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January 22, 2026February 1, 2026

46. Six Tips for riding in strong winds

Modern riders benefit from weather apps with real-time wind forecasts, even GPS alerts, and which make planning safer and more precise. But the physics involved in the interaction of motorcycle and windy weather hasn’t. And there’s nothing that modern electronic aids can do either, when the bike’s hit by a sudden gust from the side. Rider knowledge and skill is still the only way to go.

Six Tips for riding in strong winds

Most years, Britain is battered by winter storms, and even in the autumn we’re increasingly being affected by the decayed remains of Atlantic hurricanes that still produce strong gales. Even in mid-summer, a thunderstorms can generate surprisingly strong, if localised winds. And of course it’s always windier on the coast or high in the hills. So what are my Survival Skills tips and the best way to deal with strong winds? As always, the first stage is to plan ahead. Before anything else, watch the forecast. That might seem obvious but what looks like nice morning weather out of the window can change in a couple of hours to a gale-wracked afternoon and it might be a good idea to travel another day. Maybe we can take the car or the train. But what if we have to ride? Here are some handy Survival Skills tips for riding in strong winds.

REMOVE LUGGAGE IF POSSIBLE – don’t forget that luggage on the rear of the machine acts as a ruddy great sail – top boxes can really destabilise a bike in strong winds. A magnetic tank bag can be blow clean off the tank too – don’t ask me how I know (I always tether a tank bag to the keyring fob with a carabiner now). If it’s possibly to take any bags and boxes off, do so. Baggy clothing and rucksacks aren’t a great idea either. If there are cinch straps on sleeves or legs, tighten them up. And if we’re going to carry a passenger, get them to sit as close up as possible so there’s no big gap between rider and pillion.

PLAN THE ROUTE – defore setting off, do some route planning. Try to find roads that are not so exposed. A roads are generally more sheltered than motorways. Roads in the lee of hills will be less windy than roads along the top. It may be possible to plan the route so that on exposed roads the strongest winds are behind us, rather than from the side. And we may need to change route mid-ride. Many years ago on a despatching job to Northampton, a windy Chrismas eve morning turned into a full gale by mid-afternoon. The M1 was a real struggle – I recall a furniture lorry being blown up onto two wheels as I passed it. Rather than attempt the M25, I came back through central London. It turned out the newly-opened Dartford bridge was closed anyway. By the time I was back out on the M20 and heading home in Kent, the wind had dropped.

SPOT THE PROBLEM AREAS – once on the move, do a bit of amateur weather forecasting. The strongest winds often blow around squall lines and thunderstorms, so spotting a tall, dark cloud with a tell tale-rain shadow beneath it should ring alarm bells. Look ahead and figure out where the wind will catch us:

exposed roads, particularly motorways

high bridges

open roads

coastal areas

roads across mountains and along mountain valleys

gaps between buildings and hedges

as trucks pass

below high rises in cities

etc etc – I’ll leave it to you to think of other examples.

WORK OUT WHICH WAY THE BIKE WILL BE BLOWN – usually it’s in the direction the wind is blowing, but there are three exceptions:

passing trucks – if the wind’s coming from the far side, we’re suddenly sheltered and we’re actually sucked in towards the truck, then as we get level with the cab, we’ll be suddenly blown away again

halfway down hills – there’s usually a back eddy where the wind suddenly reverses direction. The M20 halfway down Wrotham Hill is notorious for this

alongside high rise building – the building deflects the wind so it blows in the opposite direction at groundlevel is in the opposite direction, so we can be hit by winds which change direction through 180 degrees in a few metres in city centres

Other problems? Look out for fallen branches and general vegetable detritus blown from trees. Wheelie bins get blown into the road. Fences may come down. I’ve even seen a shed collapse into the road.

STRATEGIES TO SURVIVE – so if we know when and where we’re likely to be blown of course, we can at least prepare:

ride on the side of the lane which gives us the most room to be blown sideways

keep well away from high-sided vehicles, and give a good clearance to those coming the other way – they’ll be pushing the wind in front of them

don’t try to hang onto the bars – instead, keep the shoulders, elbows and wrists as loose as possible but locking the knees against the tank and brace our back. That way when we’re blown around on top of the bike, we won’t take the handlebars with us, and it’s much easier to steer a reasonably straight course

be ready to steer into the wind

remember counter-steering – if the bike is being blown TO the left, we need to steer INTO the wind by pushing on the RIGHT handlebar end.

Strong, sidewinds are knackering. I had to ride 200 miles due south across the Mohave Desert with a 50 mph wind coming from the west. Absolutely NO cover from the wind. My arms, shoulders, and back burned by the end of that ride. The only way I made it was by hanging my backside off the side of the bike facing the wind. Try it, and you’ll find it helps the bike to steer into the wind. And that means a little less effort in holding a constant degree of steering into the wind.

I can’t emphasise how important it is not to ride with stiff arms. If we’re hanging on for dear life, every time our upper body gets buffeted, we feed that straight into the steering and we make all the wobbles and weaves much worse. Keep elbows loose but the wider we hold the bars, the more leverage we have to steer into the wind and the less ‘push’ we have to make which means it’s less tiring.

DO WE SLOW DOWN – there’s often a suggestion that if we slow down, we feel less ‘blown about’. Well, that may be true into a headwind but if the wind comes from the side, we might feel less buffeting on our chest. But the sideways component of the wind remains exactly the same, plus we lose the benefit of how straightline stability increases with speed. There’s a trade-off where too fast becomes a problem because we get blown off the road quicker than we can deal with it but it’s certainly possible to ride too slowly in wind – the clue is we’re wobbling all over the place.

Some bikes are better at handling wind than others. Part of the problem is the design of the front wheel. Harleys with solid disc wheels have a bit of a reputation for being unstable in crosswinds, and so did the 80’s Hondas with the ‘Banana Comstars’ – I had an XBR500 and this was an absolute pig in high winds – I could feel the wind blowing the front wheel around and trying to yank the bars out of my hands.

I can’t claim riding in strong winds is fun. If we have to ride – as I had to on that journey back from Northampton – we can’t stop the bike being blown sideways, but like most things, there are strategies for dealing with the problem. It’s hard work, but with a bit of thought and forward planning it need not be quite so scary.

January 22, 2026February 1, 2026

45. Eleven Essential Tips for riding in the rain

The advice is still very relevant, especially the emphasis on spotting slippery surfaces, progressive braking, careful cornering, and anticipating changes in grip. Modern bikes, tyres, and safety aids have slightly shifted the context, but the fundamentals of wet-weather remain the same, with the emphasis on spotting slippery surfaces (manhole covers, white lines, tar seams, leaves) and anticipating how those surface changes will affect traction, remaining critical.

Eleven Essential Tips for riding in the rain

Rain means wet roads, and wet surfaces means less grip than in the dry, and so we’ll have to reduce our throttle openings, lean angles and increase our braking distances accordingly. The question is “how much?”. Unless we have some idea of how much grip there is, we don’t really know how hard we can accelerate or brake, or how much lean we can use. And we can end up being excessively cautious and then we’ll be harrassed by other drivers. There is nothing wrong with taking care in the wet, but too much caution and we start causing ourselves even more problems. So let’s have a think about the issues.

HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN RAINING – this should be our first question. Prolonged rain flushes surface contaminants away and given a decent surface, wet roads usually have plenty of grip. . But if it’s only just started raining, particularly after a prolonged dry spell, expect the surface to be super-slippery. Oil dripped onto the road mixes with the worn rubber on the surface, creating a slick.

KNOW WHERE TO FIND GRIP – a wet surface that is in good repair and clean, modern tyres should have good grip – it’s a bit hard to put a figure on it, but at least 70% of dry grip should be available. And high grip ‘Shellgrip’ style surfaces give near race track levels of grip even in the rain.

AND KNOW WHAT’S SLIPPERY – but what about the road that’s not in good condition or is contaminated? Some surfaces which are fine in the dry are appallingly slippery in the wet. Now the problem is that no matter how good our tyres, they won’t grip if the road surface cannot deliver its half of the deal. And the quality of the surface has been steadily deteriorating for the last three decades and right now finding a perfect surface is now the exception rather than the rule. So be on the alert for surfaces which are slippery when wet:

metal manhole covers
cats-eyes
white lines and road markings
bitumen tar seams where tarmac is sealed
polished and worn road surfaces
oily surfaces
leaves

Here’s a clue. Most things that are shiny when wet – even leaves – are slippery! So treat any shiny patch on the road as potentially slippery and something to be avoided if possible.

KNOW WHERE IT’S SLIPPERY – and then avoid or take care in those places. A big fear for bikers is spilled diesel. Although figures published by FEMA (the European rider rights organisation) claimed that 10% of all motorcycle accidents were caused by diesel, UK figures suggest it’s less than 3%. Whatever the truth, there’s no need for us to become one of the statistics by being cautious where spills of fuel and oil are most common:

roundabouts
near industrial estates
by garages
on bends and at junctions
between the wheel tracks at traffic lights or stop signs

Treat dark shiny streaks or rainbow patterns with care, and use your nose – you will often smell diesel before you spot it. And remember petrol is JUST as slippery as diesel.

SPOT SURFACE CHANGES – as I mentioned, we may ride from a grippy surface onto a less-grippy one, so we need to spot that as early as possible. Look up the road and try to spot a change of colour. It’s almost always a change of surface. We won’t know whether it gets better or worse, but at least we’re on the alert. A visible line often warns of a change. Oblong shapes are usually road repairs. Irregular areas of a different colour could be a damp patch, a pothole or loose gravel. Streaks are often a fuel spill.

BE ALERT FOR SURFACE WATER – there aren’t too many around but on minor roads, we could come across a ford. Take it cautiously and upright and don’t brake or accelerate hard – they are often slippery with algae under the water.

After a thunderstorm, watch out for surface water beyond the norm! After prolonged or heavy rain, expect flooded surfaces. Avoid riding through puddles as a matter of course – they may conceal a pothole or debris. There’s a minor risk of aquaplaning on standing surface water but watch out deeper water which can cause a loss of control if hit at speed. Any depression is likely to be filled with deep water. Underpasses often flood to surprising depths. Look to see where the kerb disappears to get an indication of how deep it might be.

Watch out for mud, gravel or debris carried into the road. I’ve had to dodge a sizeable log before now. Streams may burst their banks and flow into the road, and we not only have to be careful about the depth of water – look at fence posts or the hedge – but there could well be a strong current. It might be wiser to find an alternative route than attempt to ford it.

KNOW WHEN TO SLOW – in wet weather, many riders will slow down unnecessarily, even when it’s safe to maintain a decent rate of progress. It’s stopping distance we mostly need to worry about, and whilst it increases with speed, if we stretch our planning and open up our following distances, then it should be OK to maintain speed to go with the flow to avoid being tailgated by impatient drivers.

AND WHEN IT’S MORE IMPORTANT TO KEEP A GAP – one of the biggest wet-weather faults I see is following the vehicle ahead too close, too fast. Braking distances increase in the wet, but it’s not just stopping distances we need to worry about. We need to understand how changes of surface affect our ability to stop and maintain control. We really don’t want to find we’re braking over a wet metal access cover that just popped out from under the car ahead.

AIM TO BE SMOOTH – what breaks traction in the wet is often a sudden application of brakes or throttle. Whilst modern bikes have ABS and traction control is becoming common too, kicking either in is not a good idea as it’s disconcerting. And without these aids, there’s a risk of a loss-of-control. Aim to be smooth, but also to be minimalist – the fewer control inputs that achieve a particular result, the better.

Aim for progressive braking. Once the suspension has compressed we can build the pressure – most riders are surprised how much grip is available if we don’t grab a big handful of brake.

Don’t make the common mistake of trying to stay off the brakes then finding you need them at the last moment. Brake early and positively rather than late and harshly – it not only improves stability but gives us options. If we brake earlier than necessary, it means we can release the brakes again if we are unable to avoid crossing a wet metal cover or a painted arrow. That takes away the fear of locking a wheel as we ride over it, and we can reapply the brakes on the other side. It’s not very difficult IF we look ahead and think about what we are doing.

Know how to corner in the wet – there’s no real difference in technique, but it’s more important we get it right. Don’t try to turn in on a closed throttle or on the brakes – if we do, we’re loading the front tyre with deceleration forces just as you want all the grip for steering and it’s easy to lose the front if we hit a slippery patch. Instead, get the braking done upright, get off the brakes in a straight line to let the suspension settle THEN turn in smoothly.

Just as in the dry, the best way to enter a corner on a wet road is back on the throttle, keeping steady power on through the turn, which means using the Point and Squirt late apex approach I teach on Survival Skills Performance Courses through the corner. The biggest steering errors are to turn in too early which guarantees we’ll run wide on the exit, then probably touch the brakes mid-corner to try to lose speed – in the wet this is even more a recipe for disaster than in the dry. In fact, mid-corner, we can probably lean over further than we might expect, which is the way to deal with a tightening bend, but try to avoid sudden or jerky motions. We don’t need to corner at walking pace but just a modest reduction in speed means we can make our direction changes a little more gentle, and use a little less lean angle mid-turn. open out your lines a little and make them smoother. Err on the side of ‘slow and smooth in, and faster out’ – it’s not that important to ride fast in the wet.

Don’t try to open out the exit to the turn by taking a wide, sweeping line. We may need to change line to keep off tar seams, access covers or white paint mid-corner. If we’re on a line that gives us no way of changing position should we need to, then we’re potentially in trouble. If we’re on a sweeping line and aiming for the extreme edge of the lane, and we do experience a slide, we’ve no room to recover. In the wet, I avoid extreme cornering lines – so I can compromise my perfect line to avoid slippery areas. I usually ride in the middle third of the lane, so I have some room for error.

If we must brake in a corner – perhaps because the road ahead is blocked – then use BOTH brakes lightly. Remember – if you’ve not already crashed, there is SOME grip at the front. As the speed comes down, our lean angle usually comes up, and so we can brake progressively harder. The important thing is not to grab at the front brake. With no ABS we’ll probably crash (I’ve bought that tee-shirt), with ABS we’ll have a moment to recover. Although it may be easier to catch a rear wheel lock-up, the rear brake alone won’t offer much braking.

Don’t try to accelerate mid-corner when the bike is still leaned over. A surprising number of crashes in autumn, when the roads are first wet and cold, happen when riders accelerate whilst still leaned over, often when turning right at a junction or a roundabout. The combination of lean and throttle breaks grip and the rear. The answer is to get the bike turned completely THEN open the throttle. Even with traction control, it’ll still make for a smoother turn.

UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE THE GEARS – don’t make the mistake of believing the old advice to ride in a high gear on a slippery surface either. Whilst that might have been effective on a low and slow-revving 50s and 60s Triumph, modern sports bikes will spin up the rear wheel the moment it breaks traction. Wheelspin in a straight line is controllable, just a gentle wag from the rear of the bike. If we’ve not got traction control and we wheelspin in the wet whilst leaned over, we may not get the throttle shut again in time to prevent a crash. Let the engine rev, but accelerate gently – don’t open the throttle so far as in the dry.

And one final piece of advice – KNOW YOUR TYRES – if you intend to ride all year round, fit sport-touring tyres for the colder months of the year. The soft compound sporty tyres really only work in warm weather, and will never get hot enough to grip effectively in cold rain. Sport-touring tyres may not have the ultimate level of grip but they’ll work better on wet roads at any time of the year, and they generally slide more predictably than the grippier tyres that just let go suddenly.

Having just listed all the problems of riding in the wet, you may be surprised to know, I actually enjoy riding in the rain. It can be a lot of fun!

January 22, 2026February 1, 2026

44. Carrying a pillion passenger – Question and Answer

Riding two-up fundamentally changes the dynamics of the motorcycle — weight distribution, braking, acceleration, cornering, and balance. If we’ve never carried one, it’s very easy to underestimate how much a passenger affects the ride. Electronic aids such as ABS, traction control, and semi-active suspension help, but they do not replace smooth throttle control, progressive braking, and careful cornering. Getting on and off a bike and knowing how to sit and hold on are far from intuitive to a new passenger. Modern aids such as Bluetooth intercoms can improve things, doing away with the need for shoulder taps, but cannot replace clear instructions before getting on, or practice. Plan rides conservatively, allow extra distance for braking, and give rider and passenger time to build confidence before attempting long trips or high-speed manoeuvres.

Carrying a pillion passenger – Question and Answer

It’s an experience – and an experiment – that nearly every rider will go through at one time or another, but the first time we put someone on the back of our machine, we’ll should realise we’re actually taking on a very serious responsibility. Suddenly, someone else’s life is in our hands. Yet it’s surprising just how few riders do think it through. We’ll have state of the art riding kits, but a battered old abandoned helmet that won’t fit is dug out of the garage then handed to the passenger. We’ve got all the protective kit, yet the passenger has to make do with whatever they can find in the cupboard. There’s absolutely no excuse for this. If you haven’t got proper riding kit for the passenger, they shouldn’t be on the back of our bike. And if you’re reading this as a potential passenger, if your pilot won’t take your riding kit seriously, how do you think he or she is likely to treat riding with you on the back? Having heard Brittany Morrow’s story about her recovery after falling from the back of a bike after going for a spin with a guy she barely knew, it made me think again about carrying a passenger, and I’m not exactly a big risk-taker.

Question I’ve been riding a couple of years and I reckon it’s time to take a passenger. What should I look out for?

Answer First thing is to find out whether your passenger has been on the back of a bike before. Then ensure that the passenger is properly dressed for the job, knows how to sit and hold on, and knows some ground rules.

Q OK, so what should my passenger wear?

A Assuming you are properly dressed, they need the same gear as you’d wear! Passengers are commonly given an old lid that’s been kicking around at the back of the garage, but really they should have their own helmet. If you are using a borrowed helmet it MUST fit! Make sure they know how to do the helmet up and CHECK! I’ve seen people stuff the strap up the side of the helmet or have the strap so ridiculously loose it’d pull off over their chin – give assistance if required. Then make sure they understand how to take care of it.

Next up is a pair of decent gloves, sturdy boots, and proper trousers & jacket – even for a short ride, these are a must. Don’t EVER give anyone (Scotsmen included) a lift if they are wearing a skirt! If wearing lace-up boots, make sure laces are tucked away. Scarves too – you may laugh, but my brother nearly strangled a friend when a long scarf caught in the chain.

Q What do I need to show my passenger before we go?

A Make sure the passenger knows where to put their feet! It may seem another stupid tip but I once spent several hours removing melted boot from the silencers on my CX500 after a passenger rested her feet on them, after I’d forgotten to fold down the footpegs!

Explain that they have to hold on, and show them where and how. They can hold onto the rider (preferable for novices) or onto the grab rail. Don’t assume they know. They may try to hold onto the bodywork or the rear light lens – I’ve seen it happen.

Q So how should they sit on the bike?

A Facing forwards, astride the seat, feet on the footpegs. That’s the answer to the DVSA test question. But they should aim to sit reasonably close to the rider to prevent wind getting between rider and passenger, and shouldn’t lean back on a top box, unless it’s specifically designed for the purpose – on a Harley or Goldwing. The mounts aren’t strong enough, nor is the subframe designed to take the weight of a passenger leaning on it. They’ll break.

Q So is it best to hold onto the rider or the grab rail?

A It depends on the the pillion’s preference and experience, and the type of bike. Whichever they choose, it is important they feel relaxed and comfortable, and vital that they do hold onto something on at all times.

If the passenger is confident enough, and the bike has a decent grab rail, then holding that is my preferred option. It detaches the passenger from the rider which may be less confidence inspiring, but it allows a more rigid and stable position for the passenger to deal with both acceleration and braking. The passenger also has more room, and with a better view past the rider, is more likely to be ready for braking, accelerating or cornering.

But if they have never been on a bike before, my preference is for them to hold on to the rider, around the waist of the rider. However, it may not be that easy to grip a riding suit if the rider accelerates, and under braking the rider will be supporting the passenger’s body weight. It also has the drawback, depending on the bike, that they may not be able to see what is about to happen as they will be close to the rider.

Better yet, the rider can wear a ‘body belt’ with a pair of handles. The belt may not be elegant but it’s confidence-inspiring for the novice passenger under acceleration, and helps ensure they move with the rider during cornering, and gives them some way of bracing themselves against braking too. Gripping tight with the thighs can help and gives you some feedback from the pillion.

Some people recommend what I’ve heard called the “brace” position, with one hand on the grab rail and the other bracing in front either on the tank or the seat. I’ve not tried this personally, so I’ll leave it up to you to try.

If there’s one position to be avoided it’s advising the passenger to rest both hands on the back of the tank. There’s absolutely nothing to stop the rider falling backwards under acceleration, and this is exactly what happened to Brittany Morrow. Look her up on internet. I’ve worked with her on the New Zealand Shiny Side Up rider safety initiative and she’s a brave and inspiring woman.

Q Anything else before we set off?

A Explain that on acceleration they will tend to fall backwards, and under braking will slide forwards. Tell them that the bike does lean over, so they are not taken by surprise. You’d be amazed how many new passengers have never thought about that. Explain that in a corner, the rider will balance the bike, and all they need to do is relax and stay in line with the rider – and specifically warn them not to sit upright in a bend – most novice passengers do, so be ready for that. To help the passenger to feel more connected with the rider, tell him/her to look into the turn. All this might sound like a recipe to scare them, but it’s a damn sight scarier for a new passenger when the bikes starts moving and they don’t know what to expect.

Next, tell them how to get on. It may be possible to mount from the left simply by swinging the right leg over the seat but if there’s luggage on the bike or the passenger isn’t very tall, then they will have to mount the bike as if they were riding a horse – they will need to put their left foot on the left peg and stand on it, before swinging their right leg up and over the seat. They can place a hand on your shoulder for support but brace yourself in anticipation. It’s easier if the bike is upright and not on the side stand, but watch out for their weight rocking the bike from side to side – a heavy rider can exert quite a surprising force. Make sure they get on and off only when you tell them to. They should wait till you are ready, seated with your feet firmly braced, and ready for them. And yes, I have had a passenger try to climb on before I did.

When coming to a stop at a junction or lights, ensure the passenger knows they should not put their feet down – the rider will balance the bike when stopped – or to let go – if the lights change, you will need to accelerate away again. And tell them not to fidget around, particularly at slow speed.

Although it’s important not to distract the rider unnecessarily, some signals can help if you don’t have comms between rider and passenger. A thumbs-up can be used to show the rider the passenger is ready to move off. If they want you to stop or slow down, suggest a tap on the shoulder. But they shouldn’t make signals to other road users.

And double-check the passenger is comfortable and secure before pulling away.

Q What about stopping again?

A Remember to slow progressively, which means rolling off the throttle gently, then braking equally gently. Use both brakes, not just the front. In fact, you can use more rear brake than normal because of the extra weight gives the rear tyre more grip. More rear brake also helps keep the front forks from diving – the bike will ‘squat’ and stop more level which makes it easer for you to keep your footing. Remember, you have that extra weight to deal with, so smooth stops are essential.

With the rear brake in action, you’re going to have to put your left foot down. If you’re not used to that, some prior practice would be a good idea, or you’ll end up releasing the rear brake and making a sudden grab at the front to stop.

Coming to a stop, Make sure you stop upright, not leaned over, because if you come to a half leaning the bike even slightly, the extra weight whilst stopped can cause you to drop the bike. Look carefully where you are going to put your feet – is the camber too steep or is the surface covered in wet leaves? Been there, dropped it! And don’t try to ride at walking pace if you don’t have to. Every little wobble will cause the passenger to move around, and it makes it difficult to hold a straight line.

Once stopped, don’t be afraid to put both feet down. And finally, at the end of the ride make sure the passenger understands they sit still until you have the bike securely balanced – they should only dismount again when you tell them.

Q What problems might I come across?

A By far and away the most dangerous issue is losing the passenger off the back. My brother dumped me on the road behind the bike giving it a handful to impress his mates, just as I turned round to wave goodbye. It’s not unknown for riders to lose control as the passenger makes a despairing grab for them.

Not far behind is the sudden hard stop that has the passenger losing grip on the grab rail and sliding into the rider’s back. Suddenly you’re having to support not only your own bodyweight but that if the passenger too. Losing control is common. If the passenger is nutting you, you’re braking too hard.

The answer to both of those is gentle braking and acceleration!

The most common issue is caused by the passenger sitting bolt-upright mid-corner. The bike will try to straighten on, and you’ll have to lean over even further to get round the corner. So warn the passenger first, then take corners slowly so that you can lean in progressively and get round with no more than a moderate lean angle. Don’t bang the bike straight over on its side – what seems perfectly natural to you can seem positively suicidal to a novice pillion.

Alternatively, the passenger tries to help by leaning further – this tightens the bike’s line mid-turn, forcing a steering correction. In my experience, it’s usually other riders who don’t passenger much who fall for this one. Tell ’em to stop being so helpful and to sit still!

Q How should I change my riding?

A Simple – take everything with more care, but particularly when changing speed and overtaking. Practice smooth use of the controls and plenty of forward planning to avoid having to jam the brakes on or swerve suddenly. Pretend you have an egg balanced on the tank.

Two-up, you can’t brake as hard as you can solo, nor can you use anything like the same amount of throttle without losing the passenger off the back. What feels to you like perfectly moderate acceleration can be extremely frightening to a novice, so take it nice and easy. Hanging on with your feet in the rider’s armpits does not inspire pillion confidence. That’s a factor to remember when planning an overtake – if you aren’t sure, don’t go. And if you are filtering, don’t forget your passenger’s knees are probably the widest part of the bike.

The change in geometry of the bike will change the way the machine corners. The bike will be slower to change direction and you will need to work harder to get it turned. At low speed it’s tricky to keep the bike balanced. Some bikes are more badly affected than others – my old GS500E was almost unrideable two-up, but the XJ6 deals with a passenger well.

Give passengers time to get confident in your riding AND their ability to hang on.

Q How does braking differ with a passenger?

A If you’ve been taught to avoid the brakes and rely on throttle sense, you’re about to discover another weakness of this approach to riding – the extra weight of a passenger renders engine braking less effective so practice slowing and stopping with the brakes work, so you can use them smoothly.

As I already mentioned, the extra weight at the rear allows for more rear brake to be applied and you should aim to brake more gently than when riding solo to ensure the passenger can cope with the deceleration forces.

Ultimately, give yourself more time and space for everything, including when following other vehicles.

Q Anything I should adjust on my bike?

A Use common sense. If you are just taking someone a mile or two up the road, then the only thing I would check are the mirrors aren’t giving a good view of the road surface. But if you are setting off for the south of France then there are a bunch of things to check and adjust.

Tyre pressures – check the handbook but on many machines the rear tyre pressure should be increased.
Suspension – check the handbook but normally you will have to adjust preload and perhaps damping to cope with the extra weight
Chain tension – it might be worth checking the chain has not become too tight with a passenger and luggage aboard
Headlamp aim – if the back has sagged under the weight, the lights are now doing a good job of hitting the treetops – sort them out before it gets dark

Q OK, read and done all that, now I reckon we’re ready for the south of France

A Then make sure you both get a bit of practice in before you attempt a long trip. In particular, do some slow speed and braking practice before you mix it with traffic. You’ll find the bike handles very differently and you don’t want to discover that just as you approach the lights. It will also give your passenger time to get used to riding on the back. Having a comfortable, confident passenger will make the ride a lot more fun for both of you.

And don’t try to ride too far on the first few days – you’ll both be tiring more quickly riding two-up, but a passenger who doesn’t normally go on the bike will be knackered.

Q Ooo errrr – I took someone out on the back for the first time and I didn’t like it one little bit

A It just takes getting used to! Going at speed is generally no problem, but getting the hang of slow control, steering, accelerating and stopping is totally different with someone on the back. Keep practicing!

Q My arms ached after taking a pillion

A Your passenger might be nervous, but so are you! Relax and ease up those tense muscles.

Q Do I need a big bike to carry a passenger?

A Not exactly, if the videos from India are anything to go by, but you need a bike which is built for a passenger. There are several large capacity machines with such ridiculous pillion accommodation that I wouldn’t even try to carry one.

An obvious problem is the physical size of the machine. Tiny bikes will struggle to seat two large riders. Then there’s the seat – even large capacity machines can have a passenger seat the size of a pocket handkerchief, and then I wouldn’t bother. Another problem is the position of the footpegs, which can be at knee-crippling heights.

Rather less obvious is how the steering geometry copes with the extra weight at the rear. I was very surprised to discover my old GS500E wasn’t at all happy two-up. A big tourer like a Goldwing, a Harley Glide or BMW RT will be designed to carry two people from the ground up, have huge seats, comfy footpegs, and the suspension and steering geometry designed for the job. Plus the large lazy engines will haul the extra weight without even noticing it.

Sports tourers are usually perfectly competent two up tools, with reasonable accommodation for the passenger and a reasonable compromise in the way of bike set up, and only the occasional need to drop a gear to regain lost acceleration. A quick tweak of suspension and tyre pressures should be all that’s needed to set the bike up.

But generally speaking sports bikes aren’t great. Yes, I know you see people on the back of them all the time, but they usually look like a frog trying to hang onto a broomstick. They aren’t very comfortable, and the extra weight perched high up on the back of a relatively small, relatively light bike compromises the quick steering and finely tuned suspension. As the rider, you can compensate but it isn’t always much fun.

Q My mate can pull wheelies with his girlfriend on the back

A So what? With a passenger, you are responsible not only for yourself, but for him/her too. Your pillion is putting a lot of trust in you. Don’t abuse that trust by scaring the living s@#t out of them. Keep the riding smooth and you will both enjoy it. Don’t show off!

Q Where can I get a training course covering these point?

A Drop Survival Skills a line. I can run a short two-hour ‘Basics’ course covering these very points.

January 22, 2026February 1, 2026

43. Which Foot? The Hendon Shuffle – Question and Answer

This article first appeared way back when I was still a basic instructor, and involves a simple question which ends up with a complicated answer; which foot to put down to hold the bike up at a standstill. The “Hendon Shuffle” is still a topic of discussion in some advanced courses. The core message — that the primary purpose of putting a foot down is bike stability rather than strict adherence to a specific foot — is timeless. The modern trend to ever-heavier bikes — particularly the bike adventure and touring models which are often ridden two-up, make this seemingly-simple topic even more important.

Which Foot? The Hendon Shuffle – Question and Answer

Although this is another tip written a long time ago (I note that I updated it in 2007), it’s still an active topic for conversation – I had a trainee out the other day who is retaking his RoSPA test and told me that the local examiner “likes to see the Hendon Shuffle”. Yet as you’ll see in the answer to the first question, there’s been no consistency in how putting our feet down has been taught over the years. And in each case, one very important point gets overlooked – we put our feet down primarily to support the bike at a standstill. Everything else is a secondary decision.

Question When I did my DAS I was told that I should always stop in the Safety Position – that is with the left leg down and the right foot on the rear brake. But I was told by an IAM observer that I should stop with the right foot down and the left foot ready to change gear. Which is correct?

Answer A good question. The Safety Position has been taught by generations of CSM trained CBT/DAS instructors whose approach is that anything other than left foot down is 100% wrong. To my knowledge, some IAM groups encourage a right foot down approach and some IAM observers are equally vehement about this. Just to complete the confusion, the old DSA’s ‘Motorcycling Manual’ used to say (page 64):

“with the clutch lever still pulled in

use your left foot to move the gear lever selector to neutral

release the clutch lever

place both feet on the ground”

So who is right? Well, the only answer must be “none of them”! There are certain circumstances when each of the three methods have value.

Q I’ve heard about something called the Hendon Shuffle. What is it?

A Well, it’s not a North London card sharping technique. It’s something taught to trainees at the Hendon Police school which involves a foot-swapping procedure allowing the rider to find neutral at a standstill – right foot down, left foot up, change gear, left foot down, right foot up to cover brake to get out of gear. Of course if you ride an old British bike, you’ll have to reverse all that!

The same foot-swapping procedure is needed to get back into gear. The theory is that we are always covering a brake all the time you are stationary. It’s something many experienced riders dispense with. It’s time-consuming, it’s debatable whether it’s ever ‘necessary’ and in certain circumstances where we may need to move of smartly (for example, we realise the car behind isn’t stopping) potentially dangerous.

Q So what are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

A Assuming a standard left foot gear change, right foot brake…

Left leg down:

hill starts are much easier using the back brake

allows the use of the rear brake for improved stability and slow speed control, for instance when coming to a standstill or filtering at walking pace where we might have to stop suddenly, or descending a steep hill

allows us to show a brake light, improving visibility to traffic behind

we have to do the ‘Hendon Shuffle’ to get out of gear and back in to gear

Right leg down

w can get in and out of gear easily

we can gently hold the front brake for the visibility effect of the brake light

we can’t use the back brake so have to rely on the front brake only when coming to a halt, reducing stability and control when the bike is least stable

hill starts are more difficult using the front brake

Q I never need to put the right/left foot down

A The most important thing is to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages in each individual situation we find ourselves and definitely not to get anal about one or the other.

I don’t believe that putting the left foot down should not become a rule – yes, holding the bike on the rear brake is useful on a slope but it’s often pointless on the flat, and there are other occasions when the left foot down is equally pointless – for instance when waiting at a pelican crossing – we know the lights are going to change in a couple of seconds so there is no point in worrying about changing in and out of gear, we can select 1st gear as we roll to a halt and just hold it on the clutch.

Q I was told that keeping my right foot up on the rear brake was safer if hit from behind when stopped

A Does it seem likely that the rear brake of a motorcycle will stop a few tonnes of car in its tracks, even if it’s only a gentle tap? No. Even if we do manage to keep a foot on the rear brake, the bike will be shunted forward. And then, speaking from personal experience, both feet go down to try to keep it upright. The biggest plus is that the brake light is on, which will hopefully prevent a car hitting the bike from behind but the best defence is to keep a good lookout in the mirrors and to be ready to move forward in an emergency.

Q This is a silly discussion – I want to make sure the bike doesn’t fall over, not mess around with brakes and gears

A To a great extent I agree. What both arguments tend to overlook is the reason we put a foot down in the first place – it’s there to support the weight of the bike. All other advantages and disadvantages are irrelevant if the bike is now lying on top of us. Many times we would be better advised to put the right foot down to support the bike. For example, when the camber works against us, we may be struggling to reach the ground when turning left at a junction here in the UK. Of course on the continent or in the USA the camber would work in the opposite direction so at a right turn next to the kerb, we might have to put the left foot down to support the bike. Where the surface is poor or oily I will put down which ever foot looks like it has the better grip. Sometimes you simply need maximum stability when stationary. On that slippery surface I might need both feet down. And if it’s a windy day, or I’m carrying a passenger or riding a heavily loaded bike, I would probably have both feet on the ground too.

And just occasionally, we know we’re going to be sat waiting for a long time. Perhaps we know the lights sequence or we’re at roadworks. Now, if we’re out of gear, it gives our clutch hand a rest, but I’d probably put both feet down. I might even put the bike on the side stand!

So I do whatever makes sense to me at the time. Incidentally, despite what you might have been taught at the time, you will not fail the DSA test for not using the Safety Position – the examiner is far more interested in the way you manage your gear changes and braking, and the overall control, then the precise nature of which foot you put down.

January 22, 2026February 1, 2026

42. Living with Lifesavers

Even with modern mirrors, rear-view cameras, and blind-spot warning systems, the lifesaver over-the-shoulder check remains essential and with increasing use of cycles and e-cycles and ‘micro-mobility’ solutions like e-scooters, even a motorcycle is vulnerable when turning left or right. Technology can alert us to vehicles we might otherwise miss, but it does not remove the responsibility to confirm our blind spots in real time. Combining mirror checks with a brief chin-to-shoulder glance fills the gaps in situational awareness, especially in multi-lane traffic or when vehicles accelerate unexpectedly. Practising these lifesaver checks until they become automatic ensures that riders are less likely to be caught by surprise — No Surprise? No Accident!

Living with Lifesavers

For a lot of riders, the last time they make a lifesaver over-the-shoulder check is the moment they turn back into the test centre in front of the examiner. The reason for making the over-the-shoulder observation is explained early on in CBT – it’s to see into the two problem areas to either side. This area is behind our peripheral vision, yet not far enough back to show up in the mirrors. The blind area is quite big enough to hide another motorcycle and even a car can go missing alongside us. The chin-to-shoulder check ‘clears’ this area with a direct observation. So after all the effort that basic trainers go to, from CBT right up to the moment of the test, why do riders start dropping techniques that are intended to increase their riding safety?

In my article about rear observation, I mentioned that in some cases riders have been told to “forget all that stuff you learned – it’s only for passing the test”. Here’s the really disappointing thing. I’ve heard it from people training advanced riders.

I mentioned that when taking post-test training, the trainee is often introduced to the concept sometimes known as ‘mirror history’. The idea is that if we look in our mirrors frequently enough, we’ll know exactly what’s around us and have complete situational awareness without needing the over-the-shoulder check on basic training.

So the big question is: “can we rely on mirror history?”

Let’s think about what a mirror check achieves. We take a snapshot of the situation that exists at the exact moment we look in the mirror. Two mirror checks are thus two snapshots. Just like comparing two ‘before and after’ photos, we don’t know what happened in the gap between the two. And that means any decision we make on the basis of a sequence of snapshots is, simply put, an informed guess.

How good is our informed guess? The answer is that it’s only as good as our checks.

Hopefully, you can now see that there are three problems with relying too heavily on mirror history:

the first is the frequency of our checks. If we leave long gaps in our rear observation, then pretty much anything can be happening behind us and we simply won’t know about it.

the second is that we can forget what we saw, particularly when traffic is moving in queues. A vehicle can slide forward into the blind spot and if it sits there long enough, we can forget that it was visible some seconds ago and now isn’t where we can see it – I’ve made that mistake myself.

the third is that mirror checks can fail to show a rapidly-changing situation that is about to put us at risk.

It might seem that to solve the first problem we simply need to ‘up’ the rate of mirror checks. Easy to say, not nearly so easy to achieve. The moment that a situation developing in front of us begins to cause us concern, what’s the first thing that goes out of the window? Yes, it’s mirror checks. It’s all very well to say that a skilled rider wouldn’t forget but even experts make mistakes under stress. The answer is not to rely on memory but make a real-time sideways check.

On motorways, riders sit alongside vehicles in their blind spot then wonder why the driver starts to move into their lane. The reason may not be that the driver “didn’t look” as we’re so keen to assume, but in fact “looked, saw and forgot”. So it shouldn’t be a big surprise when we find vehicles in our blind spots that we forgot were there.

And sometimes we’re just looking in the wrong mirror when a situation develops. Some years ago I was following another biker in my Nissan Serena people carrier. We were both in the middle lane of the motorway, and he was looking for a gap in the outside lane to overtake a slower vehicle we were catching. So he was making regular mirror checks to see what was coming up in the outside lane. Meanwhile, we’d just passed an on-ramp and I noticed a car accelerating very rapidly indeed down onto the main carriageway. The Mercedes shot straight through the inside lane, and at the moment the rider made his final mirror check before moving out into a gap to his right, the Mercedes was aiming for the same gap, and crossing through the middle lane behind me.

Naturally, because it was behind me, the rider couldn’t see it in his mirror. He started to move into the outside lane but the car was already in the gap and accelerating. The driver hit the horn, the rider was taken completely by surprise and barely swerved back out of the way.

Now, we can point the finger at the Merc driver but the biker needed to confirm his mirror history – he absolutely NEEDED to turn his head chin-to-shoulder to clear his blind spot. This is the role of the lifesaver. It’s to give real-time information that updates our situational awareness.

Is it dangerous to look over the shoulder at speed? An objection often raised against blind spot checks before committing to an overtake is that it’s dangerous to take our eyes off the car ahead in case it brakes suddenly. I don’t think it should take anyone long to work out that if we’re worried about looking away from the vehicle ahead, we’ll almost certainly struggle to make decent mirror checks too, and it’s unlikely our forward checks will be much better. There’s a simple solution – don’t follow so close and don’t try to force overtakes in restricted spaces. In any case, the quickest and most reliable way to make this final shoulder check is to combine it with a mirror check – follow the glance in the mirror with a chin-to-shoulder check.

We fill in the missing information by combining the two checks, and it only takes a moment longer than looking in the mirror alone.

In the example above, following into the shoulder check AFTER the final mirror check would have taken the rider a fraction of a second but it would have given him that vital update and filled in the gap in his mirror history. His informed guess nearly killed him.

January 22, 2026February 1, 2026

41. Getting our retaliation in first – pro-active versus reactive riding

Pro-active riding remains central to modern motorcycle safety. While updates such as advanced rider aids and digital alerts can support our awareness, nothing replaces the skill of anticipating hazards before they develop. By assessing potential conflict points, adjusting lane position, controlling speed, and signalling or alerting other road users early, riders can actively manage risk rather than waiting to react. The earlier we plan and act, the less likely we are to be taken by surprise: No surprise? No accident!

Getting our retaliation in first – pro-active versus reactive riding

Since I launched my Survival Skills advanced motorcycle training courses back in 1997, the thinking underpinning my approach to riding hasn’t changed at all. I’ve always thought – based on my experience as a motorcycle courier – that whilst we need to plan for things to go wrong, we don’t actually need to wait until people make mistakes around us. We can anticipate problems, then respond in such as way as to cancel out the problem before it develips. Nevertheless, there have been changes in other places, particularly around the motorcycle test itself. The theory test aims to ensure that riders already have a degree of ability to see into the future before they take the practical test, but the first time I saw the hazard perception videos I thought it was a lost opportunity. Despite the latest innovation – the clips are now based on CGI – I still think they are poorly-conceived. Read on and find out why.

One of concepts underpinning ‘advanced’ riding is the idea that we should apply observation, anticipation and concentration to the riding task. The idea is that by avoiding distraction and focusing on the task in hand – riding the bike – we’ll be more able to identify hazards and work out how they might affect us. But there’s another necessary stop – we have to have a plan to deal with those hazard IF things get tricky. It’s no good seeing a car at the side of the road, and knowing it COULD pull out if we don’t have a plan in mind to deal with the situation if it does emerge into our path. That’s the true essence of a riding plan – we know what’s coming next and we know what we’re going to do to deal with it.

But we can go a step further – we may be able to see how a situation could develop and take a course of action which actively minimises or even cancels out the risk.

Back in 1999, I got hold of a copy of the brand-new BikeSafe 2000 video produced by the Thames Valley police. Although it’s now two decades old, it covers some excellent ground. In particular, I noticed the use of the terms reactive and pro-active – two terms I’ve talked about in my training since 1997. At the time, these terms were not in regular use.

Even now, the distinction between them is not so well-known, perhaps because of the way that the DVSA set up their hazard perception videos. The DVSA recognise three levels of hazard, where a hazard is defined as something that poses a threat with a consequent risk of personal harm:

a potential hazard is something that may or may not become a threat

a developing hazard is something that will require an intervention by the rider in the immediate future

an actual hazard needs to be dealt with NOW!

When the DSA (as was) brought their roadshow around the country to show of the new hazard perception videos, one of the clips I was shown revealed a kiddie on a bicycle cycling down a footpath across a playing field to the nearside of the car. The footpath was angled to intersect with the road some distance ahead, and it appeared that the cyclist would arrive at the end of the footpath at about the same time as the camera vehicle.

As you’d probably expect – it’s a hazard perception video after all – I decided that the cyclist was a hazard almost as soon as he appeared, and clicked on him. He carried on down the path, and bunny-hopped off the pavement and into the road just in front of the camera car. Job done, I thought…

…except that I had scored zero for video.

Why? The presenter explained. “You clicked too early”.

Eh? How can you spot a hazard ‘too early’?

The answer is that at the point where I clicked, the situation was still fluid and the outcome could have changed – the cyclist could have veered off the path onto the grass, slowed down or even stopped. He was only a ‘potential’ hazard. So identifying the cyclist as a hazard at this point was too early.

Being slightly bemused by this, the presenter further explained that if I’d left my ‘click’ until he bunny-hopped off the pavement into the road, that would also have scored zero because I would then have identified the hazard too late – in the car, I would have needed to take sudden evasive action to avoid what was now an ‘actual’ hazard.

The ‘sweet spot’ which would score maximum points was a narrow zone where the cyclist had been in sight for several seconds but was still heading for the road and just a couple of seconds from bunny-hopping his bike out into the road. This was where the hazard was ‘developing’ and would leave me time to steer or brake smoothly to avoid the bike rider.

What should be pretty obvious is that if wait until the cyclist puts us into a position where we will have to change speed or direction, then we’re not being pro-active. We’re being reactive. We’re waiting until we don’t have a choice. It may not be an emergency reaction but it’s too late.

Personally, I’m still puzzled as to why the DVSA’s hazard perception clips require such a last-moment response. I’d argue that the earlier we see a hazard, the sooner we can plan our strategy and get into a position where we are able to ‘get our retaliation in first’. Maybe as soon as the cyclist appeared, I could take up a much wider position away from the kerb. Maybe I could accelerate a little to clear the potential zone of conflict before the cyclist gets there. Maybe I could even sound the horn to get him to look round. All these are pro-active responses.

Being pro-active in this way is the next step after anticipation. If working out that the cyclist is on a potential collision course is risk assessment, then being pro-active is risk MANAGEMENT. And the really big plus is that if we’re already taking steps, we’re not going to be taken by SURPRISE! No Surprise? No Accident.

January 22, 2026February 1, 2026

40. Overtaking – don’t get caught up with a vehicle turning right

The fundamental error — overtaking without accounting for a right turn — is still one of the most common and most avoidable causes of serious and fatal motorcycle collisions. Increasing numbers of damaged, hidden or missing signs, near-universal use of sat-nav, many more delivery vehicles turning unpredictably, ever-more erratic use of signals; no rider-aid system can detect a driver’s intention to turn across our path. The principle here is therefore unchanged: if there is anywhere a vehicle could turn right, it should be assumed that sooner or later it will. There’s no point blaming the driver after the event. It’s all about anticipating what vehicles are likely to do. Then staying out of trouble.

Overtaking – don’t get caught up with a vehicle turning right

As I’ve mentioned before, overtaking is never ‘safe’ and in fact, a quick look at the accident statistics reveals just how often motorcyclists get overtaking wrong. Passing another vehicle throws up a whole range of potential errors from misjudging speed and distance (and thus time to collision) to observation failures. Not least, we’re always relying on the driver we’re passing to do what we expect. Essentially we’re always taking a calculated risk, so we should be making the pass in such a way as to minimise the chance of something going wrong. But some riders make one of the mistakes that also one of the easiest to avoid; don’t overtake where there is a chance the vehicle we’re planning on passing might turn right!

There’s a slower vehicle we want to pass. But before we commit to the overtake, it’s essential to engage our brain before we engage warp drive.

Let’s start with the ‘look and feel’ of the situation. The vehicle ahead is moving rather slower than we’d expect. Does that mean it’s an easy target for an overtake? Or should it set our Spidy Senses tingling that something’s not quite right. Why might a vehicle be slower than us? It could simply be that the driver’s not in so much of a rush. Or it could mean that the vehicle’s about to make a manoeuvre.

Some years ago, we had a long debate on a forum after an experienced rider tailed a Landrover into a right-hand bend, with the Landie driver on the brakes all the way round. The rider knew the road, and that there was a straight after the bend, so he set up his position ready to overtake as soon as his view of the road ahead opened up. As it did, he cut to the other lane and started to accelerate…

…just as the Landrover continued to steer right, into a farm track he’d never noticed before.

The rider just avoided a collision.

There followed the usual debate about the failure of the Landrover driver to use mirrors or signals. But ultimately, it’s our own responsibility to ask the question “What if…?” and to come up with the right answer. If there IS a place a vehicle CAN turn right, then sooner or later it WILL turn right.

And of course, what was forgotten in all the righteous indignation about the driver’s failings was that “what goes in, must come out”. The rider could have set up the same overtake behind another car, and pulled straight into the path of the Landrover turning right OUT of that farm track.

So it’s not just the road ahead we need to ensure is clear, we need to scan for places a vehicle could turn in.

We need to look for side roads, access roads to car parks or delivery bays, driveways, farm tracks… and more besides. These entrances are often tough to spot. A side turning can be hidden by anything from a hedgerow to a parked van. It was a parked furniture removals lorry that caught me out years ago. It was parked on the grass, so given the long straight ahead, an overtake past a slower car seemed perfectly reasonable. Only at the last moment did I spot the car pulling out from the side turning – the driver hadn’t seen either of us approaching thanks to the same van. Cominig back down the road the other way an hour or so later, I noticed the clue that would have warned me – the finger post pointing into that side road.

There are plenty of side turnings on rural roads, but also plenty of cottages, and each cottage has a driveway. They’re often totally blind, concealed behind a neatly-trimmed hedge. The driver can’t see out, and we can’t see his car either. But there are usually plenty of other clues; the hedge is neatly-trimmed, perhaps with a sliver of mown grass. We might see flowers, a wheelie bin, and even the mirror on the opposite side of the road which the driver uses to compensate for his lack of view. As the No Surprise? No Accident Rhyming Reminder has it, “GAPS=TRAPS”.

In town or country, it’s tempting to overtake slow-moving delivery vans. But pause for a moment. What do delivery vans do? They deliver. If the driver is constantly slowing down then speeding up again, what’s happening? Do you think it might be that he’s trying to spot his delivery address? Is it a good idea to overtake as he slows down? Or should we be thinking about hanging back and waiting for him or her to find the building they’re searching for? What if the van is simply driving slowly? Could the driver be in a strange town and checking the GPS or route signs to find his way? Is it a good place to nip past? If it’s a hire van, and it’s come from a different part of the country, that’s more than likely. Even if we’re looking at a car and thinking that there’s no obvious reason for hesitant driving, it could simply be an inexperienced driver at the wheel. Or maybe it’s a foreign visitor in a hire car, and not used to driving on our side of the road.

If we do decide we’re going to overtake, try to give the driver chance to see us in the mirror. Once committed, pass decisively but slowly enough to be able to take avoiding action. And DON’T BE AFRAID TO SOUND THE HORN – it’s what its there for. If the driver hasn’t seen us coming, the horn will hopefully make him think twice before swinging across the road and into our path.

But don’t give in to impatience. It’s easy to do that, and then we get taken out by a driver turning right into an entrance we didn’t see. We have to be pretty darn certain there’s no way the driver could turn right before passing. There’s a Rhyming Reminder rule for that too – “if you don’t KNOW, you don’t GO”.

Overtake cautiously out there!

January 22, 2026February 1, 2026

39. KISS – ‘Keep it simple, Stupid’ because outcomes matter more than choreography

I’m a big fan of ‘Low Effort Biking’ and picking the least-technically difficult course of action to deliver a specific outcome. The reasons are simple — reduced workload, simplifed decision-making, fewer points at which a manoeuvre can break down. Yet, there’s always been a tendency to equate “advanced” riding with technically intricate techniques. The central argument here remains unchanged: what matters is the outcome, not the choreography. Simpler methods generally leave more margin, create fewer failure points, and are easier to recover from when something goes wrong — which, on real roads, it inevitably will.

KISS – ‘Keep it simple, Stupid’ because outcomes matter more than choreography

If there are two ways to achieve the same end, which is the best? If the end result is the same, then it’s probably to keep using the method that’s least technically difficult. It’s a general rule that the more complicated a procedure, there more there is to go wrong and thus the more likely things are to go wrong. And guess what? An accusation that can be thrown at advanced motorcycle riding is that we like to make things complicated. Just look at the way positioning gets described; not “left, right or centre of the lane”. Instead, it’s “position one, position two, position three”. There are plenty more examples of how rather than simplifying riding, we seem to want to make it more technically awkward. There is absolutely nothing wrong with learning new skills and mastering new techniques – after all, it’s what I’m in the business of developing for riders on my Survival Skills post-test training courses. But shouldn’t we be looking for ways to apply those skills in ways that make life a bit easier, not more tricky?

Let’s start with a simple task – turning the bike round so it faces the other way in the road. How can we achieve that? Most of us would immediately say “by making a U-turn”. But is that the SIMPLEST way? I once got an e-mail from a trainee who’d hospitalised himself just a few weeks after I’d shown him how to make a three-point turn. He’d mistaken his route, found himself facing a gate on a dead-end lane and tried to perform a U-turn. Realising it was going wrong, and that he was about to lose his balance, he stuck out a leg to try to stop the bike toppling. He saved the bike but at the expense of a leg fracture. Ouch.

That may be an extreme injury, but there are plenty of bikes sporting the scars of a ‘dropped it doing a U-turn’ incident.

So are there easier ways? For sure. I can do U-turns – I’ve demo’d enough over the years. But when I’m NOT demonstrating the manoeuvre, I rarely bother. I’ll ride around the block or find a petrol station or car park to reverse direction. I’ll even perform a three-point turn. Why? Because it keeps things simple, and removes some unnecessary risk because as we’ve just seen, U-turns DO go wrong.

I’m not saying that being able to turn the bike accurately in a tight space is not a necessary skill, because it is – the technique is needed for tight turns or junctions where there is restricted space, to move around parked vehicles, to negotiate mini-roundabouts and hairpin bends. But there’s little point in making awkward manoeuvres if we don’t NEED to.

Here’s another example. Have you watched someone riding at walking pace twenty metres back from a red traffic light? Have you ever wondered what possible advantage they are gaining from their maneouvre? I have. That rider is not going to make any ‘better progress’ away from the lights than I am, sat there stationary at the STOP line. Any arguments that it’s easier on the engine or saves fuel are nonsensical. And whilst I am sat stationary and nicely balanced with a foot on the floor, I have all the time in the world to watch the mirrors for vehicles coming up from behind. Balancing at slow speed, where’s our focus – on maintaining our balance, or on the mirrors?

Once again, this isn’t saying I’m advocating rushing up to the lights and banging the brakes on at the last second. I’ll roll off and slow down smoothly, in the hope that red will turn back to green allowing me to roll through without stopping. But the walking pace performance seems to have been taken to a point where it serves no useful function except to make life more complicated for the rider.

Some years ago, I was being given a demo ride by a police rider. His tyres were alongside the white line on left-handers and almost in the gutter on right-handers. After a bit he stopped and asked: “why aren’t you following my lines?” I gave him one reason – his sticky back tyre was picking up stone chips and flinging them at me, so I was riding inside his lines to stay clear of the pebble-dashing treatment. But the real reason was that I simply didn’t need to. We weren’t riding at such as speed that we needed to widen the line to stretch out our stopping distance by extending “the distance we could see to be clear”, even if moving another half-metre left or right would have given me a much better view. Instead, it becomes an exercise in maintaining a very precise path – get it wrong and we’re either over the centre line or off the tarmac.

The general technique of using the width of the lane makes sense. But taking it to extremes doesn’t.

And there’s one area where keeping things as simple and as fool-proof as possibile really should get more airtime. And that’s when overtaking. In terms of risk – the chance of something going wrong multiplied by the impact on us when it does – overtaking is almost certainly the most dangerous manoeuvre we perform on a motorcycle. But we treat overtaking as a ‘skill’, and we even try to demonstrate how ‘skillful’ our overtakes are. I once watched another rider coming up behind me on a busy road. He performed a whole series of overtakes, leapfrogging past HGV after HGV. Each time, he waited for a gap in the oncoming traffic and moved forward one truck. Technically proficient, indeed. After ten minutes of this, he was a couple of HGVs ahead of me.

Then we stopped at a red light, and as the queue formed, I filtered back past him to the front of the queue. Which manoeuvre was easier? Who took less risk? OK, the lights may not have changed but each pass put him a couple of seconds further ahead. Even if I’d trailed him into the next town I’d have been just a couple of minutes behind. If there’s one thing I learned back in my courier days, all overtakes are risky, and complex overtakes have a habit of going wrong. ‘Just because we can’ is not a justification for overtaking. I’ll take the easier option. And if an easier option doesn’t appear? Well, I’m not in that much of a rush.

I’ll conclude with two other observations.

Firstly, the more technically complex our riding, the more we have to focus on what we’re doing. And that’s tiring. I still spend long days in the saddle and reducing stress and staying as fresh as possible has major safety benefits because a knackered rider is a rider at risk. Stopped at a red light, I get a few moments to move around and stretch muscles that haven’t moved for a while, and can mentally switch off (rear observation excepted). Overtaking is physically and mentally tiring, above and beyond any progress benefits that may accrue, so seeking out the low effort overtakes is entirely beneficial.

Secondly, whilst there’s absolutely nothing wrong with gaining new and improved skills and knowledge, that doesn’t mean we have to exploit them. In fact, the deeper we can operate within our own skills ‘comfort zone’, the more margin for adjustment we have. It doesn’t matter whether it’s confidence at outright lean angle, our braking technique or the ability to judge the speed and distance of an oncoming car to a nicety. The more we push towards those limits, the less we have in hand in case things go wrong. And remember, the Survival Skills approach to advanced motorcycle riding is always to remember that things CAN go wrong.

So how do we manage a three-point turn on a bike when we don’t have reverse?

Quite simple. Have a good look round and start your turn just like you were about to perform a U-turn but stop with the front wheel in the centre of the road. Here’s the clever bit. Most roads are cambered, so gravity substitutes for reverse, making it easy to paddle backwards – just remember to turn the front wheel the other way. Back at the kerb, you’re probably angled where you want to go next, so one final check and you’re away. If the road’s really narrow, make it a five point turn. ‘Less-skilled’? Maybe, if our definition of skill is making life difficult for ourselves.

And there’s a safety benefit. When performing a U-turn a motorcycle cannot block the road in the same way that a car performing a three-point turn will. I’ve had cars cut past my learners in mid U-turn just because they can. If it was scary for me, it must have been heart-stopping for the trainees. Now, if you’re performing a three-point turn, as soon as you stop, half the road is free for any impatient driver to pass.

So my take on riding is that eliminating complex techniques makes life easier. Ask yourself – are you doing something because you need to? Or because it’s nice? Remember KISS – Keep it simple, Stupid.

January 22, 2026February 1, 2026

38. Staying upright on icy roads

This article remains fundamentally sound. The core message — avoid ice if at all possible; if you cannot, prioritise stability, smoothness, and planning — is still exactly right, and the last update which mentioned less-predictable winter weather continues to be a factor.

That said, a few areas benefit from clarification or modest updating, mainly around modern tyres, electronics, and rider aids, and one or two points where rider folklore still needs firmly nailing down. Many modern motorcycles are fitted with ABS, traction control and sophisticated engine management, and while these systems can reduce the consequences of rider error, they do not change the basic physics of ice. ABS may prevent an immediate front-wheel lock, but it cannot shorten stopping distances on ice and may actually destabilise the bike if it intervenes abruptly. Traction control reacts only once slip has already occurred, and on ice a sideways slip may be unrecoverable. Likewise, modern tyres offer excellent wet-road performance but still provide virtually no usable grip on ice, regardless of compound or tread pattern. Riders should regard electronic aids as a last line of defence, not a licence to continue riding in conditions where grip is fundamentally unavailable.

Staying upright on icy roads

This is another article which has needed a bit of a rewrite, because global warming seems to have spun off some seriously cold winters with snow and ice hanging around for months even in the south east of England. However, just as I wrote when I first put this tip together, the best solution to dealing with ice is to try to avoid it in the first place! I have a ‘bad weather’ clause in my training courses so it’s usually possible two or three days out to get early warning of approaching bad weather – the weather forecasts have improved significantly in the last decade or so. Failing that, take a look out of the window and have a look at car windscreens and the lawn. If it looks grim, take the car, the bus or leave the ride for another day. I was a ‘real biker’ for many years and learned the hard way that two-wheelers and ice don’t mix.

The best advice for riding on icy roads is “don’t”. But if there’s no choice, then do a bit of thinking ahead. Although it can stay frozen all day, it’s usually freezing mornings after a clear night that are likely to be the biggest issue, although the roads can freeze again if cloud clears after dark.

Plan the route to take roads that are more likely to have been treated. Back lanes are far less likely to have seen a gritting truck than main roads, and residential roads roads are more likely to be icy than motorways. Where cars have been running over the road, heat from the tyres will usually melt the ice in the wheel tracks, but if all the surface is icy, the least-polished and grippiest bit of the road is generally in the middle of the lane. A good indicator of a slippery bit of road is that it is shiny.

Remember too, that built-up areas are nearly always significantly warmer than country roads and just because the roads in town have been clear, that’s no guarantee there will be no ice on rural roads. Even if the road appears clear, there may be colder frost hollows or exposed areas where it isn’t – this is the ‘microclimate’ effect talked about in the police handbook, ‘Motorcycle Roadcraft’.

We should also look for ice in shaded patches, behind buildings and under trees, even behind parked high-hided vehicles. If water can pool, such as in dips in the road and at bottoms of hills, we should keep our eyes open. Watch out for run-off from springs and fields – a good clue is an anti-skid surface! Car washes in towns can overspill and burst water mains nearly always accompany really cold weather. Be cautious on bridges – they cool from both sides – and metal access covers can be icy when the road surface is still just damp.

One particularly unpleasant riding condition is ‘black ice’. It’s hard to spot because it looks like a wet road but is actually a sheet of ice. The only clue is that it looks ‘wetter’ than usual, if that makes sense. It usually follows a late evening shower and clearing skies and a frost. Years ago, returning from a blood run at 4am on a January morning, I was passing through the town centre thinking it would be warmer than the country lane route home, when I hit a patch. Fortunately I was upright at the time, because what I thought was a missed gear turned out to be wheelspin. If I’d been accelerating coming out of the corner, I’d have been on my ear. As it was, I was able to roll off the ice and back onto some grippy tarmac.

So if we suspect ice, aim to get any braking and gear changing done upright, and get the bike upright before getting back on the throttle. Make brake, throttle and clutch movements slow and smooth. Keep speeds down so as to reduce steering input and lean angle. Posture is important and we need to try to keep weight off the handlebars. This isn’t easy on a sportsbike but sit forward on the seat, grip the tank with the knees, brace the back and keep shoulders, elbows and wrists loose.

If the bike does twitch, don’t try to fight it. There’s a reasonable chance the bike will regain grip but trying to fight the wobble just makes things worse in my experience. If we do hit ice, the most important thing is NOT to touch the brakes. It’s an incredibly strong instinct to overcome, but touch the front on a non-ABS bike and we’ll be on our ear before we know what’s happened. The rear brake will probably lock the back wheel, but we may be able to save the slide if we’re upright. Even with ABS the bike will be destabilised. I’ve been told to “steer into a slide”, but on the couple of times I’ve hit ice mid-corner, I’ve crashed so quickly I’ve had no time even to think about it.

Which gear should we ride in? The old advice was to ride in a higher gear than normal, but I suspect it works best on old bikes. It applies to 1960’s Bonnies and BMWs with low-revving, slow-revving engines. It’s entirely debatable if it should be applied to modern high-revving, fast-spinning bikes. If we ride in an artificially high gear to keep the revs low, we’ll be using more throttle than usual for the speed. Some years back on my GSX-R750, I was in too high a gear when I hit a slippery surface and the rear wheel lost traction. The bigger-than-usual throttle opening caused the engine to rev, that spun up the rear wheel, the rear back end stepped out sideways and I just avoided a high-side… at about 10mph! Counter-intuitively, a lower gear would have needed less throttle to drive the bike forward at the same speed, and so the wheelspin would have been less violent. And even if you have traction control, it’ll kick in and you’ll almost certainly shut the throttle. If you are riding an older machine that’s not so equipped, then the answer is to make your own traction control – drag the rear brake lightly right through the manoeuvre until the machine is upright again. It’s crude but it stops wheelspin… and it works. I’m not saying ride everywhere in first gear but take any advice to ride in a “higher gear than normal” with a pinch of salt if you’re not riding a Royal Enfield.

Take it easy out there, and stay shiny side up!

Staying upright on icy roads

Take it easy out there, and stay shiny side up!

Staying upright on icy roads

Take it easy out there, and stay shiny side up!

Staying upright on icy roads

Take it easy out there, and stay shiny side up!

January 22, 2026February 1, 2026

37. Mirror and blind spot checks – when and when not to!

Some newer motorcycles are now fitted with rear-view cameras and blind-spot warning systems, often using flashing lights or screen icons to indicate nearby vehicles. These can be helpful additions, particularly in poor visibility, but they do not change the fundamentals of rear observation. Cameras flatten perspective (as I’ve discovered with car interior mirrors) and can still leave lateral blind areas unobserved. Blind-spot warning systems are advisory only: they may not detect motorcycles, cyclists, or fast-closing vehicles, and they cannot judge intent or timing. Riders should treat these systems as prompts, not permissions. They may reinforce what the mirrors are already telling us, but they are no substitute for correct mirror use combined with a properly timed shoulder check. Good situational awareness remains a rider skill, not a software feature. Don’t delay or omit a shoulder check because “the light didn’t flash”. In short: these systems supplement situational awareness; they do not create it.

Mirror and blind spot checks – when and when not to!

Around three years after I started riding I demolished my beautiful Honda 400-Four in London. How? I was looking back over my right shoulder when the driver on my left cut across the one-way system in front of me. I was still looking the wrong way as I hit the rear of the car. Not surprisingly, I have been a bit cautious about timing shoulder checks and even mirror checks ever since. But what makes for good rear observation? There’s a lot of confusion out there. Why? Several reasons. What learners are taught changed dramatically as recently as 1997, and advanced groups tend to take a different approach anyway. And of course riders of all flavours forget what they learned. And then there’s the faulty thinking that what’s taught on test is “just for learners”. Throw in some dubious magazine articles, the wonders of YouTube and the internet generally, and the result is almost as many ideas about rear observation and what’s ‘right’ as there are riders. So I’m going to apply a slightly different approach – I’ll review the reasons riders get confused, then rather than say “this is what to do”, we’ll look at just WHY we need to know what’s around us to come up with some better answers.

WHERE DID THE CONFUSION COME FROM – At the time I started as a motorcycle trainer, the old DSA motorcycle test actually required that test candidates had to make a full ‘look-behind’ rear observation. Using mirrors wasn’t good enough – that’s why test candidates used to take the mirrors off for the test, to force themselves to look behind. Before slowing or braking, before indicating and before turning, test candidates as late as the mid-90’s were required to look right back over their shoulder.

Even more unbelievably, the test candidate had to look over the RIGHT shoulder before turning LEFT. I will categorically state looking right before turning left is almost completely worthless. More than anything else, it was probably being trained to make this rearward check that convinced a lot of riders that what was learned for the test was a complete waste of time!

In fact, I agree this check was pointless AND dangerous. Even if we manage to avoid dragging the bars around with us, causing a wobble, looking right back over the shoulder takes time. A couple of seconds. Even at urban speeds, that means we’re covering a considerable distance – twenty to thirty metres – looking the wrong way. It was exactly this kind of look that led to my own crash.

It sounds pretty unbelievable now because even a half-decent set of mirrors will gather much the same information as this old-fashioned full turn of the head, in a fraction of the time. But it was only with the introduction of Direct Access in 1997 that the DSA finally realised motorcycles had been fitted with mirrors for decades and allowed test candidates to use a combination of mirror use combined with more judicious blind spot checks. I still remember being informally ‘tipped-off’ to this change by the examiner. Mind you, even the IAM weren’t consistent on this – I have a older (but not THAT old) version of the IAM book that shows a rider doing the full-on look-behind check captioned as ‘the lifesaver’. That’s not what would have been taught on basic training since 1997.

GET THE BEST FROM THE MIRRORS – Mirrors are there for a reason – to find out what’s behind us. Whilst some mirrors still give a good view of our elbows, most can be set up to give reasonable rearward view. Set them up to give the best coverage – I tend to have the offside mirror up to give a more ‘wide angle’ view, whilst the left is angled behind – after all, I rarely need a view of the pavement. But I can change that on motorways or when in London to deal with multiple lanes going the same way. Mirror extenders that bolt-on between the mirror and mount can improve the view on some bike. Don’t forget, mirrors are convex. That offers a wider angle view but distort distances, making vehicles appear further away than they really are. Be cautious on a new machine until you have got used to judging distance and speed. Mirrors should be checked often enough that we’re not taken by SURPRISE! One tip – I avoid aftermarket mirrors if I’ve broken one because original mirrors are generally optically superior and balanced even if they do cost. Cheap mirrors often distort view and vibrate. I think it’s worth spending the extra.

SHOULDER, HEAD or BLINDSPOT CHECKS – Even the best mirrors have blind spots – so do the fancy rear view cameras as it happens, even if they eliminate the one between the shoulder blades. A police car once tried to hide when I was on my GSX-R750, and it’ll certainly hide another motorcycle, which should make you wonder why other riders persist in following in another bike’s wheel tracks. We can usually ‘clear’ this blind spot by tucking in an elbow (it’s how I let the police driver know I’d spotted him) or rocking our head from side to side.

The others are over the shoulders to the the left and right. Vehicles can lurk in this blindspot so we have to be careful when turning into side roads, manoeuvering round roundabouts or changing lane on one-way streets or dual carriageways. There is only one solution to blindspots (hence the term blindspot check) and that’s a physical turn of the head (hence the term head check) to see what’s alongside us and in the mirror’s blind area. Unfortunately, there’s plenty of confusion about just how, when and where:

riders who get confused about the difference between the full-on look-behind observation and a chin-to-shoulder blindspot check and may – usually during an advanced course when memories of the bike test resurface – try to look too far round

riders who say that ANY head check is dangerous

in the middle is conventional advanced practice, where newly-qualified riders can be actively discouraged from making a blind spot check – the argument is that if mirror checks are frequent enough, nothing can sneak up so relying on ‘mirror history’ (that is, remembering what we saw in the mirrors a moment ago) will be good enough but having been surprised often enough by vehicles – usually motorcycles – that had slipped into my blind spot unnoticed, I’m not convinced

Remember, it’s not a full-on look behind, simply a turn of the head sufficient – chin to shoulder – to see into the blind area (hence the term shoulder check). Anything further back should be visible in the mirrors. So head, shoulder and blindspot checks are more or less interchangeable.

A further advantage to a physical head movement is that it might alert another driver that you are about to do something.

MIRROR BLIND SPOT CHECKS – So how do we make them? Let’s start by asking some key questions:

what am I looking for – the presence (or absence, come to that) of other road users

why am I looking for it – the reason we are looking is to decide if there might be a conflict between what we want to do and what the other driver might do

where am I looking for it – the clue is in the name, we’re filling in the gap between peripheral vision and what we can see in the mirrors, very roughly backward from the line of our shoulders, hence the ‘shoulder check’ name

when am I looking for it – simple enough, before we move away, signal, change speed or change direction

Gathering this information is called taking ‘Rear Observation’ in the language of basic and post-test training. So to sum up we combine:

a rearwards look right behind ONLY when moving off

regular and sensible use of the mirrors

'shoulder checks' (sometimes called 'head checks') which are looks into the blind areas to either side

By doing so, we develop what’s called ‘Situational Awareness’.

WHICH WAY TO LOOK – Since the old DSA system of looking right when turning left completely confused many riders, I tell trainees just use common sense:

look in the direction you are about to move - right before moving or turning right, left before moving or turning to the left

look into any space that's big enough for another vehicle to squeeze into (and don't forget that could be a cycle or a scooter!)

THE REAL LIFESAVER – Probably the most important shoulder check, and one that fully deserves to be called a Lifesaver, is a final blindspot check that confirms it’s safe to take up a different position. It’s usually over the right shoulder before turning right into a side road, but it could be to the left too – for example, before exiting a roundabout after a right turn, and I’d check before turning left too. Many trainers say it’s unnecessary but I remember where I might have overtaken you when I was a courier, and there are cyclists to consider too. It’s also important to check before changing lanes on one-way streets and multilane roads, or where lanes merge back together. The lifesaver CONFIRMS our other observations. The key point is timing. We must make this check BEFORE we start the manoeuvre. If we’re already halfway into a manoeuvre and then look, it could be too late. So, the term ‘lifesaver’ really explains WHY we carry out a shoulder check!

COMBINING MIRRORS and SHOULDER CHECKS – Understand that a shoulder check is NOT a substitute for a mirror check, nor vice versa (whatever you might hear about mirror history). Whilst we often only need the mirrors to discover what’s behind us, it’s important to check the blind spot when we need to know what’s alongside. To save time, don’t make two separate observations, but combine the two – look in the mirror and then turn the head a little further to make the blind spot check. It takes just a fraction longer.

MOVING OFF FROM THE SIDE OF THE ROAD – There is one exception to the ‘only turn the head enough to see into the blind spot’ idea, and that’s when moving off from the side of the road. On CBT and on the Module One and Two parts of the DVSA bike test, the test candidate IS expected to ‘take rear observation’ before moving off, and this is the full-on, right behind look. It’s safe enough at a standstill. (And as a reminder, if you’re reading this before taking the bike test, you MUST look behind you ANY time you ride the bike in the off-road areas! You’re even supposed to look behind before pushing the bike out of the imaginary garage. On Mod One, if in doubt, look behind.) Nevertheless, on the road I would still combine this check with mirrors – check the mirrors first, THEN make the final check behind. But which mirror? If the road behind is straight, then looking in the right mirror before making the final rearwards check makes sense. But if the road curves to the LEFT behind, the right mirror won’t show anything useful and there’s a risk that we won’t see anything looking over the right shoulder either. When I was a basic instructor, one of the examiners had a habit of getting the trainees to pull up on a left hand bend (probably because it was the only place where there was room to stop for the ‘move off again’ exercise rather than any malicious intent) and it wasn’t unknown for a trainee to look over the right shoulder and not see anything. The curve in the road meant the car coming up behind was behind their left shoulder. A check in the LEFT mirror was therefore a very good idea.

PRACTICE – Work on rear observation so that it becomes automatic. Constantly ask yourself what is behind you – if you don’t know at all times, you need to improve your rear observation! But be aware that just looking isn’t enough. We need to understand what we’re seeing and be ready to act on that information – situational awareness. And there’s one final caution to add. Be certain it’s safe to look away from the road ahead, even if all that’s needed is a glance in the mirrors. This is often forgotten by new riders – like myself all those years ago – and not emphasised enough by trainers. We must time rear observation carefully, and any time there’s something more interesting going on in front…

…then keep your eyes ahead. If I’d known that, my 400-F might have finished the journey in one piece.

Mirror and blind spot checks – when and when not to!

riders who say that ANY head check is dangerous

A further advantage to a physical head movement is that it might alert another driver that you are about to do something.

MIRROR BLIND SPOT CHECKS – So how do we make them? Let’s start by asking some key questions:

what am I looking for – the presence (or absence, come to that) of other road users

why am I looking for it – the reason we are looking is to decide if there might be a conflict between what we want to do and what the other driver might do

when am I looking for it – simple enough, before we move away, signal, change speed or change direction

Gathering this information is called taking ‘Rear Observation’ in the language of basic and post-test training. So to sum up we combine:

a rearwards look right behind ONLY when moving off

regular and sensible use of the mirrors

'shoulder checks' (sometimes called 'head checks') which are looks into the blind areas to either side

By doing so, we develop what’s called ‘Situational Awareness’.

WHICH WAY TO LOOK – Since the old DSA system of looking right when turning left completely confused many riders, I tell trainees just use common sense:

look in the direction you are about to move - right before moving or turning right, left before moving or turning to the left

look into any space that's big enough for another vehicle to squeeze into (and don't forget that could be a cycle or a scooter!)

…then keep your eyes ahead. If I’d known that, my 400-F might have finished the journey in one piece.