Motorcycles

[Volt]

I have absolutly no regrets or qualms about whatever I do when someone in a cage is trying to kill me or is putting me in harms way. It's way to dangerous in the norm without someone within a car's length of my fender. The bad part about this week is I just had no outs. Normally I leave myself an emergency out, but when I am looking left down the road to check oncoming traffic, not much I can do.

This $hit doesn't scare me off my scoot, I would not want to imagine living life and not riding, it's my sanity check. If ya don't ride - well I can't explain it. I normally ride between 18k and 24k a year so I'm aware of the hazards and do my best to avoid them.

On the MSF course, remember passing it just means your qualified to ride a 250cc motorcycle on a closed course. Riding IMO is a skill and uses skills. The more you ride, the sharper you stay and the more experience you have when $hit goes south. I like your crow bar, I have an asp I have been trying to find a spot to mount it to. And before anyone wants to "judge" wether it's a good idea or not:

I'ld rather be judged by 12 than carried by six.

Tonight I'll be in the shed with a cigar and a bourbon cooling down, life as a target this week has sucked.

Originally Posted by Cigary

Sorry that all of this happened to you and as a motorcycle rider for 40 plus years I've pretty much seen it all. The post below here is something that every motorcyclist needs to heed because you cannot trust the drivers around you to be aware of your presence. Fundamentally drivers are not looking for motorcycles...they do not equate the space that a motorcycle takes up because of depth of field so they don't know or can't tell how fast a motorcycle is coming up so they end up turning right in front of you even though they look directly at you...friggin amazing. As you are traveling on the hiway in your lane they still do not look and switch lanes while they are talking on their f'n cell phones or texting.

I ride with the expectation that somebody is going to do something stupid...I drive defensively all the time and always have a secondary area to go to "just in case" something happens. I drive in the far right lane and let them pass me...easier to deal with watching only one lane rather than 2 lanes where they weave back and forth. I have a Cobra Exhaust so they can hear me...a full light bar so that they can see me.

Have some motorists tried to throw things at me...open their doors to try and be an a$$hole...veered their cars towards me so as to feign hitting me? Yes they have and they paid dearly for that. I do not drive offensively but there are motorists out there who for one reason or another do not like motorcyclists. I carry a mini crow bar in my saddlebag that is easily accessible just in case and I have used it a few times in total defense for those who tried to do me bodily harm...they are now missing headlights, side windows and mirrors and windshields. I'm not proud of it by any means but it took some extraordinary means to stop them from trying to run me off the road or hitting me.

QUOTE=markem;845533]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".

QUOTE]

Well said!!!