V E N G E A N C E M O T O R C Y C L E S O W N E R S M A N U A L
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Vengeance Motorcycles, Mira Loma, CA USA • 866-483-6432 • www.VengeanceMotorcycles.com
© 2004 Vengeance Performance Products, LLC All Rights Reserved • VOM 2nd Edition Rev 2.0 11/03
and a little behind you who’s moving across the lane divider. Never let your eyes fix on an object for more than two
seconds. Keep looking around. It’s one thing to see, another to have the time to react. No tailgating.
When you’re riding in town, at speeds under 40 mph, always keep a two-second gap between you and the car in front.
For example, when he goes by a phone pole, count “one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two” and then you should pass
that pole.
Out on the open road, with higher speeds, you should adjust your gap to three or four seconds or more, depending on
your speed. Use the same reference-point technique to determine how many seconds behind you are.
Intersections
It probably surprises no one to know that the majority of accidents involving collisions between a motorcycle and a car
happen at intersections - the most frequent situation being that of a vehicle turning left in front of a motorcycle.
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Any intersection is potentially hazardous, whether it has stoplights, or stop signs, or is unmarked.
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Always check for traffic coming from the side, left and/or right.
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Check for traffic behind you to make sure no one is about to run up your tailpipe.
Passing Other Vehicles
The technique for passing another vehicle is the same whether you are riding a motorcycle or driving a car.
First, before passing you should be two (or more) seconds behind the vehicle you want to pass and have positioned
yourself in the left-hand side of your lane.
From this position, you have to check oncoming traffic and the road to make sure you have enough distance to pass
safely. Don’t even think about overtaking if a corner is coming up.
If you have room ahead to make the pass, look in your mirrors, turn the signal on, and always look over your shoulder.
That head check is essential; somebody in a hot rod might have just pulled into your blind spot, intent on overtaking
you. Always remember the head check.
Everything clear? Move into the left lane and pass the car/truck/buggy/ whatever. Do not crowd close to the vehicle
you are passing; you should be more or less in the center of the lane you are passing in. Get by this vehicle as quickly
as possible, without exceeding the speed limit. If it is a slow-moving truck in front, you might want to shift down a gear
so you can accelerate more rapidly as you go around it.
Before returning to your original lane, signal your intention and do a head check to make sure that there is enough
room between you and the vehicle you just passed. Ever have someone speed up just after you’ve overtaken them?
Hmmmmm!
Return to your lane, cancel your signal, and proceed merrily along ... with care.
Night Riding
Quite often you’ll have to ride at night. After all, it is dark 50 percent of the time.
Dusk is really the worst time, when people’s eyes are adjusting from daylight to headlights. Be especially careful just
after sunset.
Usually it is advisable to slow down a little when riding at night, especially on any sort of winding road.
Use your own headlight and those of other traffic to keep an eye on the road surface. It is more difficult at night to see
the patch of sand or something that fell out of a pickup.
