How should you ride a motorcycle on a dirt road?
Show the correct answer
Correct answer
A. By raising yourself lightly on the footrests.
Explanation
In the photo you can see two motorcycles standing on a forest dirt road with ruts and loose soil. On such a road you ride a motorcycle raising yourself slightly on the footrests - answer A.
The Road Traffic Act requires you to adapt the way you ride to the condition of the road, and a dirt road needs a different technique from asphalt. Standing slightly on the footrests, with your knees bent, you move your weight from the seat low down onto the footrests and let the motorcycle move under you: the wheels can bounce over ruts and stones, and your legs absorb the shocks instead of passing them to the handlebars. When you are sitting, every bump throws your body sideways and jerks the handlebars. Moving as far away from the handlebars as possible (answer B) takes weight off the front wheel, which then floats and does not steer; increasing speed (answer C) on a loose surface shortens the time to react and lengthens braking, because the tyre slides on the loose layer. So you ride slowly, in a low gear, with a loose grip on the handlebars and your eyes far ahead.
Legal basis: Art. 19 para. 1 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)