7 Tips for Motorcycle Riding in the Mountains

Motorcycle riding gives you a sense of freedom. Even more so, when you are riding in the mountains. The curvy mountain terrain throws a unique challenge to the rider. Mountain riding is blissful and equally dangerous. We bring you 7 tips that will help you enjoy your mountain trip while staying safe at the same time.

Imagesource

Maintain your lane

Most of the mountain roads in India are unmarked. There are no dividers or a marking dividing the road. Most of the times while taking corners, riders tend to go faster and land in the opposite lane. This can be very dangerous. Always riding slow, especially during the corners, so that you do not lose control and go on the opposite lane. This is one of the most common reasons for accidents in the mountains.

Ride in low gear

While climbing a hill, always ride in high-rpm and lower gear than you do on planes. Find the spot where the engine makes maximum power when try to keep the rpm just below that while climbing in the hills. This way you will keep maximum power at disposal whenever required. While climbing, the motorcycle has to make the extra effort, keeping it in wrong gear may make it knock and shut down, causing sudden power loss and fall.

Never come down in neutral

Using engine braking is one of the most important aspects of hill riding. While coming down on a hilly road, make sure that you are in gear and are not using only brakes to control the speed. By staying in neutral, you let go the control of the engine braking, which in turn may make you lose control of the vehicle. Also, using brake excessively while coming down an incline will cause the brakes to heat too much, which makes them ineffective at one point of time.

Anticipate the road

The mountain roads can become very tricky at times. You should always anticipate the curve and the incline and plan ahead to be safe on the road. The incline can be determined by looking at the gradient of the surface. The angle of turn can be anticipated by looking at the corner of the road. If you see your left-hand side of the road vanishing quicker than the right-hand side, then it is a left turn. The same rule applies when you see the right-hand side of the road vanishing quicker than the left-hand side.

Black Ice

Always avoid riding on wet surfaces in the hilly road, especially during the winters. Water patches during winters can turn to a thin sheet of ice. The thin layer of ice on the road look like a wet patch, but it is wet slippery and can cause serious accidents. Always avoid any contact with wet patches on the road.

Brake right

While going up on the mountain use the rear brake of the motorcycle more than the front brakes. While down, use the front brake more than the rear brakes. The reason behind this is the weight distribution. While going up, most of the weight will be on the rear tyre, applying front brake more will cause the front wheel to lock up easily. Same is true from the rear wheel when the motorcycle is on downhill.

Park safely

Never park your motorcycle facing towards a downhill. Motorcycle stands are designed to lock when the motorcycle goes backwards. Always try to find as plane surface as you can and park the bike facing uphill. Also, look around of loose stones that may fall from above. Park the motorcycle away from such places. Parking it under a tree will also protect the motorcycle from any such stones that may come down rolling off a mountain.