Source: shopify.com

If you want to explore the Indian roads on a bike, you must follow some tips to maximise your two-wheeler’s potential.

In this piece, we have listed the best bike riding tips that ensure a safe and joyful riding experience.

So, let’s begin!

With increasing city traffic and fuel prices, getting optimal mileage from a bike has been difficult. Even some best-branded bikes have failed to reduce the daily expenses. Here, you can improve a bike’s mileage only by following some tips.

Wondering what the ways are? Stay tuned!

1. Service Your Bike Regularly

One of the most effective bike riding tips to ensure better mileage is opting for bike servicing regularly. Servicing improves a bike’s engine health and also increases its durability. If servicing a bike is taking out too much from your pocket, do not forget to check engine oil.

2. Carburettor Setting

If regular maintenance is not improving car mileage, keep an eye on the carburettor and get it checked by professionals. Manually or electronically re-tuning of the carburettor helps restore the engine’s performance. Subsequently, the mileage of a bike also improves.

3. Ride at Controlled Speed

Riding at a consistent speed is essential to achieve high mileage. Abrupt acceleration leads to hard braking, which in turn results in poor mileage.

Wondering why?

Hard acceleration ends up consuming more fuel. If you can maintain an average speed of 40kph-55kph with minimal braking, you can undoubtedly ensure higher mileage.

4. Check Tyre Pressure

Bike riding tips to get high mileage include keeping an eye on tyre pressure. To ensure optimal fuel efficiency, you must frequently check tyre air pressure and maintain it to the manufacturer’s recommended limit. Reduced tyre pressure lowers the bike’s mileage because the rolling resistance increases due to the wider contact of the tyre with a road's surface area. On the other hand, higher tyre pressure may ensure higher mileage, but it will lead to decreased contact area and reduced traction.

5. Shift to Highest Gear

To ensure higher mileage, try to shift to the highest gear as soon as possible. This practice helps decrease the engine speed while maintaining the road speed, thus improving the mileage of your bike.

6. Opt for a Good Fuel Quality

Try to fill the fuel tank with good quality fuel. Good quality fuel increases fuel economy and ensures good engine health. Hence, avoid refilling tanks with contaminated fuel from unauthorised fuel tanks and visit only company-owned fuel pumps. Besides, try to visit the same fuel pump for consistency.

7. Use the Kill Switch

While stuck in traffic (for more than 30 seconds), use the kill switch and turn off the engine. It will help to save fuel as well as engine health.

Now that the ways of getting high mileage are clear to you, let’s focus on ways to maintain better engine health.

The engine is like the heart of a bike which allows it to run smoothly. Following are some road bike riding tips that will help to maintain better engine health in the long run.

1. Check for Leakage

Before starting your bike's engine, look at the ground and check for any leaking fluid. If you notice any drop before or after parking your car, visit a mechanic and get it repaired immediately.

2. Clean Engine Air Filters

The list of long-distance bike riding tips includes cleaning engine air filters. Indian roads are full of dust, leading to clogged-up bike air filters after a few months of usage. Hence, to get optimal bike efficiency, you must keep the air filters clean and change them at regular intervals (as recommended by the two-wheeler manufacturer).

When you replace engine air filters or clean them regularly, it reduces the chance of blockage that may build up over time. The cleaning of the engine air filter improves the engine’s capacity to draw air and puts less strain on it while operating. Thus, you can ensure enhanced fuel efficiency and increased mileage.

3. Maintain a Steady Speed

Riding at high speed may give a thrilling experience, but hard braking at the last moment may increase the chances of skidding and put more stress on the engine. So, try to maintain a gradual acceleration aligning with the required gear and speed and then apply brakes. This improves fuel efficiency and allows the engine to stay in good health.

4. Change Engine Oil

The primary function of engine oil is to lubricate and keep the engine cool. While a bike runs, heat is generated due to the combustion process, resulting in wear and tear of engine parts. Unclean engine oil decreases fuel consumption capacity. On the other hand, when the acidity level of engine oil increases, it creates internal corrosion. Together these issues can reduce the longevity of the engine. Additionally, the carbon deposit in engine oil can make it thick, creating drag in the engine’s internal movements. Therefore, change bike engine oil at recommended intervals to ensure better engine health.

5. Avoid Overusing Reserve Oil

If your bike has started using reserved oil, stop immediately at the next petrol pump and get the tank refilled. Petrol contains sediments that settle down in the bottom of the fuel tank and form a layer in there. When you use reserved oil, the accumulated sediments can reach the bike engine causing wear and tear on engine parts.

The section mentioned above gives a comprehensive idea of ensuring optimal engine health in the long run.

Now, let’s move on to the safety measures that every bike rider must follow.

1. Wear Helmet

Searching for tips for riding a bike on the road safely?

The foremost safety requirement when riding a two-wheeler is wearing a helmet.  Helmets protect the head from any injury or accident. Therefore, purchase a helmet that comes with ISI certification and covers your entire face, including jaws. Even if you are a pillion rider, do not forget to wear safety gear. As per the traffic rules in India, both riders (one who is riding and sitting behind) must wear helmets to avoid penalty charges.

Along with wearing a helmet, you must make yourself visible on roads (especially during the night). Here, you can use reflective bands on a helmet to make it look bright. You can increase visibility by pasting reflective bands on the side or back of a two-wheeler.

2. Maintain a Safe Distance from Other Vehicles

To ensure safety while riding a bike, you must maintain a safe distance from other vehicles. Try to avoid blind spots, especially bikes. More importantly, try not to speed up suddenly when the traffic signal opens. Try to maintain a safe distance and leave some space while overtaking parked or moving vehicles or riding on roads. This is important, specifically, to avoid collisions while riding.

3. Watch Obstacles and Road Hazards

One of the important bike riding tips is to keep a watch over obstacles and road hazards. Indian roads are filled with potholes, garbage piles, speed breakers, and many others. Therefore, maintain a low speed in these areas. Additionally, be attentive while riding, especially on high roads, as stray animals can cause serious trouble if you try to apply the brake at high speeds.

4. Check the Bike Before Going for a Ride

Another major pointer in the list of long-distance bike riding tips includes ensuring your bike is in optimal condition. Owners can achieve this only by servicing their bikes at regular intervals.

5. Obey Traffic Rules

Follow all the traffic rules and try not to overtake or over-speed. Additionally, do not drive when you are under the influence of alcohol.

The tips mentioned above are applicable to all seasoned bike riders. However, there are a few other bike riding tips for beginners they must follow.

Following is a list of tips for riding a bike for the first time

1. Try to Avoid Riding Long Distances Initially

As a beginner, try to avoid long distances riding right after purchasing a bike. The capacity to cover a distance depends on your previous experience, fitness level, terrain, and road condition. Try to cover small distances initially and slowly increase the distance as you gain confidence in riding on both city roads and highway terrains.

2. Be Careful at Turns

While turning a bike, make sure to line it up so that you can enter the turn on the outside, navigate the turn through the inside, and exit on the outside. This riding habit will help you cover more eye distance and reduce lean angles so that you can take a corner faster.

3. Do Not Brake at Turns

Riders, be they beginners or seasoned, must not brake at turns. If a rider is leaned over in a corner, the bike will straighten up immediately. If the turning ends and the roads straighten up soon, then the brake will not harm the rider. Otherwise, it could result in a major accident.

The above-mentioned piece talks about effective bike riding tips in India. Read the details carefully and incorporate these while riding to ensure higher mileage, optimal engine health, and maximum safety.