Heavy motorcycles

Your safety on a motorcycle

In collaboration with the driving instructors association and the traffic department of the capital area police, the Icelandic Transportation Authority has compiled the following points that are worthy of studying so that bicycle riding can be enjoyed in the safest way possible. Have a good trip.

Picture of a lot of motorcycles lined up

What is a motorcycle?

In traffic law, a motorcycle is defined as:

A motor vehicle which is not considered a car, traction machine or off-road vehicle and is mainly intended for the carriage of passengers or cargo, on two wheels, with or without a sidecar, or on three or more wheels with a burst capacity exceeding 50 m3, equipped with a combustion engine and designed to travel more than 45 km/h.

These bikes are usually called heavy motorcycles and they have blue registration numbers on a white background.

They may require different drivers' abilities, driving style, physical activity, equipment, etc. - depending on the type of driving they are intended for. While a driver is well-trained to drive one type of bike, this does not necessarily apply to other types of bikes.

Here are some rules that apply.

Driving rights for heavy motorcycles

To obtain a license to drive a heavy motorcycle, the driver must:

have reached the age limit
have appropriate drivers license

Safety equipment, clothing and the bike itself

A few small pictures of motorcycle safety equipment

Make sure that the equipment is marked with CE or DOT standards and intended for motorcycles and its specific use.

Helmets that meet the minimum safety standard have internal feeding. normally, it is approximately 2.5 cm thick polystyrene foam. Sometimes the internal feeding will not be visible, but you should still be able to feel the thickness.

Helmets that do not meet the minimum safety standards usually only contain soft foam skin or a straight plastic shell without a padding.

The helmet must be CE marked and intended for driving on motorcycles.
The helmet must be well fit for the driver and must not have been hit by a knockout.
Keep the helmet so that it does not get too warm or change in temperature or humidity.
It is important to check the life of the helmet with the manufacturer and/or dealer, but it is common that the life is 5 years. The date of manufacture of the helmet is shown on the label inside the helmet.

Make sure that the following equipment is intended for driving a motorcycle, suits the specific use of the bike, is suitable for Icelandic conditions and is according to European standards - marked with CE.

Bicycle clothing - may be a co-festing (dress) or jacket and trousers that can be mounted together. The clothing must be made of a strong and resistant protective material.
Shock protection or so called armor shall be in the clothing and made of impact-resistant materials.
Gloves should be fitted with a good head restraint over the knuckles and protect hands well from cold. Winter gloves are usually best suited for driving in Iceland.
Gloves can be very useful as they protect against dust and insects which can cause eye damage. Furthermore, many of these gloves work as sunglasses.
Shoes or boots that have stiff ankles to reduce the risk of ankle fractures.
The neck brace is often used by those who drive bikes on rough roads. It can protect the driver from shoulder or collarbone fractures, as well as reducing the cooling of the neck. It also reduces the fatigue of the neck muscles during long drives. If you drive on a conventional road on a street bike or a race bike, the neck brace is not used.
Kidney belts can greatly reduce serious injuries and damage to organs. They can act as a protective device for the area of the back that can become vulnerable if a jacket that is not attached to trousers rises when the driver slips along the ground. They can also act as a protective device for the lower back and the spine.
There are inflatable vests, jackets and trousers. There is a bicycle clothing that blows up every second, thus protecting the driver of the bicycle if it falls off. There is very good experience with this equipment and it can be said that this is a revolution in the safety of bicyclists.
Re-skin. Make sure there is reflection on the clothing and preferably choose clothing and helmets that are in prominent colours. There are reflective vests that are recommended for bicyclists to wear.

Age of tyres

The condition and quality of tyres is one of the most important factors in ensuring your safety.

The aim is that the life of a tyre is not normally more than 5 years from the date of manufacture. It can usually be seen marked with four digits dotted with a numerical code on the side of the tyre. The first number pair is the week in which the tyre was manufactured and the second pair is the year.

Example: 2314 = 23rd week 2014

The tyres that are used regularly will usually wear down before they show signs of ageing. However, tyres can break down due to ultraviolet rays, humidity and unwanted temperatures.

Here are a few things that can help you to assess the condition and quality of tyres:

Check the side walls of the tyres for cracks, especially if the tyres are 4 to 5 years old.
Check that the layer is deformed, but this may indicate aging.
Check your tyres visually regularly.
Have professionals at a tyre shop evaluate the condition and quality of the tyres.

Too low air pressure

Too low pressure in tyres can create a very high risk. It can often be difficult to detect this and therefore it is important to measure the pressure regularly.

The risk of low air pressure is especially high when driving over uneven surfaces, in corners and at some speed. A tyre with low air pressure can get very heated during driving and then not only the tyre's belt (contact surface) but also its sides get heated, which is usually much more sensitive than the belt.

Some tyres and especially rough-shaped tyres with reinforced sides can be so stiff that even if there is almost no air pressure in them they do not lie flat under the weight of the bike. This can create a subtle hazard and requires regular air pressure measurements.

Excessive air pressure

Excessive pressure can reduce the resistance and road grip of the tyres. The air pressure should be measured on a cold tyre. The recommended air pressure can be marked on the wheel itself, in the wheel manufacturer's manual or on the sides of the tyre.

In the cold weather that usually exists in Iceland, it can be worthwhile to have the air pressure as low as two pounds lower than the recommended value from the manufacturer of the bike. The air pressure in street motorcycle tires is usually between 28 and 40 psi.

The air pressure must be selected with regard to the load of the wheel and also the road conditions. Whether the vehicle is driven on gravel roads, on rough roads, on sand and in various other conditions.

Which tyres are suitable for your driving and bicycle?

There are many and very different types of tyres that are suitable for different conditions, weather and temperature.

Make sure that the tyres are not designed for much higher temperatures than are generally in Iceland. Tyres designed for track driving in southern Europe can be too stiff for Icelandic conditions.

New tires can be slippery at first and need to be driven to a considerable distance to achieve the best possible road grip. Cold roads and cold tires can create dangerous conditions.

It is a good rule to check the condition and function of the following items on the bike before starting:

Main Light
Rear-view mirror
Hemicycle
Stefnuljós
Restraint
Pattern depth and tyre quality (see tyres for details)
Air pressure in tyres (see tyres for details)
Mirrors and their position (see further under the item mirrors)
Steering
Flautu

In addition to this, it pays to explore:

Chain status and quality
Whether the chain is sufficiently strained
Whether to anoint a chain
Braking condition
Check if you need to replace the brake pad and/or clean the brake disc

If necessary, consult a professional. have a tool set that fits the bike so that you can do smaller repairs and, for example, repair tyres.

Driving on a heavy motorcycle

Keep the following in mind when driving a heavy motorcycle.

Always be ready to stop. This applies especially when you are nearing a crossing, driving ahead or in other circumstances where you can assume that your route will overlap with other traffic.

Even if there is a green light on your way across a crossing, or you have priority in other ways, you should have the rule of looking both ways because it can be that someone doesn’t respect your priority. Then it can be crucial to be prepared to stop.

When driving in a motorcycle, especially when there is a lot of traffic, it can be crucial to maintain a so-called defensive driving:

Always be prepared to react to the unexpected
Be prepared for the leg braking
Be prepared with your fingers on the steering brake (right side of the steering wheel)
Be prepared for the whistle of the wheel
Stay as far as possible in the field of vision of the driver driving ahead.
Do not overlook if you cannot see the driver's eyes in the side mirror of the car - wait a bit
Always be prepared for the need to force a brake - with both the front and rear brake
Always assume that other road users will not see you or miscalculate the speed of the bike

A motorcycle must not have a passenger unless the driver is 20 years of age or older. In such cases, this is only permitted if the manufacturer confirms that the bike is made for passengers. The passenger must then sit behind the driver. A child, seven years of age or younger, who is a passenger on a motorcycle must sit in a special seat intended for that purpose. If the bike has a seat for passengers, it must also be equipped with leg restraints for passengers. The motorcycle and its sidecar must not carry more passengers than the vehicle is intended for.

Do not drive faster than permitted and conditions allow. The maximum speed allowed is based on the best possible conditions on the road.

There are many examples of motorcycles being used as a barrier because the driver thought that the vehicle was far away, or was moving at a slower speed than the drivers thought. It is difficult for other drivers to estimate the speed of the bike and usually it seems to be moving at a slower speed than the actual speed.

Keep in mind that you are not visible to other drivers and act accordingly. A large proportion of serious accidents are because other road users did not see the motorcycle on time and for example, did not drive in the way. The risk of this is higher the faster you drive.

In addition to being preferably dressed in clothing that is noticeably colourful and with reflections, here are some important things that can ensure your visibility:

That the driving lights are on both at night and day.
That you position yourself in traffic so that other drivers can see you as best as possible.
That you position yourself so that you can see the best of the rear and side mirrors of cars that you are going to or intend to go ahead with.
Have appropriate reflectors on the bike - white on the front and red on the back, for example, on side bags. Additionally, have yellow reflectors on the sides of the bike, for example, in rims.
Always use direction indicators, but be sure to turn them off after making a turn.

Look ahead and try to identify any potential dangers that may be ahead.

Sand, oil and gravel on the road can cause you to lose grip and therefore balance - especially in turns.
Water on the road greatly reduces road grip and prolongs braking distance
Surface markings such as on pedestrian crossings and at intersections are much higher than asphalt
The fire closure may be a neck
Inequalities and holes can be dangerous and you should slow down and avoid driving into them.

Remember to consider a possible escape route if something unexpected happens. That you have the possibility of moving over to the edge of a road or out onto a roadside if you cannot stop in time. However, it is most safe to always keep a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front of you so that you can brake safely.

Make sure you look where you're going to go, not at what you're going to avoid getting into.

When you stop at a crossing, it may be helpful to stop so that you are not just behind the next car, but just sideways - behind it. This is to avoid the possibility of seeing in mirrors that the vehicle behind you is not able to stop on time. This will help you avoid being caught between two cars in the event of a crash.

Additional points to keep in mind.

In Iceland, weather is very good. Rain, wind, frost and snow can pose a serious risk. The roadworthiness of a motorcycle is very low compared to cars, and it is greatly impaired when there is icy water - not to mention dust or sand.

Winds and gusts can blow your bike off the road and the faster you drive, the more likely it is to blow your bike off the road. Furthermore, cold weather can cause a lot of danger and can severely impair your ability to drive. If you are forecasting a weather that could compromise your safety, you should delay your ride.

Keep the bike indoors, e.g. in a garage. Ryde damage can quickly occur if the bike is kept for some time outside.

With time, the battery charge decreases. To prevent the wheel from being out of flow when intended to be used, after a long storage period, it is worthwhile to keep the battery connected to a charger during storage. Make sure that the charger fits a specific battery.

Try to keep the temperature in the storage or the cupboard level and that there is not too much moisture in the air.

If you are planning to keep the bike for a long period of time, put a blanket over it.

Keep the bike on a centre stand or special stand (if the centre stand is not available). This relieves the weight of the suspension of the bike, especially the front, and prevents the suspension from becoming stuck or stiff.

Follow traffic rules – for your own sake

Traffic rules and the various restrictions that come with them exist primarily to ensure your safety and the safety of others on the road. So let’s follow the laws and regulations – they are not arbitrary.

Various myths and rumors are used to justify different kinds of risky behavior and driving styles that go against laws and regulations. Do not believe them. As mentioned before, these rules are not arbitrary; they are based on thorough research and experience that you may not have.