Suzuki Intruder VZ1500, Owner'S Manual

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1-4
IF A COLLISION IS IMMINENT, DO
SOMETHING!
Many riders fear locking up their brakes
or haven’t learned to swerve to avoid an
accident. Many inexperienced riders
(and too many seasoned riders) use
only their rear brake in an emergency,
resulting in unnecessary impacts in
some cases and unnecessarily high
impact speeds in other cases. Your rear
brake can only provide about 30% of
your motorcycle’s potential stopping
power. The front and rear brakes can
and should be used together to maxi-
mize braking effectiveness.
Experienced motorcyclists learn to
“cover” the front brake lever by lightly
resting a couple of fingers over the lever
when riding in traffic and near intersec-
tions to give their reaction time a head
start.
Emergency stopping and swerving are
techniques that you should practice and
master before you find yourself in an
emergency situation. The best place to
practice such techniques is in a con-
trolled environment such as the Motor-
cycle Safety Foundation’s (MSF) rider
training courses. The MSF’s Motorcycle
Rider Courses (fundamental tech-
niques) and Experienced Rider
Courses (advanced strategies) present
hands-on instruction of the basic princi-
ples of motorcycling and a variety of
accident avoidance maneuvers. Even a
seasoned motorcyclist can improve his
or her riding skills, and pick up a few
new skills, through these courses.
Some insurance companies even offer
discounts to course graduates.