California Motorcycle Handbook - Antevia

and knows how to ride beforeyou allow him/her to ride intraffic.No matter how experienced youmay be, ride extra carefully onany motorcycle that’s new orunfamiliar to you. More than halfof all crashes occur onmotorcycles ridden by theoperator for less than six months.Get Familiar With TheMotorcycle ControlsBe completely familiar with themotorcycle before you take it outon the street.If you use an unfamiliarmotorcycle:• Make all the checks you wouldon your own motorcycle.• Find out where everything is,particularly the turn signals,horn, headlight switch, fuelsupplyvalve, and enginecut-off switch. You should beable to find them withouthaving to look for them.• Know the gear pattern. Workthe throttle, clutch and brakesa few times before you startriding. All controls react a littledifferently.• Ride very cautiously and beaware of your surroundings.Accelerate gently, take turnsmore slowly, and leave extraroom for stopping.Check Your MotorcycleA motorcycle needs morefrequent attention than a car. Ifsomething’s wrong with themotorcycle, you’ll want to findout about it before you get intraffic. Make the following checksbefore every ride:• Tires—Check the air pressure,general wear, and tread.• Fluids—Oil and fluid levels. Ata minimum, check hydraulicfluids and coolants weekly.Look under the motorcycle forsigns of an oil or gas leak.• Headlights and Taillight—Check them both. Test yourswitch to make sure both highand low beams work.• Turn Signals—Turn on bothright and left turn signals.Make sure all lights workproperly.• Brake Light—Try both brakecontrols and make sure eachone turns on the brake light.Once you are on the motorcycle,complete the following checksbefore starting out:• Clutch and Throttle—Makesure they work smoothly. Thethrottle should snap back whenyou let go. The clutch shouldfeel tight and smooth.• Mirrors—Clean and adjustboth mirrors before starting.Adjust each mirror so you cansee the lane behind and asmuch as possible of the lanenext to you. When properlyadjusted, a mirror may show theedge of your arm or shoulder—but it’s the road behind and tothe side that is most important.9