... What did they expect me to do? I kicked up a fuss, "He got very emotional" I heard the say while waiting in the corridpor to get home... then 3 hours outside in the chilly air wondering when I was getting home... Got home in a meat wagon, ambulance after dark. Had to walk my girl. I am gonna phone them up tommorrow and should I not get resolution to where I can see out of both eye, I AM GONNA complain and take them to court.. You think your health service is bad? No I do not have to pay, but what a f*king hazzle... Cheers Kevin. From Greg-Gilbert with the Fazer in SW UK
GPS does not require cell tower access. There are GPS apps available le that don't require and cell access at all using downloaded maps exclusively. "Here we go" is an example.
Had to push my bike a couple miles once to the first house to borrow some tools to get going again. No cell service is something suburbanites don't consider. Hit a deer last summer and fortunately didn't go down. Rode 70 miles home with bent forks. Our typical hazards are locals barely looking when they pull out of their gravel driveway because they rarely encounter anyone. Animals including dogs. Stuff in the road that falls off farm equipment. Gravel in the road from the driveways and shoulders.
Yep I'm a big fan of those fold up maps. They are much better than a GPS for planning trips, they give you the big picture. Heck if you're going a long way even a whole country map isn't a bad idea. That said I sometimes pick two roads as outer limits and when I get to one of those I know I have to go in a particular direction. These have to be big roads like state or US highways so you can't miss them. I use those fold up GPSs to figure gas stops too. I was in northern Florida about 40 years ago and my Triumph got about 100 miles to a tank of gas. It was 70 miles to the next town and 65 miles to the town after that. I had to get gas in the town that was 70 miles away. Fortunately I got to the first town 10 minutes before the only gas station in town closed. Talk about a close call. As per usual all good advice in this video.
We have large dairy farms where I live and at times they are hauling manure slurry & spillage does happen. I found out first hand how slippery this stuff is while trying to stop at a corner one night, it was dark and the headlight of my 2001 Kawasaki Concours didn't reach far enough ahead for me to see the slippery stuff until it was to late. It was a four way intersection where I had to stop and the cross traffic didn't. I did mange to avoid the car by getting the bike in a sideways skid putting my right foot down much as you might while cornering on the dirt. In the end all that happened was the lower extremities of the bike and my right foot were covered in the smelly substance.
In Australia we have cattle, large Kangaroos, especially adolescence roos are this most unpredictable. We have deer and wild horses are well. Riding at dawn and dust is unwise as marsupials are on the move this time cross roads. Even small animals can cause accidents.
One hazard i actually photographed today is this. Often you have to turn onto a country curved hwy 55 plus. If you are turning and you are entering the hwy and cannot see far to the left or right, its difficult to go from 0 to whatever is needed to get on the road.
Know what an "open range" sign means and act appropriately. It means that you are sharing the road with cattle. Also be careful at cattle grates. Treat them like a steel grate bridge.
I once had a sleeping fawn leap from the tall grass next to the door that took me down. When I see tall grass now, I slow, move left and cover my brakes.
I use the Harley Davidson app for my rides. I create rides on my computer which are then loaded automatically in the app. these do not require cell service to access them. A ride planner is a great way to save your maps just in case. i also like the ride challenges on the too. I can record rides on there and save them for later also.
While riding in ND, the sign said, "intersection w US Hyw 20mi." I assumed that there would be a gas station there. Long story short, I ended up pushing my '98 valkyrie to the nearest farm.
Cell phones are a relatively new thing. What did we do before our communicators? I live in corn country. My main concerns are intersections, Black top to gravel roads, Tractors with attachments, Cagers passing on double line roads. Deer,Dogs,Racoons, Coyotes, drunk or stoned drivers.
That's Why I Never Ride Anywhere Strange to me Alone Frag Cell Phones and GPS Use a Map . And Two way Radio Never Ride Alone Unless you are Really familiar with the Area and People know that you are Out and Will Look for you if you Don't Show up.
Hay Kevin... From SW UK we have completely different roads to you in america.. Your country roads look like A & B roads here. Our country roads are really narrow single tracks with hedges etc on both sides of the road. We have tractors turning and herds of cattle etc with the sh*ty that goes with them. On my 98 Fazer I have had all of them happen. Going roun a narrow left hand bend and this tractor trailer is turning into a side road/farm entrance; Luckily Coz# I always use the 'go only as fast as you can brake stratagy' I had plenty of time to stop, letting that monstrous vehicle finish its turning.... Of course not sure if I could have done that on a big cruiser, I really like the Valkiere. My Greyhound-Lurcher Boy who died last year (130723) was named Valkiera after studying The Rune-Norse mythology. He was Just 6 weeks from being 14 years. I still have my girl though, another Greyhound-Lurcher who is 9 years. Had ten puppies, the first boy was named Brosky. He died in an RTA after getting loose from my hands on an evaning walk. I have analysed the road, the young women concerned had plenty of time to stop, other cars had stopped, she was more worried about the little dent in her plastic bumber than saying sorry, all on facebook. I am 60 next month and really want to leave the UK to travel the world... HOW DID YOU START YOUR RU-vid ADVENTURE and when or how long did it take b4 you started making money?? I have bought a m/c front an rear camera set up Cheers tobecontinued...
Well done. I live in the middle of a national forest on yop of a mountain...all these things are part of riding. I might suggest to pack a whistle in your jacket pocket. If you somehow crash (deer, bear, dog), fall out of sught hurt, can't get cell service A whistle can save a lot of pointless screaming and carries for 1/2 mile in open country. Paper maps. I never look at a phone while riding. I usually know where I'm going...but if I'm going to a new place, I draw a simplified paper map Yeah like a pirate. That's easier to quickly review than a busy printed map. Or you can be like grandma and print the turn by turn list from GMaps...then tape that to your tank or in your tank bag clear window.
