Semis and construction trucks. I avoid being behind them whenever possible. Pass them as soon as its safe to. Too many things can come flying off them or out of them and I can't see the road in front of me.
When I'm in my truck, they don't bother me at all, on the bike, I avoid them like the plague.

 

You have two choices, either speed up and get way ahead of him or slow down and find an open spot between traffic.

When I ride alone I can always find space somewhere on the open road. I just slow down to 68 for a very short while then reset the cruise at 72 when I find a spot.

But when I ride with my buddies they have to ride 70 to 75 no matter what and we are always in traffic.

It's so much more pleasent to find that sweet spot.....and you are still riding at your 70 to 75 mph. You just don't have to constantly fight it.

 

Agreed, Atlanta is bad - the only saving grace is that semis are not allowed on the interstates inside 285 unless they have proof of having to make a stop there. This of course makes 285 THE WORST highway to ride on in the USA.

 

Why don't you just pull off the road & let them go on and wait a minute then pull back out when there is no trucks near

 

trust me on this one...get a roadglide...won't even feel the turbulence from a semi moving the bike. problem solved

 

Me too Jeff.....hammer down and fly,..........

 

I stay away from anyone pulling a boat especially on Sundays. They're comimg home tired and possibly still drunk. They just throw their crap in the boat and blast on home...I've had to dodge life jackets, cooler lids and pool noodles on more than one occasion.

 

Personally I think this "riding around trucks" thing is blown way out of proportion. I see them as any other vehicle on the road and ride accordingly.

Sure a big truck will create a bit of turbulence but as long as you are aware of what's happening it's really no big deal.

And as for the tire blowouts, sure it can happen, but how many times have you been next to a truck in harms way at the moment of a blowout. I've been driving/riding for 40+ years and that answer for me is never.

It comes down to this... Can a big truck cause an issue? Yes. But the chances of something happening at the exact moment to f you up is miniscule.

I'd say my biggest issue is when they're kicking up or dropping dirt/stones and I'm hearing all that **** hit my bike.

Bottom line - be aware, but don't worry about it!

 

If you had asked me that a year ago, I would've agreed. But this summer on a hot 110 degree Oklahoma day, I watched a fully loaded dump truck blow a rear tire going 70 mph on I35. The debris from that tire looked like a bomb going off on to the car next to it. The second tire couldn't handle the weight and it blew dropping the left side of the truck on its rims and throwing part of its load all over the car and making a big mess for all the cars following in those two lanes. I was in my car one car length a head of the car the dirt load fell on. I have a lot more respect for truck tires.

I personally like cruising a little faster than traffic so that I pass and stay a head of trouble. Following trucks can be troublesome because they slow down going up hills and speed up going down.

Beary

 

Echoing all other posts regarding big rigs, trailers, landscapers and etc.

Flatbed trailers have stuff flying off of them, had a bolt hit my car windshield and it scared the daylights out of me.