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Idiots don't just drive four wheels

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  • Idiots don't just drive four wheels

    Was riding last night, first time in nearly a week because of rain.

    I am rounding a gentle curve with a T intersection in the middle. At
    17th and Airport rd. I was south bound at 50, which is the advertised speed limit. FWIW, the street view here does a very good job at illustrating what I was encountering.

    From the right side I see a Harley Sportster. I have gotten into the habit of watching intersections closely, just because people don't see me well. I figured a guy on another bike would be just as wary. Nope. He just pulled out in front of me. I only had about 20 feet to decide what to do. The whole distortion of time thing happened. Was thinking about the "slide or roll" thread I started, and like several said, you have lots of full thoughts when these things happen. I remembered that braking up to impact and bleeding off speed was smart, and not locking up the rear brake. So I started to swerve to the rear of his bike, hoping to pass behind him, but didn't have enough room.

    I guess when I screamed "Gee whiz Wally!" (not an exact quote) he heard me. The look on his face was hilarious, after the fact. He cobbed the throttle and we missed by about a foot. He aborted his left turn and went straight through to the airport parking lot. whew.

    After seeing the look on his face, I bet his shorts were kinda soggy. He parked the sportster and got off, and bent over like the breath had been knocked out of him. I stayed slow for a minute and waved. I figure he knew to look next time.

    When I got off the bike, it took about 30 minutes for the pucker marks to disappear from the seat.
    Ich habe dich nicht gefragt.

  • #2
    That is funny, but I am glad that everything turned out ok and nobody got hurt. It sure is a constant "lookout" on a bike for sure.
    My 1978 http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v518/mstic2000/xs.jpg

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    • #3
      Probably a straight off the showroom floor Hurley and had never ridden a bike before!
      http://www.myspace.com/i_give_you_power

      1980 XS11 Special - chopped, dropped and OCTY is still installed - NOW IT'S FOR SALE! $1,800 OBO


      Famous Myspace quote:

      "Don't mess with TEXAS! It's not nice to pick on retards."

      It's funny because I am from TEXAS!

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      • #4
        Glad you made it through your incident with only a "lesson learned" notch on you belt. Maybe the Harley guy did too.

        I've had crotch rockets try doing the "fly by's", after you cross them at an intersection. You'll see the headlight growwing in the sideview, next thing is they're passing and changing into your lane. I usually just laff it off.
        I think the sound of the 4-1's create's testosterone.
        Current Rides: '82 XJ w/Jardine 4-1's, GIVI flyscreen, '97 Triumph Trophy 1200
        Former Rides: '71 CB350, '78 400 Hawk, '75 CB550/4;
        while in Japan: '86 KLR250, '86 VT250Z, '86 XL600R, '82 CB450(Hawk II), '96 750 Nighthawk, '96 BMW F650

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        • #5
          A month or so ago, on my morning commute, I pulled up to the intersection of Greenbank southbound to Hunt Club eastbound. Same routine as I've had for over a year. There's two left-hand turn lanes, and I was sitting in the far-left turn lane, on the right-hand side of the lane. While waiting for the advanced green turn signal, an older chap riding a Maxim 1100 pulls up on my left. We go through the usual "Nice morning for a ride", "Any ride to work is better than a drive" type of greetings and comments, then the light turns green. Off we go. Midway through the turn, Maxim guy hammers the gas, pushes wide to the right, and comes within inches of squishing me against the left-turning car on my right hand side. And when I say inches, I mean it; if I'd stuck my knees out I could have simultaneously touched both the car on my right and the leg on the rider on my left. He then tears off down Hunt Club leaving me to suffer the angry looks and rude gestures from the car driver I'd almost rubbed up on.
          I think most of us are used to being ignored and/or endangered by car drivers on a regular basis, but this was an unexpected menace for which I was entirely unprepared. I learned a long time ago to be aware when I ride, and I try to keep tabs on every moving vehicle within 100 metres of my position. But if I have to be scared of every single banana-head on the road, maybe it's time I hung up my leathers. That guy is out there somewhere; I hope he's ashamed.

          Ride safe; have fun.

          -chris
          'Tis far better to think without acting than to act without thinking.
          If only I listened to myself.

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          • #6
            Saw another one this morning. I was sitting at a red light, right lane of two lanes turning left, about three vehicles back from the line. Light turned green, so our lane started to move. Passed by the woman in the SUV talking on her cellphone at the head of the left lane. I got all the way through the turn, as did about three or four more vehicles behind me in my lane, before the lady clued in and started making her turn. Sheesh....
            Ken Talbot

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            • #7
              Cruising into town where 1 lane turns to two. I'm in my truck, and take the curb lane, the harley behind me, pulls up alongside but not quite up to my door but ahead of my bumper. Keep in mind we are the only two vehicles on the road. He holds his position too!

              It's bad enough when cars drive in my blind spot, but a bike
              Ernie
              79XS1100SF (no longer naked, now a bagger)
              (Improving with age, the bike that is)

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              • #8
                Not long ago I was riding to work distantly tailing an 18-wheeler, when a 2-wheeler cruiser passes me at about 20 mph overtake. He nestles in behind the semi, nice and snug. The trucker flashes his running lights a couple times, indicating his concern. The 2-wheeler doesn't pay any mind and keeps tailgating. The trucker remains cool as ice, not slamming on the brakes, cussing or anything of the sort. He knows there is a recent patch of "armor coat" on the sholder of the road. For those of you not well-versed in Kansan, "armor coat" is a patch job for the road surface consisting of a layer of hot tar laid down followed by a layer of gravel. Most of the gravel is loose and gets swept away by wind after a few weeks. The trucker, ever so gently, pulls his righttrack of wheels into the armor coat, flinging up millions of pebble sized rocks. Needless to say, the biker, a RUB with only a doorag and a pair of sun glasses, decided that tailgating wasn't the hottest idea his overpaid brain had concieved. When I passes him on the side of the road, his glasses were busted up and his chin was bleeding. I offered a spare set of glasses so he could ride to the ER.

                I guess money can buy about everything but common sense.
                Ich habe dich nicht gefragt.

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                • #9
                  another dink

                  Riding down the access road to a shopping center today. Panel van cuts me off. OK, not a problem, I understand, the thing has no freakin' windows. So I'm in back of him now, he just stops for a second and starts backing up. Now I'm pi$$ed off, so I went around his right side, slapped the hood with my hand and spit on his van. Just another day down here in Broward county.
                  2H7 (79) owned since '89
                  3H3 owned since '06

                  "If it ain't broke, modify it"

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                  • #10
                    It almost seems like cages have declared war on us, well not really, but when they speed up to keep us from merging you kind of have to wonder. I think it is just jeolosy because they are just stuck in them damn cars.
                    Current Rides: '82 XJ w/Jardine 4-1's, GIVI flyscreen, '97 Triumph Trophy 1200
                    Former Rides: '71 CB350, '78 400 Hawk, '75 CB550/4;
                    while in Japan: '86 KLR250, '86 VT250Z, '86 XL600R, '82 CB450(Hawk II), '96 750 Nighthawk, '96 BMW F650

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                    • #11
                      Offence is the best defence,

                      It's football season right?? lol.. Really, I'll speed, and weave just to keep away from all vehicles. Have you ever noticed that vehicle travel in packs? All it takes is a truck trying to pass another truck, or two idiot going side by side and the traffic is backed up for a mile or more. Then you have the butt-heads that insist on cutting you off your safety barrier, weaving in and out of traffic,, which causes the brake light to flash for miles..
                      Stay away from everybody and dictate where you are going,, not the other way around, is my policy,, your in safe hands..lol.
                      Peace Brother and keep the rubber side down.
                      If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself..

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