California Motorcycle Handbook - Antevia

If the engine’s moving parts can’tmove smoothly against eachother, the engine overheats. Thefirst sign may be a loss of enginepower or a change in the engine’ssound. Squeeze the clutch leverto disengage the engine from therear wheel. Pull off the road andstop. Check the oil. If needed,add oil as soon as possible or theengine will seize. When thishappens, the effect is the sameas a locked rear wheel. Let theengine cool before restarting.ANIMALSDo everything you safely can doto avoid hitting an animal. If youare in traffic, however, remain inyour lane. Hitting something smallis less dangerous to you thanhitting something big—like a car.Motorcycles seem to attractdogs. If you are chased,downshift and approach theanimal slowly. As you approachit, accelerate away and leave theanimal behind. Don’t kick at ananimal. Keep control of yourmotorcycle.For larger animals (deer, elk,cattle) brake and prepare tostop—they are unpredictable.FLYING OBJECTSFrom time to time riders are struckby insects, cigarettes thrownfrom vehicles, or pebbles kickedup by the tires of the vehicleahead. If you are wearing faceprotection, it might get smearedor cracked, making it difficult tosee. Without face protection, anobject could hit you in the eye,face, or mouth. Whateverhappens, keep your eyes on theroad and your hands on thehandlebars. When safe, pull offthe road and repair the damage.GETTING OFF THE ROADIf you need to leave the road tocheck the motorcycle (or just torest for a while), be sure you:• Check the roadside. Make surethe roadside is firm enough toride on. If it is soft grass, loosesand, or if you’re just not sureabout it, slow way down beforeyou turn onto it.• Signal. Drivers behind mightnot expect you to slow down.Give a clear signal that you willbe slowing and changingdirection. Check your mirrorand make a head check beforeyou take any action.• Pull off the road. Get as far offthe road as you can. It can bevery hard to see a motorcycleby the side of the road. Youdon’t want someone elseleaving the road at the sameplace you are.• Park carefully. Loose andsloped shoulders can makesetting the side or center standdifficult.30