General Safety Information
We designed your Helio Cycle to be as safe as possible, but there are still many
dangers inherent in riding your Helio Cycle, especially on public roadways. There is a
risk of injury or even death. By choosing to ride your Helio Cycle, you assume the
responsibility for that risk - not the other people on the road, not the people who
maintain the roads, not us, but
YOU. So it’s up to you to become familiar with the
rules of safe riding.
Learning to ride your Helio Cycle is not difficult, but it may not come naturally for you.
If you already know how to ride a bicycle, learning to ride your Helio Cycle will be
straightforward. If you don’t already know how to ride a bicycle, we recommend you
learn before you try to ride your Helio Cycle. Once you’ve mastered the basics of
balancing and steering a bicycle, learning to ride your Helio Cycle will be much
easier.
Even if you’re a pro on a bicycle, keep in mind that your Helio Cycle has the
equivalent power of almost 2 horses! That kind of power takes some getting used to!
Start out slowly (or even ride on a flat grassy area) until you’re comfortable with the
reins.
The Basics:
Always follow the pre-ride safety checklist (see page 44) before every ride.
• Wear an approved helmet.
• Wear sturdy clothes to protect you if you fall. Also, make sure they are not
loose enough to become tangled in moving parts.
• Obey all traffic regulations. Stop at stop signs and red lights, signal your turns,
and be prepared to yield the right-of-way even if it’s legally yours, because in a
collision with a car, right or wrong, you’ll lose.
• Ride defensively. Assume that the people in cars are completely oblivious to
you.
• Keep your speed at a level consistent with traffic and weather conditions.
• Ride on the side of the road, with the traffic.
• Be prepared for parked car doors opening in front of you, pedestrians stepping
into your path, cars pulling out in front of you, or any other event that could
cause you to have to swerve suddenly to avoid a crash.
• Watch for potholes, sewer and storm grates, railway tracks, expansion joints,
road construction, and other obstacles or obstructions that could cause you to
lose your balance.
• Keep in mind that your Helio Cycle tires are more like bike tires than car tires.
Avoid glass or other sharp-edged debris that could puncture the tires. If you do
ride through glass or sharp-edged debris, stop and remove any debris from
the tires and make sure they are undamaged.
• Never ride with headphones. Headphones mask many sounds that may be
extremely important to you, like wailing sirens, squealing brakes, and shrieking
pedestrians.
Page 9
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