The real issue isn’t that riders get banged up when they crash. That’s a given. It’s that average riders crash by themselves way too often, making the same mistakes riders did generations ago.

An NHTSA study in 2012 found that motorcyclists were 26 times more likely than car occupants to die in accidents (per mile traveled). A similar NHTSA study in 2018 showed that riders are now 28 times more likely to die in motor vehicle traffic crashes.

Something’s not working. We need a fresh approach to understanding how motorcycles work—and why they crash.

In this book, the third book in the Motorcycle Smarts book series, David shares some of the simple riding tips his mentors shared with him when he first started riding. He also tackles the tough topics like how to prevent most lowside and highside crashes.

David also makes a case for Congress to federally mandate ABS on all on-street motorcycles.

This book doesn’t cover the lame topics that the most popular motorcycle mega books do—like how to select a helmet and get the most out of your first motorcycle rally. Instead, David covers the topics that matter.

In 2007, David invited his motorcycle mentors to his house for an evening of motorcycle talk. After a few minutes of light conversation, he pulled out a stack of notes, looked them in the eyes, and said: “Someday, I want to explain motorcycles my way.”

This book is a part of that vision.

"My goal is simple—to help one rider. That's what my motorcycle mentors did for me when I first started riding." (David Mixson)

David retired as an engineer from NASA (the space place) in 2022.