Congrats on the bike. I'll just add to keep practicing your newly learned skills, and if in traffic don't be one of those guys who pulls up directly behind the vehicle in front of you, puts the transmission in Neutral, and then proceeds to look everywhere but your mirrors. I've seen riders flattened by drivers who weren't paying attention, and plowed into the oblivious rider.
Instead, line up to one side of the lane or the other (whichever has a gap between the stopped cars ahead), and leave your bike in 1st gear, and WATCH YOUR MIRRORS to see if traffic coming up from behind is stopping. If it's clear they aren't stopping, ride up between the lanes of stopped cars.
I've avoided being flattened myself by using this technique over the years.
Of course in some States you can lane-split, or lane-filter legally up to the stoplight, which is what I do wherever it's legal.
One other bit of advice: I always have two fingers on the front brake lever, ready to apply it quickly but smoooooooooooothly. Being able to use the brakes effectively, is critical, and most riders I've helped teach, are not that great at it without being shown what to do, and lots of practice. Being able to slow or stop quickly without shock-loading/overloading the tire contact patch and crashing, has saved me in numerous surprise encounters, mostly with wild animals on mountain roads who just run/jump out onto the road...
Bottom Line: Always be aware of your surroundings, and have a plan of how, and the ability to avoid danger.
"Instead, line up to one side of the lane or the other (whichever has a gap between the stopped cars ahead), and leave your bike in 1st gear, and WATCH YOUR MIRRORS to see if traffic coming up from behind is stopping. If it's clear they aren't stopping, ride up between the lanes of stopped cars.
I've avoided being flattened myself by using this technique over the years."
Same here.
"One other bit of advice: I always have two fingers on the front brake lever, ready to apply it quickly but smoooooooooooothly. Being able to use the brakes effectively, is critical, and most riders I've helped teach, are not that great at it without being shown what to do, and lots of practice. Being able to slow or stop quickly without shock-loading/overloading the tire contact patch and crashing, has saved me in numerous surprise encounters, mostly with wild animals on mountain roads who just run/jump out onto the road..."
Same here, especially going through intersections.
Then there are strategies to reduce the chances of the car turning left in front of you, or hitting the car that turns left in front of you, like looking at the tires of the car that is stopped in the intersection, looking at where the driver's hands are on the steering wheel, looking at where they are looking, remembering if the sun is at your back then it is likely in their eyes, and going through the intersection on the left side of the Redi-Mix concrete truck, funny how rarely cars turn left in front of him . . .
Given the number of highly experienced and proficient riders here we could probably come up with a great collection of safety tips and tricks learned over the years.
One that I pass along to new motorcycle riders is don't follow trailers, and if you have no choice, stay back. Typically after I mention this they come back to tell me how many trailers they now notice on the side of the road missing a wheel. Or how much stuff they now notice that falls off from being improperly secured.
And scan the approach to the intersection for cross-traffic, it doesn't matter who has the right of way or the green light, scan the intersection, don't assume.
And any time you are approaching any potential problem (especially as mentioned previously in intersections, slowing or stopping) check your mirrors. If there is someone behind you, you need to take that into account.
And anywhere truck traffic is starting and stopping, like toll booths in the old days before PikePass, stay out of the center of the lane, that oil patch on the asphalt can be nasty.
And this one is likely to be controversial -- some folks are going to prefer polarized sunglasses, and some are going to prefer not to wear polarized sunglasses while riding because they can make it difficult to correctly interpret road conditions, especially puddles and oil slicks, they can interfere with reading gauges, and (a little known, not highly likely, but entirely possible phenomenon) polarized glasses can make certain size objects at certain angles invisible on the road.
And scan the intersection for sand and gravel so you know it's there before you get to it.
And make it a habit to get your feet up onto the footpegs immediately -- do not drag your feet thinking you are going to catch yourself if you stall. You have more control with your feet on the footpegs. If the bike is moving and you put your foot down the most likely result is you add broken leg to what would otherwise have been mild embarrassment and road rash.
What else?
