We all know what makes a squid a squid, but I got to thinking of the things I see that tell me the guy has a good handle on his machine, or signs of an experianced rider.

Here's a few to start off the list. Please add your own.

1. Smooth pull away. Lots of guys either blip, or rev their bike too much when pulling away from a stop. To me, the expert can make his bike smoothly pull away with both his clutch and his throttle perfectly in tune so it pulls away like an automatic car. I'm talking normal street riding not track days.

2. Perfect balance at slow speeds. Watch most guys take off. Untill they reach a speed of about 25mph a lot of guys wobble all over their lane. A good rider can pull away without any wobble.

3. Guys that ride mostly around the speedlimit, but exceed it just enough to keep moving very slightly faster than traffic and stay visible and assertive. This one is hard to describe, but I know it when I see it. It just speaks of a professionalism and politeness while riding, but they don't just toodle along in blind spots like so many cruiser guys have a tendency to do.

 

Body language.

White knuckles = Scared to death

Relaxed hands and seating = Experienced

Smooth lane transitions = Experienced

Decision making on the fly = Experienced

Chicken Strips = Scared to death

 

When riding in town or fast country back-roads, get into the habit of ‘arming’ your brakes by riding with one finger constantly on the lever. You can still use the throttle and hold on to the bars, but should you have to brake hard and fast, just having your finger already on the brake will give you an advantage – a potential life saver.

 

How do you brake hard with one finger? Maybe I speak for myself on this, but there's not a snow ball's chance in hell I can adequately "hard brake" with one finger. Perhaps I just need a stronger finger.

 

Newbies drag their feet across an intersection. Get those feet up, you're not gonna catch that bike if it tips.

 

I watch how other riders approach stops... stop lights/signs, gas pumps, parking spaces, etc. If they kick their legs out like landing gear while still moving and grabbing the front brake it tells me everything I need to know. The "duck walk" is the most telltale sign of an inexperienced rider.

A funny observation. I go to a gym nightly that is in a stripmall next to a pizza/beer joint that does "bike night" every week. I would say that 9/10 of the riders that pull into the parking lot do the wobbly duck paddle when slowing down. Most have to unload their women before waddling over to a parking spot.

 

Experienced riders don't seem to want to rev the **** out of their bikes, have their feet up IMMEDIATELY once rolling and handle parking lot speeds with ease. No foot dragging, duck walking or screwing around!

 

Yeah the unnecessary revving. I saw a group pull up to a stoplight recently and it was like that Southpark episode.... BRABRABRABAAABRAA!!

They all had to duck paddle to the light as they slowed down.

 

Have yo ever tried it? You can brake with a good amount of force with one finger. Either way, it cuts down on reaction time to start slowing down.

 

Experienced riders make active adjustments as they approach intersections or other situations where driver's may turn into their path or take their right of way.

...easing off the throttle, swiveling the head to check 360, covering brakes and clutch (and probably horn but I can't see that), choosing lane position to maximize maneuvering space, and really proactive riders use the SMIDSY weave. Fast forward the video to 5-minute mark to save time--you'll get the idea. Smidsy has become automatic for me.