being tailgated
Tourer
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 270
Likes: 1
From: Columbus, OH
RE: being tailgated
I hate tailgaters w/ a passion. In July I was leaving the Smoky Mountains headed for Charlotte on I-40. Things were great until I got to I-77 and then everyone was tailgating and trying to run me down. I dropped some marbles on a few and that usually backs them off real quick. I use it as a last resort. Also had someone tailgating last night on way home from work . . . I slowed to leave more room ahead of me and at a stop light I just about put the kickstand down to have a chat w/them, but then came to my senses and rode on.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,622
Likes: 0
From: Oxford, England
RE: being tailgated
My bud flicks his kill switch off and on with about a one second delay - one massive backfire through the pipes and some nice blue flames, quite spectacular. I saw the last guy he did this to who was so startled he swerved across the road and nearly ended up in a ditch. A little severe maybe but that guy will think twice before tailgating a bike in future I think.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 7,090
Likes: 3,882
From: Murfreesboro , TN
RE: being tailgated
ORIGINAL: millzog
Just remember one thing , those people in the cages might have a gun . So if you try to do something stupid .......think twice . Just leave it alone and get away from them. Let them tailgate someone else.
Just remember one thing , those people in the cages might have a gun . So if you try to do something stupid .......think twice . Just leave it alone and get away from them. Let them tailgate someone else.
Seriously though, I like the idea of the RJ-45 plugs. I haven't had a huge problem here in Phoenix in awhile though, but I had some soccer mom in an Excursion tailgating my a$$ (I was on my first bike too, a Buell Blast!), in the HOV lane! I was going about 75-80 too! A friend of mine who was in her car heading home at the same time saw it and pulled closer and started yelling at the soccer mom. The chick finally got in the right lane, blew past us both like we were standing still (and I was still 75+), and got back in the HOV lane. I didn't see any kids (much less adults) in her car either.
The few times I've had tailgaters, I usually tap my brakes, and they start to back off. Definately a good idea to use a bright rear taillight, since I put an LED in, it seems to work better when I do that.
Road Captain
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 543
Likes: 0
From:
RE: being tailgated
Ya I usually lane split but Ive actually had some jackhole do this to me on an empty freeway in the middle of the day I just moved over a lane and let him go as yelling at him to make me feel better about my manhood, LOL. That didnt turn out to well, he decided to chase me all over the freeway yelling out, "I am going to make a blood stain out of you." I said, "you jacka$$, Im on a bike if you hit me you kill me, its not like hitting a car." All that did was make him more fanatical to hit me. Made for a not so fun day let me tell you. Im a cop so you can use your imagination what I finally did when he was next to me doing one of his threatening yelling fits.
I encourage the accelerating to get away method or splitting a lane to get a car between you and the gater after this incident. People are dumb and do dumb things, including us, but they are bigger then us.
[/quote]
for those of you in california, you especially have no excuse. traffic is a tool you can use.
[/quote]
I encourage the accelerating to get away method or splitting a lane to get a car between you and the gater after this incident. People are dumb and do dumb things, including us, but they are bigger then us.
[/quote]
for those of you in california, you especially have no excuse. traffic is a tool you can use.
[/quote]
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
From:
RE: being tailgated
ORIGINAL: dogtownmax
excellent. we have established that noone here is afraid of women. 
man, where do i get that harley tattoo again?
enough ribbing i suppose, though. heres the real answer:
tailgaters are easy to deal with. use the throttle for something other than making noise at a stoplight, and stop being a pylon in the road.
its a bike, it should out accellerate everything on the road but other bikes, and the occasional ferrarri or high end porsche.
if you are compelled to drag tail on the road, let em pass. less ego, more happyness.
as a last resort if you have someone who wants to tailget YOU in particular, lanesplit around the car in front of you and use them as a blocker. now i realise for many of you, lanesplitting is illegal, but so is speeding and lots of other things people do everyday. your first priority is to survive traffic.
for those of you in california, you especially have no excuse. traffic is a tool you can use.
ORIGINAL: ClinesSelect
I've wanted to do that same thing many many times, including today [:@]
I've wanted to do that same thing many many times, including today [:@]
ORIGINAL: ZJAvy
Ive knocked on some ladies driver window before because she decided to pull up next to me, when she looked I just kicked her mirror really hard, grinned, waved and rode off.
Ive knocked on some ladies driver window before because she decided to pull up next to me, when she looked I just kicked her mirror really hard, grinned, waved and rode off.
man, where do i get that harley tattoo again?
enough ribbing i suppose, though. heres the real answer:
tailgaters are easy to deal with. use the throttle for something other than making noise at a stoplight, and stop being a pylon in the road.
its a bike, it should out accellerate everything on the road but other bikes, and the occasional ferrarri or high end porsche.
if you are compelled to drag tail on the road, let em pass. less ego, more happyness.
as a last resort if you have someone who wants to tailget YOU in particular, lanesplit around the car in front of you and use them as a blocker. now i realise for many of you, lanesplitting is illegal, but so is speeding and lots of other things people do everyday. your first priority is to survive traffic.
for those of you in california, you especially have no excuse. traffic is a tool you can use.
Tourer
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 342
Likes: 0
From: west of the big lake
RE: being tailgated
enough ribbing i suppose, though. heres the real answer:
tailgaters are easy to deal with. use the throttle for something other than making noise at a stoplight, and stop being a pylon in the road.
its a bike, it should out accellerate everything on the road but other bikes, and the occasional ferrarri or high end porsche.
if you are compelled to drag tail on the road, let em pass. less ego, more happyness.
tailgaters are easy to deal with. use the throttle for something other than making noise at a stoplight, and stop being a pylon in the road.
its a bike, it should out accellerate everything on the road but other bikes, and the occasional ferrarri or high end porsche.
if you are compelled to drag tail on the road, let em pass. less ego, more happyness.
i'm supposed to go faster and risk getting a ticket, because HE/SHE can't figure out wtf is going on...???
gimme a break....
Road Captain
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 711
Likes: 0
From: Syracuse, NY
RE: being tailgated
I agree with everybody so far, but it is a very hard thing to do to not let these other people drive our bikes for us. By that I mean that I want to make my own decisions based on my good judgement and common sense rather than doing something rash or crazy because one of these jerks is making me nervous. I wish they would all just wake up and pay attention to motorcycles.
BA
BA
Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 202
Likes: 0
From:
RE: being tailgated
ORIGINAL: Cryptoboy
Yet another reason to carry!
Seriously though, I like the idea of the RJ-45 plugs. I haven't had a huge problem here in Phoenix in awhile though, but I had some soccer mom in an Excursion tailgating my a$$ (I was on my first bike too, a Buell Blast!), in the HOV lane! I was going about 75-80 too! A friend of mine who was in her car heading home at the same time saw it and pulled closer and started yelling at the soccer mom. The chick finally got in the right lane, blew past us both like we were standing still (and I was still 75+), and got back in the HOV lane. I didn't see any kids (much less adults) in her car either.
The few times I've had tailgaters, I usually tap my brakes, and they start to back off. Definately a good idea to use a bright rear taillight, since I put an LED in, it seems to work better when I do that.
ORIGINAL: millzog
Just remember one thing , those people in the cages might have a gun . So if you try to do something stupid .......think twice . Just leave it alone and get away from them. Let them tailgate someone else.
Just remember one thing , those people in the cages might have a gun . So if you try to do something stupid .......think twice . Just leave it alone and get away from them. Let them tailgate someone else.
Seriously though, I like the idea of the RJ-45 plugs. I haven't had a huge problem here in Phoenix in awhile though, but I had some soccer mom in an Excursion tailgating my a$$ (I was on my first bike too, a Buell Blast!), in the HOV lane! I was going about 75-80 too! A friend of mine who was in her car heading home at the same time saw it and pulled closer and started yelling at the soccer mom. The chick finally got in the right lane, blew past us both like we were standing still (and I was still 75+), and got back in the HOV lane. I didn't see any kids (much less adults) in her car either.
The few times I've had tailgaters, I usually tap my brakes, and they start to back off. Definately a good idea to use a bright rear taillight, since I put an LED in, it seems to work better when I do that.
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 7,090
Likes: 3,882
From: Murfreesboro , TN
RE: being tailgated
ORIGINAL: Pathfinder
OK, I'm stupid, what's an RJ-45 Plug?
ORIGINAL: Cryptoboy
Yet another reason to carry!
Seriously though, I like the idea of the RJ-45 plugs. I haven't had a huge problem here in Phoenix in awhile though, but I had some soccer mom in an Excursion tailgating my a$$ (I was on my first bike too, a Buell Blast!), in the HOV lane! I was going about 75-80 too! A friend of mine who was in her car heading home at the same time saw it and pulled closer and started yelling at the soccer mom. The chick finally got in the right lane, blew past us both like we were standing still (and I was still 75+), and got back in the HOV lane. I didn't see any kids (much less adults) in her car either.
The few times I've had tailgaters, I usually tap my brakes, and they start to back off. Definately a good idea to use a bright rear taillight, since I put an LED in, it seems to work better when I do that.
ORIGINAL: millzog
Just remember one thing , those people in the cages might have a gun . So if you try to do something stupid .......think twice . Just leave it alone and get away from them. Let them tailgate someone else.
Just remember one thing , those people in the cages might have a gun . So if you try to do something stupid .......think twice . Just leave it alone and get away from them. Let them tailgate someone else.
Seriously though, I like the idea of the RJ-45 plugs. I haven't had a huge problem here in Phoenix in awhile though, but I had some soccer mom in an Excursion tailgating my a$$ (I was on my first bike too, a Buell Blast!), in the HOV lane! I was going about 75-80 too! A friend of mine who was in her car heading home at the same time saw it and pulled closer and started yelling at the soccer mom. The chick finally got in the right lane, blew past us both like we were standing still (and I was still 75+), and got back in the HOV lane. I didn't see any kids (much less adults) in her car either.
The few times I've had tailgaters, I usually tap my brakes, and they start to back off. Definately a good idea to use a bright rear taillight, since I put an LED in, it seems to work better when I do that.
Road Captain
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 543
Likes: 0
From:
RE: being tailgated
Every situation dictates a different response. My answers were based on experiences as to what Ive dealt with and always on a freeway in Southern California. The two lane road thing, use your best judgement pull off when safe and let them pass if that is what you are most comfortable with, probably the smartest decision in the long run. I have seriously found if you look back and merely wave a lil back off gesture (stop with hand waving it forward and back) people usually back off, not realizing they were to close to make you uncomfortable. The two incidents I shared are extremes in the 14 years of riding Ive had and one was a lady changing lanes into me from off to the side was no biggie I had a nice escape route and she was oblivious to me while the other was just downright scarey and I actually feared for my life enough that it took drastic measures with a fast phone call to the CHP afterwards.