Your single most important safety strategy

i ride as if every one else out there is trying to kill me
also bright clothing & well maintained lighting
 
Ride as if you're invisible and assume noone will yield to you. And wear a DOT helmet.

Tom
 
Wear a high-vis vest, steel toed runners, and a DOT certified helmet. Ride like everyone is trying to kill you.

Avoid sparkly pavement, too. Bad for the tires.
 
If someone runs you over try to learn from that experience. Maybe riding more carefully or sticking closer to the right side would be in order. Heck, you may even want to get a helmet or switch from flip flops to regular shoes, etc.

Conversely, if you should happen to run someone else over, that's not good either. In that case you should stop to check to see if they're okay.

Thirdly, you do NOT want the chain to break and snap you in the family jewels while traveling at a high rate of speed. Make sure the chain is in good condition and well oiled.
 
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Ride like every other vehicle you see is actively trying to kill you.
Head on a swivel and NEVER trust the other guy to not do something stupid and deadly.
 
1. Wear a dot helmet. 2. run flashers front and rear all the time. 3. Have a left side mirror and use it. All three are my " number one" .
 
xseler said:
I never ride on any road that has a posted speed limit of more than 40mph.
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Disagree. I ride on a flat, wide, scenic, 50 m/h road along the Missouri river in Illinois. It has a huge shoulder, which they somehow keep swept and a separate bike lane that I stay off of. I've ridden 30 miles on this road many times and never even had a close call. It is not heavily trafficked and I only ride during the day. But I can see your rule being applicable 90% of the time.
 
Theon said:
Keep out of the city.
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Disagree. City streets are safer than fast, 2 lane, exurban roads. There, they think that bikers and MB'ers by extension, are interlopers. These are the roads that get videod in the youtubes of phlegmatic SUVers in their dotage idling behind Sunday bike riders and honking their horns at them, for miles.

In St. Louis, you can ride almost anywhere in town through neighborhood streets if you know them, or even if you have a sense of direction. And the crime stoppers are corrupt, but cool about MBing. I love riding in St. Louis.
 
I'm pretty new to the whole motorized bicycle thing, but my safety strategy is the same as it was when my bike didn't have a motor. Basically, I assume that everyone around me will do the absolute stupidest thing possible, and put myself in a position so as to survive when they act stupid.
 
You won't go too far wrong exercising that mode of operation. Riding a motorized bike on a public street is like being a mouse in the middle of a herd of stampeding elephants. You think you don't have a problem?
 
Left hand mirror, head on a swivel, keep hard over to the right and assume you are invisible to cars. Check over the bike for loose chain, bolts, brakes and mounts and tire pressure before the ride. Keep the speed down and you should get back home alive.

My bike is geared too tall but it will putter along at 22 so calm and mellow, really pleasant to ride around on. Smoooth.
 
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