Almost bought the farm yesterday...
Cruiser
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 127
Likes: 1
From: Louisiana
They are out there Koppertop. Glad you are OK. I was in a similar situation today in south Cajun Land. It is like " if I don't look,,,It's not my fault". I almost got mad enough to follow them. Phew
Ride like your the only one with brakes.
Ride like your the only one with brakes.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,622
Likes: 7
From: Gulf Coast
Situation like that I usually manage to furiously jab the left turn signal two or three times then give up on finding the horn button and just rev the engine up while downshifting to get the hell out of Dodge. Been lucky a coupla times but it sure will make your ******* eat holes in your seat.
Glad you kept a cool head and did exactly the right thing to survive.
Good Luck
Tom
Glad you kept a cool head and did exactly the right thing to survive.
Good Luck
Tom
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,549
Likes: 8
From: North Texas
I generally like riding on most interstates -- no intersections, controlled access and exits, plenty of lanes and you can really soak up the miles, but yesterday, I nearly bought the farm thanks to some clueless cager.
It was a beautiful, sunny day, about 80ş, and I'm doing about 75 in the center lane of a three lane (in each direction) highway, about 3 car lengths behind the car in front of me. There's another car behind me and the three of us are in the process of passing a car doing maybe 70 on the right. I've got traffic doing probably 75-80 on my left. As I pull up along the car I'm passing, I noticed the driver's window was down and I see a pair of middle aged women in the car as I look over. I was thinking, my pipes are loud and I have SRV blaring on my stereo -- maybe I'll turn down the radio. Then, without warning, the car on the right starts drifting toward my lane and I hit tap the horn and look over -- the woman is staring straight ahead and she continues to move toward me -- now making a full lane change into my space. Now mind you -- I'm not in her blind spot -- I'm shoulder to shoulder with her and her window is DOWN and my bike is LOUD at that speed. I lay on the horn and move to the left, but there's a pickup truck in the left lane. The car in front of me must have heard the horn and slows down, eating up what space I had in front of me. I am totally boxed in and the box is closing.
Everything goes into slow motion at that point. It's amazing how that happens. I'm thinking -- this can't be happening -- I'm about to get hit. I've got a roaring bike with a loud horn blaring continuously and this car is now inches from my right leg and still moving over. At this point, I'm lane splitting at 75 mph on a bagger. I'm close enough to touch a vehicle on either side of me. Somehow, I manage to gun the engine and pull into the space just between the car that cut me off and the car in front of it. It was close, believe me. I hit the brakes (the back of my bike is lit up like a Christmas tree) and the Hyper-Lites do their manic flashing and THEN the hag slows down. I turned my head and gave her a blistering critique of her driving, then took to the right lane to slow down so she could pull along side of me so I could continue my tirade. Really, if she had stopped or gotten off the highway, I would have kicked the crap out of her car. 10 seconds earlier, I was sure I was going to the morgue, now I'm resolved to go to jail.
I guess she pieced together what happened or woke up, but she would not pass me. I slowed to 60, then to 50, but she hung back, refusing to get near me. Finally, I saw her turn off and I continued on. A few miles up the road, I pulled over at a rest stop to cool down. Thought about bagging it for the day, but I didn't want to end a ride prematurely and give in to the dark side. I forced myself to do another hundred miles on back roads, but I was on edge the entire time. I cheated death once and was convinced something else -- one of those left turn or roll-through-a-stop-sign killers had my number. Made it home just fine and had a cold beer on the deck. I'll be back out there today. Ride safe everyone...
It was a beautiful, sunny day, about 80ş, and I'm doing about 75 in the center lane of a three lane (in each direction) highway, about 3 car lengths behind the car in front of me. There's another car behind me and the three of us are in the process of passing a car doing maybe 70 on the right. I've got traffic doing probably 75-80 on my left. As I pull up along the car I'm passing, I noticed the driver's window was down and I see a pair of middle aged women in the car as I look over. I was thinking, my pipes are loud and I have SRV blaring on my stereo -- maybe I'll turn down the radio. Then, without warning, the car on the right starts drifting toward my lane and I hit tap the horn and look over -- the woman is staring straight ahead and she continues to move toward me -- now making a full lane change into my space. Now mind you -- I'm not in her blind spot -- I'm shoulder to shoulder with her and her window is DOWN and my bike is LOUD at that speed. I lay on the horn and move to the left, but there's a pickup truck in the left lane. The car in front of me must have heard the horn and slows down, eating up what space I had in front of me. I am totally boxed in and the box is closing.
Everything goes into slow motion at that point. It's amazing how that happens. I'm thinking -- this can't be happening -- I'm about to get hit. I've got a roaring bike with a loud horn blaring continuously and this car is now inches from my right leg and still moving over. At this point, I'm lane splitting at 75 mph on a bagger. I'm close enough to touch a vehicle on either side of me. Somehow, I manage to gun the engine and pull into the space just between the car that cut me off and the car in front of it. It was close, believe me. I hit the brakes (the back of my bike is lit up like a Christmas tree) and the Hyper-Lites do their manic flashing and THEN the hag slows down. I turned my head and gave her a blistering critique of her driving, then took to the right lane to slow down so she could pull along side of me so I could continue my tirade. Really, if she had stopped or gotten off the highway, I would have kicked the crap out of her car. 10 seconds earlier, I was sure I was going to the morgue, now I'm resolved to go to jail.
I guess she pieced together what happened or woke up, but she would not pass me. I slowed to 60, then to 50, but she hung back, refusing to get near me. Finally, I saw her turn off and I continued on. A few miles up the road, I pulled over at a rest stop to cool down. Thought about bagging it for the day, but I didn't want to end a ride prematurely and give in to the dark side. I forced myself to do another hundred miles on back roads, but I was on edge the entire time. I cheated death once and was convinced something else -- one of those left turn or roll-through-a-stop-sign killers had my number. Made it home just fine and had a cold beer on the deck. I'll be back out there today. Ride safe everyone...
Good move on stopping for awhile to get your composure. Glad nothing happened.
Thread Starter
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Road Captain
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 702
Likes: 1
From: U.S.S.A.
Well, I ride the interstates a lot (my commute is 45 miles each way on the highway) and I'll make some adjustments.
For one, I'm not going to take people to school anymore while riding. For example, here's a typical situation I see 10 times a day. Same 3-lane highway, coming up to a on/off ramp and most traffic continuing past the cloverleaf will move out of the right lane to the center lane to allow oncoming (slower) traffic room. Also, you don't get stuck behind merging traffic going 20 mph slower then prevailing speeds. As the space opens up on the right, some *** goes flying up the right lane, passing the center lane traffic and (1) either gets boxed in by the merging traffic, or (2) cuts into the center lane traffic (with no room) to avoid getting boxed in. When that happens, I'll usually box in the jerk and give him a look. Not any more. No telling when someone is going to THINK they have enough room to squeeze in front of me and push me out of my lane.
For one, I'm not going to take people to school anymore while riding. For example, here's a typical situation I see 10 times a day. Same 3-lane highway, coming up to a on/off ramp and most traffic continuing past the cloverleaf will move out of the right lane to the center lane to allow oncoming (slower) traffic room. Also, you don't get stuck behind merging traffic going 20 mph slower then prevailing speeds. As the space opens up on the right, some *** goes flying up the right lane, passing the center lane traffic and (1) either gets boxed in by the merging traffic, or (2) cuts into the center lane traffic (with no room) to avoid getting boxed in. When that happens, I'll usually box in the jerk and give him a look. Not any more. No telling when someone is going to THINK they have enough room to squeeze in front of me and push me out of my lane.
Thread Starter
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Road Captain
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 702
Likes: 1
From: U.S.S.A.
You're right about that, but when I was deconstructing the event, I began to wonder why I just didn't slow down. There was a car behind me, but he wasn't riding my butt. I think mostly it was because I was certain (mistakenly) that a tap of the horn would do the trick and the drifting car would move back into its lane. Once it started to take my lane over, I didn't want to slide back into her blind spot either (not that she was even looking).
As far as finding the horn button in an emergency goes, I used to have that problem, but I've since learned to cover the horn in tricky situations and even give a preemptive toot just so people know I'm out there. I only wish the horn button was the FIRE button on an F/A-18 joystick...
As far as finding the horn button in an emergency goes, I used to have that problem, but I've since learned to cover the horn in tricky situations and even give a preemptive toot just so people know I'm out there. I only wish the horn button was the FIRE button on an F/A-18 joystick...
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 36
Likes: 0
We constantly complain about cagers breaking the laws, etc, and yet, society seems to turn a blind eye to what I consider a more serious issue, speeding.
I particularly like those who claim, the law says keep right except to pass, well doesn't the law also state the speed limit?
Again, no disrespect, I'm simply trying to start a discussion..
Thanks.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,990
Likes: 23
From: NC
dude, I know what you were feeling. I had the same thing happen to me twice within a week and a half. Sum B!tches must be on heavy meds or something. I'm half Italian, and I get pissed off really fast when azz clowns drive like that.
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Tourer
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 275
Likes: 0
From: Albany, LA.
99 percent of the time anyone puulls out in front of me, over on me, or on the a$$ of my bike it's a dam WOMAN! I'm not being bias, my wife will even tells me when she's on the back riding Quote: You see that woman over there watch out for her.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 4,128
Likes: 27
From: florida swamp
She probably was deaf in one ear and couldn't hear out of the other.
See it all the time down here in Fla. Old ladies changing lanes without a second look. I guess since they're old, people should just automatically move out of their way. I try to stay in an empty area whether on the interstate or in any other traffic. If I'm among a pack of cars, I get out of there ASAP.
See it all the time down here in Fla. Old ladies changing lanes without a second look. I guess since they're old, people should just automatically move out of their way. I try to stay in an empty area whether on the interstate or in any other traffic. If I'm among a pack of cars, I get out of there ASAP.