Returning to motorcycling

Do you watch Superbikes on TV and remember the good times you had on bikes when you were younger?

Riding a motorbike can be exhilarating, but dont be blind to reality; the bikes you used to ride may have been slow, didnt corner too well and quite often didnt want to stop either.

Todays bikes are technological masterpieces. Theyre built using lighter materials, have very powerful engines, large radial tyres, disc brakes and are often fitted with traction control and anti-lock brakes.

Even the expert Superbike riders get it wrong sometimes. They ride on the limit and are prepared for a fall. But remember, TV doesnt show the agony the rider will be in the next day. Road riders cant rely on the relative safety of a gravel trap, theyre more likely to hit a kerb, a wall, tree, lamppost, another vehicle!

The best riders have developed a higher level of concentration than the average rider and are continually scanning around them for signs of possible danger. They dont wait for something to develop. Everything is planned; travelling at a safe speed with the bike in the right gear and in the safest position on the road.

Youll find most of these riders have taken defensive riding courses and are constantly developing these skills.

Its a sad fact, but riders returning to biking after a long period of time without training are more vulnerable and are likely to be involved in an accident in their first two weeks of riding.

Motorcyclists are 45 times more likely to be killed on the road than car drivers, and these figures are rising.