Local bikers stress the importance of motorcycle safety

TRI-CITIES, Tenn. (WJHL) — As temperatures warm up for the year, the number of people riding motorcycles is going up as well.

“People [should be] using their mirrors watching their surroundings, looking out for motorcycles, there’s going to be a lot more out on the road,” said Chuck Goff, general manager of Wrecking Crew Harley-Davidson. “So I’d say just watch your surroundings, know what’s going on around you.”

Goff said motorcyclists should also check their bikes before riding them.

“A lot of people, they let their bikes sit all winter long, and then in the spring or this time of the year, they’ll get on their bike and they’ll just take off. They don’t check the tire pressures. They don’t check anything safety-related with their motorcycle.”

Todd Lothridge agrees. He’s been riding motorcycles almost all of his life and is a mechanic at Biker Wear.

Climatologist: Northeast Tennessee will see warmer spring with plenty of rain

“We get a lot of stuff in here that’s only got like 10 pounds of pressure in tires and they should have 40, you know, 36 to 44 psi,” he said.

“I would definitely do a safety inspection at the beginning of the season, before they start riding, especially if they leave them sitting over winter. People don’t realize that you get moisture in your brake fluid, so then your brakes get spongy, don’t work as they should.”

Lothridge said tires dry rotting is also an issue with motorcycles.

A seasonal hazard that motorcyclists encounter is grass clippings slung on the roads.

“I’ve seen a few accidents like that,” Goff said. “When we blow the grass in the road, you need to get a blower and blow it back off the road. When a motorcycle goes over that grass, even when it’s dry, it’s like wet asphalt; that grass slides on the asphalt. So it’s very dangerous.”

Goff said he hasn’t been in any accidents but encourages other bikers to always take caution. Lothridge has been in one many years ago and urges riders to be vigilant of traffic.

“There’s just not enough time to slow down in certain places and people kind of don’t think about it when they’re out riding,” Lothridge said. “They’re just out having fun, and then next thing you know, you’re going too fast and can’t handle the curve or somebody pulls out in front of you and then there’s nothing you can do.”

He also stressed to motor vehicle drivers the importance of noticing everything on the road, and not to text while driving.

“Make sure there’s not a motorcycle coming. Some of the smaller bikes are not as noticeable. They’re blind spots, interstate that seems to be a big issue. People coming over, you don’t see the motorcycle in their blind spot.”

“I’ve seen it firsthand. Somebody ran a red light because, they didn’t even see it because they were playing on the phone. And if you got a motorcycle stopped at a red light, people don’t see them and run clear over them.”

According to the State of Tennessee, motorcycle crashes start increasing in February and average out in May. They don’t start easing off until October.

Wrecking Crew Harley-Davidson in Johnson City is offering free safety inspections on Saturday, April 20. It’s apart of their 3rd anniversary birthday bash.

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