Safe Riding Practices and Hazard Awareness
The riding system
Use a repeatable sequence: observe, position, set speed, select gear, then accelerate. Before any change of road position, check mirrors and make a lifesaver (shoulder) check - mirrors alone leave a blind spot large enough to hide a car. Brake with both brakes, applying the front progressively since it provides most of the stopping power; avoid hard braking mid-corner. For bends, slow in and accelerate gently out, looking through the turn to where you want to go.
Reading the surface
Grip is the core hazard. Wet road paint, manhole covers, tram rails, spilled diesel, gravel, wet leaves and ice all offer far less grip than dry tarmac, so reduce lean angle and brake earlier. In rain, double your following distance. On ice, stopping distances can increase roughly tenfold.
Reading other road users
Assume you have not been seen - the classic 'sorry mate, I didn't see you' scenario at junctions and when a car pulls out from a side road. Make eye contact where possible, adjust position to be visible in a driver's mirrors rather than sitting in a blind spot, and cover the brakes. Watch for doors opening on parked cars, cars emerging past a stopped bus, and oncoming vehicles on narrow roads. When filtering past queued traffic, keep speeds low and watch for gaps and turning vehicles.
Traps
Questions reward the cautious answer: reduce speed, increase the gap, do not brake sharply in a bend, and never swerve to avoid a hazard without first checking behind.
Rule of thumb: two seconds in the dry, four in the wet, and at least ten times the dry distance on ice.