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MOTORCYCLE SAFETY

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Always Wear a Helmet

Your motorcycle can provide many years of service and pleasure responsibility for your own safety and understand the challenges that you can meet on and off-road.

− if you take

There is much that you can do to protect yourself when you ride. You’ll find many helpful recommendations throughout this manual. Following are a few that we consider most important.

It’s a proven fact: helmets significantly reduce the number and severity of head injuries, so don’t ride without one. We also recommend that you wear eye protection, sturdy boots, gloves and other protective

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Never Carry a Passenger

Your motorcycle is designed for one person only. There are no handholds, footrests, or

− passenger. A passenger could interfere with your ability to move around to maintain your balance and control of the motorcycle.

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Make Yourself Easy to See On-Road

Some drivers do not see motorcycles because they are not looking for them. To make yourself more visible, wear bright reflective clothing, position yourself so other drivers can see you, signal before turning or changing lanes, and use your horn when it will help others notice you.

Be Alert for Off-Road Hazards

The terrain can present a variety of challenges when you ride off -road.

Continually ‘‘read’’ the terrain f or unexpected turns, drop-offs, rocks, ruts, and other hazards. Always keep your speed low enough to allow time to see and react to hazards.

Ride Within Your Limits

Pushing the limits is another major cause of motorcycle accident both on-road and off.

Never ride beyond your personal abilities or faster than conditions warrant. Remember that alcohol, drugs, fatigue and inattention can significantly reduce your ability to make good judgements and ride safely.

Keep Your Bike in Safe Condition

For safe riding, it’s important to keep your motorcycle properly maintained. Having a breakdown can be difficult, especially if you are stranded off-road far from your base. To help avoid problems, inspect your motorcycle before every ride and perform all recommended maintenance. Never exceed load limits, and use only accessories that have been approved by Honda for this motorcycle. See page 5 for more details.

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PROTECTIVE APPAREL Helmets and Eye Protection

For your safety, we strongly recommend that you always wear an approved motorcycle helmet, eye protection, boots, gloves, long pants, and a long-sleeved jersey, shirt or jacket whenever you ride. Although complete protection is not possible, wearing proper gear can reduce the chance of injury when you ride.

Following are suggestions to help you choose proper gear.

Your helmet is your most important piece of riding gear because it offers the best protection against head injuries. A helmet should fit your head comfortably and securely. A bright-coloured helmet can make you more noticeable in traffic, as can reflective strips.

An open-face helmet offers some protection, but a full-face helmet offers more. Always wear a face shield or goggles to protect your eyes and help your vision.

Not wearing a helmet increases the chance of serious injury or death in a crash.

Be sure you always wear a helmet, eye protection and other protective apparel when you ride.

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Additional On-Road Gear

In addition to a helmet and eye protection, we also recommend:

Sturdy boots with non-slip soles to help protect your feet and ankles.

Leather gloves to keep your hands warm and help prevent blisters, cuts, burns and bruises.

A motorcycle riding suit or jacket for comfort as well as protection. Brightcoloured and reflective clothing can help make you more noticeable in traffic. Be sure to avoid loose clothes that could get caught on any part of your motorcycle.

Additional Off-Road Gear

On-road apparel may also be suitable for casual off-road riding. But if you plan on any serious off-road riding you will need more serious off-road gear. In addition to your helmet and eye protection, we recommend off-road motorcycle boots and gloves, riding pants with knee and hip pads, a jersey with elbow pads, and a chest/shoulder protector.

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LOAD LIMITS AND GUIDELINES

This motorcycle has been designed as a rider-only motorcycle. It is not designed to carry a passenger. A passenger could interfere with your ability to move around to maintain your balance and control of the motorcycle.

In addition, exceeding the weight limits or carrying an unbalanced load can seriously affect your motorcycle’s handling, braking, and stability. Adding accessories or making modifications that change this motorcycle’s design and performance can also make it unsafe. Also, the weight of any accessories will reduce the maximum load the motorcycle can carry.

The following pages give more specific information on loading, accessories and modifications.

Loading

How much weight you put on your motorcycle, and how you load it, are important to your safety. If you decide to carry cargo, you should be aware of the following information.

Overloading or carrying a passenger can cause a crash and you can be seriously hurt or killed.

Follow all load limits and other loading guidelines in this manual.

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Load Limits

Following are the load limits for your motorcycle:

Maximum weight capacity:

123 kg (271 lbs)

Includes the weight of the rider and any accessories

Front carrier: never exceed the maximum weight limit:

3.0 kg (6.6 lbs)

Rear carrier: never exceed the maximum weight limit:

20 kg (45 lbs)

Loading Guidelines

Follow these guidelines whenever you carry cargo:

Keep cargo small and light. Make sure it cannot easily be caught on brush or other objects, and that it does not interfere with your ability to shift position to maintain balance and stability.

Place weight as close to the center of the motorcycle as possible.

Do not attach large or heavy items (such as a sleeping bag or tent) to the handlebar, fork, or front fender.

Make sure that all cargo is tied down securely.

Never exceed the maximum weight limit.

Check that both tyres are inflated properly.

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Accessories and Modifications

Modifying your motorcycle or using non-

Honda accessories can make your motorcycle unsafe. Before you consider making any modifications or adding an accessory, be sure to read the following information.

Improper accessories or modifications can cause a crash in which you can be seriously hurt or killed.

Follow all instructions in this owner’s manual regarding accessories and modifications.

Accessories

We strongly recommend that you use only genuine Honda accessories that have been specifically designed and tested for your motorcycle. Because Honda cannot test all other accessories, you must be personally responsible for proper selection, installation and use of non-Honda accessories. Check with your dealer for assistance and always follow these guidelines:

Make sure the accessory does not obscure any lights, reduce ground clearance and banking angle, limit suspension travel or steering travel, alter your riding position or interfere with operating any controls.

Be sure electrical equipment does not exceed the motorcycle’s electrical system capacity (page 105 ).

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Modifications

We strongly advise you not to remove any original equipment or modif y your motorcycle in any way that would change its design or operation. Such changes could seriously impair your motorcycle’s handling, stability and braking, making it unsafe to ride.

Removing or modifying your exhaust system or other equipment can also make your motorcycle illegal.

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OFF-ROAD SAFETY

Learn to ride in an uncongested off-road area free of obstacles before venturing onto unfamiliar terrain.

Always obey local off-road riding laws and regulations.

Obtain permission to ride on private property. Avoid posted areas and obey

‘‘NO Trespassing’’ signs.

Ride with a friend on another motorcycle so that you can assist each other in case of trouble.

Familiarity with your motorcycle is critically important should a problem occur far from help.

Never ride beyond your ability and experience or faster than conditions warrant.

If you are not familiar with the terrain, ride cautiously. Hidden rocks, holes, or ravines could spell disaster.

Muffler is required in most off-road areas.

Don’t modify your exhaust system. Remember that excessive noise bothers everyone and creates a bad image for motorcycling.

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