Just as the subject reads: what tips do you have for a beginner rider in regards to riding on the interstate?

I know that tip #1 is going to be "don't", which I entirely agree with, but let's say you are running a few minutes behind and you would be late to work if you took the back roads.  I'm looking more for practical tips from experience, especially anything that you haven't seen posted on the interwebs before that you find useful/interesting/etc.

I'm primarily asking because my commute to work is probably safer and definitely shorter if I take a short leg of I-469 than if I take back roads (and the back roads are not really any nicer/funner than the highway).  I don't foresee having any mental/physical issues with the higher speed (other than knowing that there's 4 times the energy available to "dissipate" at 80 than there is at 40  ).  I handled 65-70 without a second thought on my first street ride, which surprised me quite a bit (closet speed demon...?  ).  My biggest concern is how to deal with entrance and exit ramps, as there are still a few of those I fear when I'm in a car.

Thanks in advance for any tips.

As far as on-ramps, you typically have better acceleration than in a car so I find it easier to merge properly on a bike. If an off-ramp doesn't have a suitable braking distance, use the shoulder a little if safe, and/or be sure to signal a reasonable time before hand. There's the usual avoid cars' blind spots and try to think a good few seconds ahead too. Be sure to know how to get to prime/reserve quickly if needed.

Not a whole lot different than riding on most roads in my opinion.

Quote from: Badot on May 29, 2014, 12:22:15 PM
As far as on-ramps, you typically have better acceleration in a car so I find it easier to merge properly on a bike. If an off-ramp doesn't have a suitable braking distance, use the shoulder a little if safe, and/or be sure to signal a reasonable time before hand. There's the usual avoid cars' blind spots and try to think a good few seconds ahead too. Be sure to know how to get to prime/reserve quickly if needed.

Not a whole lot different than riding on most roads in my opinion.

Cool, I guess it is a bit easier to get to merging speed now that I think about it.  It's more the cars I'm worried about.  Some of these ramps (cloverleafs specifically) do not have enough room for a car to change between highway speed and cornering speed if they have the lane to themselves, let alone if there are half a dozen other entering/exiting cars attempting to use the same 50 meters of lane.

I never would have thought about the fuel supply, that's exactly why I wanted to ask this question. I will definitely start practicing reaching for my fuel valve when in the saddle to get familiar with it.  It was second nature on the little 125cc starter in the MSF class, but I haven't messed with it on my GS500.  Now I'm going to worry about running out of gas at the wrong time...

I think the big key (not unlike other multilane roads), is to make yourself visible.  Don't hang out in people's blind spots.  Anything you can do to add visibility is helpful.  I wear a hi-viz vest, and have now added Hyper-Lite LEDs that flash with the application of the brake.

The interstate really isn't that different from other roads.  In many ways it can be safer since everyone is at least traveling in the same direction with no abrupt starts and stops or intersections.  You just want to be comfortable with manuvering your bike at higher speeds, dealing with the wind noise and feel, and how to brake or downshift and accelerate to stay out of trouble.  Be aware of your surroundings at all times.

+1 to Bomb. I think highways are generally safer (fewer animals, nobody pulling out of a driveway, etc.). One thing I'd like to add though: be aware of your surroundings......especially around a "trouble" vehicle. People on cell phones, pickup truck loaded with miscellaneous junk ready to overflow, and the like.

Some people don't mind riding near semi trucks, but I tend to steer clear of them. The wind blast coming around them us bad enough and then you have tire treads / chains / the load itself.

The cloverleaf style 270° turns can be a little disconcerting on the bike at first, especially keeping in mind that you will be turning your head rearward to look for traffic flow while making the turn.
Just as in a car your attention should be focused not only on finding a hole you can slip into, but the speed of approaching traffic and on the condition of the entrance ramp and acceleration lane (is someone ahead of you going slow?  Is there construction?  Is it clear?  Road hazards?).

You can accelerate a lot faster than the average car, so you can use the bike to get you out of trouble and dart in front if you have to.  But play it safe, better to tap the brakes and accelerate back up to speed quickly to slip in behind a semi trailer then try to beat the road to get in front of it.  Only you can say what you are comfortable doing when merging.
Overall the technique is much the same as in a car, just be aware that you are much less visible.  This means it's critical to use your indicator, and if possible aim for the biggest gap available rather than try to slip in between two cars because you can physically fit.

Exit ramps are a lot easier, just bear in mind that you have a lot less traction than a car so turning while applying the brakes can lead to disaster faster than you can say "oh crap!!"  It's good practice to slow down a handful more than you would in a car in the deceleration lane before making the bank, that way if there is an obstacle or a problem you can straighten out and come to a stop safely without running into the concrete barrier.


When actually on the interstate, keep a safe distance from all cars around you (you might be able to accelerate faster than them but they sure as hell can stop faster than you), use your lane positioning to ward off people who might be tempted to share your lane (ie, take the left side of the lane in the far right lane, and take the right side of the lane in the far left lane), be aware of blind spots. If you can see the driver's face in their mirror, they can see you if they mirror check.  If You can't see their face, either move back so you are behind them in case they decide to merge into you, or speed up and pass them so you are in front.  Never ride along side another car.

Be aware of the turbulent drafts that large vehicles like semis and RVs make when they pass you, especially at higher speeds.  Be prepared to position yourself in your lane to avoid or lessen the effect of the winds pushing you, a rider caught off guard can easily loose control and eat pavement.
Likewise, be wary of elevated sections of expressway (like over a large mining quarry) which can have sudden and powerful cross-winds.  You may want to duck down low to the bike to avoid the brunt of these.

Know that you are a lot less visible than a car, if traffic is slowing in front of you don't assume the drivers behind you notice it.  I've taken to "pulsing" my brake lightly a few times to flash my tail tight before applying my brake when I know I'll be slowing down, and when I am stuck moving slower than the posted speed limit I like to serpentine in my lane slightly to be more visible to drivers behind me.  Lateral movement in a straight lane of traffic is an eye catcher.

Know your limitations.  It might be fun to drive in excess of the posted limit in the far left ultra fast lane with all the crazies, but until you are comfortable with the multi-ton death machines surrounding you DON'T DO IT!

Always have an exit planned out.  Perfect scenario, let me share a story with you.  I am on I-80 heading West and it's 4 lanes across in my direction of travel.  I am in lane 2 (as in |1|2|3|4|), just cruising along.  I am slowly passing one of those large semi-truck tow-trucks (like this one http://www.brackenautotech.com/wp-content/themes/brackens/images/semi_tow2.jpg) in lane 3.
As I am just past his rear wheels, I see his left indicator switch on.  First idea was to slow down and let him in, but I look in my mirror and I have a guy riding my ass and if I brake he might slam into me.  So I think, get over.  Well, there's a big ass Ford Explorer directly to my left in lane 1.  Now the truck starts merging into my lane!  My last option at this point is to gun it and race ahead, but there's a car in front of me that this truck would be slipping in just behind.
So, I'm f'd.  All I can do is lay on the horn.  I also downshift a couple of times so I am in the power band and ready to dart anywhere.  Big rig doesn't hear me, continues encroaching on my lane, I hear engine wind up to my left and Explorer guns it straight ahead (he must have heard me and looked right and saw what was going down and made me a pocket).  I slip in just behind Explorer, after I'm in that lane Big rig realizes what happened and goes back to lane 3.  I slow down a bit to give me space between my front wheel and the back bumper of the Explorer, and continue in the left lane thinking that with shoulder to my left and traffic to my right I can only be attacked from one direction and in an emergency I can escape to the shoulder.
My heart was about ready to explode after that, and the whole situation only took place over the course of about 2 seconds so things can go sour really fast.

What would I have done differently now?  A lot of things.  I would have noticed the Explorer to my left and not matched his speed, I would have seen the rig to my right going slower than me and passed it with authority rather than lazily pass it.  I would have been in my mirrors and seen the car tailgating me then either changed lanes to avoid a situation or slow down and let the driver behind me know he is making me uncomfortable with a "back it up" hand gesture. (and no, I don't mean flipping him off)
Always leave yourself somewhere to go, and always assume that drivers are oblivious to your presence.  Make yourself seen and heard (I pulled out my muffler and bought a better horn that weekend), don't trap yourself, and sometimes in heavy traffic it is better to keep to the outside lanes since people will be trying to change lanes and go for gaps in the traffic constantly.  It's not worth dying over someone being in a rush and not checking their mirrors before changing lanes.  Do yourself a favor, and stay out of everyone's way.



Now that I made a scary situation even scarier, RELAX!  It's not that bad as long as you approach the situation with caution and keep your wits about you and your head on a swivel.
I rode my GS500 to work and back down a ~20 mile stretch of I-294/I-80 nearly every day of good weather last year, a few days of stormy weather, and even into the months where it's a touch too cold to even think of staying outside for long let alone riding a motorcycle, and have a big fat round 0 for the number of incidents that caused harm to me, my bike, or another person and their vehicle.  I've gotten the crap scared out of me a small handful of times, but now that I know what to look for when on the bike it's just another day in the life.



Other people are right, in a lot of ways surface streets are more hazardous than expressway driving.  But a fender bender down the road is a lot less likely to end in a hospital than a fender bender on the interstate.  There might be fewer hazards to look out for, but there are still plenty and the severity of them can be much higher.

All you can do it take it slow and play it safe.

Know that the gs, can be affected hy wind, draft, semis, tornados lol, if faired, even naked, still a bit. Try CAREFULLY.  Preferably at off peak times

Far out Watcher! , I thought I had posted and forgotten I did it! Lol. .
OP .. be extra vigilant, without being fearful. .. and keep your shoulders/arms relaxed and not all tensed up! .. its hard to react safely with a cramp!

sent by willpower and a phone

Quote from: Janx101 on May 29, 2014, 11:52:28 PM
...and keep your shoulders/arms relaxed and not all tensed up! .. its hard to react safely with a cramp!

That's good advice anytime.

Thanks for all of the advice, guys.  That is a frightening/enlightening story, Watcher.  It reminds me of those Final Destination films where everything stacks up just perfectly to kill the characters.  Thank God for the guy in the Explorer, he definitely deserves a six pack 

The MSF is definitely teaching things right: every accident is the result of a combination of many factors.  The one accident I've been in woke me up to that.  There was a mini-blizzard in early spring after a warm-spell, so the roads were much worse than they would be in winter for the same amount of snow.  I was in the intersection in the left turn lane waiting to turn (we can claim the intersection here in IN, not sure about elsewhere), and the light turned yellow.  I waited for a second or two and judged that all of the oncoming cars were too far to make it without running the red, so I started turning.  By the time I noticed that this lady wasn't going to stop it was too late and my big old V6 Jetta couldn't get enough traction to get out of the way.  Let's just say I was glad to have my cage that day, and I no longer count on others doing the right thing, and I don't rely on being in the right to keep me safe.

I'll probably allow myself more experience on the main roads before I attempt the highway for now.  I should be getting my armored jacket and pants today (and a new helmet), and I'd feel safer on the interstate with them.

Thanks again for the shared wisdom.

Quote from: bombsquad83 on May 30, 2014, 05:45:30 AM

Quote from: Janx101 on May 29, 2014, 11:52:28 PM
...and keep your shoulders/arms relaxed and not all tensed up! .. its hard to react safely with a cramp!

That's good advice anytime.

Back to this point too.  It's not just good for your body, it's good for the bike's handling.  If you are tense on the bars, then the front end can't make the small adjustments it wants to on its own, and you end up taking up additional traction by holding it still.  Any available traction that you eat up is less you can use to brake or turn.

Quote from: DoktoroKiu on May 30, 2014, 06:02:10 AM
I waited for a second or two and judged that all of the oncoming cars were too far to make it without running the red, so I started turning.  By the time I noticed that this lady wasn't going to stop it was too late and my big old V6 Jetta couldn't get enough traction to get out of the way.  Let's just say I was glad to have my cage that day, and I no longer count on others doing the right thing, and I don't rely on being in the right to keep me safe.

Unfortunately I have learned to assume the oncoming traffic is going to run the light even if it turns red. I've seen stuff like you've described way too often to assume otherwise. Luckily, I haven't been directly involved to date.

As a result, I wait until I see the oncoming vehicle's front suspension dip as they apply their brakes before I go. That tells me they are intending to stop.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote from: bombsquad83 on May 30, 2014, 06:07:09 AM

Quote from: bombsquad83 on May 30, 2014, 05:45:30 AM

Quote from: Janx101 on May 29, 2014, 11:52:28 PM
...and keep your shoulders/arms relaxed and not all tensed up! .. its hard to react safely with a cramp!

That's good advice anytime.

Back to this point too.  It's not just good for your body, it's good for the bike's handling.  If you are tense on the bars, then the front end can't make the small adjustments it wants to on its own, and you end up taking up additional traction by holding it still.  Any available traction that you eat up is less you can use to brake or turn.

I do have to remind myself to loosen up a bit, but most of my tightness is in the hands (especially the clutch hand).  It seems about as counter-intuitive as counter-steering when you first hear it, but it makes sense from a dynamics standpoint (you're preventing the bike from keeping itself balanced).  It's also hard to get into the mindset of accelerating through turns to keep the suspension loaded properly, even when I know it is better.

Quote from: Janx101 on May 29, 2014, 11:52:28 PM
Far out Watcher! , I thought I had posted and forgotten I did it! Lol. .
OP .. be extra vigilant, without being fearful. .. and keep your shoulders/arms relaxed and not all tensed up! .. its hard to react safely with a cramp!

sent by willpower and a phone

^this ^ always

I got an unexpected dose of interstate travel when riding on Saturday.  I went with one other guy on a 30-minute-or-so ride of "old 30" out to Columbia City, but the road was in bad condition so we decided to come back on "new 30", which happens to be a dual lane highway with a posted speed of 60.  I'm not sure why, but everyone was doing 75-85, and even the slow semi trucks were all doing better than 75! 

I had one encounter with wind turbulence when passing one semi, but I didn't ever feel out of control.  Another bad situation unfolded when another bike ahead of us slowed down rapidly for a turn and left us with traffic bearing down on us from behind.

I think the most dangerous part for me is the wind noise.  I felt noticeably fatigued from it and had to constantly tuck in under the cowling, which would be fine if I weren't in full gear and in need of airflow (high of 88).  I have since rectified this situation by ordering some good plugs meant for riding and a set of mesh riding gear to handle 80 degree plus heat.

I definitely can tell I was tense and gripping the handlebars too firmly, because I had significant hand buzz after the ride.

The more you do it, the easier it gets...


I forgot to bring up ear protection, helmets cut noise down a bit but aren't designed to do so, and can actually create a lot of wind noise themselves.

Some helmets are better than others and peoples tolerances on noise are all different...

Quote from: Watcher on June 02, 2014, 10:53:35 AM
The more you do it, the easier it gets...


I forgot to bring up ear protection, helmets cut noise down a bit but aren't designed to do so, and can actually create a lot of wind noise themselves.

Some helmets are better than others and peoples tolerances on noise are all different...

My helmet is a cheaper model, and it is definitely loud.  From my google-fu it looks like no helmets adequately reduce the noise to safe levels.  At highway speeds you get over 100 dB of wind noise, which isn't safe for even 15 minutes of exposure without sustaining permanent hearing damage.

The foam industrial ear plugs work good for this without insulating your ears from the outsidenworld too much

Unfortunately for me life as a gigging percussionist and 2 years as a machinist already ruined my hearing.

I regret it and I plug up now when its loud to reduce any further damage, but in my helmet with my exhaust at 75mph the noise level doesn't cause me discomfort so I rarely wear plugs under my helmet unless I have music going and am thus wearing earbuds...


Relish the fact you still have good hearing, protect it while you can.  Once it goes it doesn't come back.

Quote from: DoktoroKiu on June 02, 2014, 09:28:31 AM
I'm not sure why, but everyone was doing 75-85, and even the slow semi trucks were all doing better than 75! 

If you haven't heard, the speedo on the GS is about 10% fast.  So when it says you are going 75, you are probably closer to 68.  That could explain why you thought all the cars were traveling so fast.