Riding a motorcycle can definitely be a thrilling experience there is no doubt about that; however, owning a motorcycle comes with a lot of responsibility and caution as there are many things that one needs to be careful about. One of the major things that you need to master in order to truly consider yourself as a motorcycle enthusiast is to make sure you know how to ride a motorcycle on all kinds of roads and terrains. Balancing a two-wheeler can be quite tricky if the weather conditions and road conditions are not on your side! It can rather become quite risky and on some occasions even dangerous if you’re not capable enough to handle your motorcycle on dodgy roads.

Of course, the key to really learning how to handle your vehicle is by practicing as much as you can but there are other ways you can ensure your safety. In this article we will be focusing on the art of learning how to ride your motorcycle down steep roads!

Have you ever tried to walk down a steep road? If so then you know that a single task of strolling down a hill can become quite difficult if you don’t maintain your balance and your speed. Now imagine riding a motorcycle down a steep road while trying your best to keep the speed controlled and not losing your balance or falling over; this task can be quite difficult to achieve! However we are here to help you maintain your steadiness with some hacks and tricks!

Here is what you can do before you drive down a steep road:

1. Make sure your breaks work well

We tend to put a lot of pressure on brakes as we use brakes a lot while riding a motorcycle to maintain our speed and to keep us safe. However even brand-new brakes should be dealt carefully because there is a limit to how much heat that our brake pads can absorb. Every time we hit the brakes the brake pads use friction to control and slow down the speed of our motorcycle. When this friction occurs then heat is produced which is either released in the air or is absorbed by the brake pads; every time the brake pads absorb heat the pads get damaged and a little bit of tear is caused in them. Hence it is extremely important to make sure at all times that our brakes are working fine and properly.

The best way to check up on your brakes is by examining them visually as well. Also, the motorcycle manual will tell you how thick the cushioning of the brake pads should be, measure that to make sure everything is fine. Then further examine the pads until it’s safe to say that the pads are worn equally across the entire pad?

In the event that the cushion shows unnecessary wear on only one pad, or on only 50% of the pad, then that may demonstrate that something in the caliper is seized or perhaps that the rotor is twisted. Watching out for brake wear ought to be our initial step to ensuring that we are set up to ride securely down a precarious slope.

 2. Make sure your tires are working fine

It is also very important to make sure that our tires are in good shape and that the rubbers of the tires are not worn out either. If the tires are not in good shape, they will not be able to absorb the heat either and this can cause them to get punctured easily.

3. What does your motorcycle sound like?

You can determine a lot about the condition of your motorcycle with the kind of sounds that comes out of your motorcycle; when you go down a steep slope you will be putting quite a lot of pressure on your gears so it is always helpful to know how your motorcycle sounds when you are riding at a regular pace. To ensure that you’re not putting pointless strain on your bike as you utilize the pinion wheels to back off, there are several procedures to remember for a further developed rider. The first is to simply watch out for the RPM and the sound of the motor. It should sound more stressed than ordinary riding, yet it shouldn’t be under a lot load, so ensure you watch out for your coolant temperature.

4. Are your chains oiled properly

Making sure that your chains are properly oiled is also a huge responsibility, a motorcycle that has well oiled chains will ensure that your motorcycle works and rides smoothly. Chains that are rusted are more prone to breaking under pressure hence it is always a good idea to make sure that your motorcycle chains are properly lubricated at all times.

 5. Make sure your gears are working fine

Riding downhill has less to do with brakes, and more to do with transmission gear determination. Fortunately most bikes have a manual moving transmission, which makes riding downhill conceivable without utilizing the brakes.

While riding downhill it’s imperative to track down the correct gear. This implies that we would prefer not to be in a gear that is excessively low, and cause our RPMs to sit excessively high, and we likewise don’t need a gear that is excessively high and makes us tap on our brakes each little while.

The gear we pick ought to be sufficient to sit the RPMs marginally higher than a typical working condition and keep your speed genuinely near the speed limit as much as possible.

6. Make sure your luggage bag is installed properly

Now we all know that there is very limited space on our motorcycle to keep and store our luggage, hence we need to install some kind of a storage bag on our motorcycles that will provide us with the storage we need. Now the kind of storage bag that you install on your motorcycle will also determine your motorcycle’s balance and help you drive safely and properly. Make sure you do your research before purchasing a luggage bag for your motorcycle that is designed specifically for your motorcycle.

 7. Make sure your luggage is divided well

There are a variety of luggage bags that are available in the market; however, you need to be able to prioritize your needs and determine properly what kind of a luggage bag will fulfill all your needs. Your luggage bag has to be such that you will be able to divide and fit all your belongings in it properly without any problems at all. If your baggage is not balanced out properly on your motorcycle then you can very easily lose your balance when driving down a steep road and cause you to fall over. A good luggage bag will provide you with enough storage space while also putting little pressure on your motorcycle stability.

Keep your composure

Our number one advice always is to try and always remain as calm as possible if you unexpectedly come to face a steep slope, because only then will you be able to think and act rationally. Accordingly, before you wind up confronting a lofty road, practice your control activities on a leveled ground. As you become increasingly more adept with delivering the brake, separating the grasp and applying the choke all the while, start moving to areas of street that have a greater amount of slope.