MAKE ME WANT TO HIT SOMEBODY

[BRENTTODD]

What are people thinking on my ride to work today this term for female dog pulls out right in front of me. Shit happens it wasnt that close people make mistakes Ill let this one slide. I go to pass her in a passing zone she gives me the one finger hand wave. Ok now we have a problem sheild up next to the window in my nice voice what the Fu-k is wrong with U. She pulls over i kept going she drove the same car as my wife so i figure all women in black rav 4s have bad attuides. I just couldnt belive she gave me the finger after pulling out right front of me. Why does everyone think there the only person on the planet that matters any more.

[Guest ratchethack]

We live in a time when the planet is severely -- and increasingly -- dumbed-down, for starters. The "Me!" generation has long ago been replaced by the "ONLY ME!" generation. Apparent brain donors operate powerful multi-ton vehicles on the road whilst holding cell phones to their ears, putting on makeup, and eating breakfast -- occasionally all at the same time. An increasing number of them consider it their obligation as well as their duty to get in front of you at all costs, as if there's some huge prize for doing it -- and of course will commit dangerous moving violations of every description to hold that position -- even if your motorcycle can out-accelerate their vehicle by a factor of 2X. Not only are motorcycles less visible to them than other vehicles, many habitually don't attempt to look for other vehicles regardless of size.

 

The only crash I've had on the road was behind a woman in a huge SUV who locked it up hard enough to flat-side the tires and slide it sideways immediately in front of me in traffic, though there was no evident reason for doing so. Cell phone, makeup, breakfast factors all unknown to Yours Truly, but o' course, all easily enough concealed after the fact.

 

Learn to spot the many telltale signatures of the Philistine on the road before you enter the kill zone they tow around with them, avoid that space whenever possible, cross through it only in a state of heightened awareness and caution, allowing yourself multiple escape routes as if wot would normally be considered a deliberate vehicular manslaughter attempt is highly likely to ensue every moment, and keep the bulk of traffic disappearing behind you, ever visible in your rear-view mirrors.

 

Bon chance, mon ami.

[jhh]

I was (sort of) hit by one night before last. Some dumbass soccer mom in her Expedition managed to hit my rear tire even though I was right in front of her. I pulled into a u-turn area in the highway, and she's sitting at a stop sign across from me. She looked right at me... and hit the gas. I pulled forward and my rear tire caught the edge of her bumper and fender. A tenth of a second slower and she would have knocked me and the bike over.

 

Needless to say, she took off. At any rate I'm fine, the bike is fine as it never went down, but her paint is probably damaged now. Her passenger side mirror was pretty badly damaged as well, but it wasn't the tire that did that.

 

On people not paying attention: The only severe wreck I've been in on the street was caused by someone chatting on his cell phone and not paying any attention at all to the road. I was sitting at a stop light, and some indeterminate amount of time later I wound up face down in the middle of the intersection. Ever see Office Space? Imagine Milton, but without his stapler and glasses, and 20 years younger, and three times as stupid. Now put him in a raggedy Ford Escort. Now take Milton and his Escort and smack it into the back of a stationary motorcycle at probably 60 miles per hour. I was fine except for some bruises, but the bike was destroyed.

[jtucker]

Yesterday, a friend of mine was on his bike (with his fiancee) and stopped at a red light intersection. Well, when the light turned green, in stead of proceeding forward, the SUV immediately in front of him decided to throw it into reverse and try backing into a parking space on the side of the road, with predictable results to the front of my friends K75. Fortunately, the bike took the brunt and they got out of it OK.

 

Shit can - and frequently does - happen. And just when you think you've got all your bases covered, the enemy comes at your from a completely different direction.

 

Sigh. Heads up, rubber down...

 

__Jason

[DeBenGuzzi]

The only crash I've had on the road was behind a woman in a huge SUV who locked it up hard enough to flat-side the tires and slide it sideways immediately in front of me in traffic, though there was no evident reason for doing so. Cell phone, makeup, breakfast factors all unknown to Yours Truly, but o' course, all easily enough concealed after the fact. <_>

That happened to me once on my old cruiser, locked it up slid sideways but was able to recover, happened to my step dad on the same bike, he didn't recover he went slid and went into the ditch, didn't get hurt luckily outside of some scrapes and bruises but it shows no matter how many years you've been riding or how good you think you are it can still happen because the smartest rider can be taken out by the dumbest driver.

Didn't a Moto GP rider get taken out by a cager on the street? Its enough to drive some ppl away from riding motorcycles but I'm too much in love with it to walk away

 

if I get the cut off then flip me off kind I either back way off and get away from their dumb ass or floor it past them to get as far away from the idiots as I can, if I get pulled over I'll tell the cop look this idiot almost ran me off the road, gimme the ticket its worth a lot less than my life,

some try to retaliate with ball bearings or brake fluid but really unless youre one hell of a rider they could just run you down so its not worth it, even a boot to the side of their car would destabilize you too much to pull off so loud horns and a good memory of the license plate to call the police even if nothing happens from it is the best coarse

[jtucker]

Her passenger side mirror was pretty badly damaged as well, but it wasn't the tire that did that.

 

Nice. I need to work on my reflexes. Such notions usually come to me after the fact when its too late to act on them.

 

__Jason

[BRENTTODD]

Nice. I need to work on my reflexes. Such notions usually come to me after the fact when its too late to act on them.

 

__Jason

 

I thought about barking up the side of the car but age has melloed me. There was a day when i would have tore the car up then went looking for her husband or father just because they should have straightend the bitch out before they let her out of her cage. Now i just keep riding shaking my head.

[Steve G.]

I constantly keep telling myself not to place myself in 'the danger zone' of a 4 wheeled vehicle. But occasions still sneek up. Not 2 wks ago I was in the curb lane @ 35mph when a guy with full family load in an Explorer slowly crept up my left in the fast lane. As his front bumper and my front wheel were equal, he decided to lane change into my left shoulder. All I could do was take my left 'popeye' sized arm and cave in his hood with my fist. He quickly corrected himself back into his lane, fear of god on his face, and wife giving him shite, kids with eyes saucer shaped and mouth agape. They all scooted away ASAP, because I was a scarey motorcyclist. I hope it sunk in as he paid $1000 for a new hood!

Steve

As for road rage, I try to be more carefull, and tend to just take it now. There's people around here 'packin' heat' these days. They are also have in their pocession a 3500 ib battering ram, and simply put, you WILL lose. Stepping back taking a deep breath, and thanking whoever is responsible for all of us on this earth, that you are not the single celled creature that just fingered you is gratification enough.

[Skeeve]

Apparent brain donors operate powerful multi-ton vehicles on the road whilst holding cell phones to their ears, putting on makeup, and eating breakfast -- occasionally all at the same time. An increasing number of them consider it their obligation as well as their duty to get in front of you at all costs, as if there's some huge prize for doing it --

 

 

Another 2 weeks and it will be the 3 year anniversary of my "accident." Subhuman cretin intentionally popped his door open on me as I was lane splitting; take it from me, AIM FOR THE DOOR! Unfortunately, I didn't, I went for the gap btw his door and the car next, thinking that he'd pull the door closed again (ie, he opened it just to pull it closed & set the latch properly, door only half-shut situation.) That wasn't his objective, I was: after all, I must not be allowed to "win" the race to work!

 

Anyway, the responding officer was a cruiser cop, not a motor officer, so the cretin only got cited for some inane traffic infraction instead of vehicular assault. Sure wish a CHiPpie motor had been on the scene: that asshat would likely have been cuffed & carted off, as befit his actions! He was d@mn lucky I was pinned against the vehicle next to his and couldn't reach him when he popped out & and said "See what you get for driving so fast!" (I was doing about 15mph, btw: he'd waited until the light turned green and traffic had started moving to ambush me): if he'd been where I could reach him or if I'd been able to turn around, I would've whipped off my helmet & clubbed him with it.

 

Ahhh, just as well I guess. The karma police will get him eventually. Rat b@stard was judgment proof; I had him investigated & he'd declared bankruptcy about 2 months previously & had everything in his ex-wife's name [they still lived together, having just been divorced shortly before the bankruptcy. Interesting, wot?]

 

Carry as much insurance as you can afford, kids. It's a nasty world out there, & they're out to get you... <_>

[savagehenry]

Mine was two weeks ago. Fully loaded flatbed with landscaping equiptment, and pulling a loaded trailer, BACKING up the On ramp to a state highway...I try to grin and bear this shit, don't always pull that off well. Ride through it, S.H.

[Martin Barrett]

Good to hear that you're okay.

 

Today is a holiday in the UK, I'm just in from working. The early shift were just finishing of with a lady rider who lost her leg. Don't know enough to hazard any guess on the circs. My chaps had a FTS (fail to stop) with a 10 year old on his bike. The good news is we've traced and arrested the driver. from the detail I know I can guess what happened but can't comment as would be sub judice. Some holiday.

 

I can only recommend restraint. I'm lucky I calm down very quickly, also aided by the fact I've got too much to lose. Go for the get out of Dodge method.

 

I must admit I almost had a motorcycle off once. It was lost in my nearside A pillar. On the approach to the T junction checked both ways. On the nearside of the main road close to the junction was parked a lorry. I edged out still checking and only as started to complete the turn did the aspect change and it emerge from the hidden area. Gave me a scare but not as much as the rider and pillion. I did stop to apologise.

It is possible to look and not see.

[mike wilson]

Sometimes the boot's on the other foot. I was waiting to turn right last week, in the barge. Traffic coming towards me was coming up a hill, so limited visibility. There was a respectable gap between a car and a bus, so I started to make the turn. From behind the bus, at a considerable rate over the speed limit, comes a largeish UJM. I am now completely blocking the lane.

 

I think the rider must be an Olympic standard gymnast. Certainly, without his contortions and my decision to keep going to clear the lane, he would have been T-bone of the highest quality.

[badmotogoozer]

Somebody tries to kill you, then gives you the finger? Hell, that's a daily occurence riding a bike in Vancouver. Sometimes several times.

[BRENTTODD]

Somebody tries to kill you, then gives you the finger? Hell, that's a daily occurence riding a bike in Vancouver. Sometimes several times.

 

You know i havent seen that miserable bitch for two days untill today. The funny thing was i was in my full size pick up truck (cause its raining) belive it or not she didnt pull out in front of me this time. If she did i would have no doubt blasted that bitch. (very tight with local 5.0 no tickets for brent) I thought about giving her the finger for no reason but my shop name and number is plastered on the back window so i didnt. The funny part of the whole thing is she has the same car same color as my wife so i belive every women in a black rav 4 needs a beaten Haha

[ptrkbeam]

Her ex rode a motorcycle, maybe?

We're all alike.

 

A pickup, meandering along at 45 on a 60 mph counrty road, ahead of a car, ahead of me. PU swerves to cut off the car as he tried to pass. PU then aims for a dead skunk in the road as I sped up to get the hell past him. I backed off and he missed most of the skunk.

I avoided the bits that flew then hurried around.

What kind of idiot aims for a skunk?

Just another ride in the country...