When Riding at Night, you won’t clearly see pedestrians. Especially as they cross the road.
So keep an eye out for them. All you see are shadows and silhouettes.
#inkedtips
#ridingatnight
#earthlings๏
#pedestriansafety
#MotorcycleSafetyAwarenessMonth
#inkedbiker
#ridesafe
#learn2ride
All in A Days Ride – Bike Dance
We celebrate our small small victories in any way we can. And Stacy can dance, on her bike. Well Done on finishing your Learn2Ride course well ๐๐๐
This could be you too. But you are still stuck in traffic in your car watching your fuel guage go down. Or in that matatu parked like sardines.
Learn2Ride with us, Sign Up Today . Call or WhatsApp us on 0736600194 for more information.
Ride Safe
All in A Days Ride – Bodas are Mental
Check out our new series of on the road situations videos coming to this blog.
In today’s video you will see how riding on the wrong way up a one way road is the norm for boda riders in Nairobi.
Just check out the clowns ๐คก on Ngong Road from Lenana High School. They have no chills and will put themselves and other road users at risk.
And cops have turned a blind eye to their shenanigans…nkt ๐ก. Bodas are a menace.
Ride Safe
Dear Newbie by Monyenye
I went riding in the rain without rain gear today! As I soaked and liked it despite my chest issues (๐คซ don’t tell my family) I started observing other road users, the constantly changing road condition; how the debris was somehow aligned at the middle or side of the road, how potholes were covered with water and you only discovered their depth when a car went in displacing the waterโฆthen there is the road marks that become slippery when wet๐, and the soil from construction sites that formed this sludge, uji type!๐๐ฟโโ๏ธ Then it all started coming to me, I had to stop and pen the best letter yet!
Dear newbie,
Well done for listening.๐๐ฟ๐๐ฟ Not just hearing, but actively seeking to understand and interpret information. That helped you sieve through the nonsense! But it also helped you learn and make informed decisions!
Well done for not implementing blindly. I met this new rider who replaced the best quality tyres for other less but also capable ones because someone selling told them to – the salesman will always look for a reason for you to part with some coins, I hope you’ll think those “reasons” through before making changes or modifying your perfect little machine. ๐
Well done for admitting when you lacked in skill. See at times, when that bike fails to perform, the issue could be that you are not remembering to switch to the correct gear or your rev matching is off or maybe just checking that the fuel switch is on! ๐คท๐ฟโโ๏ธ
Well done for charting your own path. Riding with different people as your schedule could allow (religiously believing that more seat time will make you better – and being proactive), trying different terrains near and far to learn what works for you. Your proactivity and adventurous spirit led you to figure out what works for you!
Well done for taking on challenges a step at a time. For riding in the rain without pressure just to have the skill for the day you’ll need to do it under pressure. For starting small and gradually increasing the groups you rode with to the point of learning large groups aren’t your thing. ๐คฃ๐คฃ๐คฃ
Well done for volunteering in various roles when you could. Those 2hrs a week hopefully counted towards making someone’s journey bearable and that when there turn comes, maybe they’ll pay it forward!
In time you’ll learn that it is not all black and white. For example you’ll find riders who choose to ride to the left or right of a lane, right where vehicle tyres run. Then you’ll wonder why they are not riding at the middle like you were taught. Well if that rider is also a cyclist, they’ll probably open up about the kind of debris in that middle part that gave their bicycles punctures. Hopefully my dear, you’ll grow to appreciate the different ways of doing things and get to learn that grey is also a colour!
You’ll become a better driver because you ride. You’ll notice all forms of two-wheelers, you’ll turn to check your side mirror blind spots, you’ll not just rely on the indicator but will check the driver’s face and their front wheel as you anticipate a turn. You’ll hopefully have better response/reaction to sudden road conditions! Riders are better drivers! ๐
It won’t all be rosy. There may come a time when you’ll loose a friend or a few. You’ll be petrified to use the same roads on two wheels, a car hooting or pushing you off the road will make you freeze, and cry at times. First, you’ll need to recognize that we are all going to leave this world six ft under, unless the Messiah comes. ๐คท๐ฟโโ๏ธ Second, you’ll grow to appreciate that, just like in all other areas you are dealing with adults who are not perfect! Ergo, not every road user is sane. While you’ll take every effort to be safe on the road, every other road user may not do the same to keep you or themselves safe. It’s just the twisted way things are. So be safe, do the best you can, call out bad road use when you see it, dont be scared to ride again, live! You need to leave a story worth telling! ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฟ
Keep going, the learning never stops. Should you get to a point where you feel that you have covered all there is to learn, find new challenges, rehash old lessons, pay it forward, be that blessing that will inspire confidence into another new rider!
Signed with lots of โค๏ธโค๏ธ, Monyenye.
Boda! The unskilled fighter in the Ring.
He will knock you out, you will be flat on your back wondering what hit you. Counting stars , hearing birds chirping around you.
It was a cheap shot, a sucker punch. He hit you when you weren’t looking. When your guard was down. At the sound of the bell, as you turned to get to your corner….BAM!
He knows he can’t go toe to toe with you. He does not have the skills, he doesn’t have the training, he lacks the pedigree, the right trainers, training and fighting gear , the right mind set.
Are his actions deliberate, are they by choice, by design. He is in the ring , His actions are always by choice, skilled or not, ignorance is no defense.
He can get out of the ring. That’s also a choice he can make. He doesn’t have to put himself and others at risk. He can take some time off to develop the right skills, invest in the right training and fighting gear. Yes , He can do that too.
Dr K, was knocked out. A cheap shot. Just past Migori town, as she overtook a boda. Boda turned into her path, yes turned. He didn’t check his mirrors, he didn’t even turn his head to check if the road was clear, he didn’t even indicate.
Dr K’s riding gear saved her, her training saved her. She rolled and rolled on the road. Her bike a wreck. The Boda fled the scene, as one who takes a cheap shot at you would do. Coward, dregs of the earth, bottom of the gene pool, and other choice words that are not PG rated.
Most of us have experienced a crash or near miss as a direct result of the actions of a Boda on the road. Yet the government with all its road safety actors on the roads keep turning a blind eye to this menace. Looks like it will take Hon Michuki to resurrect and rise from the grave. For sanity to be restored to our roads.
Ride Safe!
Inked Biker 