Caravan rallies have now become a familiar sight as political candidates for the upcoming 2022 elections ramp up their campaigns to win over voters all over the country. And if you are a politically-aware rider, chances are you will be joining one of these caravan parades to show your support to your chosen.
Unlike any other ride, Caravan rallies carry with it a certain amount of danger that you have to recognize and prepare for.
Imagine, you will be riding within a column of riders with varying degrees of skill and some with even questionable training. The speed of travel will vary from a stop and go, a snail’s pace of 5km/hr to sudden bursts of 25-40 km/hr followed by sudden stops. All in close proximity with each other, at about a meter or less distance from the next bike.
Thus, every kilometer of the journey will be a test of your riding skills. It will also test the performance and responsiveness of your motorcycle, and whether the parts you have will be able to keep up with the unusual ride characteristics of the caravan.
So, in order to keep yourself safe, we propose that you follow the following important tips that can be your safety checklist before you even sign up for a caravan ride.
- Get your bike checked – just like a long ride, it is important to get your bike checked out by a trained mechanic right before the caravan ride to ensure that the performance and responsiveness that you need will be there when you need it the most.
- Check the fluids, cables, nuts and bolts – even after coming from a service center, it is always good practice to do a visual check of your bike before you ride out, because even expert mechanics are human and might have overlooked something.
- Wear protective gear – while that campaign shirt, baller and even caps help promote your candidate, ride safety must never be compromised. So, if you have safety gear, always put it on.
- Be alert – Don’t be too distracted by the merriment and the music. You are on the road, traveling in a motorized vehicle – so an accident can still happen and you might be the cause if you forget that you are riding in a group.
- Be a ride marshal – during a caravan you never know the caliber of the riders who will be joining. Chances are that there will be riders who are known as “kamotes” who will join in for the fun. You can easily spot them; they will be the ones who are weaving erratically in an out of the group; the ones who recklessly disregard common ride safety. If you see these riders, act like a marshal and guide them to ride properly or ask them to leave the column. Inform them that their riding attitude is risky and might result in an accident that no one wants.
We hope that you will keep these five pointers in mind every time you join in any caravan, regardless of who you are rooting for. And always remember, at the end of the day, when all the votes are counted, all of us will revert to who we used to be – Motorcentral ride safety-conscious riders, kaibigan.
