EVERETT — When the motorcycle comes out of the garage for summer, it’s dusty and — likely — so are your riding abilities, according to police.
Seasonal bikers need to go over their rides and brush up on their skills before hitting the highway, said Lt. Rodney Rochon with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.
May is national motorcycle safety month, and the start of the riding season often is accompanied by crashes, particularly on days as nice as Monday was, Rochon said.
“Riding a motorcycle is a perishable skill,” he said. “You’ve got rust on your skills that you need to get cleaned off.”
The motorcycle deputies he oversees are required to practice riding again even after a week of vacation, he said. Sometimes that means cruising around a parking lot to get comfortable again.
Some of the serious-injury and fatal crashes involve errors by car drivers, but a common factor also is motorcyclist skill level, Rochon said.
The few who show poor etiquette on the road — wheelies, splitting lanes, texting at traffic lights — make the rest look bad, he said. Another problem he sees is riders wearing appropriate gear, and passengers in shorts, tank tops and sandals.
“That’s road rash waiting to happen,” he said.
Every rider and passenger needs solid shoes, long pants, protective gloves, a jacket, a helmet and eye protection, he said. Seasonal riders also should conduct mechanical checks of their bikes.
According to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, the majority of fatal motorcycle crashes involve rider inexperience or riders who didn’t have the motorcycle endorsement on their driver’s license. Other common factors included alcohol, drugs and speeding.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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