I love a winding road, but I hate a windy road. Yesterday we encountered both, plus freezing cold and pelting... Read More
You would think parking your bike would be a simple matter of kicking down the side stand and getting off.... Read More
Ever wondered why people drive right out in front of you and cause a collision?
They call it “SMIDSY” or “sorry, mate, I didn’t see you” syndrome and they are the biggest cause of motorcycle crashes. There are a lot of theories about what causes SMIDSY crashes, including saccadic masking (basically... Read More
A spike in motorcycle crashes in South East Queensland this month has prompted a seven-point safety guide from the... Read More
You’ve committed to a corner, your big V-twin cruiser is leaned over and all of a sudden you hit a... Read More
Women’s-only riding courses and basic mechanics courses could encourage more women to take up riding, according to women riders. These are two suggestions from women riders I interviewed today in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. The question arose a couple of days ago after I published a story about a Harley-Davidson... Read More
Mention the words “track day training” and most riders think it’s all about getting your knee down. I was recently... Read More
Walking your motorcycle is the quickest and most effective way of moving your bike, but most people find the safest way to move... Read More
Women are safer riders then men according to statistics, so we asked women why that is so and give you some tips on how you can become a safer rider. According to the ABS, there are almost 745,000 motorcycles registered in Australia for 2013. Staggeringly, this number is an increase... Read More
“A lot of people forget how hard it is to ride; how many things there are to learn,” says Honda... Read More
It would seem the simplest of processes to mount a motorbike, but there are quite a few points to note.... Read More
Group riding gives you a great feeling of camaraderie. I once rode with hundreds of other riders from Brisbane all the way to the Gold Coast in a twilight run for the Morgan & Wacker 95th anniversary. What a feeling as we roared through town, thundering our Harleys up the... Read More
Heavy trucks create so much road damage on our roads that motorcycles are forced to amend their safe cornering lines... Read More
This is the first in a regular series of riding tips from motorcycle rider training specialists motoDNA. The articles are... Read More
Australia’s top and most senior stunt rider still has a few tricks up his sleeve. While he won’t say how old he is, Matt Mingay has been stunt riding since 1997, has held three world records and says he is not even thinking of retiring. Since 2006, Matt has been... Read More
Easter is one of the best times to go for a ride because of the weather, no matter which hemisphere... Read More
Expert rider training company, motoDNA, has devised a special cruiser course being held at Lakeside training centre in Queensland on June... Read More
Emergency braking causes more confusion and trepidation for riders than anything else, according to Mark McVeigh of the motoDNA motorcycle training course. How hard can I brake? Will the front wheel lock? Will I go over the handlebars? How far can I lean over on the brakes? As a motorcycle instructor... Read More
The Goldwing World Facebook page published the photograph below warning about all the blind spots around a truck. Allegedly all... Read More
By MotoDNA Motorcycle Academy director of coaching Mark McVeigh It’s been happening around the world for decades and after recent... Read More
One of the world’s leading motorcycle adventure tour companies, Ferris Wheels, has joined with professional motorcycle training company motoDNA to offer adventure rider training for people wanting to attend their tours. MotoDNA Motorcycle Academy director of coaching Mark McVeigh, who also writes training tips for MotorbikeWriter, says they are “very... Read More
Riding a motorcycle overseas where they ride on the other side of the road is not difficult, but it can... Read More
Country roads are made for motorcycles with their interesting scenery and winding nature, but they are also full of hidden... Read More
Fatigue is identified as one of the “fatal five” causes of accidents responsible for as much as 20% of all crashes. Yet there is very little police effort in clamping down on fatigued motorists. Instead, we have to monitor our own level of fatigue. I admit to having ridden tired,... Read More
http://youtu.be/xq2xStb0R-c Warning: This video of a fatal crash is graphic and disturbing, but the message is important. Show it to riders... Read More
A topic that gets plenty of discussion at motoDNA training days is counter steering. What is this mythical counter steering?... Read More
It is a Sunday afternoon at our house and the V8s are on the TV. My friend Michelle has come over to watch the races with us as her husband is a race engineer with one of the teams so she likes to have someone to watch it with. We... Read More
A police video that warns about the dangers of riding while tired has won a safety award. But there’s a... Read More
Five-time world motorcycle champion Mick Doohan features in one of two new RACQ videos aimed at reducing motorcycle crashes on... Read More
The best riding tip I ever got for cornering came from watching Steve McQueen playing in the sand with his friends in the classic 1971 film On Any Sunday. The late legendary Hollywood actor was also an accomplished motocrosser who even represented America in the international six-day enduro trials in... Read More
One of the trickiest conditions to ride in is high wind, especially if the road is also wet. High winds... Read More
Have you ever sat at traffic lights waiting for them to turn green, but they don’t? That’s because some sets of traffic... Read More
While most riders love seeing amazing wildlife on their ride, almost every rider has a story about creating or almost becoming roadkill. According to Suncorp crash claims data, the kangaroo, wallaby and pademelon (yes, that’s right!) are the biggest enemy of riders accounting for 70% of all crashes with animals.... Read More
BMW Motorrad off-road training courses are back this year with more courses in more states and locations. I’ve done the... Read More
Once moving, a heavy motorcycle doesn’t feel so big, but at slow speeds and in tight spots, it can be... Read More
Strict speed limit control through speed cameras and police radar has turned riders into speedo gazers, says motorcycle tour founder Peter Colwell. Peter says police and governments are obsessed about targeting speed with thousands booked annually unless they gaze at their speedos. In Queensland, alone, the first year of lowered speed tolerances... Read More
Riders are already happy, even when commuting, according to VicRoads research, but now the august organisation wants riders to be... Read More
Have you ever thought about doing a track day but were a little bit concerned about not being good enough... Read More
BMW has come up with a unique way to avoid helmet hair – style your hair like one of their helmets as these photos show! However, their hilarious ad campaign for their helmets is not really a solution to what is a very serious problem for some people. Helmet hair is that flat... Read More
Motorcycle riders often talk about the apex of a corner, but there are actually several apexes in a corner you... Read More
Potholes are dangerous, but bumps or a seam of humps in the middle of a lane caused by heavy vehicles... Read More
Riders should keep their feet on the footpegs whenever their bike is moving to retain control, balance and to use the rear brake for slow manoeuvres. Until recently, riders were banned from taking their feet off the footpegs in a badly written piece of legislation designed to stop people from hooning... Read More
The answer to what is the best lane position for motorcycle riders is not simple. Most instructors tell novice motorcyclists to... Read More
Riding motorcycles is never a pain, but it can cause pain, especially cramps in the legs and arms and aches... Read More
Where you should place your feet on the footpegs has long been a subject of debate among riders. If you want to race, go ahead and put the balls of your feet on the footpegs, but if you want to ride in the real world, the arches of your feet... Read More
Riding and fishing should go hand in hand as many riders are also anglers and many anglers also like to... Read More
Check out the hilarious video about being a pillion or “riding bitch”. Then read our serious tips on the joys of... Read More
Riders are a tough and determined bunch, but we’re also a little bit stupid at times. Put your hand up if you’ve done any of the following 10 stupid things “other” motorcyclists do. 1 Take the long way home Who’s finished work a little early one day and ridden home... Read More
When it comes to motorcycles and wet weather, Murphy’s Law prevails. For those who don’t know, according to Google, Murphy’s... Read More
If you are riding through mountainous areas, you and your bike could suffer from altitude sickness. It’s an illness caused... Read More
If you haven’t seen Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman riding across the world on their big adventure bikes and wanted to do the same, then where is your pulse? Adventure riding is exactly that – an adventure. And that means things are going to go wrong. Otherwise, there would be... Read More
Many motorcycle riders are unaware of the extent of dangerous blind spots around a truck or other large vehicle but new legislation hopes... Read More
Many rider trainers have claimed that standing up on a motorcycle lowers the centre of gravity and makes the bike... Read More
The rampant use of fog lights on cars causes riders dangerous glare, yet police seem more interested in speeding infringements than patrolling for illegal use of fog lights, says Australian Motorcycle Council spokesman Guy Stanford. He says he witnesses a lot of cars driving home in western Sydney with their... Read More
No matter where you travel, Iit is inevitable that you will come to roadworks where there is some gravel, which... Read More
First Aid for Motorcyclists principal instructor Roger Fance tells how his wife’s run-in on her Ducati Monster with a wallaby was... Read More
The last thing you want to do is teach a novice rider all your bad habits built up over years of riding, even though it has served you well. While you should encourage any newcomer to go and do a professional training course (it may be mandatory in your region... Read More
Motorbike Writer is now a proud sponsor of the important First Aid for Motorcyclists course which is touring the country. CLICK... Read More
Smartphone technology is helping riders stay alive with a host of emergency apps beat we should consider downloading. While emergency... Read More
Some riders worry about stopping to help at a crash scene because they are concerned about not having enough skills or being sued if something goes wrong. However, former First Aid for Motorcyclists owner Roger Fance says riders – or first responders – should not be concerned. “Most state Civil Liability laws... Read More