I love but hate riding in traffic. I am a car racer and have the need for speed and traffic but since I have gotten my bike I do get tired of the people that don't pay attention. I have almost gotten hit three times in one week. So I compromise, when I am riding solo which is most of the time I just take off and get ahead.

 

Stay loose man and go with the flow. Watch your mirrors and make sure you turn your head to check your blind spots..Mark..

 

Tense, no. Is the "radar" up and on high alert--absolutely. Take some breaths and wiggle your toes and fingers. You want to be relaxed. If you're freezing up, get in the right hand lane (usually slower, but not always) and give your body a chance to relax a bit. If you're all tight, you can't react quickly, which is a huge advantage you have on a motorcycle.

 

I'm not white-knuckled or tense, but definitely onfull alert and aware of my surroundings - not a time forday-dreaming thats for sure...

I've spent lots of time in heavy traffic in San Diego -4 or 5 lanes of dense/heavy traffic flowing fast (and crawling slow too!) kinda thing. You get used to it, just stay alert and be on the watch at all times for that stupid move someone will make, primarily changing lanes into you is the big one cuz they "dont see you".

When I'm in heavy trafficI never stay right next to a car. I also do my best to be in the far left lane, that way my threats can only come from my right or front or rearrather thanall FOUR sides. As I pass a car I float to the far side of my lane for just that reason, if he drifts into my lane or does a lane change I've got lots of space before he can make contact with me. I get onpast him quick and don't linger beside a car.

Keepa goodFOLLOWING distance is the most important thing, cuz when those brake lights ahead of you all startcoming onyou want time/space in your favor.

Run with all your lights on and it doesnt hurt to wear one of those orange vests if you spend much time in heavy commuter traffic. Icon makes a really nice one that's well made and not that cheapo orange vinyl stuff. It's nylon and has pockets, reflective material for night, etc.

Personally I like my HJC half helmet, but when commuting nearly always go with my full face helmet to give myself that extra edge. Riding jeans with kevlar knee/seat panels are not a bad idea either, I've got 3 pairs of those.

 

this past weekend was not good ridin experiences because of threats to my life from cagers.[:@] sat. night I almost died. had a green light to turnleft over rr tracks. crossed the tracks and about to head thru the other intersection when I notice a bmw not slowing down. yep! two young males blow the red light at least 40 maybe closer to 60mpg.by the grace of God I sawthem comingand stopped. I yelled at them as they blew the red and heard them mouth something back?[sm=violent053.gif][sm=shootshoot.gif]
regardless that would of been a fatal t-bone. I didn't even need to pull over and check my drawers, which is standard proceedure in these matters. I wasn't even really that mad just thankful to my God for having my back....

I guessit might have been my heightened sense of cager paranoia but it just seemed everyone was out to ruin my ride- Sun. eve'g I had two more incedences of cagers almost taking me out.[:@] unfortunatley itsnegative ridin experiences likethose that make me reconsider just leaving her in the garage and living for another day...

 

Strong winds tense me up i guess but not the traffic. Went on a 200 plus jog yesterday with winds 20-30 all day. Notice i was constantly gripping hard waiting for that next blast of cross wind. I knew i was doing it but still did it anyway. Still have a bad memory of the wind blasting me to the next lane as a kid30 years ago.

 

I ride with the Son. When I get nervous in tight situations, my legs tend to tighten up drastically. When I remind myself that He is riding with me, and I just have to listen to Him and be alert, the tension goes away. Just my .02.

 

only when I eat Mexican..... I can't beleive somebody didn't beat me to it

 

Many years of riding in heavy traffic have taught me to be calm but attentive. Death grip on the bars only makes me more tense. I remain calm and scan the scene. I also prefer the far left lane on the freeway. If someone wants to go faster than me I let them pass. No problem. I have split lanes from downtown Los Angeles to Orange county before. Just remain alert and attentive. it takes a lot of energy to split, but if I stop paying attention I could be the one to pay the price.

I think remaining calm and focused is one fo the key factors of staying safe. Obviously being extremely comfortable with how to operate the motorcycle in all situations helps too.

 

I've been riding street for 27 years,,,I guesstematenear 1/4 million miles on 2 wheels....

The death grip and grind,,,just started last year.....

IDK ...Dazed and Confuzed