Motorcycle Safety Checklist: 8 Essential Points

Eight points are all it takes to make every departure safer: certified gear, tyres, brakes, chain and fluid levels, lights, theft protection, alarm and route preparation. Allow a few minutes of checks before you turn the key: that is what cuts the risk of an accident, avoids a breakdown far from home and lets you ride with a clear head. Here is the full checklist, point by point, with the practical actions to take.

What gear should you wear to ride protected?

An approved helmet (ECE 22-05 or 22-06 standard) and CE-certified gloves: that is the legal minimum for every rider in France, for the passenger too. Riding without a helmet there means a €135 fine and 3 licence points; without gloves, €68 and 1 point. The high-visibility vest, meanwhile, must stay within reach, to be put on if you have to stop in an emergency on the road.

Gear	Legal status	Reference standard
Helmet	Compulsory	ECE 22-05 or 22-06
Gloves	Compulsory in France since 2016	CE certification (EN 13594)
High-visibility vest	To carry with you, to wear if you stop in an emergency	EN ISO 20471
Jacket and trousers	Recommended	EN 1621 (protectors), EN 17092
High boots	Recommended	EN 13634
Airbag	Recommended	EN 1621-4

The rest is not compulsory, but a jacket with certified protectors, reinforced trousers and high boots radically change the outcome of a slide. Choose the level of protection according to how you ride: maximum for the open road and long trips, more flexible for the city.

And then there is the airbag, the great forgotten item on most checklists.

"An airbag is a must on a motorcycle. Really, it saves lives." (Thomas, GeoRide founder)

One last habit: inspect your gear regularly. A helmet that has taken a fall, worn gloves or a tired zip protect you less, and should be replaced before they let you down at the worst moment.

Tyres and brakes: what should you check before setting off?

Tyre pressure should be checked once a week, when cold, and the condition of the brakes at the same time: these are the two checks that weigh most on your safety.

For tyres, the reference value is on the swingarm label or in your motorcycle's manual; Motonaut, the assistant built into the GeoRide app free of charge, also gives it to you for the exact year of your model. Under-inflated, a tyre loses grip and stability; over-inflated, it holds less well in the wet. Take the opportunity to inspect the rubber: even wear, no cracks or foreign objects, wear indicators still far off. A tyre more than five years old (the DOT code moulded into the sidewall gives its manufacturing date) deserves a professional opinion, even if it looks healthy. To dig into the subject, we have put together a complete guide on monitoring tyre pressure.

For brakes, three checks. The pads first: if metal is showing or the wear indicator starts squealing, replace them. The discs next: a smooth surface, with no deep scoring or warping. Finally the brake fluid: level above the mark and light in colour, because dark fluid has absorbed moisture and brakes less well. Also take a look at the hoses: no cracking, swelling or rubbing. Since the motorcycle roadworthiness test came into force in France in April 2024, these points are inspected periodically anyway.

If you prefer continuous monitoring, Live Wheel sensors measure the pressure and temperature of your tyres in real time and alert your phone as soon as a value goes out of range, slow punctures included.

Chain, fluid levels, lights: which checks keep you from breaking down?

Three quick actions: keep an eye on the chain, check the fluid levels and test every light. That trio is what saves you from a breakdown in the middle of nowhere.

The chain first: check its tension in the middle of the lower run (the exact slack is in your motorcycle's manual) and lubricate it with a motorcycle-specific product, turning the rear wheel to spread it properly. A dry, slack or corroded chain wears out fast and can snap while you ride. Inspect the links and O-rings at the same time.

Fluid levels next: engine oil between the two marks, bike upright and cold, and clear coolant in the expansion tank. Black oil full of particles or brownish coolant call for an oil or fluid change without delay.

Lights last: dipped beam, brake light, indicators, a full check in thirty seconds. Being seen counts as much as braking well, especially at night or in the rain.

To keep up the rhythm without thinking about it, the GeoRide app offers customisable maintenance reminders: chain lubrication, oil change by mileage, tyre pressure, annual service. And if you want to structure all of it, here are the maintenance tasks to schedule every month.

Why is theft protection part of the safety checklist?

Because a motorcycle gets stolen without ever being started: in 90 to 95% of cases, according to the Mutuelle des Motards (a French motorcycle insurer) and geolocation providers, the thief lifts the bike, breaks the steering lock and loads it into a van. And close to one theft in two happens in a place people consider safe: a shared garage, an underground car park in a residential building.

A mechanical lock is still useful: anchored to a fixed point, it prevents an easy lift-away and forces the thief to make noise. But you should not ask more of it than it can give: faced with a modern battery-powered angle grinder, an approved U-lock gives way in about fifteen seconds per cut. The real answer is knowing immediately that something is happening.

That is exactly what a real-time GPS tracker brings: at the slightest vibration or suspicious movement, your phone rings, wherever you are. And that simple alert changes the outcome:

In other words, more than one time in two, the theft does not even happen: the thief runs off before finishing the job. And for motorcycles that really are moved, the tracker's real-time location lets GeoRide Theft Assistance coordinate with the police, without you ever having to put yourself in danger. To round out your setup, have a look at the mistakes that still make theft easy and the right moves in the first minutes after a theft.

How do you prepare your ride and reassure the people close to you?

Three habits before a long ride: check the weather along the route, plan your breaks and share your position with someone close to you. Preparation does not delay your departure, it removes the nasty surprises.

Location sharing, for one, no longer requires the people close to you to install anything: the GeoRide app generates a web link that shows your progress live in a plain browser. You can also choose the "only in the event of a crash" mode: they see nothing as long as everything is fine, zero tracking, and they are warned if something happens. We go through this new-generation sharing here.

And if you do go down anyway, the unit detects it on its own: with no response from you, the emergency services are alerted automatically in under 2 minutes, and to the right place (motorway control centre on a motorway, fire service or ambulance elsewhere), even if your phone is broken or switched off. Emergency dispatch covers mainland France.

A bonus for the fun of it: every ride is captured automatically, with the route, the weather and the towns you rode through. You leave with a clear head, and you come home with a ride to relive.

What GeoRide brings here

Out of the eight points on the checklist, GeoRide covers four on its own: theft protection, tyre monitoring, maintenance reminders and safety while riding.

"An app that connects to your motorcycle to protect it against theft, replay all your rides and reassure the people close to you." (Thomas, GeoRide founder)

In practice, the GPS tracker installs in 5 minutes (two wires on the battery) and is controlled entirely from the app. The GeoRide 3s adds underground radar detection and automatic recognition of your phone; the GeoRide mini concentrates on the essentials, on rental from €9.99 a month with no commitment. And for the tyre part of the checklist, Live Wheel sensors screw on in place of the valve caps in 2 minutes and monitor pressure and temperature continuously.

Frequently asked questions

Which items of gear are compulsory on a motorcycle in France?

An approved helmet (ECE 22-05 or 22-06) and CE-certified gloves are compulsory, for the rider and the passenger alike. The high-visibility vest must be carried with you and worn if you stop in an emergency. Jacket, reinforced trousers, boots and airbag remain optional, but are strongly recommended.

How often should you check motorcycle tyre pressure?

Once a week, when cold, is the right rhythm. The reference value is on the swingarm label or in the manual, and connected sensors such as Live Wheel can monitor the pressure continuously and alert you in case of a slow leak.

Is a mechanical lock enough to protect my motorcycle?

No, a mechanical lock on its own is no longer enough: the vast majority of thefts are carried out by lifting the bike away, without starting it, and a U-lock gives way in about fifteen seconds to an angle grinder. It is still useful for slowing the thief down and forcing them to make noise, but it is the real-time alert from a GPS tracker that scares the thief off in more than half of cases, according to the GeoRide Observatory 2026.

What happens in the event of a crash with a GeoRide?

The emergency services are alerted automatically in under 2 minutes if you do not respond, even with a broken or switched-off phone. Emergency dispatch covers mainland France, and the people close to you can be alerted according to your sharing settings.