Idaho State Police help keep motorcycle riders safe this summer
There are ways you can brush up on your motorcycle skills, no matter if you’re just starting or an advanced rider.
AMMON, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) —It’s that time of year when we start to see more and more motorcycles on the road.
With many people going months without riding it’s good to remember that those skills aren’t always their best during your first ride.
Idaho State Police Sgt. Andrew Nakashima says, “Unlike riding a bicycle, riding a motorcycle skills are perishable. If you don’t do it for a while you’ve taken the winter off, your motorcycle has been parked for six or seven months, and then with work and family life and things take over sometimes people don’t ride but two or three months per year and so during that gap when you’re not riding is when you kind of forget the finer details of riding a motorcycle.”
There are ways you can brush up on your motorcycle skills, no matter if you’re just starting or an advanced rider.
Before you hit the road for the first time, go to an open parking lot. That’s an ideal place to practice maneuvering.
“Starting, stopping, turning, U-turns. I took a while to come around to this school of thought but it’s amazing how much just riding in circles will help you. If you go to a parking lot and start riding in a circle and just try to get smaller and smaller and then change in the other direction just to reacquaint yourself with your motorcycle and just familiarize yourself with the feel,” said Sgt. Nakashima.
Ride like you’re invisible and always be on the lookout for new hazards. That will help keep you safe this summer.
While ISP offers two locations for training, often motorcycle brands will hold safety classes. The Idaho Star Program is also a valuable resource to riders.
Copyright 2024 KMVT. All rights reserved.
