Cager’s & Motorcycle’s
I wanted to pass this by you guys and see if it’s just here or if this is all over the USA.
I love riding my new SG. We take it everywhere. In town and country. On the highway and old country road. But I’ve noticed lately that there seems to be this growing hatred for motorcycle’s. I’ve watched guy’s come from a half mile back and dam near run everyone over just to riv his engine up and blast in front of me .I’ve watched people stay beside another car to keep me from passing. I’ve watched them cut me off. Pull in front of me and out right run me off the road.
I really try to avoid trouble but it seems it’s getting worse . I really don’t know if it’s the image or the elusion of FREEDOM . Whatever being the situation, I’ve noticed a growing hostility towards bikers.
The way I see it is everyone is equal. When your on the road , your life is important as mine. Don’t care what your riding of driving. But it seem’s most take THE BIKER as less important a life as a cager. Oh it’s just a biker.
What in God’s name has created this mindset and attitude ? I can feel it as I drive in traffic.
I find myself having to drive aggressive just to keep out of cager’s way. Sense when did a human life become less the second they crawl on a motorcycle ?

 

I don't think I've noticed any explicit or obvious discontent at or towards bikers.

However, I (we) ALWAYS ride defensively, no matter where or when.... A careless or distracted driver is just as (or more) dangerous as the crazy F's you describe.

 

I can relate to your pain. While you should always drive like the idiots can't see you,
there is always the jerk who is jealous to the fact that you have a bike or
is trying to prove how much of a man he is by doing like what was done to you.

On the other hand we don't help our own cause by blasting by some cager and giving him
the full "sound advantage".

I toohave had the things done to you in traffic done to me. Always a treat. It's not just in the good old USA
either. North of the border where I live is equally as bad. It seems people don't care and
think as you said "it's just a bike". Or they enjoy seeing youscared/annoyed. If you ever were able to
actually confront someone, they would use the line "oh I was just kidding you". Iactually was able to
"talk" to some jerk and he told me that. I said how would you like afully loaded 18 wheeler
taking a run at you, airhorn blowing the whole time? Of course , oh thats not the same.

Oh well, thanks for letting me vent.

Dennis

 

I've noticed this more as gas prices go up. While you're a sipping, they’re a gulping. I think this is the only country in the world that riding a motorcycle is looked down on. Everywhere else it's a very smart (economical) mode of transportation.

Ride Safe/Ride Often/Ride Respectfully
daryl

 

What I hate is while stopped at a light, jerk off drives up fast and stops within inches of my bike. Happened to me just tonight coming home from work. I drive the route often, so I knew this light is excessivley long. I got off my bike, went back to the jerk off and knocked on his window. He, of course didn't lower it. I simply said, the next time you pull up behind me, please leave plenty of room between your car and my bike. Okay, I didn't use those exact words. But he understood. The next stop light, there was at least a car length between my bike and his car. I wouldn't suggest this to everyone who rides, you never know what will happen, I was just a little fed up with it. If I had been in my truck, I am sure he wouldn't have done it, but who knows. Hopefully my little talk will help the next biker in Albuquerque when at a stop light. Maybe.

 

I would like to add and I will quote someone from another web site.

"I find that the more experience I get. The less often people cut me off, turn in front of me, crowd my lane, etc. It's not because people magically improve their driving skills when I'm near. It's because I've learned to recognize hazards and avoid them. That third eye and sixth sense get better as my other senses fade."

When I read this statement, a light bulb came on. I received my endorsement in 1978. But I hadn’t really ridden. Just on the weekends and when the weather was nice. I purchased a new 2006 HD Road King in 2005, took the MSF class in Oct of 06. Everything changed. Counter steering opened up a whole new world. I was doing everything wrong up to that point. I now ride everyday. I don't ride if I raise the garage door and it's raining or there’s snow or salt on the roads. I use the bike for daily commutes to work, shopping for food, and stops at the ATM, even at the Stake-n-Shake drive up window. When I first got the bike these cut off events seemed to occur all the time. But as I've ridden more theynow occur a lot less.

Ride Safe/Ride Often/Ride Respectfully
daryl

 

I was doing the typical morning commute one day. The road was slightly sweeping right and dropped from 45 to 40 mph as it went up and over a highway, then to 30 mph going past a gas station. A van exiting the highway turned left from a stop, crossed two lanes of traffic and cut me off. All I saw wasthe side of the van,and as I grabbed a handful of brakes,wondered to myself if the human body would actuallybond withsheet steel if the two were to meet such as this. Evenwith both brakeson, I still had to swerve around the van to keep from hitting it.The van then made a left into a gas station, and I pulled in as well. When I informed the female driver that she had almost killed me, she stated that "You shouldn't have been doing 70". So, not only did she see me and still chose to pull out in front of me, butapparently her magical powers were calibrated enough to determine not only was I speeding, but I also needed to be taught a lesson for driving like the raving lunatic I must be. She told me the speed limit was 30 and she drives this road everyday so she should know. I informed her that I didn't survive two combat tours in Iraq to be taken out by a jackass like her, and that she should wake up before she kills someone.That's when I got the full brunt as the words "Scumbag biker" and "Should have hit you" came flying out as she peeled out of the gas station. Judging by all the blue smoke exiting her exhaust, and the squeeling tires,I think she may have been going faster than30 when she left though. Ironic huh?

 

I think were seeing a whole new generation of motorists.
I also got my endorsement in 78. Remember when people actually stopped at stop signs, yellow lights so you could turn left and the list goes on for days. Now it is a God given right to be a complete Ahole regardless of the consequenses or lack of. I always try to point this out when ever possible with a couple of verbal instructions or hand signals. I hope it does two things. Make some idiot aware (can't make em care) that if I'm not dead, there going to have a bad day too and it just makes me feel better.
Having said that, I ride like everyone is trying to run over me unless proven otherwise.

 

Yeah, last night on my way home, I was going around a clover leaf to get onto the highway. I looked in my rearview and there was some guy in an Accord, right on my a$$. I couldn't believe it . . . it was like he was trying to race me . . . so, I turned around and gave him a look. That did nothing, so, I turned, stood up a little (which is a lot harder on an RK than it is on my Buell) and waved a gesture at him and told him to back off, which he did . . . thankfully.

All that was after I had gotten to my bike, after work, to see a chunk of paint missing from my saddle bag. It looks like some other guy tried to park between my bike and another one and his forks took off a piece of paint (it is on the lip of the bag in a perfect semi-circle). . . man am I pi$$ed about that!!!! I know cagers are oblivious, but other bikes as well, wtf.

 

There is no question in my mind, after 40 yrs of biking, it is many times more dangerous today then ever, just hope that my experiance helps to offset some ofthis. Just the other day, wanted to make a left turn at a light, three cars coming from the opposite direction run the red light and a guy from the left with the green tries to see how close he could get to me while I'm stuck out in the middle of the intersection. There is a new generation of drivers with an attitude and it seems to be contagous.