Scanning through past Consumer Reports articles on motorcycles, scooters, and mopeds, advice from the June 1981 issue resonated with me today. The basic wisdom from decades past still applies today. I set this research aside to address later, along with lessons gleaned from the well-packaged Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Guide to Motorcycling Excellence and other bike publications cluttering my desk. However, a news headline from Automotive News today ("Pininfarina CEO dies in road accident") drove home the importance of again sharing safety advice, particularly before a summer weekend. (Also see the Pininfarina company statement and New York Times article.)

Andrea Pininfarina, the CEO of famed automotive design firm Pininfarina, died this morning. He was reportedly riding a Vespa scooter to work when he was struck by a car. At this time, I do not know the particulars of this tragedy, though it underscores that safety must be of paramount concern when riding any motorcycle or scooter, and much of the following applies to both.

Excerpted from Consumer Reports, June 1981:

There are three main reasons [motorcycles have a higher death rate than automobiles]:

1. A motorcycle is much harder to see than a car.
2. A motorcycle offers its rider little or no protection
3. A motorcycle’s handling is tricky—if it skids, it often spills.

• Like any motorized two-wheeler, a motorcycle must be ridden with extreme care. Steering, accelerating, and braking require skill and a high degree of coordination to handle competently. If you’re used to power steering, power brakes, and automatic transmission, learning to balance a motorcycle while handling its clutch and gear-shifter can be a formidable task.
• If you’re a beginner, ride especially conservatively for the first six months or so. Learn to operate the clutch and both brakes smoothly and precisely, to avoid skidding. As your skill increases, gradually discover the limits of your motorcycle’s traction—but do it in a safe place, away from traffic, and do it carefully.
• A properly designed motorcycle, when cornered too hard, always skids out at the rear. To recover control, allow the skid to continue somewhat, without aggravating it. Reduce throttle so the engine is neither speeding you up nor slowing you down. Don’t touch the brakes. To maintain balance, steer in the direction of the skid—that is, turn the front wheel to the right if the rear wheel is skidding to the right. Brake only when you have the motorcycle under full control.
• Use the front brake carefully to avoid locking up the front wheel. If the front wheel begins to skid, release the brake instantly.
• Drive defensively. Assume that you are invisible and that motorists therefore will not give you the right of way. It’s unwise to place your life in the hands of every stranger who drives by.

Our current engineers also caution that traction varies widely on different road surfaces and in different weather. Learn to scan the pavement and determine the level of grip available. If it’s too shiny, it may be slick.

In the future, we explore the Consumer Reports archives further and dig deeper into safety and ownership issues. Learn more about motorcycle and scooter safety from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.

—Jeff Bartlett

For more motorcycles and scooters coverage, read our blog entries:
Vespa LX150 scooter – A fair-weather friend
Tips on buying and driving a motorcycle or scooter
Downsizing to two wheels - Motorcycle interest revs up
Motorists move to scooters and motorcycles to save
Motorcycle death rates doubled; supersport bikes the most dangerous

Read our full report and tests of scooters and motorcycles. Also, join in the Motorcycles & scooters forum discussion.