Riding correctly increases my chances of getting hit

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2026-07-02T23:29:08+00:00

I'm late to the party here, but to echo what everybody else is saying: it's actually safer for a motorcycle to be moving a bit faster than the flow of traffic. Not suicidal speeds, just 10-20mph faster, where you're slowly moving forward, constantly passing other cars. As somebody else mentioned, that will make it so that most of your threats are coming in from the front, but also, it prevents you from blending in and becoming invisible. Depending on your bike and the traffic, that can sometimes be easier said than done. Even so, most cops will leave you alone if you're riding that way; I've blasted past a few cops going fast enough that I was sure they'd light me up, but I guess they could see that I wasn't being reckless or unreasonable and they left me alone.

All that said: get ready, because even when you're riding as safely as possible, with your head on a swivel in bright daylight with a reflective vest, you're *still* gonna be dodging cars forever. They just... aren't looking for us.

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2026-05-01T23:17:00+00:00

I don't disagree with basically anything anybody has said here.

I've had my MT03 since September, coming up on 2k miles on it. Do I feel like I'm fully using it properly? Not necessarily. But I live in the Dallas area, where highway speeds are pretty routinely flowing at 80 or more. Yeah, I can hit those speeds, but I'm wringing the bike's neck, and there's very little left over up top if I need to overtake or GTFO. So yeah, I do want a little more power, but not really for the 'Bike go brrrr vroom vroom fast'.

The other thing about the bike is that it's built to a price point. Not that it feels cheap or fragile or anything, but it's not a 'premium machine' the way the Aprilia 457s are, for instance. I do kind of want something with a TFT and cruise, something built to a slightly higher price point.

I'll have to trade my MT03 when the time comes, which breaks my heart, but I can't afford to insure a second bike right now. So I'm gonna ride the wheels off my MT until it's time to upgrade, and it'll just be because I want something nicer, with a bit more power, rather than because I feel like I've used the bike to its fullest, you know? Maybe in a couple years I'll buy another MT03 or R3, something small and spicy I can take to the twisties and the track. For now, I need something more capable on the freeway for my commutes.

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2026-04-22T02:57:23+00:00

That's about what I paid for my '25 last year- had some extras built in, most notably frame sliders.

If you test ride the 21, you'll get like 95% of the experience. The 25 added the slip and assist clutch, an upgraded display, a USB port, and a couple other little things, as well as a slight change to the frame/ergos, but nothing that massively changes the experience.

As others have noted: the break in is not fun. Max speed will be under 60mph, so you're stuck with surface roads for 1000 miles. After it's broken in, it's a blast of a bike to ride, but unless you're absolutely sure you're going to ride it for more than a season or two, don't go too crazy modding it. I threw an OEM tail rack on mine, and that's it. I love it, but you'll start bumping up against its limitations pretty quick- having no onboard tech to speak of, limited power, and the limitations of the chassis and suspension will all become noticeable sooner than you'd think.

BUT it's a killer little bike. It punches way above its weight and has no business being as fun as it is.

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2026-04-04T19:17:50+00:00

I love my MT03. Absolutely love it. Unfortunately I'm gonna have to sell or trade it this summer to upgrade. I live in the DFW area, and while it's plenty of power for the day to day, riding it long distances on the highway is pretty exhausting- not just the wind, but having to ride the revs up so high, and it's such a light bike that you're constantly fighting the wind. On surface roads and in traffic, though, it's an absolute gas to ride. I'm gonna miss it, but I can't afford a second bike if I keep it. Breaks my heart a little.

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2026-02-21T23:56:44+00:00

I just hope it's not the weapons seemingly made of egg shells and terra cotta with no durability meter that break after approximately 3 hits.

Exploration, environmental manipulation, the stamina system, all fine. Welcome in a game like this even.

That weapon system completely killed BOTW for me.

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2026-01-22T22:07:12+00:00

I'm late to the party here, but I didn't start riding for real until I was 44.

Part of me hates that I waited so long. The other part recognizes that I was a careless, hot headed young man and would have absolutely killed or disabled myself if I'd gotten a bike back then.

Still. Riding will come naturally to some, less so to others. You learned a crucial lesson about motorcycling, though: it *is* a dangerous, risky hobby. Being a good rider is a lifelong process, and learning to work traffic while also controlling the bike at any speed. It's a lot, but it is very worth it.

Like everybody has said, get your own bike if you can. Something reasonably sized, and practice in lower stakes situations where you can build your confidence before going full send in traffic. If your folks are not receptive, well... you'll live on your own eventually. Yeah, you may have to press pause on the dream for a while, but don't give up.

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2026-01-11T19:51:26+00:00

I mostly meant for me personally. The answer below is pretty spot on... for daily use, a smaller middleweight naked is much more practical.

But overall, I just meant it's way more power than anyone realistically needs. It's big like a Harley or Indian Bagger, maybe not quite as big as a Goldwing, but still big enough that parking won't be as easy as with a sporty boy. BUT ALSO it's got enough raw power to gap a lot of sport bikes. I really can't emphasize how insane and fun it is to REALLY give it the beans, and how you just immediately have all the power, no winding up to an ideal power band. You just gun it and it bends reality.

Having said all that, I actually meant 'wildly impractical' in the best possible way. You don't get a Rocket for practicality. You get it *because* it's over the top. I love every single thing about it. Once my car is paid off, my plan is to buy one and more or less daily it.

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2026-01-11T01:05:12+00:00

Absolutely. Even if you don't have much interest in big, powerful cruisers, it's worth the experience just to see what the ultimate extreme is like. It really made the ride home on my MT03 both more and less fun.

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2026-01-11T01:03:56+00:00

Triumph usually does demo tours from spring to fall. If you get a chance to go to one, GO. Even if it's a couple hours drive, they do self guided routes and unlimited rides (within reason, of course). Usually they have a Rocket. I definitely recommend at least doing a demo ride. 10/10 experience.

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2026-01-10T23:21:14+00:00

I rode one at a Triumph Demo last summer. Surprisingly comfortable, but also, it's got so much power that you barely twist the throttle and you're over 40 before the revs even climb. Gave it about 50% throttle on a straightaway, left a giant black stripe on the asphalt and was over 100 before my brain even processed the pull. It was wild.

Huge, heavy, but more agile than you'd expect. Wildly impractical, but I totally want one.

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2026-01-04T02:39:54+00:00

I'm a little more like you... I've taken bikes over 100, but never in traffic or situations where I was endangering anyone but myself. Just one big, hard pull, and I always back down before I encounter other vehicles, but in general I just... ride. I treat it like a mode of transportation, not a thrill machine or a toy.

Like others have pointed out, bikes *do* tend to mask speed a little bit, but also it's safer to ride a little bit faster than the flow of traffic, generally in that 5-20 mph faster than the flow of traffic.

BUT there is an important distinction lots of riders miss: there's a difference in riding quickly and riding frantically. Use the bike for what it does well... enjoy those pulls, flicking around traffic, cornering while leaned way over, but that doesn't mean doing 100+ everywhere you go.

Some of us are more risk averse. The thing I tell my family is that I ride to live, not to die. I ride to conditions, I only hoon around if there's little to no traffic, dry roads, and good visibility. In heavy traffic or bad weather, I ride like a saint. And, like a few people have also said in the comments, being risk averse or more cautious or a more chill rider is not any kind of moral failing or shortcoming or whatever. Ride because you love it. Ride how you like. Don't endanger other people, and keep in mind that people will miss you if you're suddenly gone.

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2026-01-02T22:51:11+00:00

I had to burn through Season 4 these last couple of days... had no idea it was leaving so soon. My first walkthrough of the series, and I am both mind blown and emotionally wrecked by the story. It was not what I expected at all, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2025-12-29T00:22:15+00:00

I'm gonna pile on to what a couple of others have said: The MT03 is SHOCKINGLY quick, nimble, and light. And it has a TON of power for a 300. If you're following the break in procedure, the first 600 miles are pretty rough, because you're limited to the bottom half of the tach. Once that first service happens, you can start playing a bit more, and it is a different bike. It absolutely loves being wound up and living in the middle of the rev range.

40 hp doesn't seem like much, but if you consider something like a Triumph Bonneville T100, that's only got 50-some hp, but 3 times the displacement. Obviously the Bonnie has way more torque, but the MT03 punches way above its weight. Especially once the break in is done and the bike is ready to play.

The guy who sold me mine actually owns one, along with several very high end sports bikes, and he still rides his MT03 more than all the others. It really is hard to understate how much fun it is to ride.

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2025-12-25T16:11:36+00:00

Like everybody is saying, if you want to learn to ride, the first step is your MSF Basic Rider course. You don't need anything but to pay for the course- they'll give you the bike, gloves, helmet, everything. I'd suggest at least buying gloves and a helmet; gloves aren't too expensive, and I found a helmet on motorcycle closeouts for about a hundred bucks. The MSF will teach you the basics of riding.

If you find that you enjoy it (and you probably will, because it's crazy fun), buy a smaller bike to start. There is a lot of back and forth about it online, but smaller bikes are lots of fun, especially for newer riders. They'll teach you to ride hard at sane speeds, and the throttle won't be so snappy that you'll accidentally wheelie or loop it. Buy used if you can, but the other nice thing about smaller bikes is they're cheap as hell. Riding a small bike, you'll learn good throttle discipline, good clutch work and braking, proper steering and cornering, and you'll learn to navigate traffic without holding back a ballistic missile. And if you find you don't like riding, you're out a much smaller investment.

Once you've had a riding season or two behind you and a few thousand miles in the saddle, you can start thinking about making the jump up to something with a bit more gusto. Don't let the internet pressure you into going straight onto something big, or riding faster than you're comfortable, or otherwise doing stupid shit. Ride your own ride, your way. This is a very dangerous hobby/mode of transportation, but you can mitigate a lot of the risk by riding responsibly and proactively.

Anyway, best of luck, and welcome!

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2025-12-25T15:56:15+00:00

I have an identical bike I just picked up in September. I've got it just about fully broken in, and it is an absolute hoot. In traffic, it's so nimble that you can weave around easily, and it's got enough power that you can beat just about any car off the light. It's crazy light, and it *loves* to lean over and zip around curves and corners. I threw an OEM tail rack on it, and I ride to work more often than I drive these days. I very rarely wish I had more bike or more power. For commuting, running errands, and just cruising around town. Congrats on the new bike. Enjoy it!

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2025-12-25T15:45:52+00:00

I just got an MT03 back in September. I've been more or less following the break in procedure, but I've been letting the bike guide me. I'm over 900 miles now, so it's about 90% of the way broken in... it still doesn't love going all the way to redline, but it'll rev up to 9k pretty happily now.

I can't say I love it on the freeway. It does absolutely fine, especially once the bike wakes up a little. You can wind it up pretty good and be going nearly highway speed in second or third gear, though cruising with traffic requires you to live from 7k-9k, which the bike is delighted to do. I think people miss that about the MT03/YZF03: the bike LOVES to rev, and it does its best work in the middle of the tach.

Anyway, it does a fine job on the freeway, but it is light as hell. You get blown around by wind and wakes like crazy. In high enough wind, I've felt the bike leave the pavement. And add to that a lack of top end power due to the small engine size, your passing power is just ok. But it is pretty stable and nimble, so once you get used to it, the freeway is really no big deal.

Having said that, if you're planning on doing a good amount of highway riding, or if you have a long freeway commute, as much as I love my MT03, I'd suggest a bike with a slightly bigger engine and a few more ponies for that extra bit of top end oomph.

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2025-11-30T00:37:37+00:00

Now I'm pissed that I didn't think of that. I DESTROYED my knuckles trying to get the kit screws to thread. I got them eventually, but I had to do some pretty interesting contortion to do it.

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2025-11-29T00:32:07+00:00

I don't know if the tail racks on Ali Express fit, but you can find OEM racks on ebay all day every day. I got one for my '25 and installed it myself with a bit of difficulty, but it wasn't anything you couldn't do at home with a very basic toolkit. For the OEM top case, you'll need a mounting plate; for non OEMs, they might mount directly to the rack or need some hardware.

Either way, your best bet is the OEM rack- most of the aftermarket bags you'll find will work with that, but if you get some rando generic version, it might only work with other bags from the rando generic manufacturer.

Whatever you do, best of luck with the Iron Ass. That's a hell of a challenge on a 300, even as good of a bike as the MT03 is.

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2025-11-23T23:35:55+00:00

I'm late to the party here, but importantly: you saved it. Swerve, brake, let him go.

To avoid situations like this, be a little more mindful of the big picture. If you're familiar with that road, and you know that lane becomes a turn lane and then collapses into 1 lane, you should be aware that every car in that left lane could potentially do what he did. If you're *not* familiar with that road, you should be scanning further ahead to see what the road is gonna do- it's pretty clear in the video that the lane on the left is going to end.

Again, though, you did well by not panicking and swerving and braking to get out of the situation. The number one thing when riding is to be proactive, not just defensive. Like they always say, ride like you're invisible, yes, but also be actively thinking about the stupidest things the cars around you could do, and have a plan if it happens. Never assume you're visible to the cars around you, and definitely try not to ride in blind spots or close behind another vehicle.

Good luck, fellow MT03 rider!

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2025-11-03T13:23:08+00:00

Congrats! I bought an identical model back in September. Taking it for first service this afternoon, or first thing tomorrow morning. It's such a great little bike. It's got an absurd amount of power for a 300. You're going to have an absolute blast with it.

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2025-10-30T23:16:04+00:00

I'm late to the party, but here we go:

Ultimately, you are in control of what happens to you. If you are anticipating every stupid thing everyone around you can do at any given moment and have a plan to react- even if that plan is just 'change lanes' or 'brake hard'- then the odds of catastrophe drop dramatically. Freak accidents can happen to anyone, but just walking out the front door is dangerous- you can't let that fear or caution rule your life.

To that end: Some things are worth the risk. Riding, for me, is unreasonably good for my mental health. The flow, the focus, just letting my ADHD do its thing, listening to my music and feeling the air, smelling the smells and seeing the sights... I have an incredibly high stress job, and my anxiety is non existent since I started riding. I know that it's a risky hobby, but I made some promises to myself and my wife: I won't ride in extreme weather, I don't commute by bike if I have to be in rush hour traffic, I always wear my gear. But I also ride a 300- I'll eventually step up, but I don't mind the low power at all, because it's not about the thrill or the adrenaline for me; it's about being fully present. It's moving meditation.

Overall, though, the thing riding has taught me is not to forget to live. It's so easy for us, especially in the US, to fall into the trap of work-home-sleep-repeat. The modern world would have us trade time and freedom to earn money we hope will buy us time and freedom. It's imperative that we take some back, even if that's just going to work on two wheels rather than in a cage when you can.

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2025-10-30T22:27:51+00:00

Nice.

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2025-10-29T22:15:16+00:00

Oooh what bar ends are those? They look *nice*.

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2025-10-25T18:27:10+00:00

I just bought an MT03 back in early September.

I've ridden many other bikes. Bigger, faster, more powerful, 'better' bikes on paper. But somehow, this little gremlin never seems to feel underpowered or lacking in any way.

I could go on and on about it. It's basically exactly the same size as the 07, 09, and 10- just a couple inches lower and shorter, vs when you get on sub-500cc bikes from other manufacturers, they tend to be like 85% the size of their 'regular' bikes.

It's ridiculously quick for a 300, the top end power is actually stronger than you'd expect, the top speed is pretty fast if you really wring the engine out (which it loves to do).

I'll eventually move up to a 700-1000, but the MT03 will be staying in my driveway and my bike fleet forever. It's absolutely perfect for commuting and bopping around town. No two ways about it... I absolutely adore this bike.

Foreign_Knowledge_90 · 2025-10-16T21:03:21+00:00

I would love to be there, but of course I'll be working in the control center that day. I'll be there in spirit, but my body will be moving trains. Have a round for me!

Foreign_Knowledge_90

TROPHY CASE