Seasoned riders know how important it is to look the way you want to go when operating a motorcycle, but sometimes there are things that distract the mind from this crucial routine. Be it a pothole, a bird flying in your path or simply checking over the shoulder when merging onto the highway, you never know when your luck runs out and you bite the dust.
Although he’s usually a very careful rider, US moto vlogger PistnRods happened to go through such an ordeal recently and learned the hard way not to look elsewhere than the riding line when taking a corner. Apparently, he was last in a group of motorcyclists and was riding on an unknown road approaching a highway they all had to merge in on.
Everything was fine until our main guy decided to do a shoulder check while being leaned into the turn of the on ramp believing it had already straightened out. Unfortunately, it didn’t and the split second of not being aware of his direction sent the bike on the dusty, uneven shoulder of the ramp. This, in turn, made the front wobble violently and put the rider straight to the ground.
Luckily he was wearing riding gear and was able to walk away with only scratches and bruises. The bike itself, a nice Yamaha MT-09 (FZ-09), took most of the damage as you’ll see in the video below, but nothing unrepairable.
This video is also a reminder of how sometimes good riding habits can turn against you if not performed at the right moment. There’s nothing wrong with checking over your shoulder for traffic, but make sure you do this before leaning your bike into a corner or changing lanes. And as always, don't forget to gear up properly - it's easier to replace damaged riding gear than skin and bone.
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