Street Strategies: A Survival Guide for Motorcyclists

You don't have to be a motorcyclist to benefit from this book, but it is especially true for bikers, because they are more vulnerable than those who drive surrounded by a steel cage.David Hough shows typical situations which are inherently dangerous on city streets as well as on the highway. The book is full of diagrams similar to those one makes for an accident report, showing the vehicles involved and the path they follow leading to collison or other problems.There are the sharks, who drive agressively, tailgate and swerve in and out of traffic: accidents looking for a place to happen. Then there are the left-turn artists who either don't see or ignore the cyclist coming at them. There are the dopey drivers who are oblivious to their surroundings, or those who are primping or talking on the cell phone as they drive. He describes them all and gives good advice on how to handle them, and you can follow with him--especially if you have already experienced some or all of them.This book is equally applicable to automobile drivers, in many cases--the main difference being that they have some armor around them, although it is far more flimsy than most of them realize.I have ridden motorcycles over the years, and my latest is a cruiser that is well lighted, weighs 743 lbs., and is almost as large as a car--and a lot quicker. It is more visible than a small sport bike, but it is still vulnerable. I had a lady pull out in front of me from a supermarket parking lot when I was traveling at about 25 miles an hour who, when she saw my front wheel stopped about two inches from her driver's side door, turned white as chalk.On another occasion a lady pulled out of a mall driveway onto a five-lane street, crossed three lanes, pulled diagonally in front of a stopped bus waiting for a light to change (which obstructed the vision of the Harley rider who was alongside the bus one lane over. Instead of pulling temporarily into the buses' lane until she could ascertain what might be coming up on her right, she crossed in front of the bus--and the bike--apparently trying to get into the curb lane to make a right turn at the next intersection. The bike didn't have a chance. At about 25 MPH he plowed into her passenger side door, messing up his expensive custom bike and breaking his leg in the process.These are two types of things that I have witnessed, both of which are described in Hough's book.Do I recommend this book to you? Only if you'd like to continue riding, and living.Joseph (Joe) Pierreauthor of Handguns and Freedom..their care and maintenanceand other books.

Whenever I hear of an Accident, or find Myself in a Dangerous Situation, I can usually find the Scenario of it in this book. If You ride, Read it! You will see MANY Scary-Scenarious YOU have been in... or WILL be in! And Solutions or Comments on how to avoid them, BEFORE they become Real Problems. It is Short, to the Point, and should-be required reading. Hough knows how to Minimize Risk. This book will not teach You how-to ride a bike. It will teach You how-to ride a bike Safer. Book is in a Compact, easy-to-read Format, with diagrams. Thanks Mr. Hough.

Street Strategies is a fine book. However, I'd choose to buy Hough's other book, Proficient Motorcycling first. Street Strategies is a book filled full of snapshots that warn the rider of potential dangers while riding on the road. Proficient Motorcycling is a book with a larger charge. It warns of road dangers, in addition points the way toward more skillful riding. It has exercises designed to help the rider build the skills needed to avoid danger and feel the satisfaction of good bike control.I changed my star rating from four to five stars 12/16/01. The book has five stars worth of information. Originally, I was comparing the book to Hogue's "Proficient Motorcycling" which I still think is a better first choice for many riders. However, considered on its own merits "Street Strategies" is an excellent choice.

This book is different from most other books on motorcycle safety because it focuses more on road and traffic hazards than on how to use the brakes or clutch. Some of the road hazards covered in this book are (1) fog, (2) angled pavement, and (3) oil spills; and some of the traffic hazards covered are (1) cars turning left in front of you, (2) cars changing into your lane, and (3) cars entering from side streets.The author discusses about 73 different topics that relate to motorcycle safety and devotes about two pages to each topic. The first part of the discussion explains the problem and the second part gives you a solution for dealing with the problem. For instance, if the problem is how to make a quick stop while the bike is leaned over in a curve, the solution is to "swerve the bike upright" and then apply the brakes.Reading this book will give you the ability to recognize dangerous situations and then take whatever actions are needed to keep from having an accident. If motorcycles are a part of your life and you would like to avoid expensive repairs or painful injuries, I highly recommend that you read this book. I found quite a few things of interest in this book, and I've been riding motorcycles for more than 25 years. Revised 4-17-02

Hough does it again!This follow-on to his previous book "Proficient Motorcycling" (also quite good) is very readable and specifically designed to highlight specific hazards and how to spot/avoid them. The chapters are actually just long paragraphs that are brief and to the point. I'm a new biker so I really need this kind of info. Even so, I bet that experienced hands would find the topics covered a helpful refresher. They are presented in alphabetical order so the reader can specifically find and focus on a specific situation.Highly recommended.