I am someone who lives in a very flat area, not a single hill. Suppose I was taking a road trip and had to go up and down some mountains, what tips should I consider to be safe? How do I avoid ruining my clutch or my breaks?
never speed on a corner you’ve never took. I ride up the Sandias at least once a month and I still don’t speed up that mountain.
Mountains are always eroding, you’ll find a road that was clear before might have some gravel/sand show up on it the next morning.
Ooh, damn good point
In general you won’t need to worry about those things.
But if you want to worry about them… For the clutch, don’t ride it and don’t leave it in neutral. It’s ok to put it in a lower gear and let the engine do some breaking.
For breaks, you can alternate front and back if you’re worried about them over heating.
However, if you just drive normally and don’t speed then you won’t have to even think about these things.
Being used to riding on flat land be aware of sight-lines being obstructed by the hill. “Hug” the fog line (not the centerline) in case oncoming traffic blows the turn an runs wide - this also enables a later apex so optimize your sightline in left handers (for right side traffic, not sure where you live)….also you may not be familiar with turning/elevation changes so take it nice and chill. Enjoy! Having gone from flat FL to mountains in CA it’s how to truly enjoy what your bike can do.
It’s a fair question and you don’t say what your bike is so it’s hard to answer, but in general your (relatively modern) bike is tougher than you think and it will be fine. I’d say practise your slow speed and tight turns in a car park - that will help going up. Coming down, use engine and both brakes to slow before the corner - take it easy (especially if it’s damp/cold) and you will enjoy it. And you will be fine. Source: rides in mountains sometimes.
*brakes
don’t break your brakes on your bike, or you might break yourself.
