Tips for traveling by motorbike during Tet holiday

Traveling by motorbike will bring different feelings, but this type of vehicle always contains many risks on long roads. Here are some rules and experiences that you, especially those who are going for the first time, need to pay attention to for safe and meaningful Tet trips.

Check the "health of the iron horse" carefully

During Tet, most roadside repair shops are rarely open, especially in remote areas. Therefore, to have a spring trip by motorbike, you should carefully check the health of your "iron horse" before hitting the road.

If the car you use as your vehicle is not flashy in appearance, then… all the better, you will save yourself the trouble of maintaining it because it is difficult to avoid scratches. The exterior is not beautiful but the car must have a shell that is not too old and a stable engine.

Both front and rear brakes, lights and oil need to be checked carefully before the trip to avoid damage on the road. If you know a little about engineering, know how to patch tires and have a few essential tools in the trunk, then great, no need to worry!

Prepare all personal documents and vehicle documents. Pack them neatly in your backpack, put unused items in your suitcase and tie them securely to the luggage rack: now you can hit the road.

Nowadays, with the popularity of scooters, many people use this type of vehicle for their trips, however, according to Cung Phuot's experience, you should use manual transmission vehicles for more convenience. Some popular types of vehicles are Future Neo, Wave RS, Jupiter, Sirius ...

Before the trip, you should take your car for a complete maintenance, check the brake pads, check the tire wear, replace the tube if your old tube has too many patches, change the engine oil... This is quite important for your own safety on the road. If the tire is too old, has cracks, the grooves have been worn out, it will affect the grip on the road. If the tire has many patches during the driving process (long distance), the friction generated can cause the old patch to come off. Check the headlights, taillights and brake lights too, when you are on the road and you press the brake to slow down but the cars behind do not know and still rush forward, it will be dangerous for both cars. Tires should be kept at a moderate level, too much pressure will cause the car to lose grip on the road and easily slide when it rains, and too little pressure will easily cause the tube to be crushed (how moderate depends on each person's car).

Handling situations is extremely important.

Traveling by motorbike is a passion for many young people. For those who often travel, it goes without saying. However, for those who are using a motorbike for the first time, experience on the road and handling situations is extremely important.

Always obey traffic laws when driving, do not drive in 3 rows (it is best to drive in 1 row), do not weave in and out, stay in your lane, drive at the prescribed speed (pay attention to signs when entering densely populated areas).

Drive in 2/3 of your lane, do not cross lanes (stick to the center line) for roads without lane markings, you must estimate the part of your lane you can drive. Do not drive too close to the curb because experience shows that this is an area where nails often get stuck. Do not drink alcohol when resting between stops.

Do not overtake when visibility is limited ahead, or there is a curve ahead. Do not overtake on the right (most vehicles are already on the right side of the road, so if you still choose to overtake on the right, there is not much road for you, which is very dangerous). When overtaking trucks, containers, or oversized vehicles, keep a safe distance from the vehicle body. Do not drive too close because these vehicles often create a very large suction force around them. If you are not a steady driver, you may be sucked under the vehicle by the wind created from here. If these vehicles are running at high speed, you should give way, do not try to overtake, or accept to go slowly behind and overtake when entering residential areas (at this time the vehicle has slowed down).

If you see a vehicle going in the opposite direction, speeding and encroaching on the road, you should proactively reduce speed and move closer to the curb, monitor the situation to handle it easily.

The rear passengers also have to pay attention to the road to signal situations ahead to the vehicle behind by hand (when needing to slow down, when there is an obstacle, when the vehicle in front stops, etc.)

In dry weather conditions, the road is not slippery, so keep a distance of 50m between vehicles. In conditions of limited visibility or dark, rainy weather, etc., this distance can be shortened (because at this time the vehicle speed has decreased).

When driving at night, try to flash your high beams appropriately so that oncoming vehicles do not shine their high beams directly into your eyes. If oncoming vehicles do not lower their high beams, you should proactively slow down and move closer to the curb. You should not use your high beams in reverse. You can use a pair of yellow glasses for night driving, which will help reduce the risk of having your high beams shine directly into your eyes.

When the convoy stops, the vehicles should stop as close as possible to the curb, stop in a single line, each vehicle a few meters apart. Do not stop all the vehicles together to avoid affecting traffic on the road.

When you drive a motorbike up a not-so-high slope, you can accelerate moderately, creating momentum to overcome the slope. However, for steep slopes with a large slope, you must shift down to a lower gear at the speed you think can take you to the top of the slope. Try to avoid shifting gears in the middle of the slope. If the initial speed decreases in the middle, shift down before the vehicle shows any signs of stalling. You should judge to shift down to the appropriate gear. A few times of experience going uphill will guide you to do this well. When you are near the top of the slope, reduce the throttle, keep the same gear and let it drift over the top of the slope. Proactively shift down quickly when encountering other vehicles going in the opposite direction at the time you are near the top of the slope, because that way, you will not lose momentum, leading to stalling.

When going downhill, for moderate slopes, release the throttle, using the engine compression to slow down. The front and rear brakes should only be used as assistance when absolutely necessary. For steep slopes, shift into the lowest gear when starting downhill. This will make the engine braking more effective. If the slope is the same both up and down, or if you drive down the same slope as you drove up, use the same gear as you did uphill. It is best not to change gears mid-hill. However, when absolutely necessary, shift into a lower gear before you accelerate too quickly.

When encountering muddy roads or slippery roads, you should reduce speed, ask to be carried down and walk if the road is difficult, readjust the luggage to ensure the balance of the vehicle (depending on the specific situation, you should keep or leave the luggage on the vehicle), hold the steering wheel firmly and keep the throttle steady, each vehicle should pass one by one, do not overtake each other at n. When crossing tunnels or streams, you should check the level of the rapid flow of the stream, if the water is strong, you should stop and find another way. In case you have to cross, you should seek help from local people, do not try to risk crossing it because it is very dangerous. roads like this.

Trust the person behind you

There are some simple rules and the most important one is "trust the person behind you". It also means "you must avoid the person in front of you".

Suppose when the first person turns left, the second person realizes it a few seconds later and quickly turns too: if the third person is not paying attention, he will crash into them and possibly cause a chain accident. Even if you are driving single file, you should still drive in two rows on one lane.

When traveling long distances in a group with a double or scattered formation, if a runner at the side of the formation encounters an obstacle (or a lane suddenly narrows), that person must be responsible for slowing down and joining the back of the convoy. Never rush into the middle of the convoy as this may cause an accident for the entire group. If an inexperienced member does so, the member in the middle can use the body of the vehicle to block him and signal him to move back.

A normal motorcyclist needs 1 second to recognize the situation and 1 second to handle it. If the group is going at 40km/h, the vehicles need to be about 2 seconds ~ 20m apart. 50km/h ~ 26m. 80km/h, the distance is 45m-60m apart. When going downhill, the time needs to increase to 3 - 4 seconds. Vehicles in a group are affected like a rubber band, so the leader needs to be very alert when accelerating and signaling to accelerate. If they stop for some reason right after accelerating, the entire formation can crash into each other. However, in some cases, to avoid being squeezed in by strange vehicles, the leader can proactively signal to close the distance and slow down. Experienced groups can move very close together.

A group of motorbikes should not exceed 6 if one member is not skilled in group riding. Only exceed 8 if all members are familiar with each other's riding style.

Prepare belongings, luggage, vehicle

The clothes you bring should be one set per day, you can add some shorts, shorts, and t-shirts. These are compact but only used when you arrive at your destination, dragging around, avoid wearing them when riding because if you fall, you will get scratches.

Essential items such as toiletries, special medicines, towels, swimsuits (if going to the beach) should be prepared and neatly arranged in a separate compartment along with a few plastic bags to store used clothes and trash. Also, don’t forget your camera to capture unforgettable moments during the trip.

You can also use self-sealing glue poured into the inner tube so that if you get hit by a nail on the road, you will not be in danger. The glue can also self-seal the puncture if you use it correctly. Pumping glue into the inner tube must follow the following sequence: Shake the glue bottle well, take the black cap of the glue bottle (which is also the inner tube valve opener) and open the inner tube valve. Insert the glue tube into the glue bottle and the inner tube valve. Squeeze the glue bottle firmly to pump the glue into the inner tube, while pumping, rotate the tire evenly so that the glue flows evenly. The inner tube valve always needs to be about 15cm above the ground. Finally, wipe the inside of the valve, assemble the needle and pump air into the inner tube. We recommend that you use domestically produced glue because through the actual use of both this glue and Chinese glue, we have found that Vietnamese glue does not affect the rim of the car and also has quite good effects.

Experience and position

The less experienced the person is, the closer to the end of the group he/she is. This is to avoid causing a chain reaction if (1.) occurs. The last person should know about cars and have tools to fix them, and should be the group leader. There should be a walkie-talkie to communicate with the leader.

Worried about not being able to ride a motorbike for the entire trip? Don’t worry: decide whether you’ll be better at riding on the way there or the way back (which will leave you with only half the distance).

If you want to drive on the way? Feel free to wander around the places you want to go until you reach your destination. When you get there: take some time to determine the local bus station and stop by to book a seat for the return trip. The ticket will be reserved for you and your companions, as well as your vehicle (motorbikes will have their gas drained and placed in the basement – ​​so it is not recommended to use a new vehicle).

If you prefer to drive the rest of the way home? Go to the bus station near where you live and buy a ticket.

Since it is Tet, services will definitely become more expensive, so if you have determined that your trip is a "backpacking" or "backpacking" trip, you should avoid high-class areas such as the city center, the beach area... Don't be afraid of the distance, you have a motorbike to bring with you. You don't stay much but you go out a lot, so a room at a hotel or motel in a residential area, if it is clean and beautiful, with an acceptable price, is fine. Finding these places is not difficult at all, you can run around the streets a few times and see a lot, freely compare prices and choose.

Make a careful plan before leaving

Summarize the route traveled. Describe how to pass, change lanes, and how to handle a group ticket or separation (the group in front stops or the group behind chases). Agree on radio frequencies. Explain hand signals. Arrange positions. Check machinery and safety equipment. Take a test drive if time permits.

A long motorbike trip tests all elements: courage, physical endurance, nerves, skills, readiness, ability to work in a team.

For groups of 4 or more vehicles and those who do not have much experience traveling on long distances by motorbike, it is advisable to assign a group leader and a group stopper to guide the entire group when moving, reduce speed on appropriate roads, signal the entire group on dangerous and unsafe roads. And to ensure that no vehicle in the group falls behind, is separated from the group or handles situations when a vehicle in the group has a problem (for example: vehicle breakdown) ... usually the stopper will be the vehicle holding the repair kit. There should be 2 vehicles going together and taking turns to stop the group or monitor each other because other members will often follow the leading vehicle and not pay attention to the stopper, if a problem occurs, 2 vehicles are better than 1. Require members of the group to always follow the leading vehicle to easily control arising situations.

The car is yours but you have to follow the group's requirements. Stop in the group, refuel, eat and rest in the group. Be ready to help others when their car has problems and they will help you in the same way. Having a more capable car does not mean you will be in the lead, it depends on your driving level. If your level is high, your position will naturally increase next time.

When on the road, in addition to greeting other groups, do not join randomly for your own safety. Do not provoke or make rude comments about other groups' vehicles. Only make technical statements when you know clearly and have experience.

According to dantri.com.vn