A pet peeve on mine from my dirt bike days that's carried over to street bikes:

I avoid street bikes that have front mounted pegs/controls only. I highly favor the straight-down, mid mounted pegs. Why, you say? Because Virginia, When I have to do some "fancy riding" like going over an unavoidable obstacle in the road, a really bad rut, or even a set of railroad tracks that have the potential to get me airborne I like to be able to stand up on the pegs. Your legs become shock absorbers that will take quite a bit more punishment than your back will. Highway pegs are fine to stick your feet out on but I like to be able to put mine down when I really need to.

 

This mistake cost a friend of mine his life. He rode over an embankment that had a slope on the downward side only the last time he did it was the day they decided to remove the slope with some Earth moving equipment. It was turned into a sheer drop and killed him instantly.

 

hmm, when cornering don't lean with the body, press into the corner with your inside hand.
Throttle through the turn don't slow through it. don't get riveted into one position in your lane. Move around a bit depending on possible situations that can come up to make yourself more visible and provide a better possible out if need be. Don't tailgate....(these are mostly what I see riders do wrong)

 

carlgrover said:

<snip: a treatise on the weight transfer advantages of mid-controls.>

Save your breath, Carl. I made this observation some months ago and was rewarded with pages of "oh yeah??? Well... *I* have forward controls and I can... yada yada..."

 

Always have an escape route/ contingency plan.