Here are two tips that I find very helpful when riding. If you have any favorite ones, post them in the comments section below.

Secret Tip 1 – How to Easily Stay Upright When Going Slow or Stopped

Here is a tip that I learned from my old BMW K1200LT riding days. I was told then that since the BMW had a horizontally opposed engine that by giving it a little RPMs as you braked it would provide a gyro-stabilizing effect and help keep the bike a bit more stable. It worked.

Now, I’m not sure of all the fundamental physics reasons why this works on the Burgman, but it does. Here is how to use this trick.

As you come to a slow stop or you are creeping along slowly and you don’t want to put your feet down, just apply a little brake and a little gas at the same time. Keep the slight increase in RPMs up and you will feel less wobbly and much more stable. The only risk here is that if you let go of the brake while giving it a bit of gas, you’ll accelerate forward.

I most commonly use this trick when the light has turned but traffic is not moving yet and I’m just at the point where I feel like I have to put my feet down. This trick buys me another few seconds and often that is enough time for traffic to start moving.

Secret Tip 2 – How to Get A Very Early Warning of a Wandering Car or Truck That is Headed Your Way

On the road I’m never worried about my riding, but the other guys driving, be it a car or truck. Here is a sure fired trick that will give you the earliest possible warning if a vehicle you are riding next to is moving your way.

If you focus on the distance between the tire and the dotted line in the center of the road you can easily spot if that distance is getting larger or smaller. The area I’m talking about is marked in this illustration in red.

If you are passing a car on your right side, just watch the distance between their front left tire and the dotted line.

If the distance becomes narrower, the car is moving towards you and you can take evasive action. Typically slowing down to let the car in is the safest option.

Now this trick works especially well in slow moving traffic when a car or truck might change lanes but not use their signal. Of course you always need to be looking everywhere at the same time but this trick has saved me from a couple of events that would have been “less than optimal”, if you know what I mean.

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