For many motorcycle riders, winter means storing your motorcycle away while you wait for warmer temperatures and better riding conditions. Now that summer has arrived so has the time to take the bike out of storage and head back out onto the road. Before you strap on your helmet and hit the road there are some basic tips to getting your motorcycle, and you, ready to ride.

Perform Routine Maintenance

Before taking your first ride you need to make sure your motorcycle is in top shape. If you stored your motorcycle away properly for the winter it should be easy to getting it running right again. If not? You may need to be prepared to put some time and effort in to getting your bike road worthy.

Your motorcycle owner’s manual should layout the appropriate summer maintenance tasks that need attention after storing your bike. Basic tasks that need to be performed include; flushing the fuel system (if you failed to add a fuel stabilizer before storing your bike), checking and replacing air filters, inspecting tire tread and pressure, checking fluid levels, inspecting brakes, making sure your battery is charged, and inspecting all lights and cables. Performing these routine maintenance tasks helps insure that your first ride of the summer goes smoothly.

Are you Ready to Ride?

Once your motorcycle is ready to ride you need to make sure you are ready to ride as well. After a long winter driving a car you can become oblivious to motorcycle issues like visibility or road surface hazards. For relatively new riders, and for experienced riders, it may be a good idea to take a refresher course with a local motorcycle-training program. At the very least you should practice your emergency skills in a parking lot. Regardless of whether you take a refresher course or practice on your own, every rider should practice critical skills by performing some cornering and braking drills.

Be Aware of Damaged Roads and Inattentive Drivers

Even though you and your bike are ready for the summer riding season, remember that the roads may not be. Roadways take a lot of abuse during the winter. Between damage from snowplows scraping the surface and repeated freezing and thawing of snow and ice, there is the potential for surface hazards until road crews can make repairs.

Additionally, you need to remember that drivers may not be used to seeing motorcycles on the road after a long winter. You need to be extra vigilant when riding in traffic and make sure you are driving defensively.

Purchase Roadside Assistance Coverage for Emergencies

Regardless of how well you maintain your motorcycle mechanical emergencies can still happen. Having roadside assistance coverage for your motorcycle insures that you will never be left stranded on the side of the road. Best Roadside Service is one of the few TOP RATED providers of Motorcycle roadside assistance. The motorcycle roadside assistance plans offered from Best Roadside Service provide all the traditional roadside assistance benefits for your motorcycle including; 24/7 coverage anywhere in the USA and Canada, emergency towing service via flatbed, battery jumpstart service, up to 3 gallons of fuel delivery ( gas is free!), and emergency personal assistance such as access to trip and routing services, VIP discounts for travel services and hotels, and concierge service to help you plan your next summer ride.

Perform these routine maintenance tasks, practice critical riding skills, and carefully evaluate road conditions before venturing out. Also, be sure to purchase a roadside plan for your motorcycle to provide you with peace of mind. By taking the time to prepare for the summer riding season you can ensure it is a safe and enjoyable one.

Motorcycle roadside assistance plans are a lot different today than they used to be. They cover a lot more and offer you more benefits than ever before. Most companies even offer you the opportunity to choose between two different types of policies. One is a personal policy that covers you instead of the bike. If you drive different ones, this would be ideal because you are protected no matter which motorcycle you’re riding.

It even covers you if you borrow someone else’s bike. What would you do if you took a friends bike out and had a flat. You don’t want to call them up and ask them to come get you. If you have the personal roadside assistance plan, you don’t have to. One phone call and a towing service will be on their way to take you to the closest garage so you can take care of the situation.

The other one covers the motorcycle. If you choose the second option, it covers your bike even when someone else is driving it. Therefore, if you let a friend or family member ride it and something happens, that person would be entitled to all the services offered in the plan that you chose.

Choosing a Motorcycle Roadside Assistance Plan

Before you choose a motorcycle roadside assistance plan, find out what the services offered in each plan covers. It’s important to get enough coverage to take care of your needs. For this reason, the full package is recommended. That way, you have access to all of the services and you’re fully prepared for most anything that could leave you stranded on the side of the road.

Your emergency services include towing, flat tire service, lost key service, fuel delivery and jumpstart service. Other options include trip and routing service, concierge service and personal service. You can get discounts on hotels, restaurants and more that can help save you money when traveling.

Tips on Choosing a Plan

Consider how much you ride, how far you go and whether or not you’re the only one who rides the bike when picking out which plan is best for you. If you ride every chance you get or do a lot of traveling, the full package would be the most beneficial since it offers so many extras like discounts and routing services. If you only ride your bike occasionally and don’t venture too far away from home, a plan that covers the basic services like towing, flat tire and jumpstart might work best.

Once you decide what type of services you need, you can start looking at the different companies to determine which one has the services you want at the best price. The Internet is a great tool that will help you compare different companies fast and easy. You can see what services they offer and compare prices with a simple click of the mouse.