The Kansas Motorcycle Operator Manual contains all the information you'll need to take your motorcycle license test and your motorcycle skills test. You will learn how to operate a motorcycle safely in traffic, and what you can do to keep yourself safe from road hazards. Here are a few of the topics covered in the manual (you will need the free Adobe Reader to download and read PDF files):

• Choosing the right motorcycle gear

• Know your motorcycle parts and systems

• Know your driving responsibilities

• Learning to control your motorcycle

• Riding techniques for various surfaces and conditions

• Ways to avoid accidents

• Techniques for riding in groups

• Encountering mechanical problems

• Avoiding flying objects, animals and other motorcycle-specific hazards

• Handling mechanical failures

Top Register Your Motorcycle

Before you get out on the road, make sure that your motorcycle is properly registered with the Kansas DMV, and that you have adequate insurance. If your motorcycle is a custom-built bike, you might like to check our custom vehicle registration section before you go to the DMV.

Top Some Grim Statistics

Motorcycles make up just about 4% of the vehicles on the roads, but have been involved in about 11% of all traffic accidents. For every 100,000 motorcyclists on the road, there are about 62 fatal accidents per year, making motorcyclists about 32% more likely to be killed in a collision than drivers of passenger vehicles. There is an equally high injury rate, and post-accident fatalities due to injuries sustained are far greater than those of passenger vehicle drivers.

Top Learn How to Ride Safely

The Kansas Motorcycle Operator Manual is there to help you become a safe motorcycle driver. Riding within your skills is one of the easiest ways to avoid an accident, and learning what your limitations are shows that you are a mature and experienced rider.

If you are still in your driver training period and are driving a motorcycle with a provisional license, ask your teacher to demonstrate safe riding techniques and ask about things you can do to avoid dangerous situations.

Top Dressing the Part

It's all in the gear. Not for looks, although some people just love all that leather, but for safety, even when it's hot out. Riding a motorcycle in sandals, a T-shirt, no jacket, and shorts can make a ride uncomfortable at best and tragic at worst. What could be a minor spill if you are in proper gear can become a devastating, life-threatening injury if you are not wearing appropriate gear to protect you from road abrasions.

Top Helmets Save Lives

While Kansas does not require helmets for motorcycle riders 18 and older, it is a fact that helmets save lives. Here are some of the helmet topics covered in the Kansas Motorcycle Operators Manual:

• How to wear a helmet correctly

• Choosing the right helmet for you

• Protecting your eyes and face

Even if you do not agree with wearing a helmet, eye protection is a must. Motorcycle riders are vulnerable to flying objects such as gravel, dust, pebbles, insects, cigarette butts, and other small but potentially dangerous objects. A good windshield, goggles, safety glasses or a helmet visor are necessary. Make sure that whatever eye protection you use is shatterproof and made for a motorcycle.

Top Mechanical Problems

It's a frightening possibility, but a simple mechanical failure on a motorcycle, especially for an inexperienced driver, can be the cause of a tragic accident.

Knowing how to control your motorcycle in case of mechanical failure is a critical skill and something that every motorcyclist should know. Some failures happen so suddenly that there is not a lot of time to think. The most important thing to remember is not to panic, but to get the bike safely off the road. The Kansas Motorcycle Operator Manual gives great tips on what to do if you experience:

• A stuck throttle

• Broken or stuck chain

• Failure of the engine

• Brake problems

• Tire blowout

• Animals in the road

The biggest risk with mechanical failure is the sudden instability of the motorcycle that can cause an accident. If you have studied ways to control an unstable motorcycle, then if you should encounter a problem, you will know what to do. You may never need to know these things, but it is better to be prepared in the event you do experience a mechanical failure.

Top Lots More Information

The Kansas Motorcycle Operator Manual has tips and information passengers and experienced riders, too. Download the online version or pick up a copy from your local Kansas DMV office. You may pick up a tip that will make you next ride more fun, or you could learn a bit of information that could save a life someday.

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