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Winter Motorcycle Safety Tips
30 October 2020
As the nights draw in and the weather gets colder a lot of people consider retiring their motorbike for the winter. However, through following the below safety tips and adding some modifications to your bike you can still enjoy getting out on the road this season.
Ice Damage
It is important to protect your bike from ice damage during the winter. Moisture trapped in your bike will freeze and can lead to damage to the internal mechanisms. Damage to the drive chain and the clutch cable can cause issues with acceleration and can even cause mechanisms to stop working altogether.
In order to avoid ice damage you should clean and lubricate the drive chain and clutch cable regularly to stop them icing over.
If your bike has a liquid cooling system you should ensure that the water tank is topped up with fresh antifreeze, and that this has been fully flushed through the bike.
T-Cloc Method
Make sure that you plan your journey in advance, checking the safety of your bike through using the T-Cloc method. This involves checking the condition of your bike:
- Tyres
- Control Lights
- Oil Levels
- Chassis and stands
It is recommended to do these checks before starting any journey, and if you haven’t been on your bike in a while give it time to run for a few minutes to warm up the engine.
Wear the right clothing
When temperatures plunge it is necessary to layer up when riding a motorcycle. Wear thermal under clothes and thermal gloves to help to keep your hands warm enough to operate the bike properly.
Check road conditions
If road conditions are set to be particularly treacherous it is best to stay off them. It is not advisable to ride in windy or snowy conditions, or when the roads are icy and have not been gritted.
Stopping distances can increase by up to 10 times when travelling in adverse weather conditions.
Grit and dirt
Grit and dirt from the road can cause havoc for the condition of your bike, leading to potential rusting. In order to avoid this it is essential to clean your bike after each outing.
Washing the underside of your bike with cool water is better than using hot water, as hot water will dissolve the salt crystals which could then penetrate further into the bike, causing further damage.
Stay alert
It is important to stay alert and look out for other road users. You can do this through signaling earlier, increasing the braking distance to account for wet and slippery roads; and wearing reflective clothing.
True Solicitors have been handling road traffic accident claims for over 25 years and regularly help motorcyclists who have been knocked off their bike through no fault of their own. If you have been injured on the road contact us today to start a motorcycle accident claim.
