Ash Thompson is a motorcycle woman on a mission, a graphic designer and founder of Neutral Moto, which is a platform for rider education & creating an inclusive riding community.

She aims to spread the message about lane filtering and increase motorcycle awareness on the roads while sharing her motorcycle tips for more enjoyable riding along the way.

You may already have read her previous post about how she got into riding motorcycles, why she created Neutral Moto and what spurred her on to pen these motorcycle tips for you all.

No? Then get your arse over there and read “Motorcycle Woman on a Mission”.  

Want to dive right in a learn how to improve your daily commute, optimise your group riding or enjoy those long and challenging roads more? Then read on my friend. 

There’s a handy comment box at the end where you can share your own tips. We’d love to hear them!

This is Ashleigh’s

Top Motorcycle Tips for Commuting, Group Rides and Challenging Rides.

The Daily Commute

Firstly, the daily commute is by far my favourite type of riding to do! I commute about an hour each way both morning and night so I spend a lot of time in this mode. As a matter of fact, there was a recent study released which concluded that riding increases focus,   a statement I can absolutely understand especially in relation to commuting.

Commuting can lull you into a false sense of security very quickly, mainly because most motorcyclists will follow the same route to and from work every day. I see a lot of riders who ride at the same time in the same place, as a result I see them becoming overly confident and sloppy in their riding which worries me. I’m all for making your ride fun, part of what I love is the fact that when the traffic grinds to a halt we can carefully slip between the two lanes of traffic and ride to the front.

Filtering

Filtering is legal in Queensland so we are very lucky during commuting hours. However, Filtering is a double-edged sword. A gap that looks fine a few cars back can quickly become a path full of issues and hazards. In Queensland, the motorcycle awareness campaigns talk about ‘developing your sixth sense’ as a rider.

What I’ve come to understand is that your ‘sixth sense’ is actually your ability to recognise patterns on the road. Therefore, developing your pattern recognition you speed up your reaction time and your capability on the road.

I constantly run through regular checks for filtering:

• What type of vehicle is at the front? If it’s a larger vehicle, carefully assess the intersection.
• Are you confident enough to smoothly but quickly take off?
• Can the driver see you?
• What cycle are the lights up to? Have they just gone red to give you ample time to safely filter to the front?

• Are the vehicles a little more broken up and can you time your ‘passing’ correctly?
  
• Are there any ‘unfriendly’ drivers? I’ve been quite lucky with this but from time to time there will be a driver who hates that you are on a bike and can ‘skip the cue’. With this in mind, watch for them and if in doubt don’t filter.
• What are the road conditions like? This is a really important one. For instance, rain will change the road surface and wind can make it difficult to keep control of your bike. Filtering requires accuracy, and the last thing you want is to clip a mirror due to a gust of wind.

Group Rides

Group rides are an awesome way to explore new routes without having to know it like the back of your hand. Not to mention the bonus of riding with and learning from different people. On the other hand, group rides can also be a little intimidating if they aren’t something you do often. Knowing what types of bikes and the experience level of the riders can help you gauge what type of ride it’s going to be.

There is a really common theory called the rubberband effect which is what happens to the end riders when trying to regulate their speed and ‘keep up’ with the group. If you are on a nice little cafe racer you might not want to go on a long highway ride full of cruisers (but if that is your jam that’s fine too!).

I look for a couple of things when choosing group rides:

• How big is the group? Is this a sensible size for the route? For instance, if you are doing a lot of inner city roads, large groups can be tricky to keep together.
• Do I trust the capability and the pace of the ‘leader’? Knowing that your ride leader understands the group’s ability and expectations of the ride makes it a lot less stressful.
• Does the group have a plan like regrouping stops, corner markers if the group gets stretched and is everyone clear on the plan and route? This makes all the difference if you get in a tricky spot.
  

Whether that is hitting a red light or a part of the path that you don’t want to push hard on, knowing that there is a plan so you don’t get left behind makes it easier to ride at your own pace.

Long Rides and Challenging Roads

Challenging roads can feel like long rides and vice versa. So a lot of the same common sense applies. However, the biggest difference here is knowing the route. The last thing you want is to come off your bike in a town or place that is isolated or foreign. It’s not a situation that is impossible to get out of just one that isn’t all that fun.

• Studying the route, knowing what parts are going to be particularly challenging will mean you’ll have your bearings and be able to mentally prepare as you move through the journey.

• Balancing a ride well is key. Knowing the right amount of ‘cruising’ and the right amount of ‘pushing’ means you’ll feel accomplished at the end of the day but not too exhausted.

• Having the basics on your bike like wet weather gear, a small first aid kit, a small tool kit, panadol, water and snack is helpful too! You never know what you or a friend might need!

How to be a better motorcycle rider

For the most part, I’m sure a lot of you reading this already know know much of what I’ve mentioned. In any event,  if you read through and pick up even one tip then I’ve done a good job! Whenever you get on your bike, simply breaking your routine down in to small moments allows you to make more consistent, correct choices. In fact, it makes any situation easier to tackle.

Above all, it isn’t luck that separates the riders who have a lot of accidents from the ones who have only a few over their riding career. It is, in short, deliberate thoughtful choices, self-evaluation and honesty that keeps the good riders riding.

Seek all the support and love you need to push yourself to be a better more competent rider.

In conclusion, the only silly question is the one you don’t ask.

Do you have some tips of your own?

Chime in and share your tips for motorcycle commuting, group riding or long challenging rides in the comments below.