Motorcycles
 

rant/on

Ok, I realize that motorcyclist may look like a really great target but I for one would hope you cagers out there would give us our 9' of space on the road.

Wed morning I was rear ended on the left side.
Thurs I almost had to kick in a door of a tailgater.
Today I was rear ended in the center rear fender.

I pay my taxes, so that means I get fair use of the road the same as anyone else.

rant/off

Re: Motorcycles
 

that sucks.
I just got back from a ride, it's dangerous out there.

Re: Motorcycles
 

I hate tailgaters in general, but when I see someone tailgating a biker, it really pisses me off. Sorry to hear, Mike

Re: Motorcycles
 

Have you checked you back for a big bullseye??? :D

Seriously, that bites big ones! Be careful out there!

Re: Motorcycles
 

time to install go go gadget machine guns and oil spray

Re: Motorcycles
 

sorry man...

motorcycle riders do not get the respect they deserve.

Stay safe bro

Re: Motorcycles
 

A buddy of mine was riding his bike from work when we were on Active Duty and this lady in a brand new MB was on her cell phone tried to merge into him because she was not paying attention. He swerved and got her attention and she flipped him off.

So he got up next to her and punched her brand new mirror off the car. :r

Re: Motorcycles
 

Well, the first accident the cop called for 1 back up. This morning the trooper called for 2 extra cars. Had to because the city wasn't even called by me. Just gotta love profiling.

I'm out of lugnuts, time to swing by the tire place and get some. Backs the tailgaters up real quick. I have no qualms dropping them, I don't have 3,500 lbs of cage wrapped around me with air bags and I intend to get home alive.

Re: Motorcycles
 

Nice! :r

Re: Motorcycles
 

I can neither confirm or deny that I would ever kick in a car door..... I have heard though that they normally back off when you do though.

Re: Motorcycles
 

The lugnuts are a really good idea btw. Not that I'm endorsing that :tu

My best friend (a Motor Cop) and best man at my wedding once said, ride like every car you see is actively trying to kill you.

Re: Motorcycles
 

As a former motorcycle safety instructor with Team Oregon (rated top program in the country by NHTSA almost every year), I will point out that car drivers are trained by experience to look for large objects the size of cars. Since motorcycles and scooters and even bicycles are so infrequently used in our car culture, that's just operant conditioning. Not making excuses, just saying it like it is. While you have the right to your space, be proactive and make sure that you aren't "dead right".

My username used to be "vstromMark" and those who know about Suzuki dual sport bikes will recognize the Vstrom part. My fave bike is the DL650.

Re: Motorcycles
 

That's ridiculous man. I've been riding a few years now & my first week on the bike 3 different people almost ran me off of the road. I try to stay as far away from people as possible. They just don't care. When I'm stopped if I see a car in the rearview I tap my brakes to get there attention. If they could only ride a mile in our shoes. In the cage when I see road debris or something fly out the back of a truck I hope it doesn't mess up my car. On the bike I hope it doesn't kill me.

Re: Motorcycles
 

Ditto on the lugnuts. Not that I am endorsing that. ;)

I try (DO) where obnoxiously bright colors and have my thumb on the horn and ride very defensively. Even when they look right at you they don't see you somtimes.

Re: Motorcycles
 

I ride a 49cc scooter to work everyday. I live on post and only about 3 miles from work. The top speed on post is 30 and I can do that on the scooter but I have still been almost ran off the road a few times. It is crazy cuz there is so many MPs on this post and people still drive like they are brain dead.

When we got the scooter my wife wanted to ride it but then she actually got on the road with other cars and was so afraid she parked it and walked home.

Re: Motorcycles
 

I actually just bought a bike this past Saturday. I've never ridden before though so I'm working on getting a feel for it late at night with empty roads before I brave the crazy a$$ drivers we have down here. They scare me in my car, much more so I imagine on a bike.

Re: Motorcycles
 

Have you done the MSF?

Re: Motorcycles
 

On my to-do list. This week I've been just riding up and down the road in my neighborhood and turning around. Still haven't gotten around to finding a place and registering for the MSF course. Any recommendations on where?

Re: Motorcycles
 

I have about 40K miles logged in on the street and tracks. My best advice would be to go 20MPH faster than traffic. If they start to merge into your lane you will be past them before they get far enough over to hit you.

I ride pretty conservative on the streets and light it up on the track. The extra speed on the road really helps you avoid sitting in someones blind spot and gives you more control.

It was already said but imagine everyone is going to do something crazy and you will avoid them the 25% of the time it actually happens.

Re: Motorcycles
 

sorry to hear about your accidents - glad you're not severely injured.