Columbus, Ohio - Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company is dedicated to keeping riders safe during the busy spring and summer travel season. In addition to educating drivers about motorcycle awareness, Nationwide has teamed with Pete Boccarossa, an insurance agent with over 25 years of Superbike racing experience, to remind motorcyclists about racing techniques that can give everyday riders a real safety edge.

Toronto, Ont.: Dodging potholes won't be the only thing causing you stress while driving this summer. Debris and loose cargo from truck beds and trailers can cause major accidents for you and your fellow travellers. Improper securement and tie-down of recreational vehicles and cargo is a real danger and can be easily avoided by the following Steadymate Travel Tips. Steadymate by Kinedyne, THE name behind the pros in the trucking industry for over 40 years, gives advice on how to use tie-down and cargo equipment the right way. Steadymate Travel Tips: * Pick Premium Products: When you are transporting your valuable equipment, don't try to save money and buy cheap securement systems (like rope or bungee cords) that won't do the job properly and efficiently. Choose premium products that have a manufacturer's certified rating - and make sure the rating matches your needs. Steadymate is a premium line that is over engineered to exceed current government regulations. This means they go beyond the standards so that you are covered.

Q I am the owner of a 2003 Suzuki GSX-R1000. The "Smart Money" and "BB Gunn" stories in your December 2005 issue mentioned a fragile clutch on the '03 model. I have noticed my clutch being notchy. I tend to push my bike to its limits by riding frequently in the canyons and going to track days; I was wondering what your recommendations are regarding changing any part of the clutch. Should I change the clutch and clutch basket or the whole assembly? Can you tell me the benefits of changing one and/or both?
Tony Goodwin
Burbank, CA

You've probably thought about it at one time or another: packing up your bike and hittin' the road. Some people actually do this type of thing, some on roads that aren't really roads-dirt and gravel routes that stretch way off the beaten path. If you're one of the latter, you're that rare and lucky creature known as the adventure-tourer. If so, chances are you've got a bike designed for just such duty: a BMW GS, Buell Ulysses, KTM Adventure or something similarly mule-like.

What's the proper way to ride a motorcycle? Ask a dozen riders and you'll get a dozen answers. Not even the experts can agree. Take something as simple as steering: Forget that whole push-right-to-go-left deal. Keith Code gave us the Power Pivot, Reg Pridmore preaches body steering and Freddie Spencer stresses trail-braking to change direction. Totally contradictory techniques, yet they all work. Who are we to disagree?

Of all the things you do on a motorcycle, crossing the center line to pass another vehicle is potentially the most dangerous. That's when you run the greatest risk of hitting another vehicle head-on. So survival hinges on knowing when it's safe to pass and when it's not. The three most important factors in making that decision are speed, time and distance.

The best bike in the world is scrap--or soon will be--unless you learn how to use it. The most powerful piece of high-performance hardware is between your ears. To help you program it with the right information, we've assembled 50 potentially lifesaving bits of street savvy. Some you'll know, some you won't. All are worth remembering, because when it comes to riding motorcycles on the street, the people over at the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (www.msf-usa.org) have the right idea with their tagline: The more you know, the better it gets.

1. Increase your speed incrementally.
2. Find and use reference points for braking, turn-in and apex.
3. Focus your vision way out front.
4. Select a gear that uses 60-80 percent of redline at the exit.
5. Be loose on the bike and bars, not rigid.
6. Get body position set for corners early.
7. Hang off slightly--and comfortably--in corners.
8. Use your legs to move you around the bike, not your arms.
9. Go slow when learning a new track. Get the flow first.
10. In the wet, be super-smooth with all control inputs.
11. Ride with the balls of your feet on the pegs at all times.
12. Weight the inside peg entering corners.
13. Weight the outside peg at the apex and exiting corners.
14. Perfect practice makes perfect--helps muscle memory.
15. Ignore the rear brake.
16. Walk the track if possible.
17. Don't apex early; late apex whenever possible.
18. Get to neutral throttle ASAP approaching the apex.
19. Apply smooth but forceful throttle exiting a corner.
20. Keep body movements small or smooth while cornering.
21. Braking distances increase exponentially with speed.
22. Monitor chassis feedback through hands, feet and butt when braking.
23. Ease off the brakes smoothly as you lean the bike into a corner.
24. Brake in segments: first 10 percent (to settle chassis), then 75 percent (hard braking), then 15 percent (releasing smooth toward apex).
25. Get hard braking done early; don't wait till you see God!
26. Passing tip: Let off the brakes sooner and carry a bit more speed into the corner.
27. Release the brake more slowly than you initially grab it.
28. Ride a bicycle for leg strength and cardiovascular training; it'll make you a better rider!
29. Control panic by being in control at all times; resist the temptation to go beyond your personal comfort envelope.
30. If you get in too hot, look where you want to go, relax and will yourself to make the corner.
31. Resist the temptation to tuck completely behind the bubble; sitting higher allows you to see more, which helps nail your braking and turn-in points.
32. If you crash, get wide. It resists flipping.

Braking from a fast straightaway into a slow corner can peg anyone's pucker meter, but it's a calmer and safer operation when you scrub off most of that velocity sooner rather than later. Let's say you need to get from 80 mph to 30 just in time for a cute, decreasing-radius left. Relax. Squeeze the bike between your knees to minimize the amount of upper-body weight supported by your arms and hands, and to keep from sliding forward suddenly. Keep your weight relatively low and centered on the bike. Simultaneously roll off the throttle and squeeze the front brake lever--think smooth and firm at first--as you feel the weight shift forward to compress the front suspension and load the front tire's contact patch.

Nobody likes being pushed around, least of all at 70 mph on the freeway, or somewhere north of 100 mph on the track. But that's exactly what a stiff wind will do unless you understand what you're up against. Quickly moving air, you see, behaves a lot like water. Navigating against a steady crosscurrent is relatively easy; steer into it just enough to stay on course. Plowing through a turbulent patch is more complicated. Steer or be steered. Constant corrective pressure on the bars and pegs is the only way to maintain the desired compass heading.

No matter how strong you are, the wind is stronger. So be smarter. Give yourself a cushion of downwind real estate wherever possible so unexpected gusts doesn't shove you into something solid, or off the road altogether. Plug in to your surroundings and you'll see most gusts aren't entirely random. Expect a blast of air to coincide with gaps in traffic or terrain--a line of large trucks or a canyon wall or emerging from behind some big wind-blocking urban structure--and brace yourself. The same plan works at the track.

Figure out where the wind wants to stand you up or push you over and then compensate by pushing back--and easing off and pushing back--just enough to hold your line. Gale-force wind at the apex of a corner, for example, means you need less throttle and more weight on the front wheel. Scooting up in the seat and moving your head and torso forward will help. Know thy enemy and you'll develop what wily Willow Springs veteran and Dunlop tire guru Dennis Smith calls "wind guts."

"Being familiar with what the wind does and where gives you an advantage at any track," Smith says, "because you're calm while the other guys are freaking out." How do you learn that? The same way you get to Carnegie Hall. Practice.

Tucking in a bit makes it tougher for the wind to get hold of you. So does snug-fitting gear, as opposed to the XXXL Army surplus rainsuit that jerks you around like a racing spinnaker at speed. Big bikes with big fairings can be especially unruly. If you ride such a beast, pay attention to how it acts in the wind and plan your reactions accordingly. Wrestling with any bike takes more effort in the wind. Dehydration and fatigue arrive earlier, so dialing down daily mileage is a good idea on long treks. Above all? Know your limitations. When the Weather Channel is reporting 70-mph gusts, switch to a nice solid seat at Starbucks or Denny's until things calm down.

It happened the other morning just as it happens three or four times each week--a way-too-close call with one of our four-wheeled friends.

Inflate/check tires
We know. Like several of the following items, this one seems too obvious. And for riders who keep a close eye on such things, it is. But proper tire inflation--along with routine tread-wear check--is key to a fine-handling motorcycle. It's also cheap insurance that can keep you from stepping off your bike in an unplanned way. Always be sure your bike's tires are inflated to the correct pressure(s). That doesn't mean the max pressure number listed on the tire's sidewall; that number is reserved for heavy-duty riding (two-up, loaded with luggage, etc.). We've always found the mid-30s (34-38 psi) to be a good overall pressure range. Slightly lower pressures (low 30s) typically result in more grip (and more wear), while higher pressures equal less wear and firmer ride qualities. Also, check the tread for wear, especially the uneven sort. Cupping around the edges or a flat-spotted tread crown can adversely affect handling. If you find these conditions, replace the tire.

When most riders go hunting for speed, they pore over catalogs of engine parts like acolytes searching for illumination. Cams and pistons and pipes, oh my! What they forget in their frenzied search for power is that if they can't slow down from the terminal velocities their mega-motors generate, they'll simply punch a bigger hole in the scenery as they miss the turn.

Street motorcycles are not the most agile animals in the motoring forest. They're more nimble than our four-wheeled friends, for sure, but they're not nearly as maneuverable as, say, your '83 Honda CR480R or '70s-spec Schwinn Sting Ray.

"Today's sportbikes offer ... suspension componentry that's better than what frontline Superbikes had less than a decade ago. The downside is that the myriad spring and damping adjustments can be confusing, and trying to figure out which adjuster affects what can make you feel like you need a Ph.D from Caltech. The factory manuals only go so far; recommended settings don't give you an idea of what to look for in order to decide if the setting you've chosen is the right one."

You've probably all been there at one time or another. You're riding along on a multilane surface street (two or three lanes moving in each direction), and because traffic is heavy you're nosing along in the far right lane, which is relatively uncongested because it's midday and not rush-hour, and because the occasional car is parked there.

Yanking your shiny new streetbike up onto its sidestand with both wheels in the air might seem dangerous and highly squidly. But as an aid for spring-sag measurement (see page 91) or moving/rotating your bike in the tight confines of a crowded garage or parking area, knowing how to do it safely and securely can be a huge help. (Riders with low-back problems will want to refrain.)

Pity the motorcycling newcomer. On top of acquiring an acceptable machine, learning to ride it and dividing one's attention between actually operating the bike and keeping errant cars and trucks from dealing death blows out on the mean streets, newbies must also eventually deal with the arcane and often-confusing subject of suspension tuning.

Competition-tire development has driven street-tire development almost since the first time two riders decided to race for pink slips. That's precisely why today's best street-legal supersport tires are the equal of the pure racing slicks that won Grand Prix world championships less than a decade ago. And that's not just our opinion; Mick Doohan, five-time GP roadracing world champ, has also said as much.

It's a painful rule of physics: Two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time. Still, various bits and pieces of life's detritus have a habit of periodically materializing right where you're planning to be in the next few seconds. On the mean streets of Boss Angeles, we've dodged some wild stuff: charcoal briquettes, innumerable mashed pets, a leather couch and even one very misguided canoe, sans canoeist. With maybe a second and a half to decide what to do and no second chance, you need to get it right the first time.

It's a query almost as old as the Bard himself: When it comes to lubricating your chain, what is the right stuff?

In situations where you're turning, braking and adding (or subtracting) throttle in quick succession or at the same time, such as riding in heavy traffic, riders often find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place--or between the brake lever and the handlebar.

Close your eyes and recall your last ride in heavy traffic. Imagine the vehicles surrounding you, crowding you, cutting you off. Imagine yourself monitoring closing speeds, reading street signs, noticing and anticipating traffic lights. Then imagine guessing what pedestrians will do, or how slippery that painted line might be. And those drivers with cell phones, newspapers or screaming kids to deal with...imagine trying to guess what they're going to do.

...to Motorcyclist Garage, the place for all things hands-on, practical and useful for streetbike enthusiasts of all stripes.
This month we focus on fitness and user-friendly ways to get yourself back into prime riding shape for the coming season. We know as well as anyone that staying away from barbecue, clairs and alcohol during the holidays can be tough (just ask Boehm), and that getting back on the running track or bicycle--or whatever you use to work out --after your excess of choice can be equally difficult.

What goes up must come down, and that goes for roads and motorcycles, too. Lots of riders feel nervous or have trouble riding their machines downhill sections, even on the same kinds of road sections that give them no trouble at all when they are heading uphill. Yes, there are physics involved, but much of the apprehension is generated within the rider's head.

Here are techniques to help you in those situations.