Motorcycle Rant

Half Fast said:
If you don't think your brain is worth protecting with a helmet, you're correct.
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I went down a few years ago, 30 MPH. Did some tumbling down the road. I know I heard my head thump the road a couple of time. Luckily I believed in wearing the helmet back them. A fractured ankle and road rash was the worst. If I didn’t have the helmet, would have been much worse.
 
When I met my wife she asked if I wore a helmet. Told her I did as my brother was an EMS training officer and he always wore a helmet and he seems like he's a pretty smart fella. She told me it was a law that I wear a helmet. I told her that wasn't true in this state. She said it was in this relationship. :D We just celebrated 32 years a few weeks ago.
 
steingar said:
And now it’s time for my rant. Cagers have always been dangerous for us bikers, no doubts there. It’s always been the case that I’d have to pull some escape maneuver once a month or so. But with the advent of smartphones that number has risen to one in two. Last ride I did I had to get away from someone who for outward appearances was trying to murder me. Stop looking at your damn phones!
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Yup. Let’s aviationize this.
And now it’s time for my rant. Cagers(fellow pilots) have always been dangerous for us bikers(pilots), no doubts there. It’s always been the case that I’d have to pull some escape maneuver once a month or so. But with the advent of smartphones(iPads,GPS gadgets, etc) that number has risen to one in two. Last ride(flight) I did I had to get away from someone who for outward appearances was trying to murder me. Stop looking(focusing) at your damn phones(things that look like TV)!

I had returned to flying after about 25 years off. The usual family, job, not enough money in the piggy bank etc. stuff. The number of planes I saw who seemed to have not seen me, who should have, and I had to maneuver around because they weren’t following basic Right of Way rules surprised me. I then learned about GPS/MFD gadgets and ‘pseudo’ TCAS gadgets, and it made sense.
 
Alright, so addressing the original question.

@Mtns2Skies there are absolutely a number of motorcyclists who are not very good, inconsiderate, and don't seem to have any clue of what they should be doing to keep themselves alive. It almost seems like motorcyclists are made up from a similar pool as the rest of the world's population. :D

Because there are fewer motorcyclists, the idiots are more pronounced than for cagers, where we come across them all the time but don't think much of it because they're so common.

The one thing I'll respond to specifically is on speed. When I'm on a motorcycle I'll typically just go the speed limit these days. Reason? I'm just enjoying the ride and I'm not trying to get where I'm going in any kind of a hurry. Now I don't get annoyed if anyone passes me (so long as they do it legally and don't try to get close to me) but it's not that we can't go faster, it's that we don't necessarily want to. I'll even go the speed limit when driving my cars most of the time, too. When I was your age I didn't understand that so much, but it is possible to enjoy the ride/drive without going fast. I also drove a lot more back then. These days, I drive a lot less than I would like to, and I ride even less.
 
Just on my commute in to work there was a guy on a sport bike riding down the middle of two lanes splitting on a road that barely had any traffic on it. And it's not legal here.

I moved over to give him room, but that doesn't mean I don't think he was an ******* for doing it.

That's it... motorcyclists seem entitled. Take that boomers. Your motorcycle culture is entitled and all of the bikers seem like they deserve the whole road. Shame on "cagers" for even considering being on the road.
 
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Mtns2Skies said:
Just on my commute in to work there was a guy on a sport bike riding down the middle lane splitting on a road that barely had any traffic on it. And it's not legal here.

I moved over to give him room, but that doesn't mean I don't think he was an ******* for doing it.

That's it... motorcyclists seem entitled. Take that boomers. Your motorcycle culture is entitled and all of the bikers seem like they deserve the whole road. Shame on "cagers" for even considering being on the road.
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splitting where it’s not legal is dangerous. When I am in CA I split constantly. When in AZ I have to turn it off.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
Just on my commute in to work there was a guy on a sport bike riding down the middle lane splitting on a road that barely had any traffic on it. And it's not legal here.

I moved over to give him room, but that doesn't mean I don't think he was an ******* for doing it.

That's it... motorcyclists seem entitled. Take that boomers. Your motorcycle culture is entitled and all of the bikers seem like they deserve the whole road. Shame on "cagers" for even considering being on the road.
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Correct, if it's not legal, he shouldn't have been splitting, and is breaking the law. As do 90%+ of other road users every day, as around here nobody obeys the speed limit.
 
Everskyward said:
My main beef with motorcyclists are the ones who lane split when the cars are not either stopped or moving very slowly. I've had riders do it when I am going the speed limit. Also, I don't know of any other state where it is legal. Riders don't realize that some drivers may be from elsewhere and not know to expect it.
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And I'm one of them. As mentioned, lane positioning is important. I don't hang out in the space directly behind a car if I can help it, to avoid becoming the meat of a car to car sandwich.

Re: The legality, you are correct that California is the only state that doesn't address lane sharing in its vehicle code. The rest of the states define how many vehicles can operate abreast in a single traffic lane. Some states allow for two motorcycles to ride side by side. Some states that otherwise prohibit lane sharing otherwise allow for lane filtering, which is riding past stopped traffic. There is however a movement to legalize (more accurately decriminalize) lane sharing in the rest of the states.
 
SoCal RV Flyer said:
But no reset button. :eek:



Back when I was being tailgated in the company car, I'd yank the handbrake...just for an instant, then release. Nice little puff of smoke, the car yaws a little bit, but doesn't really slow down.

But gets rid of the tailgater!!
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Around here that might get you shot. Best not to play with idiots, their thought processes tend to be defective.
 
Sac Arrow said:
And I'm one of them. As mentioned, lane positioning is important. I don't hang out in the space directly behind a car if I can help it, to avoid becoming the meat of a car to car sandwich.

Re: The legality, you are correct that California is the only state that doesn't address lane sharing in its vehicle code. The rest of the states define how many vehicles can operate abreast in a single traffic lane. Some states allow for two motorcycles to ride side by side. Some states that otherwise prohibit lane sharing otherwise allow for lane filtering, which is riding past stopped traffic. There is however a movement to legalize (more accurately decriminalize) lane sharing in the rest of the states.
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You lane split when traffic is moving at a decent speed? Note that I wrote that I didn't mind when traffic is stopped or moving slowly.

I had a motorcycle endorsement in both Missouri and Colorado. I know that motorcycles are allowed to share one lane (in those states, anyway). I owned a motorcycle for a while and lived with someone who was a long-time biker. We took a trip to California a long time ago and he thought lane splitting was nuts.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
Just on my commute in to work there was a guy on a sport bike riding down the middle lane splitting on a road that barely had any traffic on it. And it's not legal here.

I moved over to give him room, but that doesn't mean I don't think he was an ******* for doing it.

That's it... motorcyclists seem entitled. Take that boomers. Your motorcycle culture is entitled and all of the bikers seem like they deserve the whole road. Shame on "cagers" for even considering being on the road.
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Was he in the middle lane or not? Do you mean he was right on the line between lanes?
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Alright, so addressing the original question.

@Mtns2Skies there are absolutely a number of motorcyclists who are not very good, inconsiderate, and don't seem to have any clue of what they should be doing to keep themselves alive. It almost seems like motorcyclists are made up from a similar pool as the rest of the world's population. :D

Because there are fewer motorcyclists, the idiots are more pronounced than for cagers, where we come across them all the time but don't think much of it because they're so common.

The one thing I'll respond to specifically is on speed. When I'm on a motorcycle I'll typically just go the speed limit these days. Reason? I'm just enjoying the ride and I'm not trying to get where I'm going in any kind of a hurry. Now I don't get annoyed if anyone passes me (so long as they do it legally and don't try to get close to me) but it's not that we can't go faster, it's that we don't necessarily want to. I'll even go the speed limit when driving my cars most of the time, too. When I was your age I didn't understand that so much, but it is possible to enjoy the ride/drive without going fast. I also drove a lot more back then. These days, I drive a lot less than I would like to, and I ride even less.
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One of my favorite motorcycle articles:
https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/pace/

I usually ride my sport bike just a little over the speed limit on straights, but I don't slow much for corners. I tell people, "The fun is in the corners, and the cops are one the straights."

There are exceptions, of course, when I'm on a long straight empty road and crank her up into triple digits just to get my heart rate up. It's good for my cardio health.
 
Rgbeard said:
splitting where it’s not legal is dangerous.
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Baloney. Danger doesn't change just because the laws do. Still more likely to get creamed from behind by a witless cager than run into something filtering. Cagers don't expect filtering and don't see bikes. So what else is new? Lane Splitting is legal in every nation except this one.
 
Rgbeard said:
splitting where it’s not legal is dangerous
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This reminds me of an episode of COPS. They stopped someone riding a 4-Wheeler on a city street in one of the nanny states on the east coast and were yelling at him about how dangerous it was to ride in traffic. Meanwhile, in Montana they can be licensed to ride on the highways right up to the posted speed limits (70 mph on 2-lane highways). Somehow the geographical location of the vehicle makes a difference on how it can be safely operated. :rolleyes:
 
...and some states allow limited use of bicycle on Interstate highways.....that should stir up the anti-bicyclist crowd here. o_O
 
Everskyward said:
You lane split when traffic is moving at a decent speed? Note that I wrote that I didn't mind when traffic is stopped or moving slowly.

I had a motorcycle endorsement in both Missouri and Colorado. I know that motorcycles are allowed to share one lane (in those states, anyway). I owned a motorcycle for a while and lived with someone who was a long-time biker. We took a trip to California a long time ago and he thought lane splitting was nuts.
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If it's going the limit, I generally don't, but any slower than that then heck yeah. Keep in mind that unrestricted traffic generally travels 10-15 mph past the speed limit anyway. To me, the whole point of riding is being able to lane share, as it can make the difference of a 45 minute commute to the Bay Area vs. a two hour one. I don't ride that much these days, as I don't regularly have to make torture commutes, and have become spoiled with AC, radio, and heat in the winter.
 
steingar said:
Baloney. Danger doesn't change just because the laws do. Still more likely to get creamed from behind by a witless cager than run into something filtering. Cagers don't expect filtering and don't see bikes. So what else is new? Lane Splitting is legal in every nation except this one.
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Splitting where it's not legal is more dangerous in the sense that:

When you're doing this - the car drivers choose to make themselves the vigilante enforcers of the law by opening car doors, crowding you out and the such.
 
Rgbeard said:
Splitting where it's not legal is more dangerous in the sense that:

When you're doing this - the car drivers choose to make themselves the vigilante enforcers of the law by opening car doors, crowding you out and the such.
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Yup, try that down here and some redneck in a pickup will punt your butt off into the woods.
 
You also need to remember that not all drivers of vehicles in California are from here. Well, now maybe most of them are. But we get a lot of visitors in other times. There are also new residents. I was startled by someone lane splitting when I moved here the first time, a long time ago. Startled enough to remember it now, when I don't remember much about those days.
 
smv said:
Ha! Yah... Those folks are fun to play with. I am usually found at or just over (1-2 mph) the posted limit with the cruise control set. When I get someone like that behind me I will tap the DECEL button once every 20 or 30 seconds slowing down ever so gradually. Eventually they will get the idea and either back off or go around. :devil:
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I find it much more entertaining to slow down a couple MPH... then hit warp factor 4 for about half a mile before slowing back down. It gives the old girl a chance to stretch her lovely long legs for a few seconds.
 
I didn't know that people born in the 90's were boomers. Learn something new every day.
(All the sport bike riders around here look to be under the age of 30)
 
Bill Jennings said:
OOhhhh, shiny spinny lure, cannot resist...

1.) Cruisers vs. sportbikes, pirates vs power rangers, ride in the parade vs slay the corners. Yup, cruisers in general go slow and ride in big long lines of bikes (pirate parade). Sportbikes are usually solo or a very small group, and move fast. Me? I'm on an adventure tourer, recovering (or not) sportbiker, no moss grows on me. I stick to the back roads and ride sighlines, and sometimes those sightlines allow +40 motoring.

2.) Yeah, lane positioning is important. Some don't get it.

3.) See "parade" above.

4.) I've never seen this one, but, yeah, maybe the guy wanted to be a policeman? Or wanted to be in Men at Work?

5.) I tried no helmet the first time I rode in a no helmet state, I put it back on 10min later. I don't see the appeal, but I support personal freedom and the right to chose.

6.) “anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac” - George Carlin

7.) (Yeah, I know there wasn't a 7) Motorcyclist are just like motorists are just like pilots are just like...humanity. Some endeavor to learn well and ride precisely, some don't care, some are jackholes.
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^All this. Until fairly recently I commuted 1600 miles per month on a motorcycle - all year regardless of weather, and also made at least one multi thousand mile road trip per year. I've got several hundred thousand miles on two wheels. If the road is less than 10% covered in ice, it is motorcycle weather.

In my experience anyone who spits out the word "cager" spends all winter driving their mom's Honda Accord to work, and they break out their bike in the spring and suddenly everyone is the enemy. They scold car drivers to watch out for motorcycles (will never happen). Other people find out I ride and say "I would ride too, but man the other drivers out there". Truth is the large majority of us kill ourselves, often in single vehicle accidents.

Rules are:
Wear a real helmet
Don't ride drunk
Don't ride like a d-bag
Understand that every car will try to kill you given the slightest opportunity

I'm an ATGATT guy but I don't believe in telling anyone other than my own children what to do. First responders are not conscripted. They apply for the job. Don't pretend no one warned you there would be gore.
 
Sac Arrow said:
And I'm one of them. As mentioned, lane positioning is important. I don't hang out in the space directly behind a car if I can help it, to avoid becoming the meat of a car to car sandwich.

Re: The legality, you are correct that California is the only state that doesn't address lane sharing in its vehicle code. The rest of the states define how many vehicles can operate abreast in a single traffic lane. Some states allow for two motorcycles to ride side by side. Some states that otherwise prohibit lane sharing otherwise allow for lane filtering, which is riding past stopped traffic. There is however a movement to legalize (more accurately decriminalize) lane sharing in the rest of the states.
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Once cars are smart enough to see me coming on a bike, I'll be good with that.
 
Kenny Phillips said:
Once cars are smart enough to see me coming on a bike, I'll be good with that.
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I wonder if the collision avoidance system and other detectors on my new Escape will warn of motorcycles in the blind spots... There hasn't been enough traffic density around here lately for me to notice it working or not working... but I hope they do.
 
We have a cabin in a small community on a lake in the mountains of southern NY state. The road is on the other side of the lake from our beach, with a longish straight section and then a curve that wraps up tighter and tighter around the cove. Unfortunately the bikers have discovered it and have taken to posting YouTube videos... beyond the noise, there's about one crash per week in the summer, and several of them are dead every year. Some end up in the lake, others get pasted onto the rocks. And no cell service to call 911.
 
Lane splitting is stupid. Always. It’s stupid to split when traffic is moving at a good flow, and it’s stupid to ride a bike in traffic bad enough for it to be stopped long, so either way it’s stupid.

The above is slight tongue in cheek, but has a note of truth to it.

signed,
someone that commuted on a bike for more than 5 years.
 
Bob Noel said:
Stupid biker tricks (like you posted) pale in comparison to the utter stupidity of people on bicycles...
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And walkers are the worst by far. those damn people think they own their own feet! (He says snarkily as he's out walking his dogs)
 
timwinters said:
And walkers are the worst by far. those damn people think they own their own feet! (He says snarkily as he's out walking his dogs)
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I continue to be amazed that more Boston Univ students aren't killed every day... You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a crosswalk on Comm Ave, but the BU student just cross everywhere on that street.
 
Dana said:
We have a cabin in a small community on a lake in the mountains of southern NY state. The road is on the other side of the lake from our beach, with a longish straight section and then a curve that wraps up tighter and tighter around the cove. Unfortunately the bikers have discovered it and have taken to posting YouTube videos... beyond the noise, there's about one crash per week in the summer, and several of them are dead every year. Some end up in the lake, others get pasted onto the rocks. And no cell service to call 911.
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That's the difference between golfers and motorcyclists. A bad day on the golf course and your ball goes into the woods. A bad day on the motorcycle and YOU go into the woods. The same can be said for piloting small GA aircraft.

And that is the difference between adventurous and non-adventurous souls.
 
steingar said:
Lane Splitting is legal in every nation except this one.
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We went on an Edelweiss motorcycle tour of Europe. First day involved picking up the bike in Munich and riding it back to our hotel.

Stopped several vehicles back at the first red light, we were startled when a smaller bike zipped by us and ran up to the front of the line, between cars. I remember thinking, “How rude!” Then another did the same. And another. By the time the light changed there were maybe a dozen bikes, scooters and mopeds up at the front. While I was thinking “How rude!”, I’m sure they were thinking, “What are those idiots waiting for???”

Oh, well, when in Munich, do as the Munchkins do, I suppose!
 
Kenny Phillips said:
Once cars are smart enough to see me coming on a bike, I'll be good with that.
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I take a different approach. I assume they can't see me. If I don't have space to maneuver and get out of their way, I don't go.
 
Sure wish lane splitting was legal in Texas. Sitting still in a long line of stopped traffic in 105 degree temps on top of a catalytic converter will convince most skeptics of the need. Been a motorcyclist for over 50 years, had my share of mishaps, still ride nearly every day. Airplanes, motorcycles, and good horses make life good.
Y’all stay safe out there.
 
steingar said:
They aren't anywhere near fast enough.
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Sounds like a challenge. If I'm watching my mirrors and you're white lining, there's no way you're stopping in time. You can't stop that bike in 2 feet, because that opening door or that swerve is going to happen as soon as your back wheel is even with my back wheel. If I was so inclined to do such a thing. Unless of course you've mastered the art of quantum tunneling - which I doubt you have.
 
EdFred said:
Sounds like a challenge. If I'm watching my mirrors and you're white lining, there's no way you're stopping in time. You can't stop that bike in 2 feet, because that opening door or that swerve is going to happen as soon as your back wheel is even with my back wheel. If I was so inclined to do such a thing. Unless of course you've mastered the art of quantum tunneling - which I doubt you have.
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Does it hurt yer poe wittow feeweens to have a big bag motorcycle pass you while you are stuck in twaffic? :rolleyes:
 
Unfortunately the bad actors stand out! I do have to say as an avid motorcyclist I've witnessed a lot of the behaviors of the OP's rant (other than that weird traffic directing), and the sad thing is the pirates and squids make up probably more than half of the riders, but you don't notice the other half because they are just riding safely in town and when they are speeding there's nobody around to witness it. We have the same stuff in aviation, the guys who refuse to do noise abatement procedures or like when John Travolta would fly his Jet into Spruce Creek making a ton of noise and ****ing off the locals.

steingar said:
Lane splitting is safer than sitting in traffic, sorry. Number one accident in those conditions is a rear end collision. Bikers often don't fare well in those. If you're filtering correctly you're only going 10-15 mph faster than the cars. You'll hit someone if they open their door or change lanes suddenly, but you'll do do at 15 mph, which doesn't hurt much. I split lanes the whole time I live in So Cal without issue.
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+1

I'm not really sure why 49 States (well 48 if count Utah's allowing of stop light/sign filtering) and Canada are the only places in the World that have a problem with lane splitting. On the autobahn when you're on a bike and there's a traffic jam cars will move over so you can filter past! It takes the California lane splitting experience to a whole new level. In Asia if you didn't split/filter you'd never get anywhere. Once you've lived and ridden in places where lane splitting is accepted by everyone it makes riding in Urban areas even more frustrating than they already are.

There is a right way and a wrong way to lane split or filter. There's idiots who split down freeway going 80mph in between heavy flowing traffic at normal speeds, that is not only dumb but can get you a ticket. Doing it the right way at just 10-15mph faster than slowly moving or clogged traffic is safe and filtering ahead at a light like steingar says is actually PROVEN safer than sitting behind cars in motorcycle safety studies (you can google it).
 
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