Would you feel safe flying on a plane if you heard this conversation between the pilot and copilot, "Lets skip on the checklist today, the plane looks good enough.

• Tires – "They don’t look flat so the pressure is probably OK"

• Lights – "The ones I can see from here work"

• Oil – "It was fine last week"

• Brakes – "We have two-I’m sure at least one works"

• Windshield – "Its not all that dirty"

• I slept only four hours last night so let’s not waste any more time here.

• "Let’s fly this baby"!

You might think twice about going on the trip at all if your pilot were not interested enough in safety to do a proper checklist.

Is piloting a bike that’s carrying your spouse any less important? You know the answer.

Tires need the correct pressure to prevent overheating and excessive wear.

Lights are something we don’t think about until one goes out that we can see from the rider’s seat. Yet the taillight is what lets the car behind you see you before they run over you. The co-rider can easily check all the lights while you sit on the bike and activate the brake pedal, brake lever, turn signals, and tail light.

How important is your oil? No, you don’t check the oil by looking at the engine oil gauge. There is a convenient dipstick made just for that purpose. Don’t be a dipstick; check the one on the bike.

Always using both brakes to stop or slow is the proper way to use the brakes but the wrong way to check them. If one of the three brakes starts getting weak, the other two will hide this fact. Try using only the brake lever to check the front brake the lever operates. This will give you an idea how that brake is operating. With an integrated braking system using the brake pedal to check the other front brake and the rear brake will give you an indication that one of these two brakes may not be up to par. Of course the best way to check out all three brakes is during the bike’s regular service. Remember, to achieve the shortest stopping distance use both the brake pedal and lever.

Perhaps the windshield is the easiest of all to check. You can look at it as you are walking up to the bike. Are those bug spots you see? It takes only a minute or so to clean them off. They may be only an annoyance in the daytime, but you need all the visibility you can get at night. Another time a dirty windshield really shows up is when you head directly into the sun. That’s when you’ll really wish you’d taken an extra minute or two to clean your windshield. When you have your cleaner out to clean your windshield, you might also clean your face shield and your glasses. Then you will be able to see clearly now. Reminds me of a song...

Your bike checklist should be something you use before every ride, just as a pilot uses his before every flight.

Ken Dean, Chapter Rider Educator